Toyota Tacoma 2013 Stearing problems

#1
I have had this truck for about 4 weeks now. Put almost 1000 miles. I really love the truck but there is something wrong with the stearing. I took it back to the dealer and they did a front end alignment. They said it was off .25. The stearing is still not right. Went back to the dealer on monday and they looked at it again. They let some air out of the tires and told me to put some weight in the bed :doah: Bought 2, 50 pound bags of sand and threw them in the bed.........Still the same. The truck is all over the road. Kinda like driving drunk:laugh: There is about a 1/2 inch play in the stearing wheel. I think there should be none.:no: If you go over some un-even bumps slowly, the stearing wheel moves all over the place. Reminds me of a 67 polaris station wagon I had:laugh::laugh: I did some research on the Toyota forums and it looks like people are complaining of similar problems. (but not on a 2013). Seams to be rack bushings problems.:shrug: When I got home from the mountains on Sunday, I was sea sick:blink: What should I do:confused: They just think I am some stupid women at the dealership:laugh: My POS work truck stears better than this truck. :laugh: They tell me I have to get use to it..........I don't think so.:hammer:
 
#3
I have had this truck for about 4 weeks now. Put almost 1000 miles. I really love the truck but there is something wrong with the stearing. I took it back to the dealer and they did a front end alignment. They said it was off .25. The stearing is still not right. Went back to the dealer on monday and they looked at it again. They let some air out of the tires and told me to put some weight in the bed :doah: Bought 2, 50 pound bags of sand and threw them in the bed.........Still the same. The truck is all over the road. Kinda like driving drunk:laugh: There is about a 1/2 inch play in the stearing wheel. I think there should be none.:no: If you go over some un-even bumps slowly, the stearing wheel moves all over the place. Reminds me of a 67 polaris station wagon I had:laugh::laugh: I did some research on the Toyota forums and it looks like people are complaining of similar problems. (but not on a 2013). Seams to be rack bushings problems.:shrug: When I got home from the mountains on Sunday, I was sea sick:blink: What should I do:confused: They just think I am some stupid women at the dealership:laugh: My POS work truck stears better than this truck. :laugh: They tell me I have to get use to it..........I don't think so.:hammer:

Tell them you want it fixed and this is not how a truck is suposed to handle.

Might be worth while to find another one just like it and take it for a ride just to be sure this is a unique problem to your truck.

Do you have a lemon law in your state?

If there is something wrong and you know it...
If another 2013 does not drive like that I have a couple of options for you.

Park in front of the dealership on the road with a big
4 by 8 sheet that says they sold me a lemon.

Or threaten them with "if you don't fix this thing I'm going to buy 5 gallons of gasoline in a can and the next time you see me it will be lighting this thing up in the center of your car lot...."

Of course don't actually burn it !!!!!
But Toyota has had such a bad run these days, any more bad PR like you could appear to make for them will scare the living shite out of the dealer.

My 2 cents is because you feel play in a brand new front end something is wrong.

I had a paint issue with my 05 Jetta.
Bob the shop foreman knew me and knew once the nuclear option was on the table I would park next to the dealer with a 4 by 8 sheet of plywood that said " they sold me a lemon."
They painted it.
Then they painted it again to my satisfaction ( I did not like the colour match of the fenders they re shot the whole car )....

Don't feel like a woman and even women get the screw because men in a dealership think they will just go away after enough " there, there, and its fine nothing is wrong ".
You paid good money demand satisfaction for your purchase ( but as much as I hate to say it, be sure to drive one even ask a fellow in a parking lot if he would drive yours and you could go for a spin in his to compare, Just be sure they don't all actually drive like that lol )

More NOS drible....
My wife will drive until the front ends falls out of her vehicles.
She's a bus driver and I look at her bus and shale my head because I can see its not right.
But she drives that way because it creeps up on her, busses generally drive like well busses and way down deep inside I know she is a blind mellon tat really does not care.....
But my point here is you get accustomed to a way something handles.
Maybe you have become so accustomed to your last car you don't notice quirks and this truck has a quirk or two that you need to adapt too to drive.
I drive that bus and it feels like a drunk on roller skates.
To the wife its fine, feels fine and she drives in straight lines.
Maybe I just think the bus is bad?
Her van however is fooked needs new struts and ball joint, mechanic said that today....
She did not seem to mind the clunks and odd feel of the front end.

More drible...
Why can I get 5 or 6 years out of a set of brakes?
She burns them off in 3.
SHe has literally burn off a set of pad right in front of me!!!
I can smell the brakes dear.....
The rotors are hot pull over please...

Done talking about the wife now, see she just looks at a car as a way to get there.
I look at it like a depreciating asset.
i don't take it personal
 
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#4
If it darts all over the road or seems touchy when you try to correct it, I would say that's a caster issue/not enough of it. Does it feel unsafe at highway speeds as in unpredictable?
 
#5
Karen go out and drive some other 2013 tacoma's and see how they drive . also the service writers will tell you anything to get you out of there . You are going to have to make yourself well known around the dealer . And also start climbing the ladder as with the service manager and then on past him . that putting weight in the back is BS , bring them the bill for the sand . And letting air out of the tires is also BS . And last but not least find another DEALER .

David
 
#6
When I was there on monday, they said the mechanic drove another 2013 Tacoma on the lot and it felt the same way. Yea right:eek:ut: I didn't drive over 65 on the turnpike, it was way too squirrrely. The assitant service manager asked me what I drove before this truck, when I told him he said "this truck is much nicer" No way. That chevy Colorado rode like a cadillac:thumbsup: And, that chey cost me more in 2005 than this Toyota did.:laugh::laugh: I drove a 1999 Toyota Tacoma before the chevy and that was not "loose". I'll be back there on Monday (my day off). I think one night this week I'm going to go drive another Tacoma:thumbsup:
 
#7
I have a 2013 Tacoma. That is brand new. less than 400 miles on it. I had the 2007 before this one. The 2007 was the same way. I always felt like I was " trying" to stay between the lines. Since it was new it was like that.This one is actually a lot better. I would suggest setting up an appointment with the service department to test drive it with the factory service rep. I know they come out to our dealerships and will look at "difficult" to repair vehicles. If they cant find anything wrong they usually buy the vehicle back or trade them into something else at no extra cost. But demand they get the Toyota rep not just one of their mechanics or foremen.
 

markus

Well-Known Member
#8
did they open a repair order and was it documented that they told you to add the weight and adjust the tire pressures on the RO? it is time to talk to the service manager. If they feel that its not a problem then THEY should prove it to you, let them provide a comparable vehicle to drive and compare etc.. Also after 2 times in through repair orders its time they got Toyota involved and open a tech case if there is truly a problem that they the dealership cant fix.

You dont have to go crazy and threaten burning vehicles and making signs, in fact stuff like that might put you a couple of steps back and you may have to find yourself another dealership and start over.

I would call and see about making an appt. with the service manager if you have not spoken to him/her yet. polite yet firm got you alot further than crazy person at least at the dealership I was at.

good luck!
 

TomH

New Member
#9
Take it to an independent shop and let them find the problem, dealerships are not going to find it unless Toyota pays for the repair. Get documentation from the alignment shop. If they won't fix it, have the independent shop fix it if it can be fixed and take them the bill..if they won't pay it, then take the pukes to court.
 
#10
Thanks Randy and everybody else. I feel see sea sick just talking about it. :laugh: Thank god I only drive 11 miles to work. That is about all I can take. :laugh::laugh: I'm going to call and make a appointment for Monday. I usually just show up at 7:00 a.m. Now I know why the previous owner traded it in with 4000 miles.:surrender:
 

MiniBike Paul

Well-Known Member
#11
Karen; call their corp hdq's and be firm, nicely demand some help! If you need help doing that call me, I'll call them for you!

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Corporate Office & Headquarters

19001 South Western Ave. Dept. WC11TorranceCA90501

(310) 468 4000
 
#12
Karen,

I had the same problem with my Ford Ranger, there was a lot of play in the steering rack, when driving the it would drift to the right till the play was up, then the shocks would sink and recoil the car to the left using the play up then sink again and recoil. You get this figure eight type rock and because of the power steering you don't feel it so much in the steering wheel.
The car keps doing this lazy left right dip thing till you feel naar.

I went to a Private company to fix it, but I'd still gun Toyata till it was resolved

Good luck , let me know if I must send paper bags :laugh:
 
#13
Karen; call their corp hdq's and be firm, nicely demand some help! If you need help doing that call me, I'll call them for you!

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Corporate Office & Headquarters

19001 South Western Ave. Dept. WC11TorranceCA90501

(310) 468 4000
I may take you up on that offer. I need a few days off from this truck.:laugh::laugh: Every day I have had off in the past few weeks, I have been at Toyota. :laugh::laugh:
 
#14
Karen,

I had the same problem with my Ford Ranger, there was a lot of play in the steering rack, when driving the it would drift to the right till the play was up, then the shocks would sink and recoil the car to the left using the play up then sink again and recoil. You get this figure eight type rock and because of the power steering you don't feel it so much in the steering wheel.
The car keps doing this lazy left right dip thing till you feel naar.

I went to a Private company to fix it, but I'd still gun Toyata till it was resolved

Good luck , let me know if I must send paper bags :laugh:
The paper bags is pretty funny:laugh::laugh: I was going to take a quick spin to the mountains on sunday, but don't feel like being sick all day monday. :no:

I'm going to let a few people drive the truck and write me a statement to give to Toyota.:laugh::laugh: I also may be trading trucks with one of my customers for a few days. He just got the exact same truck and says his is great.
 
#16
Karen go out and drive some other 2013 tacoma's and see how they drive . also the service writers will tell you anything to get you out of there . You are going to have to make yourself well known around the dealer . And also start climbing the ladder as with the service manager and then on past him . that putting weight in the back is BS , bring them the bill for the sand . And letting air out of the tires is also BS . And last but not least find another DEALER .

David
everything said here :thumbsup:
tell them to pound sand!
definitely call someone higher up and let them know your not satisfied with their efforts and their bullshit answers!
as said before, test drive others and then start researching the lemon laws
 
#18
I was driving down the highway here and a new Toy pickup drove by and was doing the left/right twitch like he was having a hard time keeping it between the lines.

I would be at the dealer daily til it was fixed RIGHT. Or tell them to take it back at no loss to you. I would also take it to any other dealers in your area. The more service tickets on the same vehicle will boost your case for a lemon.

Hell, my 31 year old worn out Ford pickup drives straight down the road. New or almost new should be better.
 
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