Stiff steering and warning lights?

Hi Amy, this can be the result of a few things. For example, a faulty wheel speed sensor can cause the traction control, ESP, and ABS to all come on at the same time. The steering is a different issue.

Before you lost power assist to the steering, were there any odd sounds from the engine compartment such as a humming sound or anything out of the ordinary?

Let me know that. Also, what really should be done in this situation is to have the can-bus scanned to identify fault codes that may point us in the right direction.

CAN stands for controller area network. The different modules are tied together via a few wires. This type of scan will communicate with all modules regardless of which one has recognized a problem.

Here is a link that shows how it's done:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/can-scan-controller-area-network-easy

If that isn't something you can do or have done, stop at a local parts store such as AutoZone and have them scan the computer. Although their scan tools cannot do as much as a shop's, it may pull something to help me make a determination.

Let me know your thoughts and questions.

Take care,

Joe