any ideas why this 09 toyota camry pulls to the left? 10k miles bought it new,noticed it drifting to left at 4000 miles,rotated tires,no difference.took into dealer I was told they couldn’t duplicate problem,the was follwing the crown of the road,the alignment was fine,still drifted to left.Now at 10k tires rotated again,took bak to dealer for alignment for same prob.Was told alignment is fine ,car was just folling crown of road …again.But was told by another service mngr.at different dealer that…Toyota Camry pull to left and it was normal… what?? wearing down tires fast!
Has anyone else had this problem??
You need to take the car to the best alignment shop in town. While it is possible that the car’s alignment is “within tolerances”, those tolerances can sometimes be fairly wide.
A good shop should be able to improve the so-so alignment that the dealer thought was fine.
Normally, I would tell you to take it back to the dealership, but since they claim that the aligment is okay at one dealership and the other one gives you the old “they all do that” BS, you might as well just pay for alignment yourself.
The only way that you will get any further with the dealership is if you “kick it up a notch” by contacting Toyota corporate. If you do want to go that route, contact info is in your Owner’s Manual.
Assuming none of this has been caused by low tire pressure has anyone tried rotating the front tires from side to side rather than front to back? This could weed out a tire bias issue.
Just a few questions. You bought this car new. Does this mean 4 or 5 miles on it new or several hundred miles on it new?
What does the tread pattern on the wearing tires look like; worn on the inner or outer edges, feather edged, etc.?
Any history of a curb strike, large pothole, etc.?
new off showroom floor,haven’t curbed it,no pot holes…I think I’ll take it to alignment shop next.
Grouchy, You Need To Find A Toyota Dealer Who’s Willing To Help And One Wanting A New Customer.
I think they should have fixed this problem under warranty early on in your ownership. Do you have receipts documenting your complaints and their attempts at finding and correcting the problem ?
a I believe a crown in a road should make a vehicle pull to the right.
How hard have these dealers tried ? Instead of telling you that all Camrys “pull” they should be following the procedures outlined in a Toyota TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) written for Toyota Technicians. There’s a whole lot more in the 15 page bulletin than just simple “wheel alignment”. It looks like quite a bit of work.
Toyota TSB # "T-SB-0391-08 (December 24, 2008) Service Category - Suspension, Section - Alignment / Handling Diagnoses, Market - USA
Repair Manual Supplement: Vehicle Pulling To One Side" covers many Toyota Models and Model-Years including 2002-2009 Camrys
This 15 page bulletin contains sections addressing “Wheel Alignment and Tire Characteristics, Repair Procedure Flow Chart, and Repair Procedure” (including “Important Notice, Troubleshooting, Vehicle Pulling Caused By Wheel Alignment, Vehicle Pulling Caused By Tire Conicity, and Camber Adjustment Method.”
At the end the bulletin says “If Vehicle Pull Is Eliminated: Repair Is Now Complete.” . . .
( If ! )
I don’t see anything about “pull” and “normal”.
CSA
have all receipts…I don’t know how much effort they put into it. I think they’re waiting for the warranty to expire before they correct the problem…make some money off me. its either going to an alignment shop or find another toyota dealer.
I Think I’d Pick Up A Phone And Find A Dealer Who Is Friendly, Willing To Help, And Thinks They Are Able To Get You Squared Away Under Warranty.
They may have to call Toyota and go to bat for you since others have already looked at it and didn’t help you.
CSA
It’s Like D?j? Vu All Over, Again !
Grouchy, Is This The Same 2009 Camry That “Pulls” Or A Different One ?
Link:
http://community.cartalk.com/posts/list/2039412.page
CSA
differ.one
Has anyone checked for a dragging brake? It could be a pad or one of the tiny rear shoes used for the parking brake. Cast into the center of your rear discs are small drums within which are tiny shoes. These are the parking brakes. A dragging one could cause the symptom you describe.
TSM, That’s A Good Suggestion, But Whow Knows If The Dealer Did It ? The Dealer Is Not Acknowledging The Problem And Apparently Hasn’t Performed The TSB.
Following the “Pulling” complaint, first step on the Repair Procedure Flow Chart (even before a test drive) is a “Preliminary Check” which consists of checking for problems with Tire Pressure, Vehicle Height, and Dragging Brakes.
Who knows if any of this was done ?
CSA
Excellent point. I shouldn’t assume they’d checked the basics.