Power Steering Noise

[George K. Pippert]

I have a 2007 CR-V Awd EX and since I bought it at the end of Jan. the power steering unit makes a "whining noise" in the cold NE mornings. I have this sound to look forward to every morning. I opened up a case with Honda. They were aware of this noise, but said that there are no problems with the unit. Basically, put up with it!

Has anyone else dealt with this?:(

[Parkworker]

I have the same problem year round. I changed the power steering fluid (HONDA FLUIDS ONLY) but it still makes the noise.

-Franco
North East Area

[2RedV's]

Normal Honda sound when cold.

[magicmikef23]

My 07 does the same thing even in warm weather. Sometimes it really makes a racket. My civic did the exact same thing.

[Parkworker]

Same here. Cold or hot out i get the noise.:mad:

[Greenzter]

Three Hondas in our family. Two CR-Vs and one Accord. No PS noise. Never. Hot or cold.

Are we just lucky? :confused:

[Black Pearl]

Mine is quiet but I have only had it since the beginning of June. Don't know what it will do in the cold weather.

I was thinking maybe it is a NE problem. Pittsburgh is only sort of in the NE. But then again Winston Salem is very un-NE.

[KenC]

Hi, I'm having the same problem as well and my V is a 07 Sports build in Thailand. It gets worst when I'm backing out of my driveway turning left in reverse. Tried to tell the Honda tech but they can't find anything wrong with it. :(

[Badgerland]

Hi, I'm having the same problem as well and my V is a 07 Sports build in Thailand. It gets worst when I'm backing out of my driveway turning left in reverse. Tried to tell the Honda tech but they can't find anything wrong with it. :(

Do you have an AWD? If so, have the dealer check the rear differential fluid. I heard this same "type" of noise and it turned out to need a change in DPF and the noise went away. This was at 15,200 miles.

[KenC]

Do you have an AWD? If so, have the dealer check the rear differential fluid. I heard this same "type" of noise and it turned out to need a change in DPF and the noise went away. This was at 15,200 miles.

It's called an active AWD here where it's only 2WD until the front wheel slip then it will engage the back wheel to become an AWD. Mine is at 15000 km. Does it have the rear differential fluid? I know what when i turn the wheel when the car is stationary there's no sound but it will have the sound only when I turn at low speed

[Badgerland]

Yes, RT-AWD that is just what I meant. From you next description it does seem like this could be a likely candidate for the sound it's making. I would ask your Honda tech to try the rear differential test and see if this will solve the problem. There is a TSB regarding these but I'm not sure if it applies to the vehicles outside the USA; try doing a search.

Make sure to let folks know here what and how the problem was fixed!:)

[KenC]

Yes, RT-AWD that is just what I meant. From you next description it does seem like this could be a likely candidate for the sound it's making. I would ask your Honda tech to try the rear differential test and see if this will solve the problem. There is a TSB regarding these but I'm not sure if it applies to the vehicles outside the USA; try doing a search.

Make sure to let folks know here what and how the problem was fixed!:)

thanks. will do that.

[KenC]

Hi,
Just got my CR-V fixed. What they have done is just change the differential oil. So far that did fix the problem. Will update here if anythings goes wrong.

Ken

[Imswtcrln]

I've noticed this noise as other describe it when leaving parking lots, turning onto driving lanes, at slow speed. I first reported this to a Honda dealer in Las Vegas January 30, 2008. They kept my 07 CRV an entire day and could not replicate the noise and told me that sometimes changing a fluid may make a difference, but they did not think it was necessary at this time. They also told me that they spoke with the manufacturer regarding my vehicle and that HONDA was very interested in this noise. They told me that my car was safe to drive from Las Vegas to Seattle Washington the coming weekend. A few days later we chose to use a U-HAUL 4-wheel car carrier to transport it to Washington rather than risk a problem.

I continue to have the same noise. I could indeed have something to do with a cold start. But, I smelled that burning rubber smell from the passenger side on Friday night as soon as I stepped out in the garage from a 10 minute drive. It was a drippy evening and wet roads.

I took my car into a Honda dealer in Everett WA where we live now, the very next morning after smelling the burnt rubber. The combination of noise and smell concerned me so that I contacted HONDA CARE and had it towed to the dealer less than five miles away. The dealer said that they could not replicate sound or smell and insisted that my 07 CRV is safe to drive. However, they did note that the "steering wheel is off center" and asked me to bring it back mid-week for diagnotics and an alignment. I drove the car home later that day and did notice the significantly "off center steering wheel." My husband and I are both meticulous about things and tend to notice irregularities. Within the past week my husband drove it all the way from Everett to Seatac (the airport) and back twice. With that amount of highway driving for 45 minutes each way, he would surely have noticed the steering wheel being "off center" as much as it at this moment.

Next step, get it checked at an alignment shop. Do I need to have the Honda dealership actually do the alignment? I still think I'd like a second opinion before giving it back to Honda.

[tsmithvt]

I've noticed this noise as other describe it when leaving parking lots, turning onto driving lanes, at slow speed. I first reported this to a Honda dealer in Las Vegas January 30, 2008. They kept my 07 CRV an entire day and could not replicate the noise and told me that sometimes changing a fluid may make a difference, but they did not think it was necessary at this time. They also told me that they spoke with the manufacturer regarding my vehicle and that HONDA was very interested in this noise. They told me that my car was safe to drive from Las Vegas to Seattle Washington the coming weekend. A few days later we chose to use a U-HAUL 4-wheel car carrier to transport it to Washington rather than risk a problem.
I continue to have the same noise. I could indeed have something to do with a cold start. But, I smelled that burning rubber smell from the passenger side on Friday night as soon as I stepped out in the garage from a 10 minute drive. It was a drippy evening and wet roads.
I took my car into a Honda dealer in Everett WA where we live now, the very next morning after smelling the burnt rubber. The combination of noise and smell concerned me so that I contacted HONDA CARE and had it towed to the dealer less than five miles away. The dealer said that they could not replicate sound or smell and insisted that my 07 CRV is safe to drive. However, they did note that the "steering wheel is off center" and asked me to bring it back mid-week for diagnotics and an alignment. I drove the car home later that day and did notice the significantly "off center steering wheel." My husband and I are both meticulous about things and tend to notice irregularities. Within the past week my husband drove it all the way from Everett to Seatac (the airport) and back twice. With that amount of highway driving for 45 minutes each way, he would surely have noticed the steering wheel being "off center" as much as it at this moment.
Next step, get it checked at an alignment shop. Do I need to have the Honda dealership actually do the alignment? I still think I'd like a second opinion before giving it back to Honda.

The thread is titled "Power Steering Noise" but I'm assuming that you are talking about a moan or groan coming from the rear of the car when making sharp turns. I also assume that your V is a 4WD. Being purchased in the SW, it could easily be a 2WD. If, however, it is a 4WD and the sound matches the description in the following: http://www.in.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SB/A07-024.PDF
the corrective action described in the TSB should be all that is required. This is a common issue and it is NOT serious unless neglected. The RT4WD clutch noise (moan) is the result of fluid deterioration sooner than the current maintenance schedule reflects. Replacing the Dual Pump II fluid every 30,000
miles should prevent the problem from ever reoccurring.

The smell you describe sounds very much like the, now well known, "CR-V SMELL". It has been frequently reported and is common to Vs going all the way back to the beginning (Gen I). It is usually described as coming from the right rear, smelling like hot rubber and being noticeable for a few minutes after shutdown. The smell is widely known but not really understood. The best guesses are that it is coming from the muffler or exhaust system hangers since the exhaust system favors the right side of the vehicle and the muffler is in the right rear corner. The smell has NEVER been considered to be a problem and has never been associated with the RT4WD issue (moan/groan).

Seems like your alignment issue should be taken care of under warranty since your V is still new. Your dealer should be the one to take care of it but if you wish a second check from an independent alignment shop, it is, of course your prerogative.:)

[dtmunoz]

I posted a similar issue last week. I took it to the dealer, they changed the power steering pump but it still makes that noise.

Taking it to a different dealer today to see what they say. It is quite annoying having this sound coming from a brand new car. This is definitely not a normal sound, its quite embarrasing actually.

Get back with you on 2nd dealers' answer.

Dave

[computagal]

I too have had that noise with my '02 V...The dealer at the time replaced all the pulleys and finally the water pump fixed the noise. However no I have the Power Steering noise! I have 199,000 now and finding it becoming a bit expensive to repair. I just had Honda replaced the throttle body that they knew was a problem in 2002 and never told me. Then the catalytic converter and now the pump! For a grand total of $1100. That's with aftermarket and discounted parts! I hope no-one else is having as much fun as I am. I love my V but I am starting to think it's time to go new...any input is welcome.

[tsmithvt]

I too have had that noise with my '02 V...The dealer at the time replaced all the pulleys and finally the water pump fixed the noise. However no I have the Power Steering noise! I have 199,000 now and finding it becoming a bit expensive to repair. I just had Honda replaced the throttle body that they knew was a problem in 2002 and never told me. Then the catalytic converter and now the pump! For a grand total of $1100. That's with aftermarket and discounted parts! I hope no-one else is having as much fun as I am. I love my V but I am starting to think it's time to go new...any input is welcome.

I know $1100.00 stings but with 199,000 miles on it, your V hasn't done too bad for you. :)

[KenC]

Just an update on the differential issue. So far there hasn't been any problems at all.

Reading all the problems posted by Imswtcrln, dtmunoz and others,

why don't you try this out to see if it's the power steering or is it the differential.
When your CR-V is in the stop position, turn the steering wheel both right and then left to see if you're getting the same noise that you are experiencing. If there's no noise, best guess is the differential. If there's noise, then there's something wrong with the power steering.

Hope this helps

Ken