U0419: Invalid Data Received From Steering Effort Control Module
What to do
Your steering has not failed — there is still a mechanical connection to the wheels. What has changed is how much power assistance you get, and it may change suddenly.
Expect one of two things: steering that has gone very light and nervous at speed, so small movements do more than you expect, or steering that has gone much heavier, which is hardest at parking speeds.
The reason this page matters is that the change can happen while you are driving rather than when you start up — possibly mid-corner. Now that you know, it will not take you by surprise. Drive gently, avoid fast roads if the steering has gone light, and be ready for it to need real effort when parking if it has gone heavy.
One thing worth mentioning: if the ABS or wheel speed warning is also on, that is likely the actual fault. This system needs an accurate road speed to decide how much help to give, so a bad wheel speed sensor upsets it as a knock-on effect — and fixing that one sensor clears both.
What this code means
The steering effort control module is broadcasting data that cannot be accepted as true. See U0400 for the family's framing and U0420 for the power steering module.
Steering effort control is what makes a modern car's steering light at parking speed and heavier on the motorway. The module varies the assistance according to road speed, and on many vehicles according to a selected driving mode as well. The value it publishes is how much assistance is being applied.
The consequence of an implausible report is the one that matters, and it is a genuine safety consideration rather than a comfort one: the system defaults to a fixed level of assistance, and the transition can be abrupt.
Two outcomes, and both deserve warning. Assistance reverting to its low-speed setting at speed makes the steering very light and nervous on a motorway — small inputs produce more response than expected. Assistance dropping to its high-speed setting or failing altogether makes the steering suddenly much heavier, which is most noticeable at parking speeds and can be a real difficulty for some drivers.
The important part is that the change may happen while driving rather than at start-up, so a driver can be mid-corner when the weight of the steering changes. That is worth knowing in advance, which is the entire purpose of this page.
The steering does not fail. There is a mechanical connection between wheel and road, and the corpus should say so plainly rather than leave somebody frightened. What changes is how much help you get, and how suddenly.
Following the family's rule, road speed is the input most often at fault. The module needs an accurate vehicle speed to choose assistance, and an implausible wheel speed from the braking module — see U0415 — propagates directly here. So this code alongside an ABS fault is one problem, and the wheel speed sensor is where the work is.
Likely causes
Start here
- Faulty wheel speed sensor · moderate
- Corroded or loose connector · easy
- Damaged data bus wiring · moderate
Less common
- Failed power steering control module · specialist
- Faulty receiving module input · specialist
Symptoms
Components involved
Information, not instruction
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Community experience
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