§393.209 sets the steering-system condition standards. The steering wheel must be secured and free of cracks; the steering column must be secured against unwanted movement; the steering gear box must be securely attached; pitman arm, tie rods, and drag links must not have looseness exceeding the manufacturer's specifications. §393.209(d) sets a lash limit (free play) based on steering-wheel diameter — typically about 10 degrees on a 20-inch wheel.
OOS
Steering lash exceeding the §393.209(d) limits, or any cracked or broken component of the steering system (column, gear box, pitman arm, tie rod, drag link, steering knuckle), meets the NAS OOS criteria for steering. The vehicle may not continue from the inspection until the system is repaired.
Severity weight
Severity weight 3 in the Vehicle Maintenance BASIC. The crash-risk profile is high enough that auditors weigh §393.209 findings heavily even when only one is present.
How to prevent it
- Measure steering lash at every annual inspection and at intermediate intervals consistent with the maintenance program.
- Inspect tie-rod ends, ball joints, and drag links for play with the wheels on the ground and the wheel rocked.
- After any front-axle impact (curb strike, pothole at speed), do a steering-system inspection before dispatch.
How Roadworthy HQ helps
A steering citation shows up in Roadworthy HQ as part of the inspection it came from, not as a record of its own: the app does not store individual violation codes. Log the roadside inspection on the vehicle's Inspections tab: date, state, level, driver, the number of violations, and whether it was out-of-service. For an out-of-service inspection the 15-day §396.9(d)(3) repair-certification countdown stays on that tab until you enter the certification date. The rule's 15 days cover every violation on the report, not only out-of-service ones, so for a non-OOS inspection that date is yours to track. The repair itself goes in the vehicle's maintenance log: date, type, what was done, who did it, and cost. DVIRs are logged per vehicle with the defect described in your own words, and a defect marked safety-affecting that is logged without a repair certification sends a critical alert.