The Under the Hood
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Dear Motor Medics, I want to know about drive-by-wire steering. I am purchasing a new car with it and it has me concerned and wanting to know more before I buy, as I don’t know how it works or if it’s safe.
Does it really have no connection between the steering wheel and wheels? What if it quits working?
Bryan in Vandalia, Missouri
Dear Bryan, Drive-by-wire has been around for more than a decade in many vehicles and is also used in aircraft. You could almost compare it to remote control where you command the action of a device remotely without actually being in physical connection to it.
Electric throttle control is the most common and is used in most all cars and trucks on the road today but we are now seeing steering go this way due to autonomous cars and self-parking modes that are coming into the market.
Throttles have at least two sensors for redundancy and if it fails, well, you just don’t accelerate; if steering fails, not so good.
Engineers have taken our safety into account and have designed the system so that there is a physical connection that is made whenever the electronics are not powered just in case there is a failure. This safety system was designed to prevent safety issues in the event of a failure.
We suggest you get online and investigate further for your own piece of mind before you choose to purchase one. Take care, The Motor Medics
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