GEN 2 CR-V PTTR Problems?

[number001]

Quote from a US based forum. Link is on bottom of message.

What is PTTR?

The problem with pulling to the right is when the vehicle tries to turn when you are holding the wheels steady and straight. It is most definitely a pull. It is not a drift.

If the vehicle is drifting off to the right only when your hands are off the wheel, you do not have PTTR.

Torque steer is not the same thing as PTTR. As described in post #2537 (and many others), torque steer is a problem with many FWD vehicles with a transversely-mounted engine. PTTR will happen even when your foot is off the accelerator. Torque steer will not. If your car only pulls when you have your foot hard on the gas, you are causing torque steer. You do not have PTTR.

How long has PTTR been around?

Since the CR-V was introduced to North America in 1997. In other parts of the world, the CR-V was available as a 1996 model, but I'm English-only so I haven't been able to check for PTTR in non-english markets. Anyway, I read reports of PTTR back to 1998 when I first starting looking into the CR-V for purchase. Please note, the 1996-2001 CR-V has a completely different engine, chassis, and suspension (double wishbone vs Mac strut) versus the 2002-present models.

Can it be fixed?

Yes. But not it's not always easy. Some owners have solved PTTR by simply rotating their tires. Some have fixed it with a full four-wheel alignment. Some fixed it by changing their tires completely. Many have reduced the pull, but not fixed it completely with those methods. For others, none of these changes have fixed it.

What has Honda done about it?

The PTTR problem appears to have a variety of causes. So it is difficult to provide one fix for the issue. In January, 2003 Honda issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) on the subject. This is TSB# 03-004. Honda reported that a poorly aligned damper spring (or the bump stop flange) can cause the symptoms we know as PTTR.

That said, this TSB was published for a range of VIN numbers, restricted to 2002 and 2003 CR-Vs. As we know, the problem shows up in CR-Vs going back to 1997 and even now with 2005 models. So, it appears this change fixes one of the causes for PTTR, but not all.

Here's the VIN range.

2002 CR-V 4WD (auto) - All England produced (VIN begins with SHS)
2003 CR-V 4WD EX (auto) - From VIN SHSRD788.3U100001 thru SHSRD78X.3U108790
2003 CR-V 4WD LX (auto) - From VIN SHSRD788.3U100001 thru SHSRD78X.3U108913

What should I do if I have PTTR?

Take the vehicle to a dealer/mechanic and work with them on a solution. After 250 posts on the subject in various threads, I think we can safely assume that additional posting about it will not get us any closer to a solution.

SOURCE

[number001]

Gen 2 CR-V owners, has anyone experienced a "pull-to-the-right problem". We MIGHT buy a '05 CR-V 2WD soon and I did some research and found out about this problem just now. It seems to affect the 2WD models only. Haven't heard the AWD models having this problems.

Owners Pls Share your insights.

Here are some quotes of people from other forums in the US who have experienced the problem.

Post#1
I test drove a 05LX and it pulled and drifted to the right.
The dealership people pretended that they never had heard about this problem. Then slowly they mentioned this has been found in a ‘few’ 05s esp LX since they are 2WDs.
They did the TSB fix for the tire mounts and rotated and then changed the tires. The dealer’s mechanics’ final conclusion was that this was torque steer and is bound to happen due to the uniqueness of the CRV, engine mounted high, high horsepower and 2WD. Some CRV test drives/reviews have also criticized Honda for not doing anything to ‘dampen’ the torque steer. PT Cruiser Turbo is one other car with excessive torque steer.
Any 05 LX if you slow down and give gas without tightly holding the steering, it will pull right. The service director’s comment was (I am quoting him verbatim) ‘If you are so sensitive about torque steer, this is not the right kind of vehicle for you!’
Honda and the dealers are pretending this is not a problem at all. The 2WD LX will have to be re-engineered or recalled. I didn’t buy the vehicle, obviously

Post#2
Here is an update on my '05 CRV bought back in November, '04, with the dreaded PTTR. After months of legal wrangling with Honda Manufacturer and setting a Lemon Law arbitration date, Honda backed out of the arbitration days before it was to happen and decided to buy the faulty CRV back.

For those of you out there trying to convince people that torque steer should be expected in all front wheel drive vehicles, I can only say that the FWD Saturn Vue that I just leased must be broke because it drives straight as an arrow if I am coasting or if I floor the gas pedal. The only downside of owning a vehicle that drives straight is my arm muscle has decreased in size since I am not constantly tugging the steering wheel to the left to compensate for the steering wheel pulling to the right. It is a pleasure to drive a vehicle, once again, that allows the driver to be the one to decide which direction the vehicle moves.

Post#3
I had the PTTR on my 03 CRV. Tire pressures ok, had the wheels balanced/rotated, no luck. Had the TSB performed at the 5000mi oil change, has gone nice and straight for the last 25000 miles.

My PTTR was during straight highway driving. You needed to keep pressure on the steering wheel to the left to go straight. On a straight highway, right hand lane (sloped) - immediate PTTR. Middle lane (even?)- 2 second delay then PTTR, on the left lane (sloped) - about 5 seconds of delay before PTTR after letting the wheel go.

[voltes_V]

Gen 2 CR-V owners, has anyone experienced a "pull-to-the-right problem". We MIGHT buy a '05 CR-V 2WD soon and I did some research and found out about this problem just now. It seems to affect the 2WD models only. Haven't heard the AWD models having this problems.

I guess your right about your last sentence here. I've always been doing hard accelerations on my RT4WD from a stand still on pavement and have never noticed any pull, except for 1 time during winter, but that I can attribute to uneven snow on the road.

[number001]

No one seem to complain about this here, so I can somewhat assume that no one in the Philippines had or noticed this problem, which could be quite reassuring for new owners.