(T) Warning Light - RED - Steering

after parking my 03 Punto up for more than a couple of days - the steering warning light stays on for about an hour - has anyone else experienced this?

ive had it too a few times, seemed to happen when i didnt straighten the wheel after parking, i think warning lights coming on are a common fault with puntos (i'm not saying ignore it though :P)

Hello mate,

The electronic steering on the punto can turn into an expensive fix when it starts going wrong. In your case though, if its only coming on if the car has been left for a few days and then going out untill the car is left for a few days again, it would suggest that it could possibly be to do with the condition of your battery. The electronic steering can be sensitive to when your battery is on the way out and if it does not get the correct voltages etc then it does not work propely. I would check the condition of your battery and the connections before i start worrying abou expensive power steering ECU replacement.

Hope that helps,
Alan

I would also say batery, but wouldnt the batery light stay on?

Hi mate,
the battery light would only stay on if there was a fault in the charging system. By the sounds of it, the battery is charging fine, but not holding its charge very well. Therefore when he first starts it after a few days, the voltage is low and gives the PS fault, and then the light goes out after a while when the battery has reached the desired voltage (due to the alternator charging). Just a theory.

Alan

i have this problem, the other day i was turning and it came on, and my power steering stopped, so it was hard to turn.
i switched the engine off and back on, and the steering was fine.
i also hit a large pot hole or something in the road and it came on then too. so i did the same, pulled over, switched off and back on again.
any idea of what that could be?

http://www.fiatforum.com/punto-guide...ng-column.html

Thanks Alan, will get this checked out!
Love Suze

Same happened to me once. I would say that that time I parked on downhill and while parked I have turned the wheel towards the edge of the road and when the front wheel (while turning) hit the road edge I stopped and turned the engine off.

Next time when I started the car I had a red steering wheel light. The light stayed on during the short 30min drive, but otherwise the electronic steering was working OK. Then I turned the engine off and on again and the red light dissapeared and never appeared again (except for a second-two when starting the engine, together with all other lights, which is normal).