Electric Power Steering (EPS) Repair Service
We diagnose, repair and remanufacture all types of Electric Power Steering (EPS) units — columns, racks, electro-hydraulic pumps, motors and control modules — for all makes and models, with a Lifetime warranty. Every unit is rebuilt using genuine OE components so each EPS rebuild meets and exceeds the original specification. Repaired units are plug & play with no programming or coding required — refit the unit and the fault is gone. Send your faulty unit in by post, or call us on 0203 815 9441 for a quote.
What is electric power steering, and how does it work?
Electric Power Steering replaced the older hydraulic system on most modern cars. Instead of a belt-driven hydraulic pump and high-pressure fluid, an EPS system uses an electric motor to provide the steering assistance, controlled electronically and only when it is actually needed. That makes it lighter, more efficient and fuel-saving — but it also means the assistance depends entirely on electronics and sensors that can, and do, fail.
Three parts do the work. A torque sensor measures how hard and which way you are turning the wheel. A control module (ECU) reads that input alongside vehicle speed and steering-angle data, then decides how much assistance to apply. An electric motor delivers that assistance to the column or the rack. When any one of those fails, the system usually shuts assistance down as a safety measure and warns you — which is why an EPS fault almost always shows up as heavy steering and a dashboard warning light at the same time.
The EPS units we repair
“Electric power steering” covers several different designs, and the failure points differ between them. We repair and remanufacture all of the common types:
| Unit type | Where it is fitted | Typical fault we repair |
|---|
| Column EPS (C-EPS) | Motor and module mounted on the steering column — common on superminis and small hatchbacks | Failed control electronics, torque-sensor faults, intermittent loss of assistance |
| Rack EPS (R-EPS / pinion drive) | Motor mounted on the steering rack — common on larger and premium models | Control-module failure, motor faults, stored steering-assist fault codes |
| Electro-hydraulic pump (EHPS) | An electric motor driving a hydraulic pump — a hybrid design on many PSA, Mini and Vauxhall models | Worn motor brushes, noisy or cutting-out pump, heavy steering when hot |
| EPS control module / ECU | The electronic brain of the system, sometimes separate, often integrated into the column or rack | Failed solder joints, capacitors and power transistors causing total or intermittent loss of assist |
Whatever the design, the repair principle is the same: we rebuild the failed unit to OE specification rather than fitting an expensive new assembly, and we return it ready to bolt straight back on.
Symptoms of a failing EPS unit
EPS faults rarely appear out of nowhere — most build up over time. The most common symptoms our customers report are:
- EPS / power-steering warning light — usually an amber steering-wheel symbol, sometimes with an exclamation mark. This is the single most common first sign.
- Heavy or hard steering — the wheel suddenly needs much more effort, most noticeable when parking or at low speed.
- Intermittent assistance — the steering goes heavy and then recovers, often when the unit warms up, on a bumpy road, or after a cold start.
- Assistance cutting out when warm — a classic sign of worn motor brushes or a heat-sensitive solder joint in the control electronics.
- Whining, grinding or buzzing — typical of a failing electro-hydraulic pump.
- Steering pulling or biased to one side — the assistance is unequal left to right, so the car wants to wander.
- The wheel not self-centring after a turn.
Because a fault can be intermittent, it is easy to dismiss the early warning signs. They rarely fix themselves — the underlying electronic or mechanical wear only gets worse, so it is best to have the unit diagnosed before assistance fails completely.
What causes electric power steering to fail?
Almost every EPS failure traces back to one of a handful of causes, and most of them are repairable rather than terminal:
- Control-module electronics. The commonest cause. Failed solder joints, dry joints, capacitors and power transistors (MOSFETs) inside the ECU cause total or intermittent loss of assist and store fault codes. This is exactly the kind of board-level fault we rebuild.
- Torque-sensor faults. If the sensor that reads your steering input drifts or fails, the module can no longer judge how much assistance to give and shuts the system down.
- Motor wear. In electro-hydraulic pumps and column motors, worn brushes or degraded windings cause noise, heavy steering and assistance that cuts out when hot.
- Wiring, connectors and earths. Corroded connectors, chafed wiring and poor earth points cause intermittent EPS faults that come and go.
- Low or unstable battery voltage. EPS draws a large current, so a weak battery or failing alternator can drop the supply voltage enough to trigger an EPS warning and disable assistance — worth ruling out before condemning the unit.
Modern EPS systems self-diagnose and store diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) when they detect a fault — covering the torque sensor, motor circuit, supply voltage and communication with the steering-angle sensor. The exact codes are make-specific and need a diagnostic scan tool to read, but they are a reliable starting point for pinpointing whether the fault lies in the sensor, the motor or the control module.
Common EPS failure patterns by design
Cars that share a steering design tend to share the same failure, which is why we see the same units come in again and again:
- Column-mounted EPS on superminis and small hatchbacks — the Peugeot 207, Vauxhall Corsa, Fiat 500, Renault Megane, Ford Focus and Alfa Romeo MiTo all use a column-mounted motor and control board. The classic failure is in the control electronics: assistance that cuts out, goes heavy intermittently, or drops out once the unit warms up. These rebuild extremely well because the fault is almost always board-level.
- Electro-hydraulic pumps (EHPS) — many PSA, BMW Mini and Vauxhall models use an electric motor driving a hydraulic pump. Here the wear is mechanical as well as electronic: brushes, bearings and the motor itself, which shows up as whining, heavy steering and the pump cutting out when hot.
- Rack-mounted EPS — common on Audi and other premium models, where the motor and module sit on the rack. We rebuild the electronics and motor and recondition the rack assembly rather than fitting a complete new steering rack.
If you have been quoted for a complete new or “reconditioned steering rack”, it is worth checking whether the fault is actually in the EPS electronics or motor — in most cases that part can be repaired on its own.
Repair and remanufacture vs. replacement
A main-dealer fix usually means a brand-new EPS assembly — and on most modern cars a new control module has to be coded and programmed to the vehicle before it will work, which means a dealer visit on top of the part. Remanufacturing the original unit avoids both. We strip the unit down, identify the failed components, replace them with genuine OE-grade parts, and bench-test the rebuild before it goes back to you.
Because we repair your original unit, it keeps its existing coding — so the repaired unit is genuinely plug & play with no programming required. Every repair is backed by our Lifetime warranty.
What affects the cost of an EPS repair
The price of a repair depends on the unit, not on guesswork. The main factors are:
- The type of unit — a column motor, a rack motor, an electro-hydraulic pump and a standalone control module each take different work to rebuild.
- The nature of the fault — a board-level electronic repair is different work from a worn motor or a failed torque sensor.
- Parts — we use genuine OE-grade components, which is what allows the rebuild to meet the original specification and carry a Lifetime warranty.
For an exact quote on your unit, call us on 0203 815 9441 with your make, model and the symptoms you are seeing.
Can you drive with an EPS fault?
You can usually still steer the car — the mechanical link between the wheel and the road remains, so it does not “lock”. What you lose is the assistance, which makes the steering very heavy, especially at low speed and when parking. That is a real safety concern, and because EPS faults are often intermittent and unpredictable, we strongly recommend getting the fault diagnosed and repaired rather than continuing to drive on a system that could lose assistance again without warning.
Can a power steering control module be repaired?
Yes — in the large majority of cases. Most EPS control-module failures are board-level: dry or cracked solder joints, failed capacitors and power transistors. Those are exactly the faults we rebuild, which is why repairing the original module is usually possible even when a dealer has told you the whole assembly needs replacing.
Will the repaired unit need coding or programming?
No. Because we repair your original unit rather than supplying a blank new one, it retains its existing coding and immobiliser/vehicle data. The repaired unit is plug & play — refit it and drive, with no trip to a dealer for programming.
How the repair service works
The service is built around sending your faulty unit in to us:
- Remove the unit from the vehicle (or have your garage remove it). Note any fault codes if they have been read.
- Send it to us by post or courier. We diagnose the exact fault and confirm the repair.
- We rebuild and test the unit to OE specification using genuine components.
- Refit and drive. The repaired unit is plug & play — no coding, no programming — and covered by our Lifetime warranty.
Makes and models we cover
We repair EPS units across virtually every make and model. Some of the most common vehicles we see — each with its own detailed repair page — include:
If you would rather fit an exchange or replacement unit, we also supply remanufactured EPS racks and columns — for example the Vauxhall Corsa D electric power steering column, the Vauxhall Meriva column, the BMW Z4 column, and the Audi Q5 and Audi A6 electric power steering racks.
Can’t see your vehicle listed? We cover far more than we can show here — call us on 0203 815 9441 or send your unit in for a free diagnosis and quote.
