Hey guys!

I have a 2012 Acura TL w/ Tech Package, has about 65k miles on it, I got it a year ago. I've been having this issue where the car pulls to the left, I had the tires rotated and the car aligned, but that didnt fix the issue. The mechanic said it's a tire problem. I have 245/50/17 Yokohama Avid Envigor, they were on the car when I bought it, they still look in good condition. Those tires are directional, so I swapped the front two tires, just for diagnosis purposes, and the car started pulling to the right instead of the left.


So im wondering if any of you guys had this issue before where the car pulls to one side even though the car has good alignment and tires have been rotated (car was pulling before tire rotation and alignment AND still doing it after).

Please advise.

Thanks

 

From what you have already done, I would say it is NOT your tires. Has this car ever been in an accident?? If you have a hard pull, something is definitely not straight. I would think the alignment would have discovered the issue. As soon as you take your hands off the wheel, does it pull hard, or is it more like a drift?

 

Before I purchased it, the Carfax report showed that it had been in a minor accident. I don't know the details of the accident, but it drove fine the first 4-5 months, I purchased it in October 2015 and started noticing the issue in February 2016. When I take my hands off the wheel, it starts going towards the other lane, as if I'm actually changing lanes. but it takes less time to change the direction if Im going at higher speeds. So I guess you could say it's kind of drifting.

 

I've had a similar issue before on my Ody with new tires. It drove perfectly straight before they swapped the tires. It was a manufacturer's defect. The tread was slightly off in one spot. They were directional tires as well. If the steering wheel was dead centre, the car would pull to left. To go straight, the steering wheel would be 5-10 degrees to the right.
They swapped front to back, and the problem went away. Give that a try? I can't remember what we did, I think we just got a new tire and it was fine.

Alternatively, if you have another set of tires, swap those in and see if it does the same thing. If that eliminates the problem, then the issue is the tires.
Also worth noting, many roads may be slightly banked for water run off, and the car will tend to drift slightly if you take your hands off the wheel. Make sure you're testing on flat ground.

 

Do you have a copy of the alignment sheet?

 

TIres can look good but be damaged underneath! A bad cord in a tire would induce a pull and cause a weak area that would expand over time. With the diagnosis you did, the pulling switched sides showing the obvious issue! Get a new set of tires.