Lemon Car Law for Incorrect Power Steering Calibration

If your car doesn’t steer straight, feels too light or too heavy at random times, or “fights” lane-keep features, incorrect power steering calibration could be the reason. This issue is increasingly common in vehicles with electric power steering (EPS) and advanced driver-assistance systems. In California, problems like these may fall under the state’s lemon car law if they persist under warranty despite multiple repair attempts. Below, ZapLemon explains how incorrect power steering calibration works and how California’s Lemon Law may apply—so you can make informed decisions about your next steps.

Incorrect Power Steering Calibration: What It Is

Modern vehicles use electric power steering that relies on sensors and software to deliver just the right amount of steering assist. Calibration is the process of aligning those sensors—like the steering angle sensor—and setting the system’s “zero” or center point, along with software values that determine assist levels. If the calibration is off, the steering system may supply the wrong amount of assist or misinterpret where straight-ahead should be, leading to unpredictable behavior on the road.

Common signs of incorrect calibration include a steering wheel that isn’t centered, a car that drifts or “wanders” even after an alignment, inconsistent steering effort (too light on the highway, too heavy in parking lots), or lane-keeping features that tug the wheel unexpectedly. You might also see intermittent EPS warnings, traction or stability control lights, or a need to “fight” the wheel to keep the car tracking straight. These symptoms can appear after battery replacements, suspension or steering repairs, wheel alignments, software updates, or even after a collision repair if recalibration was missed.

Dealers may attempt fixes such as re-centering the steering angle sensor, updating EPS software, performing a “pull compensation” reset, realigning the wheels with a proper thrust-angle setup, or replacing parts like torque or angle sensors. When the problem returns after one or more attempts, or the vehicle spends significant time in the shop, it can affect safety, value, and daily usability—issues that often bring California’s Lemon Law into the conversation.

California Lemon Law for Power Steering Calibration

California’s Lemon Law (the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act) protects consumers when a warrantied vehicle has a defect that substantially impairs its use, value, or safety and the manufacturer or its authorized dealer can’t fix it after a reasonable number of opportunities. Incorrect power steering calibration can qualify if it persists under the manufacturer’s warranty and meaningfully affects how safely or reliably you can drive. The law applies to many new vehicles and, in some cases, used vehicles still covered by the original manufacturer’s warranty.

California also includes a “lemon law presumption” for issues occurring within the first 18 months or 18,000 miles, whichever comes first. Under that presumption, one way to show a reasonable number of repair attempts is: two or more attempts for a defect that’s likely to cause death or serious bodily injury, four or more attempts for the same problem, or the vehicle being out of service for repair for more than 30 cumulative days. Steering defects can raise safety concerns because they affect lane control and emergency maneuvering. Even if your situation falls outside the presumption window, you may still have claims under the Lemon Law based on the total repair history and warranty coverage.

If you suspect incorrect power steering calibration, practical steps can help: keep a timeline of symptoms; save every repair order and ask service departments to include detailed “cause” and “correction” notes; request printouts showing calibration procedures performed; note any software/firmware updates, TSB (technical service bulletin) numbers, or recall fixes; and take short videos demonstrating the issue when safe to do so. Check your warranty terms and ask whether the dealership performed all required post-alignment or post-repair calibrations. If the problem persists, consider contacting ZapLemon for a consultation to discuss your options under California law.