Steer by wire system diagnostic

A method for performing a diagnostic for a steer by wire steering system, the method comprising:

• sending, by a handwheel actuator, a commanded position for receipt by a roadwheel actuator;
• positioning, by the roadwheel actuator, a rack to a rack position based on the commanded position;
• computing, by a processor, a reference position based on the commanded position;
• computing, by the processor, a reference tracking error based on a difference between the reference position and the rack position;
• and
• determining, by the processor, a fault condition with the steer by wire system using the reference tracking error.

A computer program product comprising a memory storage device having computer executable instructions stored therein, the computer executable instructions when executed by one or more processing units cause the processing units to perform diagnostic of a steer by wire steering system, performing the diagnostic comprising:

• positioning, by a roadwheel actuator, a rack to a rack position based on a commanded position from a handwheel actuator;
• computing a reference position based on the commanded position;
• computing a reference tracking error based on a difference between the reference position and the rack position;
• and
• determining a fault condition with the steer by wire system using the reference tracking error.