My accord would never hold an alignment more than a month. I drive on smooth roads, and baby the car since new. Recently it is getting worse, and when I accelerate hard, the car pulls to the right, when I back off the gas, it pulls to the left. Its scary to drive on the highway.

I scoured the diagrams for the car, and believe that from the factory, some bushing was not installed correctly, not the right one, or defective.

Has anyone had any problems like this? I found that the radius arm bushings are different size front to back, (one is thicker). Wondering if they put the wrong ones in one side from the factory.

 

I don't think I've read anything like this.

When you get the car aligned, what spec is off? Which tire is giving you the issue?

 

Hi PA, thanks for the reply. The car can be aligned, but usually it takes them twice to get it right. I fought and told the service guy "YOU take it up on the highway...". They tweak and fiddle and finally I can drive the car. Slowly, after about a month, it goes out again. I don't know, but will find out what spec is out, I have the report someplace. Since the car was new its had this problem. I don't get the feeling that it was smashed and fixed (sometimes happens to new cars), since they can get the alignment right. Sometimes very rarely, I hear a noise in the front end, something metallic. Of course, since its so rare, I bring it to the dealer they go through it and look at me cross eyed like Im crazy, since they can't reproduce it. I am fairly convinced that at the factory (I think this is a US assembled car), there is a bushing that is the wrong one, installed wrong, or maybe defective. Of course, the car is a year out of my 7/70k warranty now so they will probably find something. <frown>

Oh, its not one tire, both tires on the front wear evenly, although the car does go through tires a little faster than other friends who have similar cars. Its a killer since I hate to drive the car on the highway, it feels really unstable at 65 to 75 which is just what route 90 moves like.

 

I'd start with doing a thorough inspection of the suspension. Put the front of the car on jackstands, turn the steering wheel until it locks, then push/pull on the tire at 6/12 o'clock. Do the same at 3/9 o'clock. There should be little play.

Look at the shocks for signs of oil leaking. Also the springs for cracks.

Since you hear a metallic noise, take a close look for signs of shiny metal, red/orange dust (rust). Look at the motor mounts, where the sub-frame bolts to the frame, really everywhere.

If you turn off the VSA, does the car still pull to one direction on the highway?

Your other option is to take the vehicle to another shop for diagnosis.

 

Also look at the front bushings on the lower control arms. They are what we call a "hockey puck" style bushing and are known to dry out and crack and split which if broken can cause toe in/out issues noticed while driving under various conditions. Shallow surface cracks are to be expected, but deeper more pronounced cracks or splits are not normal.