I am experiencing a problem with the brakes intermittently pulling right and/or left. I did a search and found a thread running back in Sept of '04 in which some said that new pads helped and others speculated that it was a sensor problem or ABS problem, etc. But, I could not find any follow up or final word. The dealer has been supportive and the Service Mgr drove it and experienced it 3 times on a 20 minute drive and agrees it is happening, but a sensor change (I'm not sure which sensor) and new calipers and pads have done nothing to change the situation. There is no Tech Serv Bul on this. I only have 3,500 miles on my 2005 roadster and it has been doing this pretty much since I got it. I thought and they suggested it just needed to get "broken in" and they have said the same about the new pads but it is sitting at the dealership now and they are out of suggestions. I sure could use some help here and I am new to "posting" this kind of thing so I hope I have done this right. Thanks, xrtime

 

I don't have a definitive answer for this one, I can only tell you what types of things could cause a random pull L&R when breaking... I don't know the specifics, so I'm taking a guess... It seems they have checked the ABS and the calipers, but have they checked whether the rotors are warped or if they seat "true" on the hub ? It could be warped rotors or the hubs do not spin on a perfect plane.

It could also be a hydraulic problem whereby the fluid is not flowing equally to each of the calipers as the pedal is depressed.

My gut feeling is that the rotors are not "true". It is very easy to check if your rotors are warped or not seated correctly. It's a little bit more difficult to test the fluid pressure to each of the calipers.

 

xrtime, what tires does your roadster have? PS2's or Continentals? The reason I'm asking is that the PS2's have deep in-line grooves that can sometime track with imperfections on the roadway -- kind of like what can happen when you drive on a section of road that has rain grooves cut into it. I have noticed this from time to time when pulling up to stoplights, especially if the road is badly rutted by truck traffic.

 

 

Before I get a bunch of replies I meant Recirculating. Also if you check; Mercedes and BMW have been using this forever, but the New SLK-350 has Rack and Pinion Steering.

 

I had this same problem a while back and I almost sold the car because of it. The dealer didn't have a clue. (A Five Finger dealer)
I did lots of research myself on this. Finally I had the front tires replaced and an alignment done by a shop that only does tires and alignment even though my Five ******** dealer just did an alignment about a month ago and said it was all set. Well, all the pulling and wandering at speed on uneven roads is now gone. The car feels like new again. The alignment shop gave me a computerized printout of the before and after and the before numbers were unbelievably off. Bottom line, I now trust my dealer for absolutely nothing.
This is the same dealer whose service manager looked under my car and said "hey, this car doesn't have rack and pinion steering?" I am done with the dealer.

 

that's the best !!!

 

When i first got my base coupe with the conti's, while braking the car was all over the place. It would pull to the left and right. I had it checked out and nothing. I couldn't imagine that i would have a brake problem with only 300 miles on the odo. I then got the other XFire the limited and it did the exact same thing also. It seems the tire design has a knack of following the smallest imperfections on the road and while braking the nose dive causes the front tires to firmly press down on these imperfections causing the steering to pull in favor of the bigger imperfection whether the left or right causing the pulling tendency.

 

Or it could be that none of these cars are really aligned properly from the factory.

I have both the Contis and the PS2s. They both feel about the same. I am starting to like the Contis more because they give up grip more easily and lets me hang the rear end out there more easily. A lot more fun to drive that way.

 

I have both and I would have to pick the PS2's over the Conti's. Its a far superior tire and the grip while hard cornering is more stable than the Conti's which are softer or at least they feel that way.

 

You could be right guys, I didn't think of tires when he said brakes pulling L&R when braking. He didn't mention the front end hunting while driving and said the mechanic duplicated the problem. One would think the mechanic would know the difference between hunting and brake pull when driving the car.

 

We're talking about a Chrysler dealer, remember?

 

HDDP, I want to send you that printout of the alignment. Let me see if I can scan it and post it here. You will get a laugh out of it.

 

First, I really appreciate all the feedback and how quickly it came. To answer some of the questions that have been raised, I have conti's but will double check the pressure to be sure each tire is equal and at specs. I think I will also have them check the alignment. I have been reading the thread about the "hunting" issue and have experienced this on even pavement on the same road I drive daily to work. About 5 to 10 times is all but it is the weirdest thing since I drive the road every day. In other words, it is extremely intermittent but it just feels like I have to keep compensating for something I can't see or even feel when it does start to happen. Maybe I don't have a braking problem but a steering problem instead. I don't mind if it a characteristic of the car but if this were to happen at high speeds which some of you have mentioned, then that would be a different concern! I have had the car for 1 and a half years (but only 3,500 miles) and really love it. I also seem to have a great service dealership as far as cooperation (given what some have said). Again, additional feedback would be appreciated if you all have time. THANKS, xrtime

 

Most of what you are experiencing is the steering mechanism and this combined with the wider tires gives you more feel of the road. If I am on a flat road and even if it is curvy the car tracks very true, but get me into an intersection with semi grooves or a road that is patched or very uneven I have to drive the car with care and full attention.