What Causes a Car's Steering Wheel to Suddenly Become Hard to Turn?

[Brad]

The reasons why a car's steering wheel suddenly becomes hard to turn are as follows: Power Steering Pump Failure: For vehicles with vacuum-assisted power steering, the steering wheel may become hard to turn only if the power steering pump is damaged. Overheat Protection: For vehicles with electronic power steering, the assistance system uses an electronic power steering format. Repeatedly turning the steering wheel while stationary or at low speeds places a significant load on the power steering system, which can cause the steering gear to overheat and activate protection, leading to heavy steering. It will return to normal after cooling down, so this is a normal phenomenon. Automatic Locking: Most vehicles automatically lock the steering wheel after the engine is turned off, which is a simple anti-theft feature. This situation does not occur every time the vehicle is started. Generally, when the vehicle is started with the key, the steering wheel will unlock naturally.