# Car pulls left when putting the peddle down?



## snowwy66 (Nov 5, 2017)

When was your last rotation?

Was it pulling before the rotation or after?

Swap steer tires and see if pull changes to the right. That'll tell you if it's tires or not.


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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

gacl said:


> So when I give the car anymore than half throttle and let the wheel go, the car veers slightly left. The harder I push the gas down, the more it turns, seeming as if one wheel has more power than the other in the high RPM bands. Is this an engine problem or do you think it could be tire alignment? 18,200 miles, gotten my tires rotated twice, car hasn't had its first alignment yet. What should I do next?


What you "should do next" is keep your hands on the wheel  

Seriously, what you describe is called torque steer. In the absence of a locker type differential, one front wheel will get more torque than the other with the result that that wheel will try to pull ahead thus steering the car in the opposite direction.

FWD cars have always been known for this, some worse than others.

As long as the wheels are positioned outboard of the struts - ie, outboard of the steering axes - FWD cars will always be susceptible to this. 

As long as the car doesn't pull to one side when you're coasting, then I wouldn't worry about the alignment.

HTH.

Doug

.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

Meh, these cars are too slow to have any evident torque steer on stock tune. Neither of mine has had any noticeable torque steer.

Get the alignment checked, have the condition of control arms checked, and rotate your tires if one side is wearing unevenly from a bad alignment.


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## plano-doug (Jul 1, 2015)

jblackburn said:


> ...have the condition of control arms checked...


Good point. A bad ball joint or bad tie rod end can allow the toe to shift under throttle resulting in pulling to one side. It can sometimes be felt under braking as well. It may even clunk if it gets bad enough.

Doug

.


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## obermd (Mar 3, 2012)

jblackburn said:


> Meh, these cars are too slow to have any evident torque steer on stock tune. Neither of mine has had any noticeable torque steer.
> 
> Get the alignment checked, have the condition of control arms checked, and rotate your tires if one side is wearing unevenly from a bad alignment.


You obviously don't drive like I do.  I was able to get my ECO MT to torque steer and it was always to the left. It did take full throttle to create this condition, so I don't think this is OP's problem either.

OP, does the car drift to the left on a flat road with no throttle input and your hands off the steering wheel? This test will eliminate torque steer.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

obermd said:


> You obviously don't drive like I do.  I was able to get my ECO MT to torque steer and it was always to the left. It did take full throttle to create this condition, so I don't think this is OP's problem either.
> 
> OP, does the car drift to the left on a flat road with no throttle input and your hands off the steering wheel? This test will eliminate torque steer.


It's a Cruze, you basically *have* to floor it to merge without becoming an insect on the grille of whatever you're merging in front of. 

I guess there's a little bit there in 1st/2nd when it is scrabbling for traction making a quick left turn, but it's dulled by the electric steering and traction control if it starts to intervene. It certainly isn't something that's ever been so noticeable I've had to fight the car against.

Higher-powered FWD cars in the 230+ HP/tq range like the Volvo T5s, MS3, and Focus ST will head straight for the nearest ditch if you mash the throttle at lower speeds.


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## gacl (Jan 22, 2019)

obermd said:


> You obviously don't drive like I do.  I was able to get my ECO MT to torque steer and it was always to the left. It did take full throttle to create this condition, so I don't think this is OP's problem either.
> 
> OP, does the car drift to the left on a flat road with no throttle input and your hands off the steering wheel? This test will eliminate torque steer.


When I accelerate slowly, the car goes straight when my hands are off the wheel. When I coast down the road with my hands off the wheel, the car also goes straight. When I mash the peddle down, it turns harder left than you would when you change lanes. My question is tho, I don't really think the car did this until recently and im wondering if I should take it to the dealer to have it looked at or if its really nothing wrong since it only turns when I give it some gas.


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## jblackburn (Apr 14, 2012)

gacl said:


> When I accelerate slowly, the car goes straight when my hands are off the wheel. When I coast down the road with my hands off the wheel, the car also goes straight. When I mash the peddle down, it turns harder left than you would when you change lanes. My question is tho, I don't really think the car did this until recently and im wondering if I should take it to the dealer to have it looked at or if its really nothing wrong since it only turns when I give it some gas.


It is not normal for a Gen 2. Id suspect something in the suspension.


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