This morning on my way to work it was snowing. While I was turning right into the parking lot my car started sliding and rammed my left front wheel right into to the curb. Now my steering is very stiff and when I turn towards the right and let go of the steering wheel it stays steering towards the right. I am not sure what it could be. I am somewhat familiar with how the steering mechanizm works and I believe it could be the upper control arm on the left side that is broken. My biggest fear is if I did any damage towards the axle. My car only has 30k miles and it's under warranty. Should I take it to Acura to repair it? Would it be under warranty? Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

The repair will definitly not be under warranty. I would say to take it Acura or any other reputable repair facility with an alingment rack. The sooner the better.

 

Since the steering is stiff, you might want to check if the car is leaking Power Steering Fluid and also check how much is left in the motor bay. Also you can climb under the car and check if the control arms are bent. As for the drifting to the right, you might have damaged the rim or thrown the alignment off. Bring it to acura and have them diagnose it, if the repairs are alot, call insurance and tell them what happened. It shouldn't affect your rates as this was a natural occurance as the car skidded on ice.

 

any clicking sounds ??

you probably smacked your alignment up REAL good.. as for other damage, could be control arms, axle, you can probably damage your hub bearings too.. but that shouldnt mess up your steering too much

 

There are no clicking sounds. I am probably going to end up taking it to Acura to get it done. I just want it to be done right but the price concerns me a bit as well. Would anyone suggest anywhere else other than Acura for service?

 

I had a similar accident recently, albeit at very slow speeds. However, it seems the steering doesn't want to return to on center anymore either.

Fermin3344, did you ever figure out what happened?

Thanks.

 

+1

Get an alignment first, then if that doesnt fix it, look into the other possible problems blackura said

 

Every dealer charges different rates it seems. I have read posts on here where some dealer charges stupid rates for simple repairs, while others are about the same price as any other shop. Just check around and see what the dealer comes back with. Luckily my dealer is fairly close to what any other shop charges so my car still goes to the dealer for the last amount of hassle.

I wouldn't even mess around with an alignment yet....unless you get a lifetime alignment. From what you have described, it doesn't sound like it is just out of alignment. More than likely something else is bent and will need to be replaced/repaired and then aligned.

 

Sorry to jack thread, but i 2-3 hit the curb in a tight spot with my left rear wheel. I don't think it goes over it, cuz the car kinda slides to the right?

 

this is the new question and post. BTW thank's for seaching

 

the suspension will compress to go over it. I have seen a TL go over an 8 inch curb and the suspension compressed quite a bit...

 

I can't believe no one has said this yet: MAKE AN INSURANCE CLAIM!!!! call your insurance company, tell them what happened, and follow their directions. They'll want you to take it to the dealership or a certified shop so the adjuster can take a look at what damage has occurred.

edit: csmeance said it already.. my bad.. but call your insurance company

edit2: this is an old thread.. what happened?

 

Actually, already made the insurance claim and had some repairs done at the body shop. Apparently the lower control arm was bent and replaced (steering wheel was off center and camber was off). However, even after the repairs, the steering is still too tight to return to center even after being turned more than 90degrees.

Will be bringing it back to the repair shop this week but the shop owner was telling me it may be a tedious process to find a cure..."like finding a needle in a haystack" Was hoping Fermin3344 could shed some light on the situation since our accidents and symptoms seem similar.

 

Steering rack is damaged. I had the same problem with mine. After hitting a curb and replacing many components including the subframe, they gave it back to me and I couldn't even turn it with one hand. The racks seem to be fragile on these cars. Then, a week after getting the rack fixed, the left balljoint came out of socket because the tech forgot the nut, tire went sideways and into the fender, and the rack got damaged again but without hitting anything and only going 20mph.

 

That must have been quite an exciting ride!
Guess you were a little fired up when you went back to the shop.

 

I was so fired up that I had the car towed to an impound yard to sit for the weekend and rack up charges, a $180 tow, and didn't talk to the bodyshop until the following Tuesday. One thing I learned with age is to cool off first before talking to people. No more dragging people over the counter lol.

 

Yeah.. plus remove all weapons of opportunity.. (breaker bar / wrench).. Glad your still here with us and not injured or in jail.