XC90 2003 Steering "pulls" when approaching full lock

[paulw11]

Hi Everyone,

We have had a 2003 XC90 for had for about 18 months. We recently had it serviced and the mechanic identified that new front brake rotors and control arm bushes were required. These were fitted and once we got the car back we found that it didn't feel the same; The car felt much less "stable" on the road, there was a pull to the right when braking and when turning sharply at low speed (such as pulling in to a parking space at a mall) the steering seems to pull the wheels more sharply as you get close to full lock.

We took the car back and they discovered that the right hand bushing was fitted incorrectly. They have rectified this and it seems to have addressed the feel when driving and the brake pull, but the low-speed cornering issue remains.

I will be taking the car back on Monday, but I don't think they have any idea how to fix this; the car didn't do this before we had it serviced, so it must be something they have done. Does anyone have any ideas?

Thanks,
Paul

[craig1104]

Does the steering wheel actually pulls or does the car swerve to one side?
If it swerves, in other words the steering wheel doesn't move but the car is going to one side rather than straight. I have found it was the rear bushings that needed to be replaced and that solved the issue.

[paulw11]

Hi,

I just wanted to update this thread as we have finally found the problem - it was a damaged left front shock.

In November 2008 the car was struck from behind while parked by a drunk driver. In the accident the right hand rear wheel was ripped off and the car was pushed forward. The left hand front wheel struck the kerb. It took about 6 weeks to get the car repaired but afterward it was driving fine.

Now, in December 2009 the front brakes and bushes were replaced as I stated. This work on the front end seems to have revealed a problem with the shock that has lain dormant all of this time. After many hours investigation the mechanic noticed that the right hand side of the car was sitting 2cm about an inch) higher than the left, which was causing the terrible handling.

The front shocks have been replaced and now the car handles perfectly. Inspecting the old shocks once they were removed revealed that when compressed the (former) left hand shock returned at a much slower rate than the (former) right and stuck at about half extension.

The insurance company would only pay for the replacement of the left hand one, so I had to pay for the right but at least we have a car that is driveable and feels safe again.

Paul