My mechanic did an alignment on my 2006 Toyota sienna van but it still pulls to the right. They say there’s nothing wrong with the front end and everything is on specs.
Is he pulling my leg or are they not doing it right?
well, it’s certainly possible that they did it wrong.
It’s also possible that you have mismatched tires, or a dragging brake caliper, or you’re driving on a road that’s canted to the right.
More details?
Thanks for fast reply. They did put R60 instead of the R65 that the van calls for. Is that what you mean by miss matched tires?
Well, are all 4 tires the same? What I meant by mismatched was if they put different tires on the left side than on the right. Either different size (bigger on the left would do it) or just different - if the tires on the right have more friction than the tires on the left, it would make your car tend to pull to the right.
No they are all the same. Brand new. But who knows if maybe they are defective. I hate complaining and having to keep taking the van back but this should be something they ought to be able to get right…
thanks…
A 2006 Sienna takes a 215/65R15 tire with a diameter of 25.9", a 215/60R15 has a diameter of 25.1" or about 3% smaller than the OEM tire. The 60 series tire also has a lower load rating than the 65 series tire also.
Are all four tires the same size? If two tires are 65 series and the other two are 60 series, I would not be surprised if the TPMS light is on. If the Sienna is AWD, mismatched tires would chew up the center differential in short order. The correct size tires should be installed on the van for safety’s sake.
The tires may be causing the pull. Two of my vehicles had a pull to right after new tires were installed. Try switching the front tires from side to side, this fixed the problem on both of the vehicles. The first, a 93 Caprice had two alignments and still had a bad pull to the right. Switching the tires side to side fixed the pull and the tires were on the car for 6 years with no further problems.
If a mechanic installed the wrong size tires on my vehicle, I would be looking for another mechanic.
Ed B.
What about when you need to rotate? Would that maybe bring the problem back?
I once got an alignment & set of tires all at once and had the same problem. I switched the tires and verified that it was indeed a problem w/ one of them. But it took me 3 trips back there to get them to replace the tire. I was just persistent. When I left with no pull I’m pretty sure they still thought I was nuts.
Front wheel drive? The rear wheel alignment out of spec as well as thrust alignment can cause steering pull. Thrust alignment is about the rear wheel directional relationship to the front wheels.
Simple test: Swap the front tires side to side.
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If the pull completely changes direction, it?s 100% the tires.
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If the pull doesn?t change at all, then it?s 100% in the vehicle, usually alignment, but it?s possible that it?s a dragging brake.
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If the pull disappears or changes ? other than completely changing direction - it?s both the tires and the vehicle.
Maybe yes, maybe no. If it still pulls to the right after a rotation then switch the front tires side to side again.
I would be more concerned about the wrong size tires on the Sienna.
Ed B.
Do you think I should request them to put the correct size tires on the van since they put the wrong size?. It has been three months. Will they do this?
Yes, fix the size issue first, then see if the problem disappears. If you explain to them that you will sue because they have put on tires more likely to fail (less load carrying capacity), that should convince them.
Thanks for feedback. preciate that…