Hi guys yesterday I got a puncutre so I had to put my space saver on N/S/R. This morning I turned my car on started to reverse when the steering went extremely heavy and the red steering wheel warning light came on the dash, I automatically turned car off started back up and it was off so I continued and drove to the train station. It there anyway that that steering wheel light could be linked to the space saver being on? If not does anyone have any idea what problem could be?
Thanks in advance!

Fiat Panda 4x4 Climbing
2005

I think that although its probably not the best situation for car to have a space saver on one side. My guess is its highlighting an underlying problem.

How old is your battery? I along with loads of others here have had the light and heavy steering and its nearly always a dying battery. Mine could start, not dim the lights nothing but kept erroring the steering.

The steering takes a lot of current, so highlights a dying battery before any other issues arise. The symptoms are of a battery, not of a steering issue.

Fitting the spare probably just a coincidence. Perhaps boot left open, boot light on, took just enough out of battery to drop enough to make steering complain.

daveofkent said:

I think that although its probably not the best situation for car to have a space saver on one side. My guess is its highlighting an underlying problem.

How old is your battery? I along with loads of others here have had the light and heavy steering and its nearly always a dying battery. Mine could start, not dim the lights nothing but kept erroring the steering.

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I think it was changed last year or maybe longer. I did notice last night when I unlocked my car the drivers door did not not but rest did although I unlocked and locked it couple times and tried it this morning and it worked perfectly first time. I did also have an issue about 6 months ago where the car would struggle to start if I just turned it on straight away but if I turned ignition on waited few seconds then turned on it was fine, my friend who is a mechanic thought it was maybe just a bad earth and due to the snow frost etc it was being a bit tempramental I did not change the battery though. I'm assuming if it was an actual fault with the power steering the light would not go off at all?

Re-check the main earth cable from battery to gearbox to car body. Check carefully, needs to be clean and secure. There have been a few threads recently where the cable has fractured inside its sheathing, so wriggle it carefully to check.

If battery is only a year old, check for a manufacturing date on it somewhere. If it was over 6 months old when first used it will not last long. Ideally a new battery needs to be no more than 2 months old when you buy it.