General Steering Fail Notification, Panda, Just Me?

[Most Easterly Pandas]

i was trying to point out that its not just expensive power steering that are failing on these cars (with very low milage) that costs the owners a fortune to repair.surely fiat should be more involved with these early failings on these pandas.?I mean major gearbox problems at 10,000 miles isnt fair really. neither are steering problems with very low milage...

I'm not saying that the wear is acceptable but you need to remember that a 10k city car will have more wear than a 10k motorway driven car on gearbox and steering, so not everything can be put down to age / mileage, but that aside these parts shouldn't fail at the stages they are.

I'd advise people seek legal advise with the likes to trading standards etc in regard to the vehicle/parts being 'fit for purpose'

 

[johnnyrotten41]

Hi MEP,
I've checked the battery it is showing green, in the observation hole.
Also checked all of the fuses's in the engine compartment, and next to the steering column. I removed the steering fuse, it steered OK, although a bit stiff.
Now replaced the fuse.Also disconnected the Battery, and re-connected it.
At one stage I went onto an open car park, Drove forward and in reverse on a full lock, this seemed to cure the message but a little later it came back.
Having a diagnosis test tomorrow,see what the brings.
Cheers
Johnny
Ps the car has not yet done 30,000

Had a Diagnosis check at quick fit £29showed that steering wheel angle sensor,and Power steering motor faulty. quoted £800 +
I noticed that the warning light turn's off on a full turn to the right, sometimes comes on again on the wheel returning
Not so now more like

 

[Fang]

Don't even consider it. BBA will refurb your exiting unit for under £300.

 

[T14086]

Don't even consider it. BBA will refurb your exiting unit for under £300.

I sit on the fence over this, however if Fiat dont allow any work/adjustment to be carried out on the system then it must be for a reason?

 

[Fang]

I sit on the fence over this, however if Fiat dont allow any work/adjustment to be carried out on the system then it must be for a reason?

Well a cynic might say that the reason is commercial self interest. There is no safety issue and as for the standard of the refurb, BBA are confident enough to guarantee their work for two years, 12 months longer than the guarantee you get with a new Fiat unit. Interestingly, they claim that their refurb improves the reliability of the unit by addressing a known weakness.

My instinct is to always go the dealer route but the quote I got from Thames Fiat (who were very helpful) was a little over £600 for fitting a new steering torque sensor.

 

[johnnyrotten41]

Hi again,
Well my Panda has now passed the MOT, It is still showing the message, that I need to have the power steering checked. Nothing is wrong with the steering, if I turn left the warnings come on, when I turn to the right the warning turns off.
Any one know how to delete the Message
Cheers Johnny, back to my cool self again

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

You need to have the fault code read, as there a fault there if the warning keeps coming up.

 

[Pizza Alan]

Having read through most of the posts in this thread I thouht I would dig a little deeper and I discovered VOSA

Vehicle DetailsReference :R/2007/012Manufacturer Ref : Make:FIATModel :IDEA, PUNTO, PANDA, GRANDE PUNTO AND STILOLaunch Date :20/04/2007Numbers Involved :1474Build Start Date :01/05/2006Build End Date : 31/05/2006 Recall DetailsConcern :ENGINE POWER MAY BE LOST Description :It is possible that breakage of the ancillary devices pulley on the crankshaft may occur. Should this happen there is the possibility that engine power and functions such as power assisted steering and braking assistance may be lost. Remedial Action :Recalled vehicles will have the crankshaft pulley inspected and changed should this be necessary. Vehicle Id :ZFA19900000010004 to ZFA19900000010004
ZFA19200000583184 to ZFA19200000630209
ZFA18800004972397 to ZFA18800004972397
ZFA19900001000014 to ZFA19900001094860
ZFA18800000793362 to ZFA18800000902645
ZFA35000000092100 to ZFA35000000132472
ZFA19900000000688 to ZFA19900000087968
ZFA19200000576160 to ZFA19200000576160
ZFA16900000475266 to ZFA16900000640654
ZFA18800004990567 to ZFA18800004999998
ZFA18800005352627 to ZFA18800005352627

Other Vehicles Affected (Click the vehicle to perform an extended search)


I wasnt able to post a link as I have not made five posts but if you type VOSA you will find it leads to a recall for fiats with power steering failure problems.

I hope this helps.

 

[Pizza Alan]

Having had the recall done on the ecu which causes power drainage from the abs and steering I hoped that this would resolve my problem, but alas no I have found myself in the same position of needing to get the steering replaced, this what fiat call the delphi unit.

Now I have counted on this thread quotes of at leaset 21 people haveing problems with their steering (how many do you need for a recall?)

I have notified fiat through the customer service line and they have said no compensation for me in my case, i explained that they seemed to have missed the point which was YOU HAVE A MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING! WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?

I am now in the process of writing to Fiat at slough to put my complaint in writing, if I do not get a satisfactory response I will be taking it further, motoring press, whatever.

 

[panda4x4x4x4]

well done, keep us informed

 

[JTD_Liam]

Good luck. Fiat UK were excellent with me when i needed to speak to them about a different problem on my car, but it is about time that something was done about these power steering motors, it's been going on for years now. Even the Grande Puntos are having the problems.

As much as i like Fiat, someone needs a rocket over this. How they've escaped Watchdog i'll never know.

 

[joe1962]

Hi had the dreaded steering fail light come on this morning after I had driven 1/2 mile from cold the glowplug light has also been flashing after start up. Upon re starting the steering fail light disappeared & has remained off for my 150 mile Friday commute. My friendly Fiat garage 30 miles distance reckons it could be the motor not getting sufficient juice which could be the case as the car has spent 10 days at a bodyshop getting fixed. So I think I will charge up the battery (new this summer) and see how we go could be time to change a set of glowplugs though. Panda has 76K and has had the usual issues water pump, hatch handle & two EGR valves. Heres hoping!!

 

[BadgerGravling]

You can now add my 2004 Panda to the list (Think it's just about hit 50,000 miles for reference).

I'd just been celebrating the fact it had passed its MOT a week ago for just the cost of a suspension linkage, when I noticed a couple of slightly odd occurences last weekend.

1. The speedo intermittently failing - one minute I'm doing a reported 60 miles an hour down the motorway - the next it can claim I'm stationary.

2. The steering started to feel light within an hour or two - and then the warning light started to come on. Both intermittent again.

Besides being essential for work commuting, the Panda is also the main source of family transport, so it's straight off the road, and we're just starting to phone local garages etc.

*sigh*

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

Sounds electrical not PS motor.

 

[ivantate]

Yep, check the body to engine earth, battery connections etc.... .

May just be a faulty speed sensor on the gearbox.

 

[Most Easterly Pandas]

May just be a faulty speed sensor on the gearbox.

Now you mention it that sounds very Feasible. No speed signal to PS ECU = kill PS as it may be to sensitive at speed as it won't turn itself down.

 

[David Bliss]

We had problems with the power steering on our Seicento, this started quite early on. I enquired about cost of fixing it (about £600) and just left it. My wife couldn't tell if it was working or not so why worry! I only found it a bit off-putting if it turned on or off unexpectedly in traffic.

We had several small things replaced under guarantee, parts were free, labour cost the same price as the parts would have come too, some coincidence!

We have had tyre wear issues with our new Panda, and I am not impressed with the suspension as a whole. It seems designed to fail.

 

[Garyh3]

Hi MEP,
I've checked the battery it is showing green, in the observation hole.
Also checked all of the fuses's in the engine compartment, and next to the steering column. I removed the steering fuse, it steered OK, although a bit stiff.
Now replaced the fuse.Also disconnected the Battery, and re-connected it.
At one stage I went onto an open car park, Drove forward and in reverse on a full lock, this seemed to cure the message but a little later it came back.
Having a diagnosis test tomorrow,see what the brings.
Cheers
Johnny
Ps the car has not yet done 30,000

Hmmmmmmm

My Panda 4*4 Climbing is doing the exact same now.... The stearing warining light comes on and off every now and then The car has done a 100k. My local Garage who serviced the car has said there is a little play in the stearing rack.

No loss of stearing power yet though

Gary

 

[tessabella]

hello
I have a panda 4x4 with just 26,000 on the clock and has now developed a persistent 'steering failure' light.
It passed a full Fiat service and mot about 6 months ago, with 5 star condition on almost all tested parts, which includes the steering column

I have taken it to Fiat who have advised me the steering column will probably need to be replaced at about £500-£600 (exc. labour).
They also told me it was not dangerous at all, but i am still concerned, esp when I have kids and my dog in the car.

I am gobsmacked that a relatively new car with regards to mileage could have such a failure, esp after I was informed it was in A1 condition only 6 months ago!!

I do believe there must be issues with these parts in general on the Pandas and personally I dont think I should have to pay out for it! Who do I talk to about this, as I think it really should be recognised by Fiat as a Recall Notice???

I wouldn't mind but i have just replaced all 4 tyres due to wear to get it through the MOT! God knows how many tyres I would have gone through if I did over 10,000 miles per year!

Thanks
heidi

 

[Pandablues]

I've never worked on an MOT which tested a steering column other than to check for bearing play at the head end and overall visual wear. If you can rock a steering wheel, you can "test" a column for MOT. 6 months is an awful long time in the life of a car and has no bearing on anything - an MOT, for example, is only a test of the condition of the vehicle at that moment in time and, theoretically, no proof against anything "falling off" hours later never mind 6 months - having needed a test, your car is obviously out of warranty so good luck, and no, you shouldn't need it at 26000 miles: Contact Fiat customer services, unsure of the number, but start here, 00800 3428 0000.