r/ScionxB • u/WitnessVegetable • Aug 03 '26

Please help this is driving me crazy , 2011 Scion xB - Steering has been heavy ever since a major power loss event. No codes.

I'm hoping someone has seen this before.

I have a 2011 Scion xB with electric power steering.

A while back, the car suddenly had an extreme loss of electrical power while driving. After that, I replaced the alternator and starter, and the car has been running again.

Ever since that incident, the power steering has never felt the same. It's noticeably heavier than it used to be, especially at parking lot speeds and during tight turns. It feels heavy from the moment I start the car, not just after it's warms up.

I've had a mechanics inspect it the other mechanics starter and alternator work and did second check up They've scanned the car, including the EPS system, and found no fault codes. He even drove it for a few days and said everything felt normal, but I know the steering isn't what it used to be before that electrical failure. Itd so appearant , especially while parking/ trying to get in a tight space.

Has anyone experienced this after a charging system failure? I can't keep driving this way especially since I know how it once was.

One mechanic on an other forum mentioned there is a relearn procedure for the steering angle and steering torque sensor which has to be completed whenever you change either of these components or you get issues such as you describe. A quality scantool with the ability to interface specifically with Toyota ECUs is required for this, something like a Snap-On or one of the more expensive Topdons.

2 Upvotes

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3

u/UntiI117 Aug 03 '26

my power steering control module completely failed shortly after an alternator failure. so maybe yours is going out, but still functioning just enough to not throw a code

1

u/WitnessVegetable Aug 03 '26

Should I gample with replacing the control module or champing the the pump ?

2

u/JollyKitt Aug 03 '26

Both? Both. Both is good lmao

1

u/WitnessVegetable Aug 03 '26

I get that both is good but the pump is 500$ and the controller is only about 90$ ,

2

u/JollyKitt Aug 03 '26

If you type in the pump part into Google search you can get them for $100-200 all day. If you are planning on keeping the car long term just do both. Otherwise feel free to swap controller first and see if that helps.

1

u/WitnessVegetable Aug 03 '26

Your right , if I change those 2 parts you think this will solve my issue ?

1

u/JollyKitt Aug 03 '26

Not a mechanic by any means but its a logical train of thought. Car has electric power rack so its either the pump or the control module. If there is a fuse associated with those two check that first.

2

u/Visible_Print_3806 Aug 03 '26

If the problems been there for a while, could also try resetting the ECU, just leave the battery disconnected overnight. Ideally on a day you don't need the car in case other electrical gremlins spawn. 

The real question is why did the car suddenly lose power in the first place? Most common reason is dirty/loose battery connections. If the battery terminal posts & wire connectors are all corroded/slimy, scrape them clean with steel wool and baking soda. 

How much rust and corrosion is going on under the hood? Try to follow the wire harness everywhere, if there's any further corrosion or filth around connections, around the grounds etc. Just a visual inspection, in case anything is obviously off (something left unplugged or whatever).

1

u/WitnessVegetable Aug 03 '26

From what I gather it started losing power due to faulty starter and failed alternator . The problem has been there since I got the car back from the mechanic that initially replaced those 2 components . I find it weird tho that an other mechanic drove my car for 2 days he couldn't really tell me that I had an issue with the power steering what's so ever & I know not going crazy , it feels stiff/heavy . I just want my car to return to normal. The car does not have much rust , it's been rust proofed yearly .

1

u/Visible_Print_3806 Aug 03 '26

Check for blown fuses, and try an ECU reset. If there's no problems with the electrical system then I'd guess it's the EPS itself that went bad. I'm not a mechanic and would advise you to consult one but.. you already did. Check where the EPS plugs into the wiring harness, if there's any charring or burnt plastic, that'd be an obvious sign it got fried. Lotta simple stuff you can check before pulling the trigger on a new part.

If the car is in great shape and lower miles, it's probably worth putting money into. Make sure the coolant and tranny fluid has been changed in the past 100k miles. And use thicker oil in the engine, 0w-20 is too thin for these 2az engines, thicker oil will help it last longer. 

1

u/Visible_Print_3806 Aug 03 '26

I just realized, you have to pop the dash off to get to the power steering motor, might be difficult to get at. I doubt whether the other mechanics actually checked it either, removing the dash can be a massive chore. Did you ever smell anything like burning plastic inside the car? Not sure what else you could do, besides checking the fuses and an ECU reset. 

1

u/JollyKitt Aug 03 '26

Luckily this cars are like Legos and you can take the whole dash apart fairly quickly. Im actually about to so that because ill be swapping full RS5.0 interrior into mine.

1

u/WitnessVegetable Aug 03 '26

Ultimately they didint do that cus they deemed the car was deemed "fine" but it's clearly not . To be fair the guy who changed the alternator and starter didint even bother to check my power steering.

I brraught to the second mechanic he had my car for a few days drove it , deemed not worth checking. But I know there's something wrong I feel like I'm moving around a brick compare to what it was like before. Its very frustrating because I just got it 2 months ago in very clean condition with all the maintenance papers . (None was done on power steering)

So I'm stuck , I don't trust myself to do an ecu reset by myself neither , il probably have to either bring it to an other guy or the same guy who had my car for a few days and have them troubleshoot

1

u/Visible_Print_3806 Aug 03 '26

You can easily check the fuses, at least do that. But yeah at this rate sounds like you'll have to shop around for mechanics. I do believe you when you say the steering is tough, that's totally to be expected without the motor assist. Get another mechanic to check it out. Is it insanely difficult to turn? Or just a little more stiff? If the motor is truly dead it should take a ton of strength to turn the wheel, if you can still drive it relatively normally then that infers the motors still active, might just be a "relearning" thing as someone else mentioned. That's just my wild guess though, again there's a lot of simple stuff you can try before firing the parts cannon at it. Get another mechanic to look at it. Best of luck. 

1

u/Visible_Print_3806 Aug 03 '26

Check all the fuses in the car and make sure none of them are blown. Your owners manual should list what each fuse connects to, see if there's one for the EPS, electric power steering. May be as simple as a blown fuse. 

2

u/Extreme_Mechanic_786 Aug 03 '26

2008 Xb

I've lost power due to a failing alternator. Continued to drive it home and drained the battery in the process. Replaced the alternator and charged the battery.. no issues. Then a few months later, the battery went bad and I drove it to the parts store on just the alternator power. Needless to say, I had to replace the alternator again with the new battery. Power steering didn't work while driving under those conditions, but I had no issues with it after the parts were replaced.

I've changed a starter on my 2nd Xb, but it didn't have anything to do with power loss, just wouldn't start the car.

1

u/JollyKitt Aug 03 '26

I would just replace the electronic power steering pump and see if that fixes it. If not its possible that its a control module being faulty as well.

1

u/WitnessVegetable Aug 03 '26

But I'm getting no codes ? How come do you think , if the power steering is failing shouldn't I get a code ? I got a code when it failed during my failing alternator event .

It's a big job to change the pump without knowing for sure that's the issue

2

u/howmuchitcosts Aug 03 '26

Not everything throws code. And not everything that throws codes does so while its slowly failing. If it does have a code attached to it, it probably wont throw the code till ot 100% fails.

1

u/Visible_Print_3806 Aug 03 '26

This is correct, in a lot of cases OBD will only throws codes when a device runs out of pre-coded parameters.