Power steering not working properly

Tiny
ANDRE GOLDEN
  • MEMBER
  • 2008 CHEVROLET MALIBU
  • 2.4L
  • 4 CYL
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 169,000 MILES
When you turn on the ignition the steering wheel turns all the way to the right by itself.
Friday, March 26th, 2021 AT 6:24 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,709 POSTS
Hi,

Based on your description, I assume this has electric power steering. The system is composed of several components, a torque sensor, position sensor, electric motor, and a power steering control module (PSCM).

It is hard to diagnose this issue, but I suspect it has to do with either the torque sensor or position sensor. Here is what I suggest. The vehicle has a control module specific to the power steering. Therefore, you can scan that module for diagnostic trouble codes. To do this, I recommend scanning the can-bus system. CAN stands for controller area network. Basically, a few wires connect all the modules/computers together. When you scan the entire can-bus, you are checking for diagnostic trouble codes in all modules and not just for the engine.

Here is a video showing how it is done:

https://youtu.be/InIlnsjOVFA

In all honesty, this should identify where the problem is coming from. If this isn't done, it becomes a guessing game.

Let me know what you find or if you have other questions.

Take care,
Joe
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Friday, March 26th, 2021 AT 8:49 PM

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