A fault code doesn’t yet mean the unit or sensor itself is faulty: often it’s the plug and connector leading to it.
Possible causes
- Power or ground of this control unit (fuse)
- CAN bus connector or wire
- The control unit itself
What you can do yourself
- The power steering may switch off — the steering will get very heavy, especially at low speed. If this happens while driving, hold the wheel with both hands, slow down and stop in a safe place.
- Look at the codes of the other units — engine, transmission, ESC and instrument cluster: this code is often set because of their fault or a lost connection.
- Check the battery and terminals: at low voltage control units lose communication.
- ESP and traction control, and sometimes ABS, may not work. The brakes still work, but without electronic help — on slippery roads brake smoothly and don’t accelerate hard.
Stop and don’t drive on if:
- The red brake light is on, or the brake pedal feels soft or sinks
- The steering became very heavy, or the car pulls to one side when braking
OOleg’s tip: check the connector
Often the cause is simple — there is no contact in the connector (plug). Look at the connector from the back: remove the rubber seal and you will see whether a wire is corroded or has come off completely. Corrosion shows up as green deposits. Ideally, gently pull each wire towards you one at a time: a sound wire stays in place, while a corroded one simply comes off — it needs to be repaired.
Unplug and inspect connectors with the ignition off.
This is the meaning in the electric power steering unit (Kia bulletin CHA084). VSM is ESC and power steering working together: on slippery roads ESC adds steering correction. This is the Hyundai and Kia meaning. On other makes this number means something else: if your car isn’t a Hyundai or Kia, change the make at the top.
Source: Kia TSB CHA084 (C-MDPS: Optima, Sorento, Soul, Forte, Rio, Sportage), static.nhtsa.gov
The explanation comes from the error code reference in the AvtoElektrik PRO app.