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While disappointing and costly for Tesla, thankfully a power steering failure isn't typically a big deal, safety-wise. If you've never driven a vehicle without

While disappointing and costly for Tesla, thankfully a power steering failure isn't typically a big deal, safety-wise. If you've never driven a vehicle without power steering: it's marginally harder to turn the wheel, which really only affects you in parking lots and making turns from a dead stop (as is mentioned in the article).

inferiorhuman 9y ago
It's a bigger issue on an ICE car where leaking power steering fluid can leak or spray onto hot engine components.
throwahey 9y ago
A sudden loss of power steering can be very dangerous. Imagine you are on the inside left turning lane, an unexpected power steering failure could cause you to drive into the vehicle turning on the outside lane because your turning radius is now far wider.
gdrulia 9y ago
One has to remember that cars that were designed to be without power steering usually has 5 turns of the wheel from one side to the other, while cars with power steering only has 3, again usually. So a car that was designed to have power steering and looses it, is not really comparable to cars designed to be without one, and is a real pain to drive, especially in the city.
- kw71 9y ago
  I have also been told that the steering column for power steering is not as strong because the design loads are lower.
  - jacquesm 9y ago
    It doesn't matter whether it is a servo or a human that turns the shaft, the design loads are a function of the weight of the car and the front/rear weight distribution as well as of whether or not the front wheels are driven or idlers.
  - jperras 9y ago
    You might be confusing a few things - older steering columns were very rigid (and thus "strong"), but were also a fairly major concern in frontal or rear collisions: they would essentially impale the driver if hit at the right angle. Modern steering columns have a telescoping construction that allows them to collapse in the event of an impact so that this isn't a big of a concern.
rootusrootus 9y ago
Try driving a car designed for power steering with a failed pump. It's much, much, much harder than a car that was designed from the beginning to be used without power assist. Moving or not it's a hand-over-hand struggle to turn the wheel.
- jiggliemon 9y ago
  It’s not “you’re going to die now” harder. More like “this isn’t comfortable, better pull over and see what’s wrong” harder.
  - prewett 9y ago
    Depends on what is going on around you when it happens, how long it takes you to realize that something is wrong, and what to do about it. It wouldn't surprise me if many people would not even realize that they have power assist in the first place, and just assume that the wheel somehow got stuck and there is nothing they can do. Although I would imagine that the most common failure case is the wheel slowly getting harder to turn over a period of days or weeks.
  - jacquesm 9y ago
    For a strong guy yes, no problem, for a much lighter or weaker person it can be a huge problem. Tesla is a heavy car, it would require some serious muscle to initiate a slow turn without powersteering.
  - rootusrootus 9y ago
    It probably depends also on the car. I drove a friend's little Datsun pickup for a while with a failed pump, and while it was drivable, you did have to get used to using both hands to turn the wheel, especially at low speeds when you had to turn a little sideways and use and overhand grip to wrench the wheel around. Good times! Some cars probably have more built-in leverage. A sports car may be the worst since it will have a pretty low ratio to begin with. My Camaro might not really be drivable because it has a low ratio rack as well as 285's on the front which are going to be a great big PITA to move.
  - 9y ago
dayaz36 9y ago
Wont affect Tesla. Supplier is footing the bill.
- jperras 9y ago
  As with nearly all recalls, it will most likely affect their stock price in the short term.
- evrydayhustling 9y ago
  Also, I expect most owners will wait until 1h fix (presumably much cheaper for all parties) is available.

inferiorhuman 9y ago

It's a bigger issue on an ICE car where leaking power steering fluid can leak or spray onto hot engine components.

throwahey 9y ago

A sudden loss of power steering can be very dangerous. Imagine you are on the inside left turning lane, an unexpected power steering failure could cause you to drive into the vehicle turning on the outside lane because your turning radius is now far wider.

gdrulia 9y ago

One has to remember that cars that were designed to be without power steering usually has 5 turns of the wheel from one side to the other, while cars with power steering only has 3, again usually. So a car that was designed to have power steering and looses it, is not really comparable to cars designed to be without one, and is a real pain to drive, especially in the city.

kw71 9y ago
I have also been told that the steering column for power steering is not as strong because the design loads are lower.
- jacquesm 9y ago
  It doesn't matter whether it is a servo or a human that turns the shaft, the design loads are a function of the weight of the car and the front/rear weight distribution as well as of whether or not the front wheels are driven or idlers.
- jperras 9y ago
  You might be confusing a few things - older steering columns were very rigid (and thus "strong"), but were also a fairly major concern in frontal or rear collisions: they would essentially impale the driver if hit at the right angle. Modern steering columns have a telescoping construction that allows them to collapse in the event of an impact so that this isn't a big of a concern.

rootusrootus 9y ago

Try driving a car designed for power steering with a failed pump. It's much, much, much harder than a car that was designed from the beginning to be used without power assist. Moving or not it's a hand-over-hand struggle to turn the wheel.

jiggliemon 9y ago
It’s not “you’re going to die now” harder. More like “this isn’t comfortable, better pull over and see what’s wrong” harder.
- prewett 9y ago
  Depends on what is going on around you when it happens, how long it takes you to realize that something is wrong, and what to do about it. It wouldn't surprise me if many people would not even realize that they have power assist in the first place, and just assume that the wheel somehow got stuck and there is nothing they can do. Although I would imagine that the most common failure case is the wheel slowly getting harder to turn over a period of days or weeks.
- jacquesm 9y ago
  For a strong guy yes, no problem, for a much lighter or weaker person it can be a huge problem. Tesla is a heavy car, it would require some serious muscle to initiate a slow turn without powersteering.
- rootusrootus 9y ago
  It probably depends also on the car. I drove a friend's little Datsun pickup for a while with a failed pump, and while it was drivable, you did have to get used to using both hands to turn the wheel, especially at low speeds when you had to turn a little sideways and use and overhand grip to wrench the wheel around. Good times! Some cars probably have more built-in leverage. A sports car may be the worst since it will have a pretty low ratio to begin with. My Camaro might not really be drivable because it has a low ratio rack as well as 285's on the front which are going to be a great big PITA to move.
- 9y ago

dayaz36 9y ago

Wont affect Tesla. Supplier is footing the bill.

jperras 9y ago
As with nearly all recalls, it will most likely affect their stock price in the short term.
evrydayhustling 9y ago
Also, I expect most owners will wait until 1h fix (presumably much cheaper for all parties) is available.