C0624Variable Effort Steering Sensor Circuit
- Generic OBD-II code · Chassis
- How the car detects it
- Variable effort steering tunes hydraulic assist to the situation, and besides road speed some systems also read a steering wheel sensor. Ford's variable-assist steering, first used on the 1988 Lincoln Continental, fed its module from an optical sensor tracking how the wheel turns; a Ford patent describes that encoder with 20 slots and two detectors, good for 4.5° steps, and drops the actuator current during quick evasive turns so full assist comes back. A GM patent adds a handwheel angle input to Magnasteer control. C0624 is the general electrical fault in this sensor circuit: broken signal wire, lost feed or ground. No maker publishes C0624. Effort then follows road speed alone, or the system falls back to one fixed level.
- What you may notice
- Steering effort no longer reacts to quick wheel movements
- Effort stays at one level or follows only road speed
- Steering warning on some vehicles
- Likely causes
- LikelyLoose or corroded connector at the steering column sensor
- PossibleWire broken where the harness flexes in the steering column
- PossibleFailed sensor, for example a dead optical detector
- Repair
- Medium · Usually a job for a workshop.Typical cost: €30 – €450
- Related codes
Explanation from obdex (CC0), exactly as the app shows it. Guidance only; confirm with a workshop.