annfrancis.lettera58,
Just one word of caution. If you do anything near the steps, be very, very careful about having fingers, hands & arms anywhere near the mechanism. They can be very dangerous and it is quite easy to get a body part pinched in the mechanism.
I'd recommend disconnecting power to the steps if you're going to remove the module or try to clean things up. If you must work on them under power, work from behind them, underneath the vehicle. Don't try to cut-corners and work from the sides.
Be safe.
~Rick