Common fixes for active steering fault?
03-07-2010, 06:56 AM
#1
Senior Members
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Warwick, RI
Posts: 272
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2005 545i Sport 6MT
I started my car and began driving and then the active steering fault appeared. Shut the car off, then on, and no more fault. I know the Steering angle sensor is fairly common, but what else could be an issue? I know my battery is original, 5 years old and just turned 70k miles. I only drove the car about 4 miles today from a cold start before i shut it off. I wonder if the battery is getting weak? Although it seemed to crank OK. I'll monitor again for this fault and see what happens.
03-07-2010, 07:00 AM
#2
Contributors
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Orlando, FL
Posts: 1,174
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2008 550i sport
Not sure if the two are related, but I would suspect the battery is near it's end. I just had mine replaced at 4 years and 40k. These batteries are known to go around this time, so even if your fault does not appear again, I'd look to perform a preventative swap out soon. Good luck!
03-07-2010, 07:03 AM
#3
Senior Members
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Warwick, RI
Posts: 272
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2005 545i Sport 6MT
I know i should, i've been thinking about changing it soon but have been holding out haha. I checked the fluid level, and it is right at the MAX line hot. I know that these cars will spit out all kinds of faults when the battery is on its way out.
03-07-2010, 10:05 AM
#4
Contributors
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The State of Southern NJ!
Posts: 5,972
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Yes, a pending battery failure can cause all sorts of error messages. But the sensor you note is a problem area. Does your battery have the green eye indicator? You'll need a mirror to really see it ... if it's black you are in for a battery replacement. I'd connect a battery tender for a couple of days to see if the error messages clear up and point to the battery as the weak link.
03-07-2010, 08:18 PM
#5
Senior Members
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Warwick, RI
Posts: 272
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: 2005 545i Sport 6MT
drove it all day today and no error messages (knock on wood). Battery eye is dark. gonna probably change it out tomorrow. I think it is started to effect the starter as well. its over running sometimes when starting the car.
03-08-2010, 10:40 PM
#6
Members
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: SoCal
Posts: 163
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Ride: '05 545 Jet Black, Miro 111's, Painted Calipers, Slotted and Drilled Rotors, Ultimate Interior LED Kit, ACS Rear Spoilers (reps), HID 7k Fogs, Black Roundels and Badges, 20% Tint, Mtech V2 Angel Eyes, Ksport Coilovers, M5 Bumpers and Side Skits, ACS Front Lip (rep), and probably more on the way as you read this...
i had the same thing and the dealership wanted $1200 for the "szl" (i think that was the name of the fault) to be replaced. a new battery was installed and everything was fine.
03-09-2010, 11:25 AM
#7
Contributors
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Charlotte, NC
Posts: 40
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Same thing happened on mine. I replaced the battery, which was the original battery (4+ years on it) with a new one, and the problem persisted. Turns out it was the alternator. Replaced the alternator and everything was great.
Until, that is, the valve cover gaskets needed replacing.
Until, that is, the valve cover gaskets needed replacing.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
TexaZ3
Complete Car Sales
17
05-06-2015 09:54 AM