[snowball]

Hey Fellow Versa and Tiida Owners,

Two days ago, I had an odd occurrance. I drove to the shopping center and when it was time to leave, I started the car, the "PS" warning light came on, and I had no power steering. VERY HARD to turn the wheel. So, half a "Hail Mary" later, I shut off the engine, started it again, and everything was fine.

Everything has been fine in the two days since.

Have any of you had this experience, as well?

Cheers!

 

[*Ziggy*Stardust*]

Hmmm, :shrug: . That's weird.
I haven't had any issues. Good luck though on figuring out what's wrong.

BTW... I like your signature. :jumping:

 

[sooner4x4]

That is an odd and potentially dangerous situation.

As you probably know, the Versa has an electric power steering system, which is quite different than the conventional hydraulic, engine-powered system on most cars. I guess this Versa electric power steering system could experience an electrical problem and cause all kinds of weird behavior. I think the electric steering motor runs about $600 so hopefully that isn't going out.

Personally, I would post an official safety complaint with the NHTSA. Loss of steering or steering assist is a safety issue.

EDIT: I just realized the OP is from Mexico, so I guess the NHTSA complaint thing wouldn't work.

 

[snowball]

Thanks, Ziggy.



Cheers!

 

[snowball]

Thanks Sooner.

 

[buythebuy]

Hey Fellow Versa and Tiida Owners,

Two days ago, I had an odd occurrance. I drove to the shopping center and when it was time to leave, I started the car, the "PS" warning light came on, and I had no power steering. VERY HARD to turn the wheel. So, half a "Hail Mary" later, I shut off the engine, started it again, and everything was fine.

Everything has been fine in the two days since.

Have any of you had this experience, as well?

Cheers!

The exact same thing happened to me this morning. I'm scheduled for an oil change at Nissan this Sunday so I'm going to mention it then. Even though everything is fine now, the fact that the light came on at all and the steering was impossible for a few seconds makes me think this isn't going to go away. I just bought the car used from Nissan in January, so I'm really concerned right now.

 

[Touch]

i would have nissan look at it. usually the power steering system will store some type if trouble code. don't wait too long, i will clear out after a while.
i happened to me before.but that was when i hit the curb and the system needed to reset.

 

[snowball]

I took the car to the dealer to have them look at it. They couldn't find anything wrong, and treated it as something that ocasionally happens. (That is why there is a light on the instrument panel that says PS, that comes on when the power steering does not operate.)

I've decided not to worry about it for two reasons: 1) in my case, it happened when I started the car: the power steering simply refused to come on, and after I shut the motor off, waited a few seconds, and restarted it, everything was fine and has been fine ever since. 2) My driveway is kind of a long, gradual hill, so I experimented with letting the car roll down the driveway, motor off, to see if I could steer it. It is possible to steer without the power sterring, very stiff, however.

I guess some other manufacturers have a lot of electric PS units that fail while the car is being driven. Nissans are not noted for having electric power steering failures.

Cheers!

 

[luthernil]

Hey Fellow Versa and Tiida Owners,

Two days ago, I had an odd occurrance. I drove to the shopping center and when it was time to leave, I started the car, the "PS" warning light came on, and I had no power steering. VERY HARD to turn the wheel. So, half a "Hail Mary" later, I shut off the engine, started it again, and everything was fine.

Everything has been fine in the two days since.

Have any of you had this experience, as well?

Cheers!

Just a heads up but this one seemed to be common on other nissans. in fact I have been noticing the same problem on my 02 and i have suspected the power steering not functioning well. The problem started to took place around 12,000 miles. I did not do anything but now turning 14k miles and it seems more prevalent when I have just started my car and leaving a parking lot or driveway.

 

[JohnMike]

It sucks they don't do any recalls on this kind of dangerous problem.

 

[CJ-Gray]

This happens to me too many times for comfort. I will turn on the car, see the PS light is on, and turn it off. Once I wait a few seconds, I turn the car back on the light is gone and the PS is working again.

This has also happened to me while driving. I'd say maybe that has occurred 3 times while driving. It's terrifying and very difficult to turn the wheel and control the car once this happens. I can't believe there hasn't been a recall related to this issue.

 

[amc49]

They don't issue recalls because losing PS is not the end of the world, the cars are still steerable even without it. Like they have been for the last 60 years.

 

[CJ-Gray]

They don't issue recalls because losing PS is not the end of the world, the cars are still steerable even without it. Like they have been for the last 60 years.

Losing power steering while driving is a danger, especially since there have been instances where there is a jarring that accompanies the loss of power steering. No it's "not the end of the world" but it makes controlling a huge machine dangerous to the driver and others on the road. Where I live, the road conditions aren't the best right now, so it's even more important to have a car that functions properly.

 

[amc49]

'Losing power steering while driving is a danger, especially since there have been instances where there is a jarring that accompanies the loss of power steering.'

Not so if you are going straight ahead and it's not that much if you are turning at speed either, only at a slow roll and turning is it that 'jarring'. You need to look at the mechanics of how PS works. It is the physical surprise of the effort going way up that is most jarring there. There is virtually no extra effort expended in changing lanes to get off the road unless you do what you don't need to be doing anyway, or panic whip the car to change several lanes at once.

I used to disconnect PS hoses way back in the day to supposedly lower the hp. drag on street race cars back before I knew better. I drove them like that for long periods of time, the only complaint was getting into tight parking spaces. PS is proportional, it adds assist as the car needs it, they don't need much at greater speeds since the car has enough inertia and weight to help with the issue, the PS applies the greatest force at very low speeds. That is where you will get any jarring, at highway speeds there is little to nothing except mostly in your head.

On a small car like a Versa I can hardly tell the difference with it on or off, but then my head has been trained to weed out the panic part of it.

 

[Keith Wagner]

Up until about the early 90's, power steering was an extra cost option. Hell, the car I used in drivers ed. all those years ago DID NOT have power steering(80's Sentra).
Loosing power steering on a rack and pinion car really is not the end of the world. You have to use a little more effort, and hold the wheel properly (BOTH hands at 10 and 2).

 

[amc49]

'...it makes controlling a huge machine dangerous to the driver...'

It's good you never had to drive 4000 lb. monsters before power steering. There is absolutely no loss of control there despite what people want to say, the steering wheel is absolutely connected to the wheels and it WILL work fine but you can't panic over it. If steering wheel gets jarred out of your hands you were not paying enough attention to drive safely. At least that is what the lawyers will say in court.

I should probably point out that I used to drive that same PS disabled car in the ice, we raced around a school parking lot in imitation of circle track racing.

I should like to explain also that a non and PS steering box or rack are generally NOT the same, one just with power and the other not. The PS box almost always runs the reduction ratio way down since it has assist to help it. Meaning the effort to work non-power and a power unit with no power working are different, the latter requires somewhat more effort.

 

[Keith Wagner]

I do have to say, you haven't lived until you drive a semi tractor with 2- 55 air conditioning, no power steering,or armstrong steering, and a non syncronized(sp) 5x4 duplex transmission!
Yes, I know the differences between rack and pinion and recirculating ball(and chain) steering, not to mention between power and non power. Never intentionally disabled the p.s., but have had
the belt break on a 76 Olds Toronado. Oh fun times horsing that thing around!

'...it makes controlling a huge machine dangerous to the driver...'
I have owned and driven cars without power ANYTHING. Was it dangerous, hell no. One just had to pay attention to their driving.

 

[PoMan]

Given Nissan power steering in any of their later model vehicles is ridiculously light, so much so you can about blow on the steering wheel and turn it, I can see where someone not a cranky ol man would be caught off guard if what ever powers the steering stops doing it's thing.

.. and I'm pretty old.. So lets start snarking on who's older..

 

[amc49]

The point I was making is that the surprise is at least 50% mental rather than physical, the TV blaring behind me reminds me you likely face more danger from global warming effects than you do from the steering 'going out' unless you are not capable of handling a car in an emergency. A tire blowout can be much worse, and I used to drive most tires until they did that to get the max benefit from cost. Not wise you say, I now agree, but I have a uncounted number of them at least to compare with.

People don't grasp that as long as you are going straight there is zero assist from PS, it only kicks in with the increase in turning the wheel, the more you move wheel the more the assist. Meaning not a problem on highway at speed and even when lane changing to get to the side of the road if you don't snap the wheel in panic. Gradual moving to the side a lane at a time is pretty effortless.

If you panic easy that may not go well, and what I'm trying to get across.

 

[Keith Wagner]

As to the light, sounds like a fault in the EPS control module. The question you're going to have to answer is if it is worth fixing, or could you live with it.
Unless you can do it yourself, it will be an expensive fix as you have to remove the dash to get to it.