Can I steer the car if the power steering fails completely?

Yes. On the electric power steering systems fitted to ordinary road cars there is still a mechanical connection from the steering wheel through the column and rack to the road wheels, so losing assistance makes the steering heavy rather than making it stop working. It is roughly what driving a car without power steering felt like, and it is most noticeable at parking speeds and almost unnoticeable on the motorway. The risk is that you cannot turn as quickly in an emergency, which is why this warrants a direct trip to a garage rather than continued use.

Why does the power steering work again after restarting?

Because the fault has latched and switching the ignition off resets it. The module runs its checks again on the next start, passes them for the moment, and restores assistance until the underlying problem reappears. It is a common pattern with communication and voltage faults in particular, and it makes the problem feel intermittent when the cause is entirely consistent. Describe the pattern to the garage, because it is a useful clue and it points away from a mechanical failure.

Will a power steering communication fault fail an MOT?

Yes. An electric power steering warning lamp indicating a malfunction is a major defect, with 205 recorded failures in the DVSA data behind this site. If the fault has also lit the stability control lamp, which it often does, that is a separate major defect with 35,322 recorded failures. The tester also checks steering effort and free play directly, so steering that has become very heavy may be noted on its own merits.

Can a weak battery cause U0131?

Yes, and it is one of the first things to check. The electric steering motor draws a heavy current, particularly during parking manoeuvres, and it needs a stable supply to stay on the network and keep working. A tired battery or an alternator that is not keeping up lets the voltage sag when the motor pulls hard, the module drops out, and the surrounding modules record that it has gone silent. Intermittent heavy steering on cold mornings is very often a battery problem wearing a steering costume.

Network code · standard

U0131No communication with the power steering module

Standard definition: Lost Communication with Power Steering Control Module

Last updated 27 July 2026

Quick answer

The car has lost contact with the electric power steering control module. The usual result is that assistance disappears and the steering becomes very heavy, although you keep full mechanical control of the car.

How the car works this out

The power steering module needs a constant supply of information from the rest of the car — road speed, engine status, steering angle — and it publishes its own status in return. When those messages stop, the modules waiting for them store U0131. What makes this code distinctive is what happens next: with no coordination and no confirmation that the rest of the car is healthy, the steering module either shuts assistance off or the other modules simply cannot tell whether it is working. Either way the driver's experience is the same, and it is immediate.

What you might notice

Steering suddenly very heavy, most obvious at parking speeds
Power steering warning lamp on
Stability control lamp on as well, since it needs the steering module's cooperation
Assistance returning after switching the ignition off and on
Parking assist and lane keeping unavailable
A knocking or whining from the column or rack in some cases

What causes it

Most likely first. A code names the check that failed, not the part that failed it, so more than one of these can produce the same number.

1A failed or corroded high-current supply to the steering module, or its heavy-duty fuse or fusible linkCommon
How to check: Electric steering draws a large current and has its own substantial fuse, often a bolted or cartridge type rather than a blade. Check it before anything else.
2Low system voltage from a tired battery, a failing alternator or a poor earthCommon
How to check: Have the battery load tested and the charging voltage measured. Power steering is frequently the first system to drop out on a car with a weak supply, precisely because it draws so much current.
3A failed steering control module, sometimes from water ingress at the column or rackPossible
4A corroded connector at the module, or damage to the loom running to the rackPossible
5A wider network fault where the steering module is a victim rather than a causePossible
How to check: Check whether other modules are also silent. If several are, look at the bus itself.
6A module not coded to the car after a replacementLess common

What to do about it

1Check the heavy-duty fuse for the steering system. It is often overlooked because it is not in the main blade fuse box, and it is the cheapest thing on this list.
2Have the battery load tested and the charging system checked. Weak supply voltage produces this fault regularly and costs far less to fix than a steering module.
3Look for water at the column or the rack, depending on where your car's motor is mounted.
4Establish whether other modules are missing too, which would move the diagnosis to the network rather than the steering.
5Expect coding and calibration if a module is replaced, and expect the steering angle sensor to need recalibrating with it.

Can you keep driving?

Only to a garage

You keep full mechanical control — on the electric steering systems fitted to ordinary road cars, the wheel remains connected to the road wheels, so losing assistance makes the steering heavy rather than making it stop working. The practical danger is that heavy steering is slow steering, and manoeuvring in a car park or making a sudden avoiding movement takes real physical effort. Go straight to a garage, take it steadily, and do not set off on a long journey.

Will it fail an MOT?

An electric power steering lamp indicating a malfunction is a major defect, recorded 205 times in the DVSA data behind this site — a small figure that reflects how few cars with electric steering are yet old enough to be caught by it rather than any leniency in the rule, and one that will rise. Where the stability control lamp is on as well, that is a separate major defect with 35,322 recorded failures. Separately from the lamps, the tester assesses steering effort and free play by hand, so a car that has become genuinely heavy to steer may draw attention on that basis too.

The light this turns on

Power steering warning lightThe power steering system has reported a fault and the assistance may be reduced or switched off entirely. You have not lost steering — there is still a mechanical link from the wheel to the road wheels — but the car will feel heavy, and heaviest of all at parking speeds where you need the help most.

Common questions

Can I steer the car if the power steering fails completely?: Yes. On the electric power steering systems fitted to ordinary road cars there is still a mechanical connection from the steering wheel through the column and rack to the road wheels, so losing assistance makes the steering heavy rather than making it stop working. It is roughly what driving a car without power steering felt like, and it is most noticeable at parking speeds and almost unnoticeable on the motorway. The risk is that you cannot turn as quickly in an emergency, which is why this warrants a direct trip to a garage rather than continued use.
Why does the power steering work again after restarting?: Because the fault has latched and switching the ignition off resets it. The module runs its checks again on the next start, passes them for the moment, and restores assistance until the underlying problem reappears. It is a common pattern with communication and voltage faults in particular, and it makes the problem feel intermittent when the cause is entirely consistent. Describe the pattern to the garage, because it is a useful clue and it points away from a mechanical failure.
Will a power steering communication fault fail an MOT?: Yes. An electric power steering warning lamp indicating a malfunction is a major defect, with 205 recorded failures in the DVSA data behind this site. If the fault has also lit the stability control lamp, which it often does, that is a separate major defect with 35,322 recorded failures. The tester also checks steering effort and free play directly, so steering that has become very heavy may be noted on its own merits.
Can a weak battery cause U0131?: Yes, and it is one of the first things to check. The electric steering motor draws a heavy current, particularly during parking manoeuvres, and it needs a stable supply to stay on the network and keep working. A tired battery or an alternator that is not keeping up lets the voltage sag when the motor pulls hard, the module drops out, and the surrounding modules record that it has gone silent. Intermittent heavy steering on cold mornings is very often a battery problem wearing a steering costume.

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