(T) 51 Punto steering problems Any ideas?

My 51 punto sporting's power steering has stopped working. The light on the dash is on but when I connected my laptop up via digimoto and OBD port there was no error codes listed. I cleared the ecu just in case but no luck. I had a quick nose at the fuses but couldnt see any that have gone. Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks

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

Thanks read through that but didnt manage to match to my problem i.e. light on but no ecu code. What do you think it might be ?

Check for errors in ECU & body computer (read the bit in the guide about VSS)

I trust you meant the steering ECU & not the fuel injection ECU that you read the codes from?

Hmm not sure. I connected the laptop upto the OBD port under the steering column and just got the digimoto software to look for any diagnostic errors codes and it found nothing. Is their another port?

No thats the only port.

Under the 'error codes section' it just listed no problems. I reset the ecu and restarted but the light was still on and their was still no codes being read by the software.

Alot of errors are vehicle specific (no code number) such as 'torque posistion sensors'...I am begining to feel a trip to dealer is in store here?

Unfortunately so do I :-( sounds expensive. Someone reversed into me a month ago, might just claim on my insurance and see if they fix it.

Had the car from new and its been pretty reliable (except clutch / flywheel and aircon)

£40-45 for diagnostic

Ok thanks will report back when I have found out the problem.

Interesting to read the above, but what are people actually doing about this?

Is this website and the people that run it taking up the cause ... or just allowing people to post their problems?

Sudden lost of steering seems to be a huge safety issue to myself.

The thought you can be driving along and suddenly the wheel becomes 10 times harder to turn doesn't seem minor to me.

I've had my power steering fail upon starting my car and that one thing because the car is stationary but to think it could happen whilst going around a bend

It seem that people are experiencing these problems a lot and going to FIAT one by one and having to fork out for a repair or replacement that is a manufacturing / design fault. I've certainly not heard of hydraulic power steering simply turning itself off the same way electric power steering seems to be able to.

Where do FIAT owners go to make a group complaint?

Is there an online petition?

This seems to me to be a serious safety issue, after brakes I can't really think what else is more important to a car then steering.

I completely agree, I will be driving my car and it will just turn off, recently it has got REALLY bad.... does anybody have any suggestions????????????????????????????