QuestionQUESTION: Hello, I have a 2008 4runner sport v6, 8K miles. The truck is completely stock and has the original tires. The vehicle wanders excessively, mostly noticeable at ~70-75MPH. It requires two hands on the wheel to keep from swaying back and forth in the driving lane. This issue has been around since day one. The vehicle has been aligned 4 times so far, once by a reliable independent and 3 times by the Toyota dealer. No real improvement has resulted. Sometimes it seemed to be better on the way home from the dealer, but miles later it seemed to have no improvement. The steering is also overly sensitive to input. The brochure lists speed sensitive steering, but I have not found any description of what it actually does, or if it could be contributing to the problem. Does it change the sensitivity as speeds change? Roads that cause tramlining, or wind make this vehicle a real handful. It pulls a foot to the left, you apply a slight correction and hold the wheel steady, then a moment later it rapidly drifts 2 feet to the right. During the rapid drift, it gives you the feeling that the steering wheel is momentarily disconnected. You catch it just as you get to the edge of the lane. I came from a 10 year old explorer and never experienced anything like this. My wife even drove the truck before I mentioned anything to her and she came home and said "What's with the truck? It is hard to keep in the lane". Any ideas? We like the truck except for this issue. Help!
ANSWER: I have checked to see if toyota has any service bulletins regarding this issue but have found nothing, I have not experienced anything like this an a late model 4 runner. Are you the original owner or was it bought used? If you bought it new when was this problem first noticed, has it been in an accident? This does not sound normal at all, need a little more information.
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QUESTION: I did buy the vehicle new. I was the only person to ever test drive the car. The car has never been in an accident. Not sure when I first noticed the issue, Early on, I figured that I needed to get used to the new vehicle after having the explorer for ten years. I began to really address the issue at about 4K miles, when I switched to driving the vehicle every day for winter. In regards to the overly sensitive steering, is it possible to verify what the sensitive steering actually does. I could not find any information in the service manual. Does the speed sensitive steering adjust ratio or just the weighted feel? It looks to be a vacuum based system adjusting the powersteering assist. Another thought, I found a specification in the factory service manual for steering wheel play, could my vehicle's steering rack be set too tight(below the minimum spec)? Thanks
AnswerI would recommend that you have another toyota dealer check this problem,there is no adjustment for the power steering unit, the system is designed to provide maximum assist when parking at slow speeds and less assist at higher speeds providing more stability, this is controlled by the onboard computer.
