Is ctrl-alt-del on the steering wheel the answer?

[wim121]

There have been reports of some people losing all steering control or the accelerator electronically jamming itself and the driver not able to turn the engine off ...

Hate modern cars .... Give me a greasy old carb anyday ...

[Sockpuppet]

Thats the trouble with modern garages, technicians know how to plug in the computer but sometimes all it needs is good old fashioned mechanical know how

Depends on the engine. I wouldn't take a diesel with problems to a normal garage. They need specialist treatment. A delphi/bosch master technician at the least. Considering they can do everything from leak back tests on injectors down to even analysing the wave form of the signal given off by a sensor to see if that matches the sample they'll have on file for the engine they are far far far from "normal" garages.

[xoggoth]

Not controlled by the computer AFAIK but power steering always bothers me. If the auxiliary drive belt or motors fail the steering wheel is too stiff to turn or there appears to be no link to the wheels at all. Steering on a neighbour's Range Rover failed while he was doing a three point turn and the only way we could stop it from blocking the road was by kicking the wheels round while he backed very slowly.

[NorthWestPerm2Contr]

I was driving a Ford Focus on the M4 when the cam sensor failed. The computer decided the best course of action was to cut all power then kill the engine. I had to coast over to the hard-shoulder tuliping myself all the way.

I don't have a Ford anymore.

Exact same thing happened to my friend's Mondeo.....

[Sysman]

Not controlled by the computer AFAIK but power steering always bothers me. If the auxiliary drive belt or motors fail the steering wheel is too stiff to turn or there appears to be no link to the wheels at all. Steering on a neighbour's Range Rover failed while he was doing a three point turn and the only way we could stop it from blocking the road was by kicking the wheels round while he backed very slowly.

My old Saab 900 suffered from intermittent power steering loss in cold weather. Just for the first 100 yards after left outside overnight, but it always worried me that I wouldn't be able to cope if the thing packed up completely.

I worked with one chap who had had a big Yank motor. When the belt for his power steering broke there was nothing he could do except brake. Fortunately there was an empty field dead ahead.

[Spacecadet]

a big Yank motor.

Is there any other type of yank motor?

[VectraMan]

Not controlled by the computer AFAIK but power steering always bothers me. If the auxiliary drive belt or motors fail the steering wheel is too stiff to turn or there appears to be no link to the wheels at all. Steering on a neighbour's Range Rover failed while he was doing a three point turn and the only way we could stop it from blocking the road was by kicking the wheels round while he backed very slowly.

Power steering ECUs now too.

I had the speed sensor short on my S2000, which as well as making the stupid Knight-rider style dash get stuck at 12mph, meant the EPS (power steering) ECU decided to give me maximum assistance as it assumed I must be parallel parking. At 70 mph this was absolutely terrifying; you could breathe on the wheel and the car would dart off at a 45 degree angle.

I had the cam sensor fail when I had a Vectra, and yes it'd cut all power and a few times I'd find myself coasting onto the hard shoulder. But I soon realised I could just switch off the ignition (whilst still rolling), then switch on and bump start and it'd go again. For another 10 minutes or so anyway.

[RSoles]

The trouble is that these systems haven't been designed properly.
There's no fail-safe or limp-home mode; and just switching off isn't failing-safe.

The real problem is that they're designed not to increase vehicle reliability, efficiency or safety but to increase manufacturer's income from servicing charges and to ensure that the little guy round the corner has no way to service, adjust or fix them.

Old, oily ( actually very oily) car for me.

[Cliphead]

I'm looking at a Landrover Defender to supplement the everyday car. Fck the floods, snow, potholes, computer management.

[Paddy]

The trouble is that these systems haven't been designed properly.
There's no fail-safe or limp-home mode; and just switching off isn't failing-safe.

The real problem is that they're designed not to increase vehicle reliability, efficiency or safety but to increase manufacturer's income from servicing charges and to ensure that the little guy round the corner has no way to service, adjust or fix them.

Old, oily ( actually very oily) car for me.

A major factor in car management controls is for pollution regulations to make the car green. What is not easily apparent is that most pollution and use of resources is taken up during manufacture. The fact is that computerised controls fail at an early stage thus rendering the car to the scrap heap prematurely. Thus it is false economy.