So I am relaying what my wife said about this problem so please bear with me.

She said she started to accelerate from a parking spot and thought she ran something over. When she looked back all there was was some pieces of plexiglass. She did state that it sounded like she ran over wire but didn't see any. Right after that the steering wheel got very rigid, started to move left and right on it's own (while idling) and she said the engine didnt normal (could be many different sounds other than the engine though).

After about an hour when I got there I checked the oil, trany, and power steering fluids. Everything was ok. I also looked under all the car to look for wire or something binding the steering column: nothing. I also looked from inside the hood down and didn't see anything. I then turned on the car and moved the steering wheel around and of course everthing seemed fine. We were able to get home and the problem didn't occur again.

I can't for the life of me think what caused this problem. My wife of course (who very much needs the car) is now nervous the steering wheel will move on it's own while driving. I of course want here to feel comfortable but need an idea of what may have happened. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

Did u check ur belts maybe the power steering belt rip and that wat she heard wires but then again you can check ur tyrods they might be lose cuz when my cars tyrods were lose my car was driving bye it self it was scary ......I hope u find the problem

 

Yeah, I did a quick glance but will check it again. I can understand the tyrod problem but I don't think would cause the steering wheel to move on its own while just sitting there.

 

I think you are overreacting. I understand your concern for your wife, but you have to figure if you checked under the hood and everything is fine, then you do not have anything to worry about. It only did this once right? Most likely it was imperfections on the road that caused her steering wheel to jerk. Happens to me and others I know a lot, it is pretty normal. It is even more evident at slow speeds (ie a parking lot). Until it happens a second time, or more frequently I would lose sleep over it.

 

I don't want to overreact either but the vehicle wasn't moving. She was parked, idling, and the steering wheel (direct quote here) "jerked back and forth like it was possesed". I am trying to think what could cause a steering wheel to move. Could the power steering possible do this?

 

Try to replicate the conditions and see if you can make it happen again. I honestly have no idea what could cause it, so that's how I'd go about figuring it out. Maybe somehow a seal inside the rack is causing fluid to flow weird and jerk the assembly around. You could try to see what will make that happen, and then remove the belt to the power steering pump and see if it still happens. No pressurized fluid, no more jerking? Get in there and do a good shake down of everything.

 

Oh the car was not moving? Sorry, forget that part I said about overreacting. Yeah, try to replicate the same event again, and recheck your power steering for any leaks.

 

maybe she ran over a ghost and then it got pissed off and reacted by grabbing the steering wheel and jerking it because he didn't want to hurt your wife

But really I would have no idea either. I really hope it's nothing, I would hate for something to happen while she was driving

 

Loooong shot but how are the mounts?
Maybe engine vibration with torn/broken mounts?

I once ran over a big rock and broke off my tranny mount bracket right off. But you waid it doesnt happen again?
Was the a/c on or the cooling fan on causing higher idle?

Theres so many variables. Just try to replicate the scene like everyone else says. And check the simple things

 

that's exactly what I was going to say, by any chance was she coming from Paranormal Activity or in a theater parking lot where it was playing haha. But you should be good from what I understand ghosts don't like to be in moving vehicles which is probably why it did it when she stopped. Zombies tend to be more attracted to the moving vehicles, there tactics are much more suited for moving vehicles.

On a more serious not that is pretty weird how much did it move like just a few inches or did it make a full rotation?

 

She made it sound like it moved maybe 60-70 degrees each way. Kinda crazy.

 

yeah.. the cars got some paranormal activity going on...

 

Why didnt she stop it with her hands?

 

i'm going with this one. unless of course your wife is a "beer taste tester" and had a long day at work. just sayin', i like to understand all circumstances. good luck

 

Wow. I cannot think of any logical reason that would happen. Not saying it didn't just that there's nothing mechanical in the Civic steering setup that I know of that could cause that while stationary.

 

Drugs are bad and make you see stuff nobody else will ever see.

 

I'd say she was not yet stopped. Go back to where it happened and ask her where it happened exactly. Let the car roll slowly but take your hands off the wheel. See if it does it again. I'd suspect she was probably moving and did not realize it. There is NOTHING that will make the steering wheel bounce back and forth that amount while sitting at a dead stop. Well, nothing but the ghosts mentioned earlier....

 

Everthing in the steering as far as I know is mechanical (needing to be moved by man) except for maybe the power booster that assists the steering. My only thought is that perhaps the pressure went a little erratic and cause the power steering which is supposed to assist the steering to take over. She said she wan't moving because it was in park (I thought the same thing at first). Maybe the increased pressure did more than assist the wheel but actually moved it (hence the erratic back and forth). Any thoughts on this idea?

 

There are millions of cars out there. Someone, somewhere would have seen it happen before. I know it always takes a first time, but c'mon...

 

she had to have run over something and been moving, or while it was in park maybe it was cranked all the way in one direction then sometimes it will move back a little because its so far over. Id take it somewhere empty and just do every kind of movement to make sure its ok.

 

I would check everything up front, like tie rods, suspension, etc. just to make sure it isn't something major and fix the problem. Put the car up on jack stands and take a look.

 

sounds weird because theres nothing thats going to make the steering wheel move while sitting still

 

Our 92 Honda Accord did this EXACT same thing. Like it was possessed. My son was driving on the freeway with a few friends in the car, and suddenly the steering just jerked over to the side and almost ran them into the guard rail. My son is really strong, but he had to have his friend help him hold and push on the wheel really hard to prevent it from crashing into the guard rail. When they stopped, (complete STOP) the wheel was going crazy, turning all on it's own back and forth. So, the wife is not crazy or halucinating. This really happens. There was 4 teenage boys in the car at the time and I know all of them really well. They were all witnesses.

My son asked a mechanic friend (adult millwright) that knows his stuff and he said it was probably something like the motor in the steering box going out.