Have you ever tried to park your Juke and felt that it is a herculean task to turn the steering wheel from one side to the other? If you have experienced this, then you most likely have power steering problems in your Nissan Juke.

Power steering problems can occur due to a myriad of reasons depending on the type of steering system you have. For hydraulic systems, the most common problems are associated with hydraulic fluid leakage or a problem with the hydraulic pump. On the other hand, electric power systems often face troubles due to the system overheating after being treated a bit too roughly.  

The power steering is responsible for taking the effort out of steering the car at low speeds. It does this by gauging the driver’s turning demand and accordingly using a motor or hydraulic pump to help you steer the wheels at low speeds. Thus, if they stop functioning, then turning the wheels may turn out to be quite a workout for you.

It is worth noting that the power steering is usually activated only at lower speeds as at high speeds you don’t want your steering to be as sensitive. If it were, a simple sneeze at 100 kph would make you swerve into the opposite lane.

Indications of Power Steering Problems in Nissan Juke

So, how do you understand when there is something wrong with the power steering of your Juke? Well, the easiest way to get an indication is to watch out for the Power Steering warning light on your dashboard. In the Nissan Juke, it shows up as a “PS” sign. In other cars, you might see a steering wheel with an exclamation mark. If you see this sign, means there is a malfunction with your power steering, or it has been turned off temporarily.

Secondly, at low speeds, you might see that you need a lot of effort to make turns that you can usually make with ease. You can face this problem while turning in either direction or both directions as well. Moreover, you might hear a clicking sound towards the end of the rotations of your steering wheel.

It is important to know that the power steering systems don’t work when the engine is turned off. This is because it sometimes takes power from the engine to power the hydraulic pump. When you switch on the engine, you will see the power steering warning light up for a second before switching it off again. Then you can try to assess if you are facing problems while turning at low speeds.

Power Steering Problems: 4 Possible reasons

Now that you know how to identify if there is a problem, it’s time to find out what may be causing these power steering issues in your Nissan Juke.

Overheating

The simplest problem that can occur to the power steering is for it to overheat. This usually happens when you try to aggressively turn the steering wheel in different directions, multiple times, at low speeds, and in a short period. At this point, you will see the “PS” light switch on.

This means that your electric power steering has been temporarily switched off to prevent damaging the electric systems due to overheating. As soon as the system cools down again, it will automatically restart, and the light will disappear. Just remember to treat the steering wheel a little more gently next time.

Fluid problems

The most common problem that may cause trouble to the steering system is a low level of Electric Power Steering (EPS) fluids. This may reduce the lubrication between the rack and pinion system. Moreover, less fluid means less pressure can be exerted by the system. Hence you have to put in more effort yourself.

To solve this, you can simply top off the EPS fluid and it should be okay. However, the level of the liquid shouldn’t reduce in the first place to cause an issue. Thus, there is most probably a leak in one of the hoses or near the pump. Hence, it is best to get it checked and fixed at a Nissan dealership near you.

Another problem that might have happened is the contamination of the EPS liquid in your power steering system. While this is rare, it can be caused due to damage to the boots protecting the steering columns and their parts. In this case, you will have to flush the entire hydraulic liquid and replace it.

Pump Problems

The pump is responsible for building pressure in the EPS fluids. It thus helps you put in less effort while making a turn. However, if there is a problem with the pump, then due to a lack of pressure, you might have to put in an abnormal amount of effort.

In some cars, this pump is driven by a belt via the engine. In other cars like the Juke, it is run by electricity. Thus, if there is a problem with the pump, it is best to take the car to the dealer. Let them determine the correct course of action.

Rack problems

The rack and pinion system is the basis of the whole steering system. It helps convert a rotational motion (from the steering wheel) to a translational motion (of the tie rods). Since there is a meshing of gears, there is a high chance of wear and tear. The chances increase if you treat the car roughly while making turns.

Damage to the teeth in the rack may cause the EPS system to malfunction as gears. This might lead to the clicking noise that you hear while turning the car as discussed earlier in the article. Unfortunately, in this case, you might need to replace the rack depending on the level of damage. A Nissan-certified dealer would be able to assist more with this.

Final thoughts

If your EPS starts to malfunction, it is not a huge deal. You should still be able to drive the car with a relatively high level of control. However, you may have to put in more effort than normal. This might seem like an impossible task for people used to power steering, but we believe in you. We are sure you will be able to make it back to your house. At the very least you will reach the nearest service station to get it checked.

We hope this article helped shed some light on the steering problems that you may have in a Nissan Juke. You can always check the user manual for some more information on the various warnings you might encounter in the Juke. Unfortunately, the manual does not have any DIY fixes for this. However, if you are confident in your skills, you can try to fix these issues yourself. Our recommendation would be to get it checked at a dealer as some of these parts aren’t easy to access and might require you to lift the car off the ground. In either case, we hope you get back to effortless steering in no time!