NHTSA Complaint #10290102 — 2008 CAN-AM SPYDER RS

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2009 - WHILE RIDING COUNTRY ROADS IN NORTH TEXAS, THE SPYDER'S STEERING AGAIN BECAME DANGEROUS' IT PREVENTED A LEFT TURN (EVEN A SLIGHT TURN) TO THE LEFT. THERE SEEMED TO BE A 'CATCH' IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STEERING MECHANISM'S WHICH NEEDED QUITE A BIT OF PRESSURE (APPROXIMATELY 20-25 POUNDS) TO OVERCOME. ALSO, WHEN THE 'CATCH' WAS OVERCOME, AN OVERREACTION OCCURRED WHICH CAUSE THE SPYDER TO SUDDENLY STEER LEFT FAR MORE THAN WHAT WAS DESIRED. IN ADDITION, THE STEERING WOULD SUDDENLY OVERCOMPENSATE FOR RIGHT TURNS AND PULL THE BIKE FAR FURTHER TO THE RIGHT THAN WHAT WAS DESIRED OR INPUT BY THE RIDER. AFTER ABOUT FIVE MINUTES, I STOPPED AND PULLED THE 5 AMP FUSE FROM THE FORWARD FUSE BOX. THAT DISABLED THE POWER STEERING AT LEAST PARTIALLY, AND THE OVERREACTION TO RIGHT STEERING STOPPED. HOWEVER, THE MIDDLE 'CATCH' WAS STILL OCCURRING AND REQUIRED ABOUT 25 POUNDS OF PRESSURE TO OVERCOME THE SPYDER'S PREVENTION OF A LEFT TURN. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE (SLOWLY) TO RICHARDSON MOTORSPORTS WHERE JEREMY (THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN) RECOGNIZED A PROBLEM JUST FROM DRIVING IT INTO THE SHOP AND APPLIED A SECOND UPDATE TO THE SOFTWARE AND CLEARED 'A FEW COMPUTER ERROR CODES'. I LEFT RICHARDSON MOTORSPORTS AND DROVE TO MY HOME IN ALLEN, TEXAS, ABOUT 15 MILES AWAY. NO FURTHER STEERING ANOMALIES OCCURRED. MONDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2009 - I AGAIN TOOK TO THE ROAD WITH THE SPYDER TO DETERMINE IF THE FIX WAS, IN FACT, REAL AS I HAD AN ARKANSAS TRIP COMING UP LATER IN THE WEEK. NO PROBLEMS OCCURRED IN THE APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES RIDDEN THAT DATE. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2009 - WHILE ENROUTE TO OUR DESTINATION IN OZARK, ARKANSAS (APPROXIMATELY 375 TOTAL MILES), THE SPYDER'S STEERING AGAIN MALFUNCTIONED AT ABOUT THE HALFWAY POINT. AGAIN, A 'CATCH' IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STEERING (STRAIGHT AHEAD) PREVENTED THE SPYDER FROM TURNING LEFT. AND, AS BEFORE, RIGHT TURNS WERE ASSISTED MORE THAN USUAL REQUIRING A QUICK DRIVER CORRECTION TO THE SPYDER'S OVER-COMPENSATION. *TR