C0623Variable Effort Steering Lock/Safety Actuator Control Circuit Performance
- Generic OBD-II code · Chassis
- Can trigger limp mode
- How the car detects it
- C0623 covers a lock or safety actuator whose circuit is sound but whose action does not match the command: it does not release when energised, does not engage in time, or its current is implausible. JTEKT's lock coil first gets full duty for about one second to pull the arm free, then 60 % below 13 V or 40 % above 14 V to hold it, which keeps the coil at or below 100 °C instead of near 200 °C. GM's active steering patent switches to the mechanical lock if electrical locking has not taken effect within about 42 ms. A worn lock pin, a sticky arm, a weak spring or a hot coil can each upset such timing. No maker publishes C0623; the variable steering function is switched off until the code clears.
- What you may notice
- Steering warning and variable function off
- Clicking or knocking from the steering column at start or stop
- Steering wheel slightly off-centre after the system locks
- Likely causes
- LikelySticking lock arm or pin, worn lock teeth
- PossibleSolenoid weakened by heat, pull-in force too low
- PossibleLow supply voltage during release
- RareWeak or broken return spring, lock engages late
- Repair
- Hard · Usually a job for a workshop.Typical cost: €50 – €2,000
- Related codes
Explanation from obdex (CC0), exactly as the app shows it. Guidance only; confirm with a workshop.