Power steering electronic failure/ limp mode

[Tbrownski]

Has anybody had a power steering failure?

My bronco has a 74weld rack and has been problem free for almost 20k miles. While down in Baja I got a warning to service steering system and now it’s in some sort of power steering limp mode where I get about 50% power while driving and no power when stopped. Forscan is telling me it’s a c200b code for both signal compare and internal electronic failure.


74weld is telling me it’s somewhere in the electronics and not mechanically in the rack. I hate to throw a new rack at it and find out that wasn’t the issue… any help would be appreciated

Is there a wire or ground somewhere that I could have hit or came loose besides for the plugs at the rack that I’ve already double checked?

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[toybox06]

I will say that I’m no expert on the Bronco Epas. However when a manufacture designs something they tend to follow the same design language for a long time. All that said on older Fusions an Epas system fault can occur when too much torque is applied to a rack. This can happen many times on a Fusion when a low tire, worn or binding suspension and or driveline. This causes additional friction resulting in torque outside of the design parameters. It would seem counter intuitive on a Bronco that requires tires to be aired down and the stresses of rock crawling. So this is likely nothing related to your problem. But happens to be the same code on the Fusion. But the resolve on those is fix the tire/suspension/driveline and clear the code and see if it returns. Ford techs on here will know a whole lot more than me. Hopefully they will chime in.

 

[Brian_B]

I'm assuming you've already tried the old "unplug the battery for a few minutes and plug it back in" trick to reboot everything clean?

Just because the code is electrical doesn't necessarily mean it's an electrical fault. If it's mechanically binding, the electronics will see that as "excessive torque" and throw the code. Not to say it isn't something like a bad sensor or a bad board, but I don't know that you got the best advice from 74Weld there. Likely you will need to have the rack pulled and inspected if the code persists.

 

[Tbrownski]

I will say that I’m no expert on the Bronco Epas. However when a manufacture designs something they tend to follow the same design language for a long time. All that said on older Fusions an Epas system fault can occur when too much torque is applied to a rack. This can happen many times on a Fusion when a low tire, worn or binding suspension and or driveline. This causes additional friction resulting in torque outside of the design parameters. It would seem counter intuitive on a Bronco that requires tires to be aired down and the stresses of rock crawling. So this is likely nothing related to your problem. But happens to be the same code on the Fusion. But the resolve on those is fix the tire/suspension/driveline and clear the code and see if it returns. Ford techs on here will know a whole lot more than me. Hopefully they will chime in.

I definitely think that was the initial cause. I probably overheated the rack. It was 102 degrees outside and I drove a super rough section of road with some crawling about 40 minutes long back to back without a chance for it to cool off. Now I just can’t get it out of its limp mode even with resetting the power steering module.

The odd part is we heard a big rock come up under the car right when the light came on. So I don’t know if that’s a coincidence or it knocked something loose

 

[Tbrownski]

I'm assuming you've already tried the old "unplug the battery for a few minutes and plug it back in" trick to reboot everything clean?

Just because the code is electrical doesn't necessarily mean it's an electrical fault. If it's mechanically binding, the electronics will see that as "excessive torque" and throw the code. Not to say it isn't something like a bad sensor or a bad board, but I don't know that you got the best advice from 74Weld there. Likely you will need to have the rack pulled and inspected if the code persists.

Yes the first time i turned it off the fault went away for about a half hour then came back. Then resetting the battery or turning off the car doesn’t work at all. The fault comes on before I even touch the steering wheel now.

I’m not 100% with 74 weld either but I’ve driven it from Cataviña mx to northern nv in the last 3 days and unless you’re at low speed it just feels firmer. Not grinding or anything

 

[toybox06]

So if you definitely heard a bottoming out around the area of the rack it’s certainly worth a close look at everything under there. You have to look at the method of injury. The sound coupled with an immediate light tells you it’s something related. Find the abrasions and likely you’ll find your issue.

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