A: As its name suggests, power steering fluid is an important component of a vehicle’s hydraulic power steering system. It’s responsible for helping the driver turn the vehicle’s front wheels with little to no effort.
You can typically find the power steering fluid in a reservoir marked “Power Steering” under the hood.
On early Toyota Corolla models, you can typically find the power steering fluid in a clear, cylindrical plastic tank on the driver’s side. Meanwhile, on a 2012 Honda Civic, the power steering fluid reservoir is located on the passenger’s side of the engine bay behind the windshield wiper fluid tank.
Before you rush in to uncap the reservoir tank, check to see if the tank is actually clear enough to see the power steering fluid level from the outside. In most vehicles, the reservoir tank is a small clear container with “MAX” or “MIN” marked on the side, so you can see how much power steering fluid is left in your vehicle.
One more thing: power steering pumps hate dirt. If you have to open the reservoir, be sure to take a clean rag and wipe around the cap first so dirt doesn’t contaminate the fluid inside.
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