Steering Wheel gets hard

[yarisson]

Hi,

I have a manual 2009 Yaris.

Lately in one of my drives, I started the car and started to drive and the steering wheel was very hard. I checked the dashboard screen and I saw two indicators, one yellow that looks like a tap (check engine indicator I think) and another red one indicating P/S (power steering).

Then I noticed that when I put gear in reverse this happens and when I switch to first gear it disappears.

I disconnected the battery and cleaned all contact areas then for a few days the problem didn't return. But after a few days it started again. Usually when I switch to reverse.

Important to note, when this happens, some of the electricity components of the car don't work, the AC does not output any air, the reverse lamp not working and the phone charger does not function.

A friend tried to check the voltage, but we didn't find anything drastic. However, the battery is from 2017.

Any idea what can be the problem? Shall I change the battery? Maybe the problem is with the alternator?

Thank you.