Patent ID: 8307938

Claim:
An electric power steering apparatus, comprising: a worm gear coupled to a drive shaft of an electric motor is rotatably mounted in a gear housing, and a worm wheel fixed to an intermediate portion of a steering shaft and engaged with the worm gear is rotatably mounted in the gear housing, wherein a base end shaft close to the electric motor in the worm gear is supported by a reference bearing fixed to the gear housing, a leading end shaft in an opposite side to the electric motor in the worm gear is supported by a leading end bearing fixed to the gear housing via a collar, the collar is inserted in the leading end bearing slidable in an axial direction, and an elastically urging body urging the collar toward the worm gear is interposed between a flange portion of the collar provided in a side protruding from the leading end bearing toward the worm gear and an end surface of the leading end bearing, the collar is provided with a diameter enlarged inner diameter portion which is diameter enlarged toward the worm gear, and is dimensioned to support a leading end of a leading end shaft of the worm gear to the diameter enlarged inner diameter portion of the collar, and the worm gear is supported by always pressing the leading end of the leading end shaft of the worm gear by a part in a peripheral direction of the diameter enlarged inner diameter portion of the collar urged by the elastically urging body, and is always urged toward a side coming close to a center shaft of the worm wheel.