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Honda Odyssey Alignment Problems
Since the first day that I picked up my new '07 Odyssey I felt that van is pulling to the left a little. I did address this issue to the dealer right a way and after little hesitation they put did the alignment. Results were Ok, they told me that everything was within manufacturer's specifications, butt hey made a little touch to make perfect. When I picked the van up from the dealer I ttok the car on highway and I felt the same "pull" again. I tried different roads, change the lines, considering road profiles, but even the road was profiled to the right, van is still pulling to the left at high speed (50-60 m/h and over). I already put about 8k miles on the van and mainly highway miles and I know that is not right. 2 weeks ego I made the appointment with local dealer to pay for the alignment from my packet, I just want to get over with, after service was done I noticed that there is $ 0.00 balance on my bill, I asked why??????? my answer was: " Sir, Your alignment is so perfect that we didn't even touched, everything is right on mark"
An body know what could be the problem, what I should do in this case, van is still pulling to the side and is very frustrating on the highway, when I can't just have wheel freely in my hands only I have to apply constant force to counterbalance the pull. Thank you for advise.
An body know what could be the problem, what I should do in this case, van is still pulling to the side and is very frustrating on the highway, when I can't just have wheel freely in my hands only I have to apply constant force to counterbalance the pull. Thank you for advise.
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Comments
Thanks, dvhagan
Thanks for your input.
dvhagan
Your post states my experience so well I could of written it. I picked up my Odyssey in August and complained after 300 miles. Along with the van pulling to the left, when moving around 5 mph the steering wheel will twist back and forth in my hand if there is any bumps in the road. Sometimes it will dart left or right while moving at a moderate speeds. After a alignment and with no improvement I was told that the problem was "lot rot" and to put 4 to 5 k miles on it and see if the problem went away. Well after 7k miles I took it back and they rotated the tires and it helped quite a lot but still not close to the way the demos felt. Today I called the dealer and told them that they had convinced me that the problem was in the tires and that I expected them to replace them with four new tires. As of now I am waiting to hear back from the service manager to see what he can do about it. Will post the outcome later.
you let go of the steering it will go acrosss 3 lanes.When i drive the car i always feel i clicking & slight vibration in the steering wheel like something isn't right from time to time .My 99 ford taurus doesn't do any of these things and has a smoother ride i feel everybit of the road with my honda..HAS ANYONE HEARD OF AS RECALL ON THIS STEARING ISSUE!!!!!
But couple weeks ego I noticed that the pulling is coming back again...I have about 12k on my van already and I don't want to wast more time with dealer ships and theirs mechanics...I think I will leave it the way it is unless Honda will admit to some kind of defect on make a recall. Thx. again for sharing this with us.
So, I just picked up my Odyssy after 2 full days in the shop. They tried everything, including swapping the wheels, alignment, rotation, you name it. The dealer actually dealt with the Honda tech line as they could not figure it out.
Turns out that it was in the strut area. They disassembled the struts and found springs seats were not aligned and bearings were tight. They aligned the caps and seats and replaced the bearings. All this under warrantly and now problem is solved. I was told that this was actually put into a "national database" where technicians can share this information.
I think this is a common issue as I think my sister-in-law has the similar van and is having similar issues. Good luck and don't give up!
1. What year is your Odyssey.
2. What is the name and location of the dealer that fixed the problem.
3. What is your VIN if you would be so kind.
Thanks, any or all will be appreciated.
I have the same problem with my 08 EXL (we bought it 04/11/08) and up to this time it was not yet resolved. I went to the dealer twice. First, they told me that there’s no problem. On second time I did a test drive with the technician and he was convinced that there was a pulling issue and wobbles whenever it hits a bump specially the front left tire. We drove the car last weekend and the pull was still noticeable everytime I’m in the leftmost/fast lane (asphalt surface). The wobble is obvious when it hits a bump specially going in/out of our drive way though there’s no pull when in a flat cemented surface.
I’ll going to show this posting to the service advisor/manager and let see what they will do next.
More power!
"Turns out it was in the strut area. They disassembled the struts and found spring seats were not aligned and bearings were tight. They aligned the caps and seats and replaced the bearings. All this under warranty and now problem is solved. I was told that this was actually put into a 'national database' where technicians can share this information"
Since my previous post, I inflated the tires evenly. The vehicle still has pulling issues. It occasionaly pulls to the right, depending on the road but now predominantly pulls to the left. Additionally, my steering still is very odd. The wheel jerks back and forth in my hands, feels like there is more resistance and requires more pressure to turn it to the right and more play and less resistance to turn it to the left. The dealership never returned my calls or emails to confirm my appointment with the Honda rep, so I didn't get to see him. Now I am scheduled to meet him later this month. I gave my service manager the information from the post of the fix in Georgia. He looked the information up and said nothing has been posted in the database and nothing was pending posting. I asked him to call the previously mentioned service advisor in Georgia for more information. I am gathering all my documentation in case they cannot fix this problem, preparing to consider filing lemon law. I really like everything else about the vehicle, but it is not safe and is very uncomfortable to drive with the steering and alignment issues. I also called my salesman today to let him know of the issues.
What do you think of the brakes, I've had an 07 now this 08 and find them abnormally soft and have got an open case on this with Honda in Torrance, CA. They give me a scare each time used in an emergency stop.
Keep us posted...I want my car to drive straight and I want my steering wheel to be straight. There must be something very wrong if the steering wheel has to be crooked to have the car drive straight. My appointment with the Regional Honda Rep was pushed back a few days. I will post the results of that visit when it is done.
Im still having pulling & steering issues and are afraid of being jerked around by my dealership but 100% agree with you that for 26000 dollars i should have a van that drives straight.my 2007 odyssey has less than 10000 miles and i cannot believe this is happening to so many odyssey owners... how did you make out with the reg rep...have you any advice for me before i go to the dealer and become annoyed and what area's of the lemon law does this cover??
Find the tire company equipped with HUNTER GSP9700 machine. This machine can detect this problem by perform a test called "Road Force"
http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/images/flash/gsp9710/allmovies.cfm
Locate GSP9700 http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/search/findgsp9700.cfm
Below is detailed explanation
CONICITY
When the belts are positioned as a tire is being built, they must be almost perfectly centered. According to some sources, if the belts are off center by more than one millimeter, it may be enough to cause a steering pull in some applications (some tires and/or vehicles are more sensitive to this kind of problem than others). The position of the outermost belt is the most important because it has the greatest effect on the directional stability of the tire.
A tire with an off-center belt will lead to one side because the location of the belt shifts more weight to one side of the tread than the other. This condition is known as a "conicity" problem, and occurs because the tire behaves as it if were cone-shaped. A cone always rolls in a circular path towards the pointed end. A conicity pull will therefore always be directional (either to the left or right), and can be reversed by switching the front tires from side to side, or by mounting the offending tire backwards on the rim.
Conicity problems can also arise when the beads are not in the same plane. The resulting difference in sidewall height and loading will create the same unbalanced steering forces that make the tire want to roll towards the shorter side.
Conicity problems are usually most noticeable on the front wheels, but may affect tracking and induce some rear axle steer on vehicles with independent rear suspensions. Vehicles with less caster also seem to be more sensitive to conicity probably because high caster angles have a stabilizing effect on the steering.
If you're trying to diagnose a steering pull and suspect a tire may have a conicity problem, rule out the other possibilities first. Check inflation pressure in both front tires and make sure it is equal on both sides. Low pressure can cause a pull towards the side with less pressure. Compare tire sizes and tread wear on both sides. Measure tread wear, too, because the steering will pull towards the side with the "shorter" tire (the one with the most tread wear). Also, check ride height and make sure it is within specs and is equal on both sides. The steering will usually pull towards the low side. Check for brake drag. A frozen or sticky caliper can cause a pull towards the side that's dragging.
Next, switch the left and right front tires to see what effect it has on the steering. If the steering still pulls in the same direction, the problem isn't the tires. Check for camber or caster misalignment, or the presence of a rear axle thrust angle. If the direction of the pull is now reversed, one or both front tires may have a conicity problem.
The next step would be to swap the front and rear wheels on one side (right or left) to see if it eliminates the pull. No change would tell you it's the other front tire that's causing the problem. Swapping the other front tire to the rear should eliminate the problem as long as the offending tire remains in the rear. But if somebody rotates the tires later on and the bad tire ends up back in the front again, the steering pull will return. Replacing the offending tire will get rid of the problem altogether, and may be necessary if the tire causes problems in the rear, too.
Another way to reduce the effects of a conicity problem is to increase the inflation pressure of the tire. But the tradeoff may be a harsher ride and increased center wear in the tread.
VIBRATIONS
Though vibrations are usually caused by an out-of-balance wheel and tire assembly, it's important to remember that vibrations can also be caused by excessive radial (vertical) and lateral (sideways) runout in the tire, wheel or hub. Loose, worn or damaged wheel bearings as well as certain kinds of tread wear can also cause annoying vibrations.
When troubleshooting the cause of a vibration problem, start by inspecting the wheels. Look for evidence of missing weights, mud or dirt packed in the back of the rim or debris embedded in the tread that could create an imbalance. Also, rotate and wiggle each wheel by hand to check for excessive play or noise from the wheel bearings.
If a vehicle has alloy rims (particularly a performance or sports type vehicle), tire slippage on the rim may have thrown the assembly out of balance. This can happen if a long-lasting lubricant such as silicone is applied to the rim or tire bead when the tires are mounted. Under hard acceleration or braking, the tire may actually rotate slightly on the rim. The cure? Remove the wheels, put the wheel and tire on your tire machine and break loose both beads. Thoroughly clean both mating surfaces, then reinflate the tire to reseat the beads and rebalance the assembly.
If the radial cords in the sidewalls of a tire are not spaced evenly or are damaged, it can create a "waddle" or vibration due to force variations in the stiffness of the sidewall as the tire rotates. This condition, which is referred to as "loaded runout," is most noticeable at low speed (5 to 30 mph), and may also appear as ride roughness at highway speeds (50 to 70 mph). A Tire Problem Detector may help you diagnose this kind of problem. This device has a roller that can be positioned under a tire so you can check for spindle movement while rotating the tire slowly with the weight of the vehicle pressing down on it.
Another source of vibration can be uneven tread wear. Run your hand across the tread in both directions. If one way feels rougher than the other (like toe wear), lack of rotation may have caused a heel-and-toe or sawtooth wear pattern to develop on the tread blocks. This kind of wear is most often found on the rear tires of front-wheel drive cars. The wear may be barely perceptible to the naked eye, but is rough enough to produce an annoying vibration at medium to high speeds that feels like a bad wheel bearing. Rotating the tires once this kind of wear has developed is a waste of time because it takes too many miles to scrub off the uneven wear. New tires would be recommended.
Scalloped wear on a tire would tell you the tire is bouncing as it rolls along because it is out-of-balance, out-of-round or the shocks are weak.
Be sure to measure tread depth, too. Measuring tread depth at several points around the circumference of the tire will tell you if the tread is wearing evenly and if the depth is equal. A difference of more than about 1/16th inch (.0625 inches) would indicate an out-of-round condition. Most tires should probably
TIRE RUNOUT
An out-of-round condition can be confirmed by measuring radial runout on the vehicle with a dial indicator. Position the tip of the pointer against the center of the tread and slowly rotate the tire until you've found the high and low points. If the difference is more than .050 inches, you've found the problem.
If you don't have a dial indicator, the "poor man's" alternative is to use a piece of chalk and a block of wood. Use the wood to support the chalk. Spin the tire by hand and move the chalk closer until it just touches the tire. This will mark the high spot. If the mark extends less than half way around the tire and you see an air gap between the tire and chalk that's as wide or wider than a nickel at its widest point, the tire has too much runout.
You can attempt to correct runout by repositioning the tire on the rim to match the tire's high spot with the rim's low spot. By the same token, you can minimize potential runout problems when mounting new tires by aligning these two spots if the tire manufacturer provides a mark that shows you where the high spot is on the tire.
On some vehicles, the low spot on the rim may be marked with a paint dot inside the rim dropwell. Ford and Chrysler do this on their steel rims. Most steel replacement rims are similarly marked. General Motors and most Japanese vehicle manufacturers use the valve hole to mark the low spot. This is also the case on most aluminum and polycast rims as well as unmarked rims. Medium truck (20 inch or larger) steel tubeless disc wheels have a dimple or small indentation to mark the low spot on the same side of the rim as the valve hole.
Of course, you can always find the low spot on a rim by mounting it on a balancer and using a dial indicator on the bead on the rim.
Once the tire high spot and rim low spot have been found, rotate the tire so the two line up. Or, if you suspect runout but don't know where the high and low sports are and don't have a dial indicator to find them, try rotating the tire 180 degrees on the rim to see if that reduces runout. If runout is now less than specs, or the vibration has ceased, congratulate yourself because you've solved the problem. But if it still exceed specs or still shakes at speed, you have to make a decision.
A tire with too much runout can be buffed or shaved on a tire truing machine. But removing tread obviously reduces the remaining service life of the tire, so this approach would not be recommended unless the runout can be eliminated with minimal tread removal.
Lateral runout on the tire should also be checked. If more than .050 inches, measure lateral runout in the wheel and compare the two to determine which one has the problem. If the wheel is within specifications but the tire is not, the tire has too much runout and needs to be replaced.
With wheels, the amount of lateral and radial runout that's acceptable will vary according to the application. Alloy wheels on small cars with MacPherson strut suspensions are much more sensitive to both kinds of runout than steel wheels on larger rear-wheel drive vehicles. If lateral (sideways) or radial (vertical) runout exceed specifications, the wheel should be replaced.
As a rule, a wheel with more than .050 inches of radial runout or is more than .025 to .035 inch out-of-round can cause problems. Lateral runout may be excessive if it exceeds .035 inches on a steel rim, or .020 inches on an alloy rim. Some vehicles are so sensitive to lateral runout that a difference of only .008 to .010 inches side-to-side can cause a noticeable vibration in the steering.
The only cure for a wheel with too much lateral runout is replacement (though there are aftermarket services that can straighten and repair expensive alloy wheels).
Radial runout on a vehicle can sometimes be reduced be reindexing the wheel on the hub. If moving the wheel one or two lug positions fails to reduce runout, hub runout may be the problem. As a rule, hub runout as measured at the lugs should not vary more than .030 inch.
Thanks.
I have had the car in 4-5 times, once for almost 2 weeks. I've spent countless hours of my time on this problem and it is no better than when I started. I feel like after spending $27000 for a car it should not pull and they act like its no big deal. I bought a Honda because of the supposed quality. The Odyssey in particular is supposed to be highly rated. This was my first import. I got fed up with GM. I also read alot of user opinions saying how Honda stood behind their product. Some were getting warranty repairs after their warranty was up. I was impressed. Well Honda is not standing behind their product in this case. They have told me that there's no more they can do for me and that this is just a characteristic of the van. I am convinced that this is a manufacturing defect in the van and that they know it and its too expensive to acknowledge it.
Here are the particulars of my problem. They have started referring to it as "memory steer". If you go to a parking lot and crank the wheel all the way to the left to drive in a circle and then let the wheel go, it never comes back to center. It makes it back to about 9 or 10 o'clock. If you do the same to the right it comes almost perfectly back to 12'oclock all on its own. On the road, this means that when I make left turns, it pulls left from that point on. When I make right hand turns, it drives true for a while, but eventually starts pulling left again. At high speeds the pull is really noticeable. If I drive in the left (passing) lane on a highway, the crown adds to it and it pulls off the road within 1-2 seconds. This makes highway driving really uncomfortable. On long drives, my hands start to cramp after a while from holding the wheel to stop it from pulling. If I drive in the right hand lane, it still pulls, just slower and will eventually fight its way over the crown of the road. Once it makes it over, it really starts to pull fast. ON a flat surface street, it pulls out of its lane in a few seconds.
I started this process back in october when it had 10000 miles (it took me a while to figure out the whole memory steer and what was happening), but I suspect it was doing it from day one. Now I have over 17000 miles on it and still no resolution.
I had no choice but to open up a claim with the BBB autoline. They asked me to send one more request for repair via certified mail before filing which I did. Honda setup one final repair attempt and it failed. I'm supposed to have my hearing sometime next week. Wish me luck.
I give up on this subject and just waiting for this day when Honda will admit that there is the mistake on there side, that's constructors mistake...but so far they trying so hard to keep this quiet. I hope that they will post it on national bulletin and I could go to the dealer and fix the problem right a way. I drive with the van a lot , since sept. of 2007 when I bought the van I have already 18k miles and still putting up with this annoying problem. I hope this day is coming soon. thx. and good luck.
P.S. I'm glad you started this thread, I was starting to think I was the only one having this problem. I really think Honda has a major design flaw (that is too expensive to correct) in its steering and they're trying to hide it. They went from really trying to work with me and correct the problem to pretending there was no problem at all and using alot of CYA/Legal type speak.
I sent them what was posted as the fix for it and they say that nothing is posted in the National Database. Whoever did get the problem fix, could you please call your service manager and find out if he indeed posted it to the national database and if so, could you get me a copy?
It is so frustrating that you buy a NEW HONDA and find out that you have problems like any other brand. On top of things, my DVD player stopped working (this si the second time it happens). Two days later it started working again. I definitely believe that Honda has been dropping the ball. I guess in tough times evrybody has cuts, even if they sacrifice quality. Even if the car is under warranty, it is a pain to go to the dealer so often to fix little problems. I am also upset at the gas mileage that this car gives. So far I am at about 16.5 mpg. I will most definitely do more research next time I buy a car. And to all of you that have taken their time to share their problems here.......THANKS!!!!!
The easiest way is to find a tire company has Hunter GSP9700 machine to find the deflective one(s) quick by performaing 'road force' on each tire. http://www.hunter.com/pub/product/balancer/4159T/index.htm
Below is article from tirerack.com
Diagnosing Tire Pull
Tires are manufactured by assembling components made of rubber, fabric cord and steel wire that are cured together in a mold. Under intense heat and pressure during the curing process, the rubber reaches a near liquid state before vulcanization takes place finalizing the tire's exact size, structure and shape.
If a tire's internal components are misaligned as it cures, it is possible that unequal internal forces may cause the vehicle to pull to the side, even when it is steered straight ahead. When this occurs with a brand new tire it is typically due to conicity, a manufacturing glitch where a tire's tread has cured slightly cone shaped rather than in the desirable uniform cylinder shape.
A tire that has conicity due to a manufacturing error will be apparent right after installation or immediately following the first time the tires are rotated. Because of this, tire manufacturers warranties only cover this condition early in the tire's life.
If tire pull first becomes noticeable after many miles of driving on a tire, it is typically due to driving conditions or vehicle misalignment that has caused the tire's tread to wear on an angle (with one side wearing faster than the other), or allowed the tire on the left side of the axle to wear faster than the tire on the right side of the same axle.
If a vehicle has a pulling problem, the alignment should be checked (including cross camber, cross caster and thrust angle settings). If the alignment is at the manufacturer's preferred settings or appropriately within the range, the following procedure can be used to confirm which tire is causing the pull.
The following steps must be used to isolate a pulling tire. Click here for a downloadable version of these instructions.
Step 1
Action to be Taken
Rotate the two front tires from side-to-side. Directional tires can be moved from side-to-side for testing purposes. The short time that they are on the vehicle backwards will not harm the tire.
Results
1. If the vehicle pulls in the opposite direction, the defective tire is one of the front tires. (GO TO STEP 2)
2. If the vehicle pulls in the same direction the problem is either with one of the rear tires or is not a tire-related problem. (GO TO STEP 3)
Step 2
Action to be Taken
Rotate the front tire on the side of the car that is in the direction of the pull, to the rear of the car.
Results
1. If the pull no longer exists or diminishes greatly, the tire that was moved to the rear of the car is the defective tire.
2. If the pulling does not change, the defective tire is isolated to the front tire that was not moved in Step 2.
Step 3
Action to be Taken
Rotate the two rear tires from side to side.
Results
1. If the vehicle pulls in the opposite direction, the defective tire is one of the rear tires. (GO TO STEP 4)
2. If the pulling tire does not change, the problem is not tire related. The car should be checked for possible misalignment or suspension wear.
Step 4 Action to be Taken
Rotate the rear tire on the side of the car that is in the direction of the pull to the front of the car.
Results
1. If the vehicle pull becomes more severe, the defective tire is isolated to the tire that was rotated to the front of the car.
2. If the pulling does not change, the defective tire is isolated to the rear tire that was not rotated.
A tire diagnosed as a pulling tire is a manufacturer's defect. The tire is covered under warranty only during the first 25% of tread wear. The defect is caused by the belts being incorrectly aligned during manufacture.
I too am having the same pulling issue. First thing I notice when I drove off the lot was the van was pulling to the left. I called my salesman immediately and I was told it could just be the tires pressure. I waited till 9 PM to adjust the pressures knowing the tires were already cold. There were differences in pressure, -+4 or so. Hmmm.. so I said maybe that could just be the problem. Drove the van the next morning, however the pulling to the left was still there. This van drives differently. My 05 Odyssey that i traded drove better and firmer where this new van drives like it has softer struts, very annoying to drive. So I called my salesman again, he told me to bring it in today for the alignment and other issue . I dropped the van off this morning and got a call from him late in the afternoon saying they could not find anything wrong other than pressure was at 40 psi. I set it at 36.5 (35 recommended) same tire gauge I have been using in my old Ody that rides fine. They left some air out, test drove the van and said they found nothing wrong with it. Oh yeah they did not even bother to do alignment check. I have to see tomorrow. I googled odyssey alignment issue that is how i got to this forum.
SEE THREAD #23, THIS IS A FIX THAT DEALER IN GEORGIA CAME UP WITH THAT FIXED AN ODYSSEY PULL...it appears that the Honda factories may be having some problems in assembling the struts and my guess is that my on my 08 when they were switching tires they may have somehow jogged a strut part into proper position. On my 07 the dealer originally diagnosed the problem as a Michelin tire problem (Michelin just don't have many of these problems), sent me to a Michelin tire dealer who replaced the tire AND IT STILL PULLED...that's when I took back to dealer and they corrected by doing something to the front suspension which may have just been a 'jury rig'. Lot's of luck.
And when I purchased my 08 I tested the brakes and they seemed solid. It takes about 1000 to 2000 miles for the softness to show up. I've had one emergency stop with the 08 and it did stop OK but it gave me a scare as with the soft pedal it felt like it wasn't going to stop in time. Watch for this.