Power steering

For the past 12 months, the power steering malfunction triangle has been coming up intermittently on the dash of my 2012 Ford Kuga 2.0 diesel, then going off again. I have had a diagnostic check and there are no stored fault codes. According to the Ford forum, other owners have the same fault, but no one has found a solution.

The component I would suspect first is the torque angle sensor, but this was not fitted to the Ford Kuga after 2009 and its job is carried out by the steering angle sensor incorporated into the steering column switches.

Electronic power steering (EPS) systems do incorporate a wide range of components and, unfortunately, fault codes are not always set. I would start by checking that the fluid level in the reservoir is correct and that the electrical connections to the pump are clean and dry. The pump and reservoir are found under the front offside wing, behind the inner wheelarch, and this area is susceptible to contamination from water thrown up from the road.

You do not mention whether the steering fails when the light is illuminated, which would suggest that the problem may be with the information from the steering angle sensor. You should be able to check the readings from the sensor using diagnostic equipment. I would also check if there’s a poor connection to the steering column switches; Canbus wiring systems do rely on a good connection to operate correctly.

Finally, one component that could cause problems is the battery. Even though the vehicle may be starting without issue, if the battery is beginning to fail then one of the first symptoms is an intermittent electrical component malfunction.