Technical Steering Concerns

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Technical Steering Concerns

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So, routine trip in my Panda last night.

Waited for a friend to return with the engine on (other systems like radio, headlights, etc all running too) and I noticed a little red steering wheel light had come on.. a tug of the wheel and it wouldn't move at all - as if the car was turned off.

Had to restart the car, no light came on and I drove home like normal. This was a little scary however?!

Like what made it come on, should it have and what does it mean? :confused:


Done some short trips today no problem but it's at the back of my mind. What if it locks whilst I'm driving at 60mph!? I was thinking because the past owners (family whom i asked) said they never used the City button yet I turn it on/off multiple times per journey that the sudden use of the City button could be harming the system as it's not used to being used? (tongue twisting sentence)

Any input is appreciated. Also heard that this car had the steering re-done by Fiat in the past years ago, but yet to enquire with the family member who owned it at the time and the recall sticker in the boot is blank :(
 
So you had all your electrical things running at once. As said before, the power steering is electrical and requires a lot of juice. Your battery might be showing signs of age. Alternatively you made several short trips so you turned the engine off and on a few times. Perhaps the overall trip length didn't allow the battery to recharge itself?

But the GIRLIE button? Why do you feel the need to use it? It's not as if the normal steering is particularly heavy so it's really not needed. It uses extra power. I've used mine about two times. Made the power steering ridiculously light. Didn't inspire me to use it again. Step away from the GIRLIE button! :)
 
It's a very common problem. First of don't worry about it locking at 60mph. My panda had the same problem when the battery died and its still drivable although heavy. Also the faster you travel the less assistance you need so its more a problem with slow round abouts. Even my weakling girlfriend managed not to crash when it kept failing.

I would say leave it a bit and first thing if it happens again is a new battery. I cured mine with a varta but many on here like Bosch. Just get a good one and it should fix it. As wesmurf said the pas using heavy draw and can error if battery is low plus you have a lot of stuff on.
 
It's a very common problem. First of don't worry about it locking at 60mph. My panda had the same problem when the battery died and its still drivable although heavy. Also the faster you travel the less assistance you need so its more a problem with slow round abouts. Even my weakling girlfriend managed not to crash when it kept failing.



I would say leave it a bit and first thing if it happens again is a new battery. I cured mine with a varta but many on here like Bosch. Just get a good one and it should fix it. As wesmurf said the pas using heavy draw and can error if battery is low plus you have a lot of stuff on.


Relative to the last two Corsa's I've driven which had dead batteries (leaving radio on for 20mins caused a jump start situation) I've always thought the Panda's battery was decent. But it does look original. Maybe it is time to be replaced.

You guys are pretty certain then that it's a low battery as opposed to a worn out part? What a relief!

I'll be careful, see if it happens again too. If so, battery it is. If not, then I'll continue to try and use less of the city button / all my equipment


It was a frosty night and a LOT of hi-beam, full blast heater, radio, wipers going etc. Personally I thought a 20 min journey would be sufficient to keep the battery more than ticking over at largely 50-60mph but I suppose that's a pretty short time to drive compared to what most people probably drive! :)
 
A dodgy battery will definitely throw such faults. If it's original, then the battery definitely needs replacing at its age. Get a good brand though such as Bosch.
 
My Panda is a 2010 and only has 22,500 miles on the clock! I use it for stop start journeys in Manchester, the car really does take a pounding and I had to replace my battery last year. Made a huge difference to the way the car ran, and no more steering issues.
 
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