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I have a 2005 Honda Accord that pulls to the side when driving over bumps or hitting pot holes. Most of the time, it pulls to the left but occasionally to the right as well.

This is most pronounced when driving on a bumpy road and braking, especially if the left wheel hits a pothole just before stopping. If, at that moment I let go of the steering wheel, it will turn left by up to 35 degrees. After I re-center the steering wheel while stopped it will then pull to the opposite side as I take off.

While driving slowly on a bumpy road, the steering wheel feels twitchy and jerks left and right and requires a firm hand on the wheel. The slower the car is going the more pronounced the bump steer feels.

I've had this problem ever since I bought the car a year ago. The car has been on three different sets of tires/wheels in that time and the problem was always there, so I don't believe that it has anything to do with tires.

When I first bought the car I took it to my mechanic, and he replaced lower control arms with aftermarket ones because of bad bushings, lower left ball joint with OEM and front sway bar links (aftermarket). After that, the alignment was done. The car tracks straight on the highway and doesn't pull when braking on an even surface so I don't think it has anything to do with the brakes either.

One thing that seems to be consistent is that it seems to pull to the side when suspension is depressed (braking and hitting potholes) and to the opposite side when the suspension is released (taking off).

Can anyone shed some light on this?

tlhIngan
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bez
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4 Answers4

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You are almost certainly experiencing bump steer. Because suspension geometry is imperfect, the toe of each front wheel will change in response to vertical displacement (suspension travel). On especially bumpy roads, this will become very noticeable, as you've observed.

In case you're trying to "fix" this behavior, it is inherent to the suspension geometry. Some geometries (ex. live axle with leaf springs) are more prone to this behavior while others (ex. 5-point multilink) are nearly immune.

EDIT: I'll also add that on low-traction surfaces, like gravel, you can also experience a phenomenon called torque steer. I don't think you mentioned gravel or sand or any other low-traction surface, but if that's what you're driving on, it could be another factor.

As an example, if the left tire has more traction than the right tire, then under braking, your car will pull left since it exerts greater braking force. If you accelerate, however, you'll pull right since the left wheel can do more to accelerate you.

Hari
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Although Hari Ganti is correct about bump steer, I would add that frequent driving on bumpy, potholed roads can cause misalignment.

What alarms me is your statement;

I've had this problem ever since I bought the car a year ago. The car has been on three different sets of tires/wheels in that time and the problem was always there so I don't believe that it has anything to do with tires.

This leads me to believe there is something not right with the suspension and/or alignment. You should not go thru three sets of tire in a year. Excessive wear is an indicator there is something out of alignment, damaged or worn.

For your and passenger safety, it should be checked out thoroughly and and damaged or worn parts replaced.

CharlieRB
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I had an issue that was very similar, it took me a while to properly diagnose. You said you replaced the lower control arms, which as I understand is at the front.

What it ended up being was that my rear control arm bushings were all shot. This caused the car to "steer" when hitting bumps, potholes, etc, as well as during braking and accelerating.

It is pretty easy to diagnose when you know what you're looking for. Jack up the rear end of the car and grab a pry bar to see how much slop you are experiencing in the control arms.

4LPH4NUM3R1C
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I think that wheels geometry is not the only problem. You should check your front shock absorbers damping.

pzworks
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