Been searching the forums for some kind of information on my steering wheel locking up while I was making a sharp right hand turn this afternoon. I made a right hand turn, followed by a left hand turn, and another right hand turn. Steering wheel became locked up (not sure if this is the correct terminology but it wouldn't come out of its right position without a great amount of force) after the second right hand turn. I didn't lose power to the engine or anything, nor were there any CEL pop ups. I was able to brake and put the vehicle into park, but the steering wheel was extremely difficult to budge out of its position. I was able to straighten it out a little bit before parking. I turned the engine off and put my hazard lights on. Restarted the engine after a minute or so and was able to immediately move my steering wheel back and forth without issue. I just kept turning the steering wheel for a good 30 seconds or so and everything seemed fine (no noises or leaks on the ground) and I was able to drive home. I have no leaks that I can see in my garage and the power steering pump hasn't been making any noise. I did check the fluid reservoir but I am not car savvy, so I'm not sure what the proper amount of power steering fluid should look like. I can say that the steering has been smooth previously, granted the car is up there in age and I'm sure the power steering pump has a shelf life that I am nearing, but thus far no issues. I was able to make an appointment for tomorrow afternoon to have it inspected but my mind is boggled as to what the issue could be. Any ideas? I'll do a follow up post after I have the vehicle inspected.

 

have you checked belt could be loose but not squealing,tire pressure ,is any of front end grease able ball joints , tie rods etc ,pump could be going bad ,or power steering rack might be bad( internal leak or bad valve) shutting car off allowed pressure to normalize

 

Thanks for responding. Belts were replaced in January and don't seem to be the issue. The independent shop that I took it too could not find an issue after inspecting the entire front end. Everything seemed to be just as it should be. I might bite the bullet and take it to the dealership and let them run diagnostics on it, as my mind is not totally at peace with this news.