Pulling hard to the right - no one can fix it?!
08-07-10, 12:04 AM
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Pulling hard to the right - no one can fix it?!
I have a 2006 which suddenly began leaking red oil. The Lexus service found out it was the transmission that needed to be replaced due to corrosion on the freeze plug (A rare but known problem with a TSB). The first transmission ever needed to be replaced in Sweden.
After months of crap from my insurance company (Toyota/Lexus own) and trying to find a skilled enough service shop capable of performing this exchange as the Lexus shop got merged with a Lexus dealer. I also asked them to fit the new tires i had bought (Potenza RE031). I finally got it back but my car was never the same again.
It pulled so hard to the right it more or less pulled me off the road and the steering wheel was not centered either.
Went back to the shop day after but they had closed the service dept for renovation. They had another division do a 4 wheel alignment free of charge.
Picked it up, no change what so ever and steering wheel still not centered.
Drove it back right away and told them nothing was changed or in any way better. They kept it another day, zero set the steering perhaps something more but now it was way better.
Off for vacation but after a 10 miles it began showing tendency to drift right again and after another 50 miles it was back to almost as bad as from beginning.
Another 4-wheel alignment at a Toyota shop in a different town. The guy worked on it for 2 hours and could not believe how messed up the alignment was.
After this it was better for a few miles but then slowly drifting right again and everything is back to 'normal pull to right'.
I turned to the largest Lexus dealer in the town, the one which merged with the service shop mentioned before, explained the mess and also mentioned that I'd read about a TSIB about steering pulling to the right (ST003_05) and ask if that might be the case. They was gonna take a look and they did one more alignment on it. As everyone else have done - they told how bad the previous one was.
I drove it off but had to call back to them within a few minutes as there was no changed in drifting to the right.
I kept it over the weekend, brought it back to them and they had it for 3 days. They did a couple of another alignments, tore appart the front setup and rebuilt it, had their alignment equipment recalibrated. One more alignment, zero set the steering wheel and told me that 2 other persons had driven it and said it was now ok and fit to go.
I headed home and after 100 meters it drifted off to the right as usual. Turn the wheel to 12 a'clock and let it go and it instantly pulls it to a couple of minutes after 12 and begin to drift right. Set it to 5 to 12 or 5 after 12, the servo forces the wheel back to 2 minutes after 12 and pulls to the right. Its pathetic.
I drove it 10 miles on different roads to test it some more and then went back to the dealer and told them about the problem not really solved.
I wanted to test another 06 model to compare it or at least have them comparing the two. The 08 model I used during the time mine was in the shop was steady as a train and did not pull a fraction of a degree and behaved the same as my did before the transmission replacement.
So next week I'm bringing my car back into the shop for a comparison with another 06 as the 08-09 do have a different servo and steering and cannot exactly be compared.
Whats the problem?
Is it so difficult to get this fixed or are they simply reluctant to accept that it might be that EPS Computer which need to be replaced as described in the TSB? Or have they simply not even looked at that possibility?
I will bring the TSB along me when I get back to them after the weekend and ask them if they can replace the computer assembly.
After months of crap from my insurance company (Toyota/Lexus own) and trying to find a skilled enough service shop capable of performing this exchange as the Lexus shop got merged with a Lexus dealer. I also asked them to fit the new tires i had bought (Potenza RE031). I finally got it back but my car was never the same again.
It pulled so hard to the right it more or less pulled me off the road and the steering wheel was not centered either.
Went back to the shop day after but they had closed the service dept for renovation. They had another division do a 4 wheel alignment free of charge.
Picked it up, no change what so ever and steering wheel still not centered.
Drove it back right away and told them nothing was changed or in any way better. They kept it another day, zero set the steering perhaps something more but now it was way better.
Off for vacation but after a 10 miles it began showing tendency to drift right again and after another 50 miles it was back to almost as bad as from beginning.
Another 4-wheel alignment at a Toyota shop in a different town. The guy worked on it for 2 hours and could not believe how messed up the alignment was.
After this it was better for a few miles but then slowly drifting right again and everything is back to 'normal pull to right'.
I turned to the largest Lexus dealer in the town, the one which merged with the service shop mentioned before, explained the mess and also mentioned that I'd read about a TSIB about steering pulling to the right (ST003_05) and ask if that might be the case. They was gonna take a look and they did one more alignment on it. As everyone else have done - they told how bad the previous one was.
I drove it off but had to call back to them within a few minutes as there was no changed in drifting to the right.
I kept it over the weekend, brought it back to them and they had it for 3 days. They did a couple of another alignments, tore appart the front setup and rebuilt it, had their alignment equipment recalibrated. One more alignment, zero set the steering wheel and told me that 2 other persons had driven it and said it was now ok and fit to go.
I headed home and after 100 meters it drifted off to the right as usual. Turn the wheel to 12 a'clock and let it go and it instantly pulls it to a couple of minutes after 12 and begin to drift right. Set it to 5 to 12 or 5 after 12, the servo forces the wheel back to 2 minutes after 12 and pulls to the right. Its pathetic.
I drove it 10 miles on different roads to test it some more and then went back to the dealer and told them about the problem not really solved.
I wanted to test another 06 model to compare it or at least have them comparing the two. The 08 model I used during the time mine was in the shop was steady as a train and did not pull a fraction of a degree and behaved the same as my did before the transmission replacement.
So next week I'm bringing my car back into the shop for a comparison with another 06 as the 08-09 do have a different servo and steering and cannot exactly be compared.
Whats the problem?
Is it so difficult to get this fixed or are they simply reluctant to accept that it might be that EPS Computer which need to be replaced as described in the TSB? Or have they simply not even looked at that possibility?
I will bring the TSB along me when I get back to them after the weekend and ask them if they can replace the computer assembly.
08-13-10, 11:42 AM
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I just booked another service - for the seventh time.
I talked with them 30 minutes and they have no clue what so ever why it does this.
They dismissed the TSB ST003-05, I sugested, as a cause.
The only thing they can think of is that the steering rack et al. need to be removed and refitted or replaced. At least they need to begin there.
So now I have to continue to drive around in a crappy car for two more weeks.
I talked with them 30 minutes and they have no clue what so ever why it does this.
They dismissed the TSB ST003-05, I sugested, as a cause.
The only thing they can think of is that the steering rack et al. need to be removed and refitted or replaced. At least they need to begin there.
So now I have to continue to drive around in a crappy car for two more weeks.
08-13-10, 10:38 PM
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The tires are as new as they can get. Should have written that in the first post.
They did put on 4 new Potenza RE031 when they did the tranny replacement.
The old ones was almost worn out but perfectly symetrical (40k miles).
They did put on 4 new Potenza RE031 when they did the tranny replacement.
The old ones was almost worn out but perfectly symetrical (40k miles).
09-05-10, 05:20 AM
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This is pathetic 
I showed up for service last monday as scheduled several weeks ago.
- Cant find any scheduled appointment for your car, the service guy said.
I asked him to check again and then he found an entry that showed it had been canceled by email from the manager.
I asked them why they canceled, why they didnt bothered to informed me about it and how come they had not rescheduled the appointment.
They had no idea and promised to get back to me asap they had found another time for me.
A week have passed and no ****ing contact from them.
I showed up for service last monday as scheduled several weeks ago.
- Cant find any scheduled appointment for your car, the service guy said.
I asked him to check again and then he found an entry that showed it had been canceled by email from the manager.
I asked them why they canceled, why they didnt bothered to informed me about it and how come they had not rescheduled the appointment.
They had no idea and promised to get back to me asap they had found another time for me.
A week have passed and no ****ing contact from them.
10-09-10, 02:59 PM
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They were surprised and wrote down my story. Told me that top of his head one or several bad tires might be the problem. Asked me if they had rotated the tires. Told him I didnt know but that I could not imagine such experienced techs not trying that.
He called all the involved service shops and called me back the next day and told me they had rotated the tires, left to right, front to rear, cross and back again.
But now the techs are pretty convinced that it must be a bad tire anyway (when I asked them they had no idea why the car drifted) and asked me to return them all to Bridgestone for analysis and replacement. The insurance guy asked me to put on my winter tires first to verify that my 400h drives straight and do not show any drift. No drift = bad Bridgestones, Drift = bad 400h.
So I slapped on my winter tires (Hakkapeliitta 5 SUV) a few weeks early and have made 200 miles with them and the crappy car drift as before.
The only difference is that the steering wheel worse zeroed then before and the drift are perhaps a few percentage less pronounced.
Will give the insurance rep another call on monday asking what to do with this crappy car and crappy techs.
At the moment I almost wish it got stolen and totaled.
10-13-10, 08:47 AM
#11
You know there was a recall on the entire steering rack right? It had nothing to do with the steering, but rather to do with a complete loss of power assist IIRC (or loss of steering completely, I can't remember...something to do with magnets coming loose inside the rack)
. Regardless, if this recall has not been done (it involves completely replacing the rack), have it done so you can rule out the rack as causing the problem.
. Regardless, if this recall has not been done (it involves completely replacing the rack), have it done so you can rule out the rack as causing the problem.
Last edited by rcy; 10-13-10 at 09:13 AM.
10-13-10, 10:21 AM
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The car was included in the steering rack recall and it's in the service history, I had printed out, for the car.
Perhaps the new rack is showing problems as well but I don't know if a drift to right would be related to a faulty rack?
Perhaps the new rack is showing problems as well but I don't know if a drift to right would be related to a faulty rack?
04-03-12, 03:37 PM
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Hi there Digger
Short answer, Kind of. At least is better.
Long answer, Can probably never be solved.
The dealership took it back in several times and worked on it.
They ended up with increasing the negative camber both front and rear by changing some prebent pins etc. They also changed some other values. (dont have the alignment paper with me)
It drives better now but still show the pulling problem but after a lot of test I've come to the conclusion it might be a vehicle, eps and computer characteristics which causes the car do drift depending on the road crowning.
If the road is totally flat the RX400 will go perfectly straight with the steering wheel centered.
If the road corwns to the right, the car will pull to the right if I have the steering centered. I will to turn a few minutes to the left to keep it straight.
If the road corwns to the left, the car will pull to the left if I have the steering centered. I will to turn a few minutes to the right to keep it straight.
If I have done a compensational turn of the wheel and then enters a flatter part of the road, the car will steer to the direction I have the wheel turned to. As is should but when trying to handle these n-grade algorithms while driving or doing an overtake on and road with crowning it do demand some concentration.
On the newer 07-09 models, the same behaviour is there but as they have a different eps and computer it's barely noticeable unless you know what to exspect.
The dealership do need some credit as they have not charged me at all for all these hours they have spent on this.
Short answer, Kind of. At least is better.
Long answer, Can probably never be solved.
The dealership took it back in several times and worked on it.
They ended up with increasing the negative camber both front and rear by changing some prebent pins etc. They also changed some other values. (dont have the alignment paper with me)
It drives better now but still show the pulling problem but after a lot of test I've come to the conclusion it might be a vehicle, eps and computer characteristics which causes the car do drift depending on the road crowning.
If the road is totally flat the RX400 will go perfectly straight with the steering wheel centered.
If the road corwns to the right, the car will pull to the right if I have the steering centered. I will to turn a few minutes to the left to keep it straight.
If the road corwns to the left, the car will pull to the left if I have the steering centered. I will to turn a few minutes to the right to keep it straight.
If I have done a compensational turn of the wheel and then enters a flatter part of the road, the car will steer to the direction I have the wheel turned to. As is should but when trying to handle these n-grade algorithms while driving or doing an overtake on and road with crowning it do demand some concentration.
On the newer 07-09 models, the same behaviour is there but as they have a different eps and computer it's barely noticeable unless you know what to exspect.
The dealership do need some credit as they have not charged me at all for all these hours they have spent on this.
04-03-12, 04:34 PM
#15
If the road is totally flat the RX400 will go perfectly straight with the steering wheel centered.
If the road corwns to the right, the car will pull to the right if I have the steering centered. I will to turn a few minutes to the left to keep it straight.
If the road corwns to the left, the car will pull to the left if I have the steering centered. I will to turn a few minutes to the right to keep it straight.