Facing steering issues on my Toyota Corolla Altis

The electric power steering of my Corolla Altis feels heavier than usual. I took my car to a couple of dealers for inspection. They said that it’s working just fine.

BHPian dr.aviansh recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Hi fellas. I hope you're doing good.

I have a '17 Corolla Altis CVT and I'm having issues with the EPS which feels heavier than expected, at least till ~40km/h. Also, I feel the return-to-center action is aggressive as well.

I have shown it to a couple of dealers who say that it is fine and couldn't figure out anything wrong with the vehicle.

I have replaced the front shocks and their mounts as they were due anyway.

I have even upgraded from stock size 205/55 R16s to Yokohama Blu-Earth GT 205/60 R16s so that I can exceed the normal 33 PSI tyre pressure to 38-ish.

But it hasn't improved matters for me.

Since this issue isn't ignorable for me, I would like to know what modifications can be done electrically, if at all by working on the EPS motor or even with the ECU, or even mechanically for this model.

Also is this a normal Altis behaviour? Nonetheless, I need to address this issue.

Thanks in advance.

Here's what BHPian gkveda had to say about the matter:

What is the condition of the battery? If it is too old and does not deliver enough current to the motor, steering may overload the belt and the motor fails to turn the steering.

And from your post, I am not able to understand, compared to what, are you feeling it is heavier? Are you comparing your earlier experience with the same car or with other brands? If it is with other brands like Hyundai i10 or something similar, it is probably not the right comparison.

I am just thinking of other possibilities. Have you added any accessories recently? If some local auto electrician has added accessories, maybe he would have paralleled the accessory to the EPS motor circuit and hence current is divided into two devices and the EPS motor not getting enough current.

Here's what BHPian Kosfactor had to say about the matter:

Please go to an independent alignment shop, preferably a place that is known to be a specialist in your town/city. Those guys should be able to diagnose it if it is something related to the suspension. If this is not the case you may be in for a big bill.

Over inflating the tires can make it turn easier but you will ruin the tires due to uneven wear, please use OE recommend air pressure only.

Here's what BHPian corvus corax had to say about the matter:

I think this is maybe an issue related to the steering rack assembly. Since you have mentioned replacing the shocks and mounts, might be a good idea to inspect further into the ancillaries; link rods, control arms the whole nine.

If the issue still persists take the car to a competitive FNG and look again for faults in the EPS system.

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