My 2007 40C steps are made by Kwikee, and yours most likely are too. I have seen a number of issues that can cause intermittent function (but I don't drive on salted roads so can't speak to how that might also impact the steps...) The motor and gear drive unit in the step mechanism is derived from an automotive style power window actuator, so it does not have travel limit switches as such -- it just senses the higher current draw (stall current) at the end of travel to determine when to stop the motor. If your step mechanism is binding, it will not power the motor to finish the travel since the controller sees the high current drawn at the point where binding happens.
Sometimes the controller gets completely confused and you need to cycle power to it -- there is a fuse in the bay under the driver side mirror that I can pull and reinsert to do this reset. It is labeled...but it is one of about a hundred fuses in the block so be sure you have the correct one. I suspect that cycling the house and coach battery switches in the stair well would do this reset too -- and my be the source of your observed "intermittent" symptoms.
Another cause of steps staying either in or out is over-travel of the sector arm such that the gear-drive to it from the motor is bound up. This is hard to address if the steps are retracted, since they cover any access to this motor/gear-drive/sector arm and you have to pull the clevis pin in the arm to let the steps swing out of the way.
I have posted on this forum when I did some work on my steps -- so look through this thread:
http://www.gsowners.com/forums/showt...ighlight=steps
Chuck