Defender's Multiple System Failures: Steering Sensor Issue?

Hey there! I've had some experience working on cars (some experience). I actually faced something very similar with my 2019 Range Rover Sport with the gas engine. Had almost identical symptoms, ABS light, stability control going crazy, and that annoying steering wheel shake. The steering got really heavy too, which was pretty scary. Took it to my regular workshop, and they diagnosed it as a steering angle sensor coding issue. Nothing physically wrong with the sensor itself, it just needed proper recalibration. Cost me about 195 Euro to get it sorted, but it fixed everything perfectly. Before I share more specific details about my repair experience, how many miles/kilometers on your Defender? When did these symptoms first start? Did anything specific happen before this started (like hitting a curb or going through deep water)? These details would help me understand if your issue is exactly like what I experienced with mine.

Thanks for sharing your experience! My Defender has 187176 KM on the clock. The symptoms started about a week ago, and interestingly, they appeared right after I drove through some deep puddles during a heavy rainstorm. Nothing else unusual happened before that, no curb hits or accidents. Just had my regular service done last month too. Your Range Rover Sport situation sounds exactly like what I'm dealing with. That's actually reassuring to hear it might just be a sensor calibration issue rather than something more serious. The repair cost seems reasonable too. Did you notice any warning lights on your dash before the steering got heavy?

Hey again! Thanks for those extra details! Yeah, now I'm even more convinced your issue is similar to what I experienced with my Range Rover Sport. Actually, the deep water part really rings a bell, that's exactly what triggered my issues too! The water probably messed with the sensor's calibration. And yeah, before the steering got heavy, I had this Christmas tree effect on my dash, lots of warning lights popping up. Had the ABS light, stability control, and power steering warnings all coming on at once. In my case, the sensor wasn't physically damaged, just confused (if that makes sense). The workshop did a complete system scan and recalibration. Took them about 2 hours to sort everything out. They mentioned that these sensors can get "lost" after water exposure, especially if some gets into the electrical connections. My advice would be to get it checked out soon though, driving without ABS and stability control isn't ideal. My mechanic mentioned these systems are all interconnected in our cars, so when one thing goes wrong, it triggers all sorts of other warnings. Would you like me to share the specific diagnostic steps my workshop took? They did some interesting tests before concluding it was just a calibration issue rather than physical damage.

I'd respond (as: Thanks so much for the additional info, especially about the water connection! It's a huge relief to hear your mechanic got it sorted without any major parts replacement. And yes, I'd definitely be interested in hearing about those diagnostic steps they took! I'm actually planning to take it to the workshop tomorrow morning since, like you mentioned, driving without these safety systems isn't the best idea. I've been getting that same Christmas tree effect on my dash too, it's like a light show in there! Pretty nerve-wracking when they all started popping up at once. Your experience has made me feel a lot better about this whole situation. At least now I can go to the workshop with some idea of what might be wrong instead of just pointing at my dash and saying "everything's gone crazy!" Just curious, after they fixed yours, did you have any issues with water exposure again? I'm wondering if I should be more careful about driving through puddles in the future.