The state of the car is closely linked to road safety. According to the latest data from the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), analyzed by AECA-ITV, of the total 158,492 accidents with victims that were registered on urban and interurban roads during 2021 in Spain, in 28% of the cases at At least one of the vehicles involved had some kind of anomaly in its operation.
The defects are especially concentrated in the oldest ones (more than 10 years), a fact that becomes even more relevant when taking into account that the average age of the Spanish vehicle fleet is 14.6 years. In this way, drivers should know that the care and maintenance of the car is crucial when it comes to reducing the victims of traffic accidents.
One of the elements that influence the state of the vehicle is the steering system, a set of mechanisms that modifies the orientation of the front wheels (or steering wheels) so that the driver can guide the vehicle by turning the steering wheel, point from the association ITV centers.
In the past, cars were manufactured without power steering, making it more difficult to turn the steering wheel due to the greater effort required. However, over the years this system has evolved and different technologies have emerged that make drivers' work easier and more comfortable. The three most commonly used at present are the following: hydraulic, electro-hydraulic and electric.
Hydraulic power steering was the first to become popular and its operation is based on a hydraulic system that consists of a pump connected to the engine by a service belt. For its part, in electrohydraulics the pump is moved by an electric motor that is connected to the battery. Finally, the electric steering works through an electric motor that is located in the steering column. This last option is the newest and the one that more and more manufacturers mount on their models.
Depending on the technology used in the steering aid, different types of faults can be found. Thus, in hydraulics, "the most frequent are those related to the breakage of the auxiliary belt or fluid leaks". However, in the electric ones, the breakdowns "are usually related to the electronic elements of the power steering", they point out from AECA-ITV.
Of course, all failures usually have a common denominator: the tires. Whether due to poor balance, deformation or irregular turning, the rubbers are often the source of a steering failure. In the same way, "the wear of the bands of a tire and the bearings of the front wheels also affect the operation of the other parts of the steering", the experts add.
In any case, it is convenient to have knowledge that allows a failure in this system to be recognized as soon as possible, so that it does not cause a major breakdown and, above all, that it does not cause any accident that compromises road safety. Below, the AECA-ITV technicians detail some symptoms that can help identify a problem, focusing on the hydraulic systems.
On the other hand, in electric steering systems, their incorrect operation is warned, as a general rule, by means of a warning signal in the instrument panel, generated by the electronic control unit that controls the steering, the experts point out. However, any of the symptoms listed above can also predict a breakdown.
The correct operation of this system is verified in the technical inspection of vehicles. According to the data provided by AECA-ITV, in 2022 management failures represented 5% of the serious defects detected by Spanish ITV stations. The ones that present the most are vans and trucks of less than 3,500 kg and agricultural vehicles, while motorcycles and trailers and semi-trailers are the groups that have this element in the best conditions.
