Big high five to the freak crew. Ok guys so i left my '12 fit dormant for a month whilst out of town, first day of driving it i was shocked to discover that my steering wheel was randomly "almost" freezing/locking one minute then goes back to being completley normal the next. So the best way i can describe it feels that it suddenly has lost power to the power steering. Its got only 63K original miles btw. I've started and re-started the engine several times but to no avail. Its fine one minute then breifly loses power just a few minutes later..what gives?

Thanks
zero2hero.

 

Maybe EPS module?

Had something similar on my S2000, but once lost, it didn't come back until I restarted the car. I replaced the EPS module, and the problem is gone.

 

I'm interested in the "freezing/locking" statement. If you lost your electronic power assist, the steering should feel like it does when the engine is off. What is causing the "locking" on your car?

 

Thankyou to everyone that responded..today i discovered that the culprit is quite possibly a loose battery cable, apparently that's what is causing the sudden loss of power to the steering. I basically tightened both terminals and was hoping that would fix it and it really looks like that may have been the culprit, since the tightening job earlier today, ive had no power loss to the steering.....yet. fingers crossed.

 

@Zero2Hero Good to hear. I had a loose positive battery cable just a few days ago myself. I always keep a 10mm wrench in the glove compartment for these little events.


EDIT: I should have made clear that the battery connections on my Fit work themselves loose periodically. That's why I started carrying the wrench.

 

@Mister Coffee Good practice, my friend! I've got a little emergency wrench set too, but much worse luck If I have a wrench, I need a socket. At one point I'd actually built a portable trunk toolbox for helpin folks a little further down the road.. I still wound up being shy a tool or lubricant. Now it sits under the radial saw and holds screws, bits, squares and the like. It's far more useful now.

@Zero2Hero Glad to hear about the battery! Fortunately for all of us, the EPS system seems to be trouble free. Thank goodness, as the price tag would be unfriendly.

EDIT: just as a friendly note - a loose battery connection is a realistic potential culprit for your fault and perhaps the single most likely cause. I feel like I've read this before as being the correct solution for someone else with your problem, but my head would make a better strainer than it would a jar. Try not to worry!! I think you nailed it!

 

When it comes to electronics, tech support people will tell you that the first question to ask is always "Is it plugged in?"

This is kind of the same thing!

I'm going to check my battery cables now. Thanks.