would a faulty battery cause the power steering light to come on and to have intermitent power steering loss?

It certainly won't help,
mine's been o.k. - but others seem to think this is a regular issue,
It's ELECTRIC Power Steering afterall, so poor power = poor "assistance".

Charlie

It can do yes low battery voltage can cause all sorts of issues get the battery tested and get the cars computer read before spending any money

:yeahthat:

Steering light is most commonly battery but assistance loss is usually torque sensor failure, the latter requiring a new steering column, if the battery is really knackered you might get this. Only way to find out is a new battery at £50 it's a damn sight cheaper than £300 for a new column and chances are if the battery is more than 5-6 years old you would benefit from a new one anyway

dump the battery
its the first real cold today and it wont be the last