2008 CAN-AM SPYDER GS Complaints

VEHICLE - 2008 BRP CAN AM SPYDER. WHILE RIDING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH ON A 2 LANE HIGHWAY IN THE RAIN AFTER DARK THE DYNAMIC POWER STEERING (DPS) SEIZED UP AND I WAS UNABLE TO STEER THE UNIT WITH THE NORMAL AMOUNT OF PRESSURE ON THE HANDGRIPS. WHEN ENOUGH PRESSURE WAS APPLIED TO THE HANDLE BAR TO OVERCOME THE RESISTANCE EXCESSIVE OVER STEERING RESULTED. THE OVER STEERING CAUSED ME TO DRIVE INTO THE OPPOSING LANE AND ALTERNATELY ON TO THE SHOULDER. THE ONLY WAY I WAS ABLE TO PREVENT THE STEERING FROM LOCKING UP IN ANY ONE POSITION WAS TO CONTINUOUSLY MOVE THE HANDLEBAR FROM LEFT TO RIGHT ' RIGHT TO LEFT. I WAS LUCKY NOT TO HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT. I KNOW THAT BRP IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM BUT HAS NOT PROVIDED ANY REMEDY THAT PROTECTS THE OWNERS FROM SERIOUS ACCIDENTS. BRP'S APPROACH IS TO PROVIDE SOFTWARE UPDATES TO THE DPS UNITS WHICH MY SPYDER HAD INSTALLED SEPT. 2009. ACCORDING TO A NUMBER OF FORUMS; MANY SPYDER OWNERS HAVE HAD DPS FAILURES. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS SITUATION BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. *TR

WHILE RIDING ALONG ON A LONG SWEEPING LEFT TURN THE STEERING LOCKED AND I NEEDED TO PHYSICALLY FORCE IT TO UNLOCK. I SINCE RETURNED IT TO THE DEALER AND I'M AWAITING FOR A STEERING PART NEEDED FOR REPAIR.

2008 CAN-AM SPYDER DISPLAYED DPS AND VSS ERRORS. RESET ERROR BY TURNING OFF AND LETTING SET FOR A FEW MINUTES. THEN DROVE FOR 40 MILES ON HIGHWAY. UPON EXITING THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 40 MPH THE BIKE'S STEERING STOPPED WORKING. THE VEHICLE WANTED TO DRIFT TO THE RIGHT ONLY. IT COULD NOT BE STEERED EVEN WITH GREAT FORCE APPLIED TO THE HANDLE BAR. AFTER ABOUT 10-15 SECONDS THE ABILITY TO STEER KICKED BACK IN. THE SAME SYMPTOMS OCCURRED AGAIN 6-7 TIMES IN THE NEXT 1.5 MILES. BIKE WAS LATER TOWED TO THE CAN-AM DEALER IT WAS PURCHASED FROM. THEY REPLACED THE DPS MODULE WHICH AFTER ONLY 60 MILES IS STILL WORKING FINE.

DYNAMIC POWER STEERING (DPS) UNIT FAILURE ON MY 2008 CAN AM SPYDER. DID NOT APPEAR UNTIL THE SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS INSTALLED AS PART OF THE MANUFACTURER'S RECALL WHEN I TOOK IT IN FOR THE 12000 MILE SERVICE JUST BEFORE THE 2 YEAR WARRANTY EXPIRED. UP UNTIL THEN I HAD NO SYMPTOMS. THE DEALER HAS ORDERED A REPLACEMENT DPS UNIT FROM BRP. *TR

FOLLOWING RECALL SERVICE WORK RELATING TO THE DYNAMIC POWER STEERING I IMMEDIATELY NOTICED SMOOTHER POWER STEERING ACCOMPANIED BY A SMALL "BUMP" OR "HICCUP" WHEN STEERING WHICH APPEARS TO BE A PRELUDE TO POWER STEERING FAILURE. FOLLOWING AN 18 MILE TRIP AFTER THE RECALL WAS DONE THE UNIT BEGAN TO DISPLAY CODES INDICATING PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE STABILITY SYSTEM AND THE DYNAMIC POWER STEERING (DPS) INCLUDING "VSS FAULT", "CHECK ENGINE", AND "DPS FAULT". I WAS FORCED TO "LIMP" MY UNIT BACK TO THE DEALER FOR FURTHER TESTING AND REPAIR. PRIOR TO THE RECALL I HAD NO CODES OR ENGINE ISSUES. THE UNIT HAS APPROXIMATELY 22,700 MILES. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND WENT TO ADJUST MY POSITION WITHIN MY LANE BUT THE HANDLEBARS HAD TO BE FORCED TO THE LEFT (STEERING SEEMS TO BE LOCKING UP). THIS OCCURS CONSTANTLY AND REQUIRES ABNORMAL FORCE TO CORRECT OR HAVING TO BRAKE TO A STOP SO AS NOT TO VEER INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO A CAN-AM DEALERSHIP FOR A POWER STEERING RECALL ALONG WITH AN ECM UPDATE RECALL AND A DPS UPDATE PER MANUFACTURER. THE RECALLS AND UPDATES WERE DONE BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *TR

STEERING LOCKS UP WHILE DRIVING. OVERCOMING THIS LOCKED UP CONDITION REQUIRES ABOVE NORMAL FORCE. WHEN THE APPLIED FORCE OVERCOMES THE LOCKED UP STEERING THE MOTORBIKE THEN VEERS IN AN UNCONTROLLED MANNER. *TR

'08 CAN AM SPYDER. WHEN RIDING IN HIGH CROSSWINDS, STEERING WOULD INTERMITTENTLY "STICK" WHEN CORRECTING BACK INTO CROSSWIND. HAD BRP'S 2ND SOFTWARE UPDATE DONE AND NOW STEERING "STICKS" ALL THE TIME JUST OFF CENTER TO THE LEFT. THE STEERING DOES NOT COMPLETELY SEIZE, BUT DEFINITELY TAKES EXTRA EFFORT TO TURN. HAVE ALMOST GONE INTO THE DITCH A FEW TIMES AS IT CAUGHT ME UNAWARES. NO PARTS REMOVED AND REPLACED AT THIS TIME. *TR

RIDING MY 2008 CAN-AM SE5 SPYDER I WAS TRAVELING NORTH ON I95 AT 75MPH ATTEMPTING TO PASS A SEMI WHEN THE SPYDER STARTS TO BUCK, & LOSE POWER AND THE DASH LIGHTS UP. ENGINE LIGHT, VSS LIGHT AND DPS PROBLEM SCROLLING. TERRIFYING TO ALL OF A SUDDEN HAVE NO POWER WHILE ALL AROUND U ARE DOING 70 AND YOUR 3 LANES AWAY FROM A TURN OFF W/ LITTLE POWER AND ERRATIC STEERING.. I GOT OFF TO THE SIDE AND TURNED EVERYTHING OFF AND BACK ON & FAULT WAS STILL THERE. DID IT AGAIN & IT WAS GONE, SO I CAUTIOUSLY GOT BACK ON THE FREEWAY, ONLY TO HAVE IT HAPPEN AGAIN 20 MILES LATER. AGAIN SURROUNDED BY SEMIS. PULLED OVER. TURNED IT OFF & BACK ON. EVERYTHING OK. THIS TIME IT DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN, BUT JUST IN CASE I STAYED IN THE RIGHT LANE SO I COULD GET OFF IN A HURRY IF I HAD TO. *TR

I OWN A 2008 CAN-AM SPYDER GS. I WOULD LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE POWER STEERING (VSS) I AM NOT SO GOOD AT THESE THINGS, SO I WILL JUST SAY IT LIKE IT IS. IT LOCKS TO THE LEFT. AND PULLS THE VEHICLE TO THE LEFT. THIS HAPPENS BETWEEN 40-55 MPH I ALMOST CRASHED ON THE ON RAMP OF THE 405 FREEWAY BECAUSE THE BIKE WOULD SIMPLY NOT TURN TO THE RIGHT AND I HAD TO FIGHT WITH IT TO GET IT TO TURN. I STOPPED 2.5 FEET BEFORE CRASHING IN TO THE WALL. I KNOW OF 3 PEOPLE THAT HAVE ALREADY CRASHED AND BRP (THE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT REPLY TO US) THERE WAS A LADY THAT LOST HER LIFE DUE TO A LOW SPEED CRASH, BUT WE HAVE NO WAY OF ASKING HER WHAT HAPPENED AND NOW EVERYONE IS WORRIED IT IS BECAUSE OF THIS. HERE IS A LINK TO A FEW POSTS ABOUT PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THIS HTTP://WWW.SPYDERTALK.COM/FORUMS/INDEX.PHP?SHOWTOPIC=9212 AND ONE PERSON WHO HAD TO BE HOSPITALIZED DUE TO THIS. *TR