Torque steer occurs during hard acceleration and engine braking. During hard acceleration the vehicle will pull to one side. During deceleration the vehicle will pull to the opposite side. All front wheel drive vehicles exhibit some torque steering. In most cases, excessive torque steering is caused by one or more of the following conditions:
| • | Incorrect tire pressure |
| • | Unequal tire pressure |
| • | Mismatched tires |
| • | Unequal tire diameters |
| • | The engine or transaxle is not level in the frame. |
If the tire pressures are correct, move the front tire and wheel assemblies to the rear, one side at a time, in order to determine which tire is causing the problem. Drive the vehicle after each switch in order to determine if the problem has been corrected. Replace the defective tire. For further diagnosis, refer to the Torque Steer Diagnosis table.
Step | Action | Value(s) | Yes | No | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Does the vehicle lead/pull with the transmission in neutral? | -- | System OK | |||||||||
2 | Refer to Vehicle Leads/Pulls. Does the vehicle lead/pull under engine torque? | -- | System OK | |||||||||
3 |
Does the vehicle lead/pull under engine torque? | -- | System OK | |||||||||
4 | Road test the vehicle. Is the torque steer in the opposite direction? | -- | ||||||||||
5 |
Does the vehicle still torque steer? | -- | ||||||||||
6 |
Does the vehicle still torque steer? | -- | System OK | |||||||||
7 |
Is the left to right difference more than 6 mm? | -- | ||||||||||
8 |
Does the vehicle still torque steer? | -- | System OK | |||||||||
9 | Measure the vehicle's Z heights. Is the left to right difference less than 6 mm? | -- | System OK | |||||||||
10 | Measure the transaxle height. Is the left to right difference more than 6 mm? | -- | ||||||||||
11 |
Does the vehicle still torque steer? | -- | ||||||||||
12 | Measure the transaxle height. Is the left to right difference less than 6 mm? | -- | System OK | |||||||||
13 | Align the vehicle to specifications. Does the vehicle torque steer left? | -- | ||||||||||
14 |
Does the vehicle still torque steer left? | -- | System OK | |||||||||
15 |
Does the vehicle still torque steer left? | -- | System OK | |||||||||
16 |
Does the vehicle still torque steer right? | -- | System OK | |||||||||
17 | Set the camber -1.0 degrees left and +1.0 degrees right. Does the vehicle still torque lead? | -- | -- | System OK | ||||||||
18 | Set the camber +1.0 degrees left and -1.0 degrees right. Does the vehicle still torque lead? | -- | -- | System OK |
