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Does driving without electric power steering damage the car?
I bought a car a few years ago that has fully electric power steering, and the motor is about to give out. It’s frustrating because I can’t afford to fix it at the moment. But I’m worried that if I continue to drive the car, I’ll just be making it worse. Can you damage a car if you drive it without power steering?
Michelle Ballestrasse · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Ahh, the power of electric components. As cars switch from mechanical to electric parts, drivers are realizing that when these components
go wrong
, it’s much more annoying (and expensive) to fix.However, the good news is driving without electric power steering should not damage your car. If your power steering fails, you can still operate the steering wheel—at least enough to make it to the side of the road. (You’ll just be cursing yourself for not hitting the gym because it’ll be much more difficult to turn the wheel.)
It’s true that you can damage your car if it has traditional hydraulic power steering, though—the fluid pump could break. But you won’t have that problem if electric power steering fails because there is no fluid pump.
Regardless, you don’t want to put off repairing your power steering. Even if you’ve never missed a day at the gym, you won’t be able to quickly steer without it if you have to avoid a potential obstacle on the road. This can be a
huge liability
.Since it sounds like your car is older, you may want to look into car insurance that covers major repairs or includes roadside assistance.
Jerry
can help you find a policy that works for you—without overpaying for it.Jerry is an insurance comparison app that shops for low prices with over 50 insurance companies for free. You will get quotes in seconds, and if you ever have any questions, agents are just a text away. The average Jerry user saves $887 a year on car insurance.
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- Gregory R.
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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