As some others have also experienced, my car had developed an intermittent but annoying momentary 'stiffness/stickiness' to minor steering adjustments most often made whilst travelling down a long straight road or during a long protracted curve on a motorway.
Because there were no error codes from the electric power steering column, logic suggested that it was a mechanical issue. The intermittent nature of the issue & it being only evident when small corrective movements were made to the steering from straight ahead focused my attention on the intermittent shaft that connects the electric steering column to the steering rack. It's a telescopic design with UJs at either end. If UJs are asked to move through significant angles during rotation (as here) then they require some facility to adjust the length of the shaft (hence the telescopic design which also makes its full removal easy).
Of course this shaft needs to be lubricated to allow it to move freely during the turning action that requires it to move in & out by a small fraction, as the UJs rotate.
I removed the right side dashboard panel & then the lower facia panel under the steering wheel (two torx screws & push fit retaining clips). I then liberally lubricated the shaft at the splined part of telescopic shaft close to when it enters the lower smooth part of the shaft. This was done using white spray grease which is initially like liquid so hopefully it would pass down & inside the shaft. A few rotations of the steering were performed to assist this process & help the grease lubricate the telescopic function of the shaft.
Fifty odd miles later & the sticky/stiff steering action that was previously intermittently experienced & which sometimes made keeping a straight line a stressful experience, seems to have been cured. The car is once more a pleasure to drive.
I hope this helps other owners who might have the same disconcerting problem develop.
Because there were no error codes from the electric power steering column, logic suggested that it was a mechanical issue. The intermittent nature of the issue & it being only evident when small corrective movements were made to the steering from straight ahead focused my attention on the intermittent shaft that connects the electric steering column to the steering rack. It's a telescopic design with UJs at either end. If UJs are asked to move through significant angles during rotation (as here) then they require some facility to adjust the length of the shaft (hence the telescopic design which also makes its full removal easy).
Of course this shaft needs to be lubricated to allow it to move freely during the turning action that requires it to move in & out by a small fraction, as the UJs rotate.
I removed the right side dashboard panel & then the lower facia panel under the steering wheel (two torx screws & push fit retaining clips). I then liberally lubricated the shaft at the splined part of telescopic shaft close to when it enters the lower smooth part of the shaft. This was done using white spray grease which is initially like liquid so hopefully it would pass down & inside the shaft. A few rotations of the steering were performed to assist this process & help the grease lubricate the telescopic function of the shaft.
Fifty odd miles later & the sticky/stiff steering action that was previously intermittently experienced & which sometimes made keeping a straight line a stressful experience, seems to have been cured. The car is once more a pleasure to drive.
I hope this helps other owners who might have the same disconcerting problem develop.
