yes, it was cold, very cold last monday and i turned into my driveway and immediately realized that there was no power steering.
2009 ford escape hybrid limited
only have put on a couple of thousand miles on the hybrid from last march till now, but unfortunately this has happened.
no smell of anything burning and i did not have that steering wheel shaking that is described my Makuloco in his youtube video con-
cerning the torque sensor.
disconnected the 12 v and check the 80 amp fuse - it is good.
my friend has a code reader but it did not read any faults. it is a Launch Creader 3008 (guess i need a better one ??)
found this on the interent:
"May 2014: Over 900,000 2008-2011 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner SUVs were recalled because of failures with the torque sensor inside the EPAS. Additionally, the 2011-2013 Explorer was recalled because EPAS electrical connection failures. Roughly a year later the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was petitioned to see if that recall really did any good."

Any thoughts?

 

the wrench light is on (so no emission codes)

 

I don't know whether that scanner is good enough to read codes from the PSCM (Power Steering Control Module.)

The service manual says:

DTC C195C (Electric Power Assist Limited Operation Mode Detected) — This DTC indicates that the voltage to the PSCM is below the normal operating range and is causing a perceived loss of steering assist.The Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) will enter into a limited operation mode that may result in a lack of assist or inconsistent assist for the following reasons:

• Battery and/or charging system voltage exceeds 16 volts.
• The charging system warning indicator is illuminated and battery/charging system voltage falls below 11.8 volts.
• The charging system warning indicator is not illuminated and battery/charging system voltage falls below 10.8 volts.

"Low battery and/or charging system voltage or a charging system DTC being present may cause the PSCM to enter into a limited operation mode resulting in uneven steering assist or a lack of steering assist. This limited operation mode feature is built into the PSCM to allow the safe, continued operation of the vehicle in the event of an EPAS concern. A DTC may or may not be preset when the PSCM is operating in limited operation mode. Additionally, overheating the steering system may cause the PSCM to go into the limited operation mode, this is in order to protect the electronic components from overheating."

To find the pinpoint tests, go here, 2: Chassis > 11: Steering System > Section 211-00: Steering System > Full Page on the Steering System

Basically, they say:

1) If there are NO charging system codes, and
2) There are NO DTCs for the Power Steering Control Module then...
3) Disconnect and reconnect the Power Steering Control Module (2 connectors) and nothing changes THEN
4) Calibrate the wheel position sensor!

And on from there. HTH.

 

It would be quite a coincidence but maybe your battery is dying? I know on my car, I had zero warning of the battery dying - including no indications of low charge. I just shut the car off, tried to unlock it and the battery was dead. Anyway, see if you can get a better code reader on it, test the battery, make sure you have good battery power, and then try to follow the tests in the manual. If something is really wrong it should be setting a code. HTH

 

a low battery does come into play - must be more. i was able to borrow an Innova 5210 code reader and had researched that it was able to read
abs codes. only code was in the abs system DTC U3003-16. low bat voltage. today i took the battery out and put it on a trickle charger and it did start off
charging. that was about 4 hours ago and it is still charging. i had another battery that i had charged and put it in and started and drove around the block.
nothing else wrong - but no power steering. wrench light is still on.
guess i have to go deeper into something that reads that module (pscm - power steering control module)
i turned the key to on ( not start) and checked voltage - it is 13.99 v. the battery in there is good.
i had taken the 2 connector off last night before i drove it to the place to borrow the innova 5210.
any ideas?

 

You're going to have to pull the codes on the PSCM to verify but - esp. if your car didn't have the recall done - I suspect you're going to be doing the torque sensor. It's really not that bad, FTM's video is clear enough, just watch carefully.

Try putting the trickle-charged battery back in, but now you've got a known good 12V battery back in, and you still have the problem. If you get zilch then it's time to dig deeper into the codes and I would normally lean 80/20 it's the sensor. Particularly if it has never been changed before. BUT: You're not seeing the same symptoms that his video shows. Your power steering isn't working **AT ALL**. There has to be a DTC in there somewhere that you're not seeing that should help guide you/us. You haven't gotten to the root cause yet.

It's important to listen to FTM's backstory on the part. First Ford said to "Flash the Module" which didn't do anything but got them out of the liability problem. In reality the sensor itself still goes bad. But before you get there you have to find out if there are any other codes in the system. There should be! The fact that it's not working at all should cause the PSCM to throw faults.

 

> and had researched that it was able to read abs codes.

ABS is not PSCM. Unless you are sure that code reader is talking to the PSCM also you're probably not getting the full story.

 

One more thing: The PSCM "talks" to the rest of the vehicle over the HS-CAN (High Speed Controller Area Network) bus. If for some reason that code reader you're using has limited HS-CAN abilities I would imagine it can't "see" it.

We're still kind of "flying blind" here. Who knows? In the end it might just be a loose cable connection! But try to dig deeper and see if you can directly read the PSCM somehow. That's all I've got!

 

well first i am saying OH my G__ NO That torque angle sensor i do not want to do;
How about i drive from austin to chicago and track down Makuloco (what his real (at least first) name?)
well anyway i had an open window to Innova and i was going to ask tech support about all of this.
That b2278 code that makuloco got is under the general heading of the ABS system, correct ?
So by deduction i am right in figuring that the steering codes are in the ABS, correct?
Innova's most powerful hand-held is the 5610 and it shows 10 obdII mode.
https://www.innova.com/product/detai...eaturesSection (1/3 the way down - maybe i am Not right)

got another car to drive and i am on vacation this week - so not in a hurry (but i do want to move along)

 

"One more thing: The PSCM "talks" to the rest of the vehicle over the HS-CAN (High Speed Controller Area Network) bus. If for some reason that code reader you're using has limited HS-CAN abilities I would imagine it can't "see" it."

i was thinking the same thing.
off to an email to innova tech support;
If i buy anything it will be Innova. the one i borrowed is sold at 99 around town and of course there is always ebay and amazon.
I sure someone will clamor about forscan but it is more then i want to get into (but may be forced to - IDK)
thanxs for the replies