Power steering

[Gersemi]

I had a recent incident where I found on starting a journey that power steering had disappeared. I was really worried as I was over 100 miles away from home; however, after stopping to look at the handbook (which wasn't very helpful) I was mega relieved to find that when I started off again the power steering had come back. However, is this something I need to get checked out? The only possible cause I could think of was that I was parked in a car park with a loose, rough surface so I wondered whether something might have got into the mechanism. The car is a Toyota Corolla.

Sounds like your power steering pump could be starting to fail - if it happens again then I'd take it in to a garage.

I'd definitely get it looked at pronto.

On a different note, what do people do about being able to see your little one when in the car seat in the dark of night?

I think you need to start a different thread, Kirstycirvine.

Thanks, JasJ and Errol, I'll get it checked out. I couldn't believe how heavy the car was to steer without power steering!

Get it looked at, my power steering started cutting out and it was the power steering pump as suggested up thread. Cost about £200 but solved the problem. It's not safe when it suddenly cuts out especially if you're negotiating a turn or bend

type your registration number here and it will list any recalls,

www.check-mot.service.gov.uk/

Check the fluid level, but it could be the pump.

It’s annoying but not a safety issue because the steering will operate as normal, it will just be heavy.

If it went off and came back on again it could be either a mechanical problem (ie. the pump is failing as noted above) or an electrical one.

As a start I would suggest checking the power steering fluid to rule out a leak - if it is low I would suggest getting someone to look at it as they do not loose fluid unless there is a leak somewhere.

If you can, I would also suggest finding someone who can plug the car in - if it was an electronic fault then it will have logged it in the computer.

I say this because I had a Fiat Panda which did the same thing, but did it whilst I was driving. Although it may not appear to be a safety concern, believe me when the power steering stops when you are part way around a roundabout it will cause the car to straighten up violently and you will veer off course a lot.

ETA - if you are anywhere near Blandford in Dorset, I can plug it in and read any fault codes off for you.