power steering light?

Does the 5 have electric power steering? I noticed if I put the car in neutral, kill the engine, and coast--when I start the engine again the power steering doesn't work and the light comes on. If you stop and put the car in park everything returns to normal. Am I hurting anything by driving with the power steering "off"? I assume it must be electric and somehow it has to return to park for the electronics to work.

Good question. You must be hypermiling?

Mine is an auto and I've not done any coasting with the engine off.

if you are coasting to a stop the injectors on the car automatically shut off and the car uses no gas. If you are turning your motor off while moving in traffic and or on the highway you run the risk of getting into a bad accident since you will not have the aid of power brakes, ABS, and power steering. I know you may be thinking "well i drive safe", but the problem is others around you may not, and when someone cuts you off you may not have enough time to start your engine and you will find stopping the car a lot harder then if the engine were running.

You are disabling your power steering when you switch the ignaition off. When you re-start your engine while not in P, you are most likely bypassing the system checks which require the car to be in P.

My Ops Manual says:
[FONT=AdvTT212dd343.BI]

Never stop the engine when going
down a hill:
Stopping the engine when going down
a hill is dangerous. This causes the
loss of power steering and power
brake control, and may cause damage
to the drivetrain. Any loss of steering
or braking control could cause an​

accident.

If the light stays illuminated after the
engine is started or illuminates while
driving, turn off the engine after parking
in a safe place, and then start the engine
again.
If the light does not illuminate after
restarting the engine, this indicates that
the power steering is restored and normal
steering is possible.
If the light remains illuminated, the power
steering is still inoperable. Consult an
Authorized Mazda Dealer.​

[FONT=AdvTT2cba4af3.B]

NOTE​

[/FONT]

The power steering system is inoperable
when the power steering malfunction
indicator light illuminates. Steering is
possible, but requires more physical​

effort.
[/FONT]

That's funny, I knew someone would give me the "safety" lecture. Yeah, I was giving hypermiling a shot on my 100mi commute to the apartment. By the way, the power brakes and steering are easily dealt with while the engine is not running. Try a Mustang with 275's and 3600lbs. I might consider that hazardous but not the 5. Anyway, so it's technically not hurting anything in the power steering system by not running?