Honda Stream: Rear Lateral Link Inner Bush Failure

The inner rubber compliance bushes at the subframe mounting points of the rear lateral links on the RN6 Stream deteriorate with age, causing the rear knuckle to shift laterally under cornering and braking loads. The failure produces rear-end steering wander and instability, most noticeable at motorway speeds and during lane changes. NZ road surfaces and the age of grey-import examples — often ten or more years old on arrival — accelerate rubber degradation. The fault is frequently missed at WOF because static visual inspection does not reveal bush compliance under dynamic load. Uncorrected rear knuckle movement causes rapid and uneven rear tyre wear and may also affect rear brake effectiveness.

• Rear-end wander or instability at motorway speeds requiring constant steering correction
• Vehicle tracks poorly or feels loose and unsettled on motorway lanes
• Knocking or clunking from the rear suspension over road irregularities or during cornering
• Uneven rear tyre wear on the inner or outer shoulder
• Four-wheel alignment printout showing rear toe or camber outside specification

1. 1

   Inspect bush rubber for cracking, splitting, or complete separation.

2. 2

   Request a recent four-wheel alignment printout and check rear toe and camber values against Honda specification.

3. 3

   If a workshop inspection is possible: With the vehicle raised on a hoist, grasp the rear wheel at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions and apply firm lateral push-pull force to assess lateral link inner bush movement.

$350 to $850 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

• “Has the rear suspension been inspected or any lateral link bushes replaced?”
• “Does the car track straight without drifting or wandering at motorway speed?”
• “When was the last four-wheel alignment performed and is there a printout available?”
• “Has any knocking or clunking from the rear suspension been noticed?”

The failure described above is documented in published sources — owner forums, technical service bulletins, recall notices and workshop write-ups — held in our fault database. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them, and it is a starting point for an inspection rather than a manufacturer statement.