2008 CAN-AM SPYDER RS Complaints

STEERING FELT LIKE IT WAS LOCKED. AS I APPLIED MORE (SIGNIFICANTLY) FORCE TO CORRECT THE STEERING IT SUDDENLY JERKED AND STEERED IN THE DIRECTION I WAS TRYING TO GET IT TO GO. IT WOULD STEER IN QUICK JERKS AND IT WAS DIFFICULT TO KEEP IT IN THE LANE OF THE ROAD. EVEN WHILE GOING IN A STRAIGHT LINE IT FELT LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO STEER LEFT ON ITS OWN. I HAD TO HOLD A LOT OF PRESSURE ON THE HANDLE BARS TO KEEP IT GOING IN A STRAIGHT LINE. AT ONE POINT I ALMOST RAN INTO A CAR ON MY RIGHT AS THE ROAD WAS CURVING AND THE STEERING WAS LOCKED. I FELT I COULD ONLY MAINTAIN SOME CONTROL BELOW 40 MPH. ONCE I GOT STOPPED AND SHUT IT OFF FOR A BIT , IT DID NOT ACT UP AGAIN WHEN I RODE IT FOR ABOUT 15 MORE MILES HOME. I NEVER HAD ANY WARNING LIGHT INDICATIONS. BIKE IS AT DEALER NOW AND VIN IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE TO ME. I CAN PROVIDE THIS AT A LATER TIME. *TR

BESIDES A NUMBER OF MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH MY CAN AM SPYDER THAT HAVE BEEN FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, THE WORST EPISODE WAS WHEN MY POWER STEERING BECAME INTERMITTENT. I WAS HUNDREDS OF MILES FROM HOME WHEN IT WENT OUT ON ME TWICE. I WAS MOVING AT ABOUT 35 MPH WHEN THE SPYDER PROCEEDED TO STEER TO THE RIGHT ALL ON IT'S OWN AND IT TOOK A BIT OF MUSCLE TO STEER IT BACK TO CENTER TO AVOID HITTING A TREE. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED. A DAY LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED AT AROUND THE SAME SPEED. A BRP TECH LOOKED AT IT (WITHOUT TEST DRIVING IT) AND DOWNLOADED SOME "UPDATE" INTO MY SPYDER BUT SINCE THEN I'VE BEEN AFRAID TO RIDE IT, FEARING THAT THIS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. IT WAS HARD TO STEER IT BACK INTO CONTROL AND IT MADE A "CLICKING" NOISE WHEN I DID BOTH TIMES. A NUMBER OF OTHER OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SIMILAR PROBLEM, EVEN AFTER THE UPDATES WERE INSTALLED SO I DO NOT PERSONALLY BELIEVE THAT A SOFTWARE PATCH IS GOING TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM. I AM NOT GETTING ANY CLEAR ANSWERS FROM BRP WHO MAKES THIS MACHINE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 BOMBARDIER BOMBARDIER PRODUCTS CAN-AM SPYDER ROADSTER. WHILE PULLING INTO THE GARAGE, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. HE GRABBED THE CLUTCH AND PUSHED THE VEHICLE OUT OF THE GARAGE, WHERE IT CAUGHT FIRE IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED AND FILED A REPORT. HIS HOME SUSTAINED HEAT DAMAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 36,500. UPDATED 05/26/09 *BF UPDATED 05/29/09.*JB

2008 CAN-AM SPYDER POWER STEERING IS INTERMITTENTLY TURNING 'ON' AND 'OFF' AND 'LOCKING UP' CAUSING DRIVER OF MOTORCYCLE TO FIGHT STEERING TO KEEP BIKE ON ROAD. THIS ONLY STARTED TO OCCUR AFTER I HAD AROUND 5,000 MILES ON THE BIKE. THIS IS HAPPENING ON MY OWN SPYDER, AS WELL AS MANY OTHERS I HAVE SPOKEN TO IN VARIOUS ONLINE FORUMS. THERE HAS BEEN 1 DEATH IN TEXAS THAT MAY BE DUE TO THIS FAILURE. THERE HAS BEEN 1 SERIOUS ACCIDENT IN CALIFORNIA WHERE THE RIDER HAS STATED THIS STEERING PROBLEM WAS THE CAUSE OF THE ACCIDENT. THE MANUFACTURER (BRP-CAN-AM CANADA) AND THEIR DEALERS DO NOT SEEM AWARE OR WILLING TO TAKE ACTION AND PERFORM A RECALL. THIS ISSUE IS VERY SERIOUS AND SHOULD BE ADDRESSED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I WENT FOR A RIDE TODAY AND THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. ALMOST LOST CONTROL ON A TURN DUE TO FIGHTING THE POWER STEERING - ONLY TO HAVE THE POWER STEERING KICK BACK ON WHILE PUSHING HARD ON THE HANDLEBARS--- THUS CAUSING THE BIKE TO OVER-STEER THE TURN. *TR

VEHICLE IS A 2008 CAN-AM SPYDER ON 2/20/2009 WHILE MOVING THE VEHICLES STEERING LOCKED COMPLETELY. I WAS UNABLE TO MOVE THE STEERING EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT. WHILE TRYING TO TURN I FELT A "POP" AND THE VEHICLE STEERING RETURNED. THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE WHILE SITTING STILL BUT NEVER WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 CAN-AM SPYDER (NEW STREET DRIVEN 3 WHEELER) AND I WAS DRIVING 70MPH ON THE HIGHWAY AND THE STEERING FELT STUCK AND THE SPYDER STARTED DRIFTING LEFT. I TRIED TO GENTLY PULL THE STEERING RIGHT, BUT IT KEPT GOING. THEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE STEERING FREE'D UP AND IT JERKED RIGHT. THIS ALMOST CAUSED ME TO LOSE CONTROL ON THE HIGHWAY IN TRAFFIC WITH OTHER CARS! APPARENTLY I AM NOT THE FIRST TO EXPERIENCE THIS AND EVEN ONE SPYDER OWNER CRASHED AND WAS FLOWN TO THE HOSPITAL WITH SERIOUS INJURIES! HERE IS HIS STORY: HTTP://WWW.SPYDERTALK.COM/FORUMS/INDEX.PHP?SHOWTOPIC=9212&ST=0 BRP - THE MANUFACTURER OF THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN TIGHT LIPPED ABOUT THIS AND TO DATE IS OFFERING NOTHING IN TERMS OF DIAGNOSIS OR RECTIFICATION OR EVEN SIMPLE ACKNOWLEDGMENT. *TR

ON 10/19/2008, WHILE DRIVING EASTBOUND ON IH40 IN OKLAHOMA (ON A STRAIGHT-A-WAY), THE CAN AM SPYDER'S POWER STEERING ABRUPTLY PULLED ME INTO THE LANE TO THE LEFT. THIS HAPPENED TWICE WITHIN A PERIOD OF MINUTES. THANKFULLY, IT WAS AN EARLY SUNDAY MORNING WITH LITTLE TRAFFIC. ON 11/15/2008, WHILE RIDING SOME "TWISTIES" IN NORTH TEXAS, THE SPYDER AGAIN EXHIBITED MULTIPLE STEERING MALFUNCTIONS... THIS TIME PULLING THE BIKE TO THE LEFT AND THE RIGHT. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE STEERING PROBLEMS, THE GEAR SELECTION INDICATOR ALSO SHOWED EITHER THE WRONG GEAR OR AN "E", FOR ERROR. ON THIS OCCASION, I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AND DISABLED THE POWER STEERING BY REMOVING THE ASSOCIATED FUSE. NO PROBLEMS OCCURRED AFTER DISCONNECTING THE SYSTEM. BECAUSE OF THE SECOND SET OF OCCURRENCES, I RESEARCHED THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE GEAR POSITION SENSOR AND THE POWER STEERING AND DETERMINED THAT THE GEAR POSITION SENSOR PROVIDED (ALONG WITH ABOUT SIX OTHERS) DIRECT INPUT INTO THE COMPUTER STEERING LOGIC. I ORDERED AND REPLACED THE GEAR POSITION SENSOR ($90+) AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS SINCE. THE CAN-AM SPYDER'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS A CAN-BUS TYPE WHERE MULTIPLE AND DIFFERENT SENSORS, LIGHTS, ETC. SEND INPUT ALONG ONE WIRING ROUTE. FROM WHAT I CAN PIECE TOGETHER ON MY OWN (AND I AM NO EXPERT), THE GEAR POSITION SENSOR WAS FAULTY (HAS SUBSEQUENTLY BEEN REPLACED BY ANOTHER PART NUMBER BY CAN-AM) AND SENDING "CONFUSING SIGNALS" TO THE STEERING SYSTEM. BASED ON MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD AS A RIDER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO RECOVER, OR ACTUALLY "OVER RECOVER", IN THE EVENT OF THE MALFUNCTION. BTW, THE SPYDER SHOULD BE LISTED IN THE "MOTORCYCLE" SECTION, NOT AUTOMOBILE. *TR