Hi everyone,

my wife’s 2017 RX350 has 55,xxx miles and has started flickering a message across the instrument cluster so fast that I had to record it and slow the video down just to read it.

the message shows “Steering Power Low” followed by “Brake Power Low”.

My scanner has picked up an error code U0131 but no MIL/DTC light on the dashboard.

the battery is approximately 2 years old and tested ok to me.

the only thing I can consider a problem would be the aftermarket remote starter (MPC brand). I’ll start by removing that to see if it changes anything.

im more concerned about if i need to consider a new steering rack or power steering ECU that’s found on the steering column.

Any help is appreciated!

 

Very doubtful anything is wrong with the steering rack. This looks more like a loose ground connection somewhere along the CAN bus system and may not have anything to do with the brakes or steering. Difficult to troubleshoot especially if intermittent. If this a continuous occurrence, the dealers' service dept. scanner should be able to locate the problem area. Keep us up to date.

 

I agree with removing the remote start as a 1st step. The dealer will blame anything to any aftermarket device that was installed. Even if they see a trace of it. This is from my past experience with remote starts and non related issues.

 

luckily the remote starter is a plug-n-play type installation. No cutting or splicing. I suspect the cellular device that allows an app to remote start the car maybe drawing too much power while off.

My wife only drives 1.5 miles each way to work so there is probably not enough to to get the battery fully charged by the alternator. Funny enough, when we changed her battery 2 years ago it was just after the remote starter went in.

I have been going through AllData for diagrams and haven’t found anything I want to pursue as far as power or ground related possibilities. So far the commonality between the 2 messages popping up is the IGN 1 system or relay.

we did use a jump pack this morning to see if the extra power would prevent this issue from happening (suspecting battery). No flickering, yet just now my wife came home and no flickering either. The remote starter is still installed. Nothings changed besides jumping this morning.

we will continue to test the jump pack theory theming to prove a weak battery. The remote starter will be removed this weekend when I have time and will most likely be buying a new battery also.

sorry if my message seems a little scattered as I just woke up from night shift.

 

I will be scouring AllData for the Can Bus power/grounds.

 

*UPDATE*

I pulled the aftermarket remote starter and replaced the battery. So far no messages have returned. I did try to warranty the battery since it was 2 years old with a 3 year warranty. The guy at the store tested the old battery and said it was still good. Nothing I could do or say to change his mind. So I’m out $200 again for a battery. I hope this is a long term solution as I refuse to change batteries every 2 years.

 

Did u put back the remote start?

 

I did. The only difference is that I removed the “cellular” part for the phone app on the remote starter. I suspected that this was slowly drawing down the battery and being winter in New England it was a combination of the colder temperatures and a lower battery charge.