My Panda recently has an issue with its steering in the sense that it feels completely numb in the straight ahead position. When I'm driving straight ahead, the steering wheel is either angled slightly left, or more commonly right. However, sometimes when I'm braking, or driving at low speeds, the wheel is dead straight and the car drives straight.

I'm wondering mainly why I've noticed the 'straight ahead position' on the steering wheel has become incredibly light/numb recently. I'm sure it was a bit heavier previously. The city-mode is not active and a new Bosch S4 battery has recently been fitted, not sure if a new battery could have an effect on the power steering.

Any help appreciated.
Matt.

There are a few things that can cause steering issues and not all are easy to check.

The electric power steering motor, particularly it's torque sensor can have issues, the main fault being the car tends to pull sharply to one side for no reason.

What you describe, the steering being dead in the the straight ahead, angled steering wheel one way or the other to drive straight makes me think it might be a physical problem.

There could be some wear in one of the steering joints or suspension bushes.

With this you'll often find it'll wander around at speed and you have to keep nudging the wheel back and forth just to travel along a straight bit of motorway.
Fast bends on the likes of slip roads can feel a wooly too, feeling like it's impossible to judge how much input to apply to the steering wheel.

First thing to check is how the steering feels stationary.
Start the engine and wind down the drivers window.
Get out and put your hand on the back of the road wheel/tyre at 9 o clock.
Lean in through the window and rock the steering wheel back and forth.
(do the other side too, but you'll need someone to rock the steering wheel)

It should all feel tight and move instantly.
If it feels sloppy or has a notchy knock before the steering wheel starts moving the road wheel, you've some play in there, it likely it's either the track rod end or the inner steering tie rod ball joint, but it could be the rack that's worn or it's mounts loose.

Harder to test are the wishbone bushes and lower ball joints.
To test the lower ball joints requires the wheel to be jacked up and the wheel gripped and rocked top to bottom and side to side.

Wishbone bushes are hard to check, but are quite common on these, particularly the the rear (on the front) wishbone bush on diesels due to heavier engines. You need to jack up and use a bar to jemmy the joints to judge how much side play is in the bush.

Thanks for your help. It's the way I noticed the steering trouble almost instantly, so I'm wondering if I've knocked the tracking out. I'll be taking it into the garage in a few weeks time.

Matt

As Goudrons says, it is more likely a mechanical cause than an electrical one, but wear in the various steering joints does not happen instantly, so I would discount joint wear as a first thought. If this was so, the effects would have been noticed before now as a gradual loss of steering accuracy.
Your conclusion, that you've somehow knocked the tracking out, is more likely, and would produce the effects you describe.
Get the car properly tracked and see what improvement there is. But make sure the job is done thoroughly because there are plenty of bodgers out there.

If you take it for tracking/alignment, it's important they do it with the steering wheel locked completely straight.

If it's not done with the steering wheel straight (but the road wheels are adjusted straight) it'll put some assistance on the motor as it'll detect (torque sensor) a small input one way, so it'll constantly put power through the motor which is doesn't need and could possibly pull a little that way too.

But writing that, you could be wasting money trying to track a car with a problem, as if say something like the track rod end is knackered, it'll need tracking again after replacing.
Best asking them to check for play before attempting to adjust.

Thanks for you help, much appreciated. I'll be sure to make sure all the pointers are mentioned.

Matt.