Most manufacturers have already moved from hydraulic to electric motor steering systems, and steer-by-wire is the next step. It's not very common today, but the

Most manufacturers have already moved from hydraulic to electric motor steering systems, and steer-by-wire is the next step. It's not very common today, but the pace is picking up because the advantages (far fewer mechanical parts, automation) are tempting. Reliability is going to come down to implementation. In some cases you actually have advantages in control-by-wire (less mechanical parts to fail). You can also implement mechanical overrides for emergency situations.