Cause
Worn power steering pump
The hydraulic power steering pump worn so it cannot deliver pressure or flow. Steering effort rises at low speed and when parking, which is where assistance matters most, and the pump usually whines as it goes.
Its wear is nearly always a consequence rather than a cause. A pump runs in the fluid it pumps and depends on it for cooling and lubrication, so a low level, a leak, or fluid never changed wears it — and aeration from a low level does it quickly. Check the fluid's level and condition before condemning the pump, and look for a leak, since a new pump into the same low level wears the same way. Foam in the reservoir means air is being drawn in, which is a finding in itself.
Typically a moderate job.
Codes this can cause (1)
Codes where this is a likely explanation first, rather than merely a possible one.
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