Active Steering Fault!!!

[Hans]

Hi Jerman,
Thanks for your post. Was pretty sure it needed recalibration, that's why went back to workshop to have it done but they told me to go check alignment first. Anyway came back to recalibrate after and while steering is now straight the AS malfunction still persists intermitently. Hope it can be somewhat fixed other than changing the whole steering rack, which will cost a bomb.

 

[Anthony5785]

Hans,
Yes, I had the same experience recently as the car is going straight but the steering wheel is pointing to 2 o'clock position.
It is not as simple as doing the wheel alignment as it has to be re-callibrated via the computer. Occasionally, the "inactive" alert still appear and it will goes off after some 500m. "Active Steering" thingy is really not a clever idea

Normally in such case, i will position back the steering and off the engine. I wonder if you guys have the same feature as mine. Normally i will off the engine and leave the key inside, after 30 ~45 min, u shall hear many strange noise coming from the engine and idrive. By then my whole car been reset to previous. I am not sure how to jugde from previous however this method sustain me from changing anything till now which include idrive display completely blank.

 

[Jerman]

Normally in such case, i will position back the steering and off the engine. I wonder if you guys have the same feature as mine. Normally i will off the engine and leave the key inside, after 30 ~45 min, u shall hear many strange noise coming from the engine and idrive. By then my whole car been reset to previous. I am not sure how to jugde from previous however this method sustain me from changing anything till now which include idrive display completely blank.

Thanks for the tips. Will try.
Yes, my iDrive went completely blank before too!. I just continue driving and "pray" it comes back.

So, far my prayers are answered

 

[Jerman]

Hi Jerman,
Thanks for your post. Was pretty sure it needed recalibration, that's why went back to workshop to have it done but they told me to go check alignment first. Anyway came back to recalibrate after and while steering is now straight the AS malfunction still persists intermitently. Hope it can be somewhat fixed other than changing the whole steering rack, which will cost a bomb.

There are few of us having similiar issues but still no solution permanently except for the "bomb"
Looks like we have to live with it and "pray hard" that it will somewhat return to normal after a short drive.

 

[Anthony5785]

Bro Jerman,

That's the issue, we are worry and when the moment we forget about ......then suddenly "Tink!!!"....cold sweat then we ask our self what happen now ??......look carefully either new stuff or the one we know.

I had experience it's Tink few time in one day and my wife say, it will trigger ur heart attack if you have weak heart....

 

[Hans]

There are few of us having similiar issues but still no solution permanently except fo the "bomb"
Looks like we have to live with it and "pray hard" that it will somewhat return to normal after a short drive.

Just sucks in the sense that don't know when it's going to happen. Therefore will restart everytime I off the engine just to see if AS malfunctions, coz if yes then at least it will be fine when you start up next after 30 mins or so. Have read elsewhere that a cheaper fix is to change the steering angle sensor or top up the steering fluid, provided those work. Damn frustrating man...

 

[initialM]

Thanks E60lci. Replaced my battery too put problem still persists. Also note that mine is an actual AS malfunction, ie the steering wheel tilts to the right, rather than just the warning light appearing.
The sequence is as follows: after happening for a few times, I brought it in for a checkup and they changed the battery and also cleaned the cables or something along those lines. It was then fine for a week but as the steering wheel was off-center I brought it in again, but they told me it could be an alignment problem (which I highly doubted so coz it was fine previously, ie the wheel wasn't off-center) and told me to get it aligned. I did so and that was when the AS problem started again! Brought it back to reset and it was fine for a day before malfuntioning every other day after.
Any thoughts? Btw, does doing alignment have the potential to screw up AS? Thanks

Yup u must calibrate to 0 before doing the allignment

 

[grandis]

after 4 months of ownership, i accept the fate that just live with it - the "active steering fault" - which it come every other days and it will appear after about 500m to 1 km drive, then eveything just back to normal.

 

[Hans]

Yup u must calibrate to 0 before doing the allignment

Thanks initialM. Think I did the alignment without it being calibrated to 0, and then only after recalibrated it to 0. That's why alignment is out now. Do you know how to rectify? Will it get rid of the AS problem?

 

[Anthony5785]

Just sucks in the sense that don't know when it's going to happen. Therefore will restart everytime I off the engine just to see if AS malfunctions, coz if yes then at least it will be fine when you start up next after 30 mins or so. Have read elsewhere that a cheaper fix is to change the steering angle sensor or top up the steering fluid, provided those work. Damn frustrating man...

The conclusion is, we are willing to pay but the problem is can it be resolve? Right??.... Anyway... Just live with it and shall use to it as ur weekly routine as part of maintenance

 

[initialM]

Thanks initialM. Think I did the alignment without it being calibrated to 0, and then only after recalibrated it to 0. That's why alignment is out now. Do you know how to rectify? Will it get rid of the AS problem?

My mech did for me. My advice must go to good mech that have experience with E60.

 

[malcolmc]

bro hans, after alignment u just need to ask the mech to calibrate it to 0 and this will get rid of the AS fault, if all ur AS component is ok. btw what year is ur E60

 

[Hans]

My mech did for me. My advice must go to good mech that have experience with E60.

May I ask which mech you went to? Thanks again!

 

[Hans]

bro hans, after alignment u just need to ask the mech to calibrate it to 0 and this will get rid of the AS fault, if all ur AS component is ok. btw what year is ur E60

I did my alignment when it wasn't calibrated at 0, then only went to calibrate to 0. Guess I must now go and realign again and then recalibrated again. Doid you have the same issue? Which workshop did you go to? Mine is 2005. Thanks bro!

 

[initialM]

Hans,

My mech is in JB

 

[malcolmc]

ooh icic, 2005 have to use computer to reset to 0, btw before u go to ur mech, just check and see what fault appear first. if only active steering not initialized fault appear then u can just calibrate it back to 0, if there's other fault then u must rectify that fault first b4 calibrating. hope that helps

 

[Hans]

ooh icic, 2005 have to use computer to reset to 0, btw before u go to ur mech, just check and see what fault appear first. if only active steering not initialized fault appear then u can just calibrate it back to 0, if there's other fault then u must rectify that fault first b4 calibrating. hope that helps

AS fault whereby the steering wheel will tilt to the right. But it will go away after turning the engine off for 30 mins or so. Problem is that it happens every other day. But it might not happen when i go to the mech, unless I go when it does. Damn frustrating man. But don't want to pay $10k+ for something which is not permanent and fixes itself if I can help it. Thanks bro!

 

[malcolmc]

AS fault whereby the steering wheel will tilt to the right. But it will go away after turning the engine off for 30 mins or so. Problem is that it happens every other day. But it might not happen when i go to the mech, unless I go when it does. Damn frustrating man. But don't want to pay $10k+ for something which is not permanent and fixes itself if I can help it. Thanks bro!

hmm..urs sounded like a faulty steering angle fault, but have to diagnose first then only can know..btw where r u staying, if u r around pj gimme a buzz, i can check it out for u.

 

[r37720]

guys,

I had this problem before. Even after rotate the steering left and right, the AS did not reset. Sent to Ab they said need to change steering rack which cost a bomb.

I solved the probelm just by sending to mechanic who has the autologic and reset the steering which cost me RM200 only in whcih other OBD cant do the resetting even the OPPSS from AB. For the last 2 years no more issues.

 

[Jerman]

guys,

I had this problem before. Even after rotate the steering left and right, the AS did not reset. Sent to Ab they said need to change steering rack which cost a bomb.

I solved the probelm just by sending to mechanic who has the autologic and reset the steering which cost me RM200 only in whcih other OBD cant do the resetting even the OPPSS from AB. For the last 2 years no more issues.

What is the autologic? Is that the same with current BMW scanner/tool?