I've really started to notice over the last 5,000 miles that the steering in my '05 TSX has become really loose. Any bump in the road seems to jog the steering wheel to the left or right. This is really pronounced at low speeds. Alignment seems good.

When it happens, it feels like the steering wheel is going to fly out of my hands.

Did a search, didn't find much. Any ideas?

 

Have you checked the tire pressure? If the pressure is too high, it will reduce the road surface contact and can cause a light steering effect, and also reduces the "bump absorbing" ability.

 

Cold pressures are right on the money...

 

Hmm... I would put the car on jack stands and monitor the wheel movement while turning the steering wheel to check for excessive freeplay. Also check for loose steering and suspension components under the car.

 

I'd rather just take it in if that's what needed next. Just wasn't sure if this was something others have seen on the TSX.

 

probly just need an alignment

 

How many miles on the vehicle?

 

20K, had an alignment done at around 10K under a TSB.

 

20k miles is way too soon for any normal wear to create a problem. My best guess is a bad strut, so check for any leakage at the shaft seals. Other possibles are a tie rod end, a ball joint or something just plain loose like the steering rack. Since the vehicle is still under warrantee, insist the dealer fix whatever is wrong - and don't take no for an answer. A bad alignment won't cause your problem.

 

Yea, I need to call. I'm off next week. Should perhaps get an oil change (a bit early) and take care of it all at once.

 

So they checked everything. Struts, control arms, nothing was found wrong.

They did however determine the car was out of alignment (AGAIN!!!) and recommended an alignment. An alignment was performed 10K miles ago! They refused to pay for this one. I voiced my concerns that this shouldn't be happening. They basically washed their hands and walked away.

Right there told me I'll never buy another car from this dealer. Unreal.

So the question is... Why would I need another alignment? Could something wrong with the car make this happen, again? They claim that the car is in perfect working condition. I don't recall hitting anything that would have caused it to be out of alignment.

I am going to take the car to get an alignment elsewhere and have someone else look at it.

 

There are some shops that have a warranty on the alignment. I believe it's 12 months/12000 miles in most places. However... the nicer shops around here don't warranty them. So i guess it just depends on the shop.

Don't be surprised though. You could hit something really small and it could throw your alignment out of wack. Mileage doesn't have much to do with it.

 

Yeah, it definitely shouldn't have needed an alignment after 10K. Another option is getting one of the lifetime alignment packages at a Firestone. Not all Firestones are good shops though, so you'll need to look around and see if you have a decent one around you. I actually have a good one close to me that has worked with lowered cars and I've got my car aligned 3-4 times so it has definitely paid for itself.

 

Scrib: If the vehicle needs an alignment you will see visible wear on one or more tires. Run your hand across each tread face at 45 degrees to the tread both ways feeling for sharp edges. A tire running true will be smooth.

 

So it turns out the dealer never even drove my car to determine an alignment was needed. In any event, I took the car into the local Honda dealer to get the alignment done.

And we have problems. As you can see the Cross Camber is completely out of whack. My understanding is this is a body shop job and not something that an alignment rack can solve? IN any event, they told me to take it back to Acura and see if they would do anything.

So what's the play now? I've already caller the dealer. Waiting to hear back.

 

Does the car have any aftermarket suspension parts? Stock height?

 

100% stock.

 

I'm not familiar enough with the camber adjustment mechanism on this car to know how it works. Hopefully the problem is that the adjustment is slipping somehow. If that's not the case, something is probably bent. I believe I've read about others having issues with the adjustment slipping due to something not being tightened down enough but that might have been a TL problem. I just can't remember.