Hello! Proud new owner of an '07 RDX here..

She runs great but has a lot of mileage (128k) but the steering is loose and shakes when cornering.

Drives pretty straight with slight oversteer to the left. When cornering, the steering wheel will feel right, then get loose, then get tight, and repeat. I have to use two hands to maintain control. I can feel the front right tire vibrate through the steering wheel during highway cruising.

Not sure what the cause is but I suspect it may be a steering or suspension issue (maybe worn ball joints or bushings). Going to get an alignment and have them check out these components too. Hopefully I'll close this thread with a conclusive fix.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.. thanks!

 

When cornering, the steering wheel will feel tight, then get loose, then get tight, and repeat.**

 

first thing to do is check that balance and allignment. Previous owner could have been jumpin' curbs or finding potholes.

Hopefully it's a simple fix for you.

 

Thanks, yeah I'm sure the previous owner drove it like he stole it (30+k miles per year!).

My first step is to do what you advised. All the suspension and steering parts look ok down there.

 

I'm getting advice that my first step is to have the power steering and rack and pinion checked first. Will do that and follow up.

If anybody else has experienced similar steering issues please post.

BigHatch, I tried to PM you asking how you like your K&N Typhoon but apparently I cannot receive PMs due to the 15 day new user restriction.

 

yeah, i tried to answer. Haha

 

check your axles too a worn axle can cause vibration in steering.. also bad steering bushings can cause it.. im not sure what your extent of vibration is..

is it certain speeds that cause vibration?

also the pulling that you described sounded like it was out of alignment.. so that sounds like a must to fix.. if its just the front right that you are getting vibration from check the tire as well make sure it hasnt been separated from the steel belt (best way to tell is look for a bubble or small steel threads pushed out of the tire tread)

keep us up to date on what you find

 

The axles look good (according to the boots).

It seems like erratic steering that happens when turning the steering wheel at least 1/4 way in either direction. Vibration in front right wheel is very minimal and seems to happen at any speed (guessing it's related to the first steering issue).

I'll follow up on any updates. Thanks for the advice.

 

Could it be ATTS unit?

Sometimes a glance over is not a good thing while looking at suspension. An example I have is a toe adjustment to the rear could be seen if: 1 the car is absolutely clean (where it needs to be) , 2 you know what you are looking for, 3 you have a factory setting, 4 finally, is the toe bar within servicable limits.

I'll ask while you looked under your car did the subframe get damaged, any rust on the matte black parts? The Control arms dinged up or rusted. Camber/caster angle is near to impossible to tell without alignment equipment. Are you by the ocean or salty-winter states?

First off i'd take it Acura, flush and swap the tranny and dif fluids, or do it yourself (a lot of good write-ups here on AZine by some very helpful individuals) and see if it makes a difference. I recommend th fluid change simply because you may not know what has been neglected with your RDX as far as service goes.

I suppose alignment could be off or mangled up, but I think it is possibly feedback from the drivetrain.

 

I finally noticed that the power steering fluid was low so I topped it off. Silly me, looking at the fill marks from the outside it looks full (there was a black ring that syked me out) but when looking down inside the reservoir it looked low (near the low level mark). When topping off, the new Honda fluid I was pouring in was clear but the fluid in the reservoir is black.

Planning to change the fluid as well as all other fluids as you suggested, Kaze66218, because I really do not know what has been neglected as far as service goes. I want to keep her running for 200k+ miles.

So far so good. Will continue to do more cornering to test for erratic steering and follow up. Hopefully it's just a power steering issue and the pump looks like a piece of cake to replace if need be (since it's mounted up top). Gonna get the tires balanced and an alignment regardless.

Thanks for the support.

 

power steering is one of those things that hase to be at the right level allthe time. If it gets too low you get a foam and if you add too much you shoot the PSF out the top of the Res. Make sure that it is inbetween the two lines. Also With a powersteering failure you would have a loss of aided steering, but it would be accompanied by a PS cavatation (loud noise from the pump unit) that would happen when you turn the car.

 

Thanks Kaze66218.

That might explain the erratic steering that only happens when turning (tight and loose feel [shaking the steering wheel side to side] that happens every second when turning, from intermittent loss of PS power).

So far no loud noise or moaning heard from inside the vehicle. I'll test for these noises up close at the pump with the help of a friend. Still working on isolating the issue but I think I'm headed in the right direction!

 

The power steering's zombie call can be heard from the drivers seat.

I still wouldn't be suprised that it's the ATTS feedback as it only happens in turns.

look at the fluid, is it foamy inside the res while the RDX is running?

--If it is then the impeller inside my be shot and you'll need a replacement PSP,lol. It could very well be drawing in air from some part of the system at a hose/fitting. BTW don't go unplugging hoses yet. Also if you run a PS pump too long without fluid you'll ruin your pump(Not sure if it's true, but this is a superstition of mine).

--If no foam, moans, groans, or screams you may be alright and not need another PSP.

 

LOL yeah I've heard the dreaded moan before and I'm not hearing it now thank goodness. There's moaning in the back seat but that only happens when parked

So far topping off the PS fluid got rid of the erratic steering wheel pulsation. There's no foam but man the fluid sure is black.

I still get some pulsation when doing turns with more G's and think right about the ATTS giving feedback. Can you describe how the ATTS feedback feels? Do you feel it in the steering wheel too?

 

1. Power stering fluid will always change colors I had a reservoir that was really dirty that made mine look black, the reservoir maybe playing tricks on you. However, If you want to flush it I'd say follow the DIY if there is one, but it's the same for any Honda PS flush. Just make sure that you have the right PS fluid(and enough). It's a messy task. I always have a 4 foot 3/8" ID tube in my garage to drain this but havent had a need to do this on the RDX.

2. ATTSystem has to do with the steering angle, the lateral G's, and speed. My best-est guess j/k, is that it comes on about a 1/2 sec in a turn or steady steeringwheel input,(mine happens at a steady 1/4 turn at 15mph on a flat road.)

The RDX will bias the outside wheels making the RDX turn the direction you want it to, like a tank(the Steering will be come soft. They should really intigrate a "shift light" sort of indicator moment light, that lets people know that they are using ATTS) After the input the ATTS will return to a Normal state (then the steering will return to a normal road feedback.) Or continue (while it is soft) to turn the wheel to keep ATTS engaged.

If I don't write this, I can see someone jackass with half a brain in the future reading this and roll their RDX at 70 mph in a parking lot, trying to get ATTS to function. I believe ATTS has a cut-off speed I think it's < or = 55mph, not sure tho.

 

1. I'll be flushing out the fluid as well as other fluids ASAP. Probably going to pick up a Haynes manual as I did with my previous Acura Legends since I'm a DIY-er. Once flushed, I'll report with any changes.

2. Sounds like I'm getting ATTS feedback then, at least I hope it is and not a problem. The steering does become soft when given steady steering input (at least 1/4 turn and after 1/2 sec). Then I goes back to normal road feedback or goes soft again depending on the conditions.

Would be nice to know more about the cutoff speed. Yeah, Acura should put an ATTS active indicator or something so the handling can be more intuitive. No tech package here so no ATTS guage



I hope my Loose/Vibrating Steering case is solved:

Looks like the low PS fluid must have caused the erratic steering combined with the ATTS feedback making the steering become soft and hard (and repeat) when in a turning with steady steering wheel input. The alignment is straight and there is no erratic steering when driving straight, only happens when turning. Topped off PS fluid and no more erratic steering when turning.


Thanks for the input!

 

change your rear diff fluid. Think it uses ATF...not sure.

people?

 

Yep they are ATF fluids.

The fluid is now DPSF(replacing Honda/Acura ATF-Z1 for blah blah reasons) from Acura. Mau researched and started a thread on this. "New Honda ATF and Rear Diff Fluid"

 

Thanks for the info..will do