Hi all,

I've got an issue with my MK7 1.4 Titanium (Keyless Start) that's been doing my head in for over 6 weeks now.

Came back from holiday to find the battery had gone flat. During attempting to jump start, I got "Steering malfunction, Service now" on display and car switched off completely. After this point, I couln't even go into accessory mode anymore.

Since then, I've gotten a new battery, checked fuses, relays and continuity between the fusebox, Keyless Vehicle Module and Steering/Ignition lock. The most probable suspect was the Steering/Ignition lock, so I fitted a second-hand one but no luck. Still got "Steering malfunction" and no accessory mode.

Utterly defeated and desperate to get my car running asap, I took it to Ford, hoping they would be able to resolve it the fastest. Ford got back to me (3 weeks later) saying that they suspect it's the Steering lock, and they quoted me £480 plus labour to change it. Couldn't afford it at the time so towed the car back home.

I got another Steering lock from a breaker, to eliminate the first one also being faulty, but same exact story.

At this point, I've got some questions perhaps some electrically savvy people could help me with.

1. If the issue is only with the Steering lock, is it safe to assume that replacing it would allow me to go into accessory mode?

2. If yes, could it be that the "Steering malfunction" DTC needs to be cleared before the car is happy with a new Steering lock? Don't know how to do that as my tool can't communicate with any modules without going into accessory mode.

3. Could it be that a virgin (blank) steering lock is needed, and not one that's already programmed to another car? I already know I will need to reprogram my keys after I manage to get into accessory mode by the way.

4. What else should I be looking at aside from the Steering lock?

Thanks for reading and for any help in advance!

Hi Alex, lets see if we can help you trace the problem.

I know that you may have already tried some of these things but I need to build up a picture of the problem before we can move on.

Q1: You have fitted a new battery. What is the battery voltage now measured at the terminals with a multimeter ?

Q2: Using a multimeter measure the voltage between the battery positive terminal and any good solid bit of metal on the engine block. What voltage do you get ?

We will get around to the steering lock once I know those two voltages.

Q3: Is the car Automatic or Manual ?

As you took it to ford post pics of their diagnostic test results...

Also as above asked, what's the battery voltage and did you charge the battery before fitting 

On 10/1/2022 at 7:24 PM, Alex T. said:

Hi all,

I've got an issue with my MK7 1.4 Titanium (Keyless Start) that's been doing my head in for over 6 weeks now.

Came back from holiday to find the battery had gone flat. During attempting to jump start, I got "Steering malfunction, service now" on display and car switched off completely. After this point, I couln't even go into accessory mode anymore.

Since then, I've gotten a new battery, checked fuses, relays and continuity between the fusebox, Keyless Vehicle Module and Steering/Ignition lock. The most probable suspect was the Steering/Ignition lock, so I fitted a second-hand one but no luck. Still got "Steering malfunction" and no accessory mode.

Utterly defeated and desperate to get my car running asap, I took it to Ford, hoping they would be able to resolve it the fastest. Ford got back to me (3 weeks later) saying that they suspect it's the Steering lock, and they quoted me £480 plus labour to change it. Couldn't afford it at the time so towed the car back home.

I got another Steering lock from a breaker, to eliminate the first one also being faulty, but same exact story.

At this point, I've got some questions perhaps some electrically savvy people could help me with.

1. If the issue is only with the Steering lock, is it safe to assume that replacing it would allow me to go into accessory mode?

2. If yes, could it be that the "Steering malfunction" DTC needs to be cleared before the car is happy with a new Steering lock? Don't know how to do that as my tool can't communicate with any modules without going into accessory mode.

3. Could it be that a virgin (blank) steering lock is needed, and not one that's already programmed to another car? I already know I will need to reprogram my keys after I manage to get into accessory mode by the way.

4. What else should I be looking at aside from the Steering lock?

Thanks for reading and for any help in advance!

Did this get resolved? Have the same problem. Many thanks.

Come back in 2025 for an update !!