Happens to me on occasion. Sometimes if I accelerate real hard and move the wheel it's all tightened up. It stopped doing it though. Hopefully my mom won't break it since she's driving it while I'm up at college

 

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Yep, definitely some belt slippage there. Just tension the accessory belt and it should be fixed... not a big thing to do, even if you're not that good a mechanic.

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Thanks for the suggestion, but I have a question:
I thought that if there was belt slippage, then it would make a sreechy noise like in my brother´s car (very embarassing). Can there be belt slippage without that annoying noise?
My question comes about since Ive seen some different cars with the same steering-getting-hard-while-mashing-the-throttle thing happening (thats when I thought it was normal).

 

What were your RPMs when the steering got difficult? Very high? Say, 4500 or better? In the past, Mitsu designed their PS pumps to reduce output or cutout at higher than a certain RPM. It was a crappy way to make speed-sensitive steering, but that was the way they did it. I don't know if they've changed that. I haven't run across it happening in my RA. Anyone who autocrosses probably would, though. They were the first people to notice it in the Eclipses.

 

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I didn't know that! It would make sense though... so either slippage or that cut-off thing. Either way, you might as well temporarily tighten the belt and see what happens. If the problem doesn't come back, you know it was slippage. If it does, get the tension back to the original level... it's that ridiculous cut-off thing.

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SOME of this sounds like simple torque steer.

 

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No, no... I know what they are talking about. It happenned to me a couple of time. It's really like the power steering just cuts off and you have to manhandle the car for a sec. Then it all comes back to normal. I just haven't notice if the revs are a factor though...

So now I'll have to go and try to replicate the problem...

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I need a new mechanic... every time I take my car in I have to come and point out what it is doing... even though I specifically tell hime what to look for... when a car pulls to the left you can feel it... all you have to do is take your hand off the wheel and it will go left... but no... not with this guy... oh well...

 

Other than my accident, nothing has gone wrong with my car. And i've had some bad things happen to my suspension, no damage though.

 

ok , first of all , check your wheels ...... if it looks like this .... i know what your problem is ahahahahhh (i was driving the other day when i saw this parked so i took a picture...) HORRIBLE !!!!!

 

I would really like to know the story behind that. If that's going to be a common problem with these cars, I want to know about it before it happens to me in the middle of a canyon carving run.