Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Possible Cause | Remedy |
| Excessive Steering Wheel Play | Loose steering intermediate shaft universal joint; loose steering gear mounting bracket bolts; loose or worn tie rod ends | Tighten Tighten Tighten or replace as necessary |
| Malfunction of power steering (uneven steering wheel effort) | Slipping power steering pump drive belt; damaged power steering pump drive belt; low power steering fluid level; air in power steering system; damaged or twisted power steering hoses; low power steering system pressure; sticking flow control valve; significant fluid leakage inside power steering pump; significant leakage past steering gear rack and pinion; deformed or damaged steering gear seals or valve body | Adjust Replace Top up Bleed air from the power steering system Route hoses correctly or replace Repair or replace power steering pump Replace Replace damaged parts Replace damaged parts Replace |
| Steering wheel does not return correctly to center position (straight-ahead position) | Increased resistance to rotation of tie rod ball joint; excessive tightening torque of steering intermediate shaft joint bolt; tie rod and/or ball joint rotates unevenly (binds); loose steering gear mounting bracket bolts; wear of steering shaft joint and/or body grommet; deformed steering rack; damaged steering gear pinion bearing; damaged or twisted power steering hoses; damaged flow control valve; damaged power steering pump input shaft bearing | Replace Adjust Replace Tighten Correct or replace Replace Replace Route hoses correctly or replace Replace Replace |
| Noise | Whistling noise from steering gear. This is one of the normal noises in all power steering systems. In most cases, this noise is heard when turning the wheels with the vehicle stationary. This noise will be more noticeable when turning the steering wheel during braking. The noises listed above do not indicate a steering gear malfunction. Replace the steering gear valve only if the whistling noise becomes extremely loud. A replaced steering gear valve will produce a very quiet noise, but the noise will not disappear completely, so replacement is not always a solution to this problem. |
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| Rumbling or sharp knocking noise from steering rack and pinion. Knocking and jerking in | Contact of power steering hoses with body; loose steering gear mounting bracket bolts; loose tie rod end and/or ball joint; worn tie rods and/or ball joints | Route correctly Tighten Tighten Replace |
| Noise from power steering oil pump | Low power steering fluid level; air in power steering system; loose power steering oil pump mounting | Top up Bleed air from the power steering system Tighten |
Immediately after starting the engine in very cold weather (below -20°C), a slight grinding noise may occur.
This is due to the physical properties of the power steering fluid and is not a sign of malfunction.
Test yourself
A quick Hyundai Elantra CN7 quiz: every answer comes with an explanation and a link to the manual page.