Honda CR-V Handling and Alignment

plane

Bought a new CRV EXL on July 1st. I have noticed that the car "shimmies" while driving (i.e., shifts right and left, especially on the freeway at higher speeds (approx. 70 mph). I feel the ride is unstable. Is anyone else experiencing this problem? I have brought it to the dealer once and they couldn't find any problem. Very disappointed as I am a new Honda owner after being a GM owner for years. What are my options if I am unhappy with what I feel is an unsafe ride? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

crvme3

Two things come to mind of your concern "(i.e., shifts right and left, especially on the freeway at higher speeds (approx. 70 mph)."they are both related... #1. Are the tires on your new CRV Bridgestones?. #2. Do you live in a state that incorporates the "rain grooves" (deep cuts in each lane approximately 3 inches apart) in the freeway lanes?. This is common freeway construction here in California and I have found with our '07 CRV with the Bridgestone tires that they tend to follow the "grooves" & what is felt to the driver is a constant annoying "hunting/searching" feeling almost as if you were jumping/dancing around & rapid side to side movement while in the lane. If this is what is happening to you it is not that uncommon... I can tell you that in time/miles this will lessen as the tires wear some. We have just about 6000 miles on our '07 & this annoying phenomenon is virtually gone now. Tires with straight cut tread (ie. factory Bridgestones) tend to do this on roads with the rain grooves. Over the years I have learned when I purchase replacement tires I look for tires that are cross-cut in tread design just because of this issue. Hope this is of some help.

plane

First of all, thank you for your response. I will have to check my tires (at work currently). I do live in Southern California -- so maybe the rain groove theory is viable. Your description of the "hunting/searching" was very accurate. I don't know about you, but it feels very unsafe to me. I will bring your response to the dealer today as I have an appointment for an unrelated issue. What are the chances of them changing out the tires for me? I currently have 1000 miles and don't think I can handle it for another 5000 miles.

crvme3

You can certainly inquire at the dealer, but I don't know what if anything they will do!, if I am correct on this this is not a mechanical issue with the vehicle but a tire issue & the most they will probably due is refer you to the tire manufacturer. I feel your pain, Let me guess it is really bad on the "405"... When we first got on the freeway with ours (2-3 days after purchase) I was like you it virtually felt un-drivable & I felt like I could not keep it in the lane. Trust me on this if this is what is happening to you it will get better with each mile... There is an easy test you can do for my therory (this is how I determined it was the tires). Find a stretch of road that is asphalt with no grooves & not concrete, drive 60-70mph & you will find it will track straight & smooth, then get on the freeway & you will see/feel the differance. Honda's are probably the most reliable trouble free vehicles made... You made a good choice buying one, but like anything nothing is perfect.Hang in there & good luck... let us know how you make out.

plane

Actually, it is the 91 Freeway and the 15 Freeway. But the 91 is worse. I am so glad there is someone out there who doesn't think I'm crazy.

crvme3

We are with you... You are not alone on this, the fact that it is worse on differant freeways just adds strength to my theory (a few of my neighbors have bought '07 CRV'S & have experienced this as well - we have all discussed it in length). A little known fact here in SoCal. is that Caltrans is accutely aware of this phenonmenon & continually experiments on new construction on the spacing of the grooves to diminish or illiminate the "hunting" effect,hence the feel is differant depending on which freeway your on. As I recall on ours it was about 3K on the miles before it began to feel tolerable, as I said before now at 6K it's gone!!!

penguin59

I have similar experience with my CRV 2 WD here in AZ and on non-grooved Interstates. Its a disturbing phenomenon that occurs at the high speed you mentioned. I've also had it in for "pulls to right" problems on three occasions so far and am scheduling a fourth. Dealer has been good about not charging for their efforts to correct, but it still pulls to right. They've "road force aligned" it twice and replaced right front tire so far, but if anything its worse. Now I note steering wheel isn't centered when I try to go straight down the road... its like fighting a yaw force in an airplane. Tires are Bridgestone Duelers which is pretty appropriate since the front ones seem to be doing that with each other over which direction they are going at high speed.

plane

yeah, sounds like my problem. had it into the dealer yesterday and showed them the responses i received on this internet site. they only thing they could think of was lowering the tire pressure. we'll see how that works, although i have my doubts. thanks for your input.

blueiedgod

Check the tire air pressure. They are shipped filled to 45 psi, which will make it a little unstable on the road. Bring it down to whatever the doorjamb says.

crvme3

"Check the tire air pressure. They are shipped filled to 45 psi, which will make it a little unstable on the road. Bring it down to whatever the door jam says."

Would not this have been addressed during the "new car prep"? as well as checked off & corrected to proper PSI from the check list in the owners manual...

nortsr1

What they are supposed to do and what they do....are...two different things. Check your air pressure!!! You were given sound advicee!!!

crvme3

Point taken, short sided thinking on my part,guess I'm lucky, the dealer I use (have purchased many Honda's from them) I am on a first name basis with just about everyone... watched & chit chatted with tech while he performed my "prep" prior to closing the deal...

airembolism

i had trouble w/ pulling r/l when cold- i have the awd w/ continentals....i the dealer " adjusted" the air pressure. 20 psi in 1 tire, i rechecked the aip pressure, and rotated the tires myself....the prob went away....probably a bad tire

calvic

When I took delivery of my 07, it was all over the road
thru rain grooves, scary loose. Checked my tire pressures and they were all about 10 psi LOW. Aired them up to the high side and its much more stable (not perfect)but much better. Don't bet that they are aired to 45 psi. I do agree its all tire design though.

JJ

band_photog

I saw something similar on a very long thread, but felt that my question might get lost in in a thread with 2700+ entries. My sincere apologies if I'm breaking any discussion group rules.

I have an '07 2WD that pulls/drifts to the right. They had the nerve to tell me that a pull/drift to one side or the other could be a "design feeature". Could that be true? The service technician took it for a drive, but "found" nothing by taking it over some random bit of freeway to see if it would drift/pull in <= 500 ft. The dealer put it up on the alignment rack, and told me that it was within Honda's spec. I wanted to argue with them, that there was no way it was within spec if it pulled - it was a safety issue. Dealer made me feel guilty/stupid for urging him to put it up on the rack for an "expensive" test that a test drive should have proved out.

I'm going to press them harder - I see lots of talk here about the "crumby" Bridgestones that come from the factory. Maybe those are the culprits?

Are there others with alignment issues? I sure would love to hear about it.

Many thanks.

blueiedgod

I believe Honda says that the vehicle is designed to drift to the right after 5 or 10 seconds after you let go of the wheel. This is indeed built in for the sleepy drivers, so that they don't go into oncoming traffic and cause more injuries to others.

bdyment

Not true. Vehicles are not designed to pull right or left, but to track true and straight. What you were told is an urban myth stated by service personnel to purposely do nothing to fix a problem.

steveoregon

google "radial tire pull" for some light reading.

Swap the front two tires. "If" radial pull is the problem, the issue will go away or pull to the left.

If nothing changes, the issue is caused by something else.

airembolism

i agree, i had trouble w/ mine (continentals by the way) but i rotated the tires and the problem is resolved

anela

I just bought a Honda CR-V 2 weeks ago. The car was serviced twice and was told the alignment is checked out. Both the service manager and I test drove the car and the car still veers to the right. I was told that it was no sense I bring the car back because it will continue to do the same thing. That I must contact the American Honda Customer Care Service. I finally received a call from American Honda and was told that the car is aligned and that they will not modify the car. It seems like Honda is dodging the lemon law and has blown me off. I am in contact with a lawyer to remedy the problem.
Any other alignment defects on the 2007 CR-V models? If so, we just might have a class action suit.

fnamowicz

In two weeks you had it serviced twice, you contacted a lawyer and you contacted Honda. That's a busy two weeks.
Did you test drive the car before buying?

anela

dear fnamowicz, i can feel the love. have a great day.

anela

ACCORDING TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP, THEIR REMEDY WAS TO REPLACE THE REAR TIRE ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. NOW, IT PULLS STRONGLY TO THE LEFT AND OPPOSED TO BEING STRONGER TO THE RIGHT. THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID THAT ALL OF THEIR CR-V'S ON THEIR LOT DRIFT. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE'S NOTHING MORE THAT THEY CAN DO BUT I CAN FILE A LEMON LAW CLAIM.

dtstof

Mine doesn't drift(fwd) at all. It tracks true. I keep tires inflated to proper pressure.

fnamowicz

Neither does mine, keep the tires equally inflated and don't rotate them and you will do fine.

gc4auto

mine pulls a bit to the right too. This was also true for the other identical CR-V we originally test drove @ the dealers.. this probably doesn't apply to 100% but a good number of them. It _may_ be radial pull, i had a camry that did the same.. alignment checks out but pulls to the left. As soon as i switched the front & back tires it went away.. maybe its the quality of the tires?

I have bridgestones.. i noticed some CRVs have continentals.. maybe the difference is there?

crvme3

The pull/drift is a legitimate complaint - but it does appear that not all are affected & seems to be a tire issue. Our '07 (Bridgestones) had slight but noticable drift to the right from day one. Alignment has been checked & is within specs... Rotation lessened the drift but not completely... switching front tire from left to right/right to left eliminated drift entirely. So We like most when the factory tires are worn out will purchase a higher qaulity tire & not Bridgestones,

aponline

I have a 2006 CR-V and mine does the same thing. The dealership gave me some bs about how this is a safety feature to wake you up if you fall asleep. Apparently it pulls you to the side of the rode so the bumps will wake you up. My mechanic friend is fixing it for me this weekend. I'm not sure what his plan is but I may try some of the options I've read here tonight. Mine has been pulling right since I bought it at the beginning of 06. Let me know if you've ever heard of this. I'm sure it was bs but I'm not a mechanic so what do I know. Let me know if you figured out how to solve the issue. Thanks

bette608

We live in the upper Midwest and are considering a 2 WD (LX) as a second vehicle as we already own a 4 WD Forester. Would save about $1,000 going with 2WD. Wondering particularly about the 2WD handling in snow/ice and also general satisfaction with 2WD. Thanks.

dawe1

Just bought an '08 FWD CR-V. Did not road test on highway...big mistake. Vehicle has an extremely irritating pull to the right...especially on the highway at speed and accelerating. With in 3 seconds you are in the next lane. Is not an alignment issue because it does not do it when you shift into neutral. Took out another one this morning, and it did the same thing. Everyone at the dealer acknowledged this issue exists with the CR-V, but have no way to correct it. Rides like a bucking-bronco down the highway also. Have bought 3 previous Hondas including a '98 CR-V with no issues. But this one is a SEVERE DISAPPOINTMENT!:( My only hope is that it gets better with mileage or there is a recall. Everybody with this problem needs to complain to Honda corporate to get a fix. I just did.

dewaltdakota

Wow... that's very interesting. We have an '07 EX-L AWD CR-V and just bought an '08 LX 2WD CR-V for the wife, and haven't experienced this issue with either vehicle. We both love our CR-V's.

greenteacrv

I own an '07 EX-L AWD CRV with 11,200 miles and it tracks true. I rotated the tires at 7500 miles and have never had a problem with tracking or alignment.

lnfrank

I bought a 2007 CRV in March, I have 15000 miles on it. I had tires rotated and the mechanic told me I needed new tires. I had these tires rotated every 5000 miles. The dealer told me they were not responsivle that I should go to a Bridgestone Dealer. The Bridgestone dealer told me the dealer is responsible. The games begin. 15000 miles is very low mileage for a tire. Any suggestions?

dawe1

After driving down a near-by deserted street several times on the wrong side of the road (left side in the U.S.), our CR-V will pull to the LEFT. This would explain our friends in the U.K. saying their CR-Vs pull to the left. I guess I've come to the conclusion that these vehicles are very sensitive to road crowning and transmit that sensitivity to the steering wheel in a manner I've never noticed in any other vehicle I've driven. Wife just loves the car, so I guess that's the end of this story. I'll stick with my bicycle-- an '06 Lemond Zurich...6,000 miles last year...great bike and no pull!

PEACE.

bellwood

Bought my 2008 CRV two month ago has been in a dealership four times since.
It is puling to the right and they seem like can not do anything about that, they check and recheck alignment again. Just called Honda customer service and let them know, will file all necessary documents for lemon tonight and call BBB Automotives. If you have same problem with 2008 CRV please do the same.
Thanks

teresimo

Hi, I just bought a new Honda CRV and mine is doing the same thing, it pulls severely to the right, took it back twice they told me it's the contour of the road, BS....Don't know who to call or where I can get phone numbers to call. Can you send them to me? I love the car but this pulling to the right is so annoying, I just can't imagine I have to live with this after I traded my 05 Nissan Murano, nothing wrong with it, just wanted better gas mileage. Please send me the phone numbers to call and do you know what I need to do as far as the Lemon Law goes in Florida? Do you think it's the tires. Shoot if it is, I'll go and buy 4 new tires, but this is ridiculous.....

teresimo

Hi there, I bought my two months ago as well, please send me the number's to Honda customer service and all the other necessary numbers to call because I shouldn't have to fight with this vehicle pulling severely to the right . To me this is a defect and I think they just want to overlook it. What are your thought? Thanks,

bellwood

Call Honda customer relations and report this problem:

Business hours are Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific Time.
By Phone
At our toll-free number: 1-800-999-1009

http://automobiles.honda.com/information/customer-relations.aspx

bigm832

">Ok, what I've found out is that its a camber bolt issue. I just bought mine in the beginning of March 2008 and had the same annoying pull to the right. I have to hold the steering wheel slightly to the left to keep it straight, and if you accelerate off the line without holding the steering wheel, the CR-V jumps off to the right. First time I brought it in, they said it was out of alignment, so they did an alignment. Second time I brought it in, they said it was a camber bolt issue that they hadn't heard of and had to order the part from the factory. Ok, so now drum roll please... they fix the camber bolt and... THE PROBLEM IS STILL THERE! So hopefully the third time is a charm, otherwise its lemon law time! At least I get a free loaner car out of the deal: 2008 Honda Accords and Odessy's don't pull to the right... haha. :confuse:

teresimo

Hi there,

Okay, thanks for the info. But what is the camber Bolt and can that be fixed.....Please
I'm very desperate, I've had the owner of the dealership that I bought my fromt and he
basically states they can't do anything else to the vehicle. I love the vehicle except for that.

Write me back, please

teresimo

Well, please let me know if it's the camber bolt and keeps doing it, because I don't know the process of how to do the Lemon Law, mine's been in 3 times already.

Is there a mileage issue with the lemon law, I have a little over 5000 miles on mine now..

Thank you for your time and patience in letting me know. It's very valuable information. I cannot see me driving this car for 5 years feeling like your driving crooked down the road.

Thank you

blueiedgod

I have to hold the steering wheel slightly to the left to keep it straight, and if you accelerate off the line without holding the steering wheel, the CR-V jumps off to the right.

I think you are describing two different issues.

PTTR is when the vehicle drifts to the right while cruising, without acceleration.

What you describe on take off is called Torque Steer, and is inherent to many FWD vehicle. The Accord is a different platform, which is designed to accomodate V6 engines and associated power, and may have equal length drive shafts to minimise or eliminate torque steer. CR-V is based on the Civic, which was not designed to accomodate engines with lot of torque. So, by shoving a 2.4 liter engine on a frame designed for the 1.7 - 2.0 liter engines, torque steer is more pronounced.

blueiedgod

Well, please let me know if it's the camber bolt and keeps doing it, because I don't know the process of how to do the Lemon Law, mine's been in 3 times already.

Lemon Laws are state dependant. You will need to read up on the Lemon Laws for your particular state. There is no Federal Lemon Law that applies to everyone.

bigm832

I understand the issue known as torque steer, I have a Mazda 6s that has plenty of it, but the thing is that it pulls to the right while driving AND pulls to the right if I gun it OR if I creep from a stop. It also doesn't matter whether or not the crowning of the road is to the left or to the right, it still pulls right. As stated before, the alignment was done first, then the camber bolt was replaced. So the question now is, what's next? I'm a patient person and don't have an issue making sure its corrected. Its just that I bought a Honda after ridding myself of my 1998 Ford F-150. With my F-150, things were predictable, and yes I know with a new car things are different and will take time to adjust, I just need something reliable with a baby on the way and I can't keep bringing my Honda in every other week to rectify a problem that shouldn't happen with a Honda, especially since my wife is the one that drives it and has to bring it to the dealership to be serviced since my job doesn't allow me to do that in a timely fashion. I also have a 1994 Honda Del Sol Si with no troubles other than a transmission glitch very late in its life, but steering issues... no problems.

bigm832

The camber bolt is something that has to do with your alignment. I'm attaching a link for EVERYONE to read!!! This will explain what Camber does as well as many other issues involved with your car, or in this case, our beloved CR-V's to drive straight down the road. Cut and paste into your internet browser and it should work

http://autorepair.about.com/cs/generalinfo/a/aa012201a.htm

teresimo

This is in reply to your reply to me bigm832, mine too pulls to the right and so when you get the 2nd Camber Bolt fixed for the 2nd time, let me know how it is.

Thanks for all your help!

toddkeller

I just test drove 2 brand new '08 CR-V's on identical routes. One with 40 miles on it and the other with 13 miles on it and plastic on the seats. They both pulled to the right. I then drove an '05 with 20,000 miles on the same route and it didn't pull. I also drove an '08 Element with less than 100 miles on it on the exact same route and it didn't pull. I really like the new CR-V but won't be buying one now after test driving 2 and reading all of these posts. It would drive me crazy. Sounds like a major design flaw.

teresimo

I completely understand, I wouldn't ahve bought mine either, but the night I drove it home I called my salesman and told him it pulled to the right and he said just bring it back in, plus I had put the front mud flaps on my and the rack on top....An extra 500.00, now I have over 5800.00 and I don't think I can do anything as far as a lemon law is concerned. I'm probably going to contact an attorney to get legal advice.....The car look so nice, but it is very annoying and it looks to me like they would do a recall or something.....Thanks for your post.

Teresimo

bj02176

I traded my 2007 Santa Fe back in Mar on a 2008 LX due to excessive gas consumption with the Hyundai.

My CRV was built Jan, 2008. It does not pull to the right or left, tracks straight and true on the highway and around the suburbs. No pulling when accelerating from a dead stop.

The steering wheel is straight. No vibration at 70 mph.

Also the 4 cyl engine accelerates as fast the 6 cyl 2.7 in the Hyundai, highway and suburbs.

I guess I got lucky, or maybe the problem is fixed on late builds.

deontae3

Teresimo,

I just wanted to know if you issue with your CRV was resolved. I just purchased one in March of this year and I am having the same problem.

dtstof

My 2007 CRV front wheel drive has very little torque steer. I have been driving FWD European cars since the early 70s and know what torque steer is. I live in the USA and my Japanese made CRV has very little torque steer under acceleration in dry and wet roads. If Honda has a problem with suspension parts, they need to step up to the plate and fix it. I know that my Accords have always had tire wear issues in the front. It seems like front end suspension issues are one of Honda's major problems. My humble opinion!