Patent ID: 8869930

Claim:
A vehicle steering system comprising: a steering mechanism that includes a steering member, a steering shaft, a steering angle detecting unit and a direction detecting unit that detects a steering direction with reference to a neutral position of the steering member; a steered mechanism that includes a steered wheel and a turning actuator having a turning motor, wherein the turning motor is never mechanically coupled to the steering mechanism; and a control device that controls the turning motor and that, at the time of a failure of the steering angle detecting unit, controls the turning motor by determining a turning motor command value for controlling the turning motor on the basis of a detected signal from the direction detecting unit, and wherein the direction detecting unit comprises a ball screw formed on the steering shaft, a nut fitted to the ball screw provided with side holes having a central axis that extends in a direction parallel to a central axis of the nut, rod shaped members that extend through the side holes, and sensors disposed at an upper location and a lower location on both sides of a location corresponding to the neutral position of the steering member, respectively.