hi please can anybody help pulling our hair out !


have a fiat panda 05 plate came in with the dreaded power steering failure
have read many post on the forum about this problem


contacted bba had the steering column sent off to them
had a phone call saying they could not repair it they will send a replacement
sent a replacement and mechanic fitted it still no power steering rang dealer who said it needed coding sent it to dealer they said did not need coding it was the wrong steering column, so we said sort it,they put new steering column on still not sorted. dealer said new sensor so had that fitted, still not sorted. have now pulled the car out of the dealers after six weeks


problems the car still has :


no power steering, no rev counter, no speedo, ne temp gauge


coming up with error codes u1003, u1004


would be grateful of any help as we have now had the car eight weeks and the customer is not best pleased


thank you

The error codes refer to a bus communication error, but can't find anything more specific. Connecting the car to MultiECUScan might help, tell us where you are, there might be someone with a licensed version near you.

It would be helpful if BBS could be specific as to why they could not repair the original unit.

The other failures, rev counter, speedo and temp gauge suggest that the steering might be a victim, not the cause.

Frequently the steering fails first when there are voltage or connection issues. This is because it needs a big current to work. Check the battery state, then the main cables and connections from battery to ECU and the fat power cable to the steering unit. Also check the earth cable from battery to gearbox and body. These corrode inside their sheath, so may appear OK, but not pass enough current.
Check the connections to the body computer. Make sure all the little pins are clean and dry, and not loose.
If you still think the steering is the fault, talk to Western Power Steering at Bristol. I've had excellent service from them. https://www.fiatforum.com/western-power-steering/

thank you very much for your reply


will try everything you have suggested


will post back how we get on

It sounds like it could be a fuse or an earth problem