Possible alignment problem and brake pulling

[olimpicars]

Hi,
I'm new to Priuschat (as of yesterday), and purchased my 2008 Prius just last week. I've noticed that my car has a tendancy to drift to the left at low speeds, and another tendancy to pull slightly to the left when I apply the brakes. I haven't owned a front wheel drive car in a while, and my question is do Priuses have noticable "torque steer", and is this typical of the breed, or is this something I should have my service department look into?
Also, has anyone had experience with purchasing the Toyota Extended Platinum Warranty through the agency in Massachusettes that Priuschat recommends?
Thanks very much.

[archae86]

Originally Posted by olimpicars

Hi,
I've noticed that my car has a tendancy to drift to the left at low speeds, and another tendancy to pull slightly to the left when I apply the brakes.

It can be a little hard to distinguish between asymmetry of the car and non-flatness of the road. Suspension geometry differences mean different cars respond to the same road non-flatness to a considerably different degree. My 1987 BMW 325i almost felt like it wanted to move off another way on its own on a part of my commute where heavy trucks had impressed a couple of tracks in soft pavement, yet on flat surfaces it was as sure-footed as ever. When the road was resurfaced the problem went away.

Having said that, I've noticed nothing unusual on our 2006 Prius, so if yours is doing much and you can rule out the road, it sounds to me as though something is not right.

[Boo]

This pull to the left problem has a long history with the Generation II (2004 - 2008 model years) Prius.

For whatever reason, the Gen II Priuses are frequently delivered with the wheels out of alignment. Speculation is that this is caused by how Toyota straps down or stabilizes the Priuses on the shipping boats.

First this problem was acknowledged in a Toyota Service Bulletin which said that if a customer complained about the alignment, then the dealer was to give a wheel alignment for free.

Then this problem was acknowledged in the Owner's Warranty booklet. If you look at your Warranty booklet you will see that there is a separate express warranty of the car's alignment for 12 months or 20,000 miles.

If you suspect that there's an alignment problem, then you should bring your car into the dealer and get the wheels aligned under warranty. When you do so, you should ask for three things:

1. Align the wheels to spec (and not just to acceptable tolerances)

2. Get a print-out of the alignment.

3. Center the steering wheel if necessary.

Good luck. Welcome to PriusChat.

[pt95148]

Originally Posted by olimpicars

I've noticed that my car has a tendancy to drift to the left at low speeds, and another tendancy to pull slightly to the left when I apply the brakes.

I booked my car in this morning to have this same issue looked at. They just called to say everything is normal. They do have a print out for me to see. I will collect it later on and will let you know what they say.

[GinnyErns]

When I took my 2007 Prius in for its first oil change at 5,000 miles, I told them to check the alignment that it pulled to the left. It is listed on my job order and they said alignment was covered under warranty. Not sure if they said how long....I thought it was 3 yrs....
Anyway if 12 months I may have a problem getting it fixed for free. There is not one note on my recap paper that says what they found out and if they adjusted anything. When I drove home (85 miles many road surfaces) it still seemed to pull to the left. They have my car for another problem right now so not able to introduce this apparent over site.
I would do as Boo recommends and maybe even drive it around right away. Have a print out of the before and after alignment. (unfortunately I have no printout readings)
My dealer has not been forthright with warranty repairs. I have learned to jump on issues right away and make sure your car is operating correctly.

[olimpicars]

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. I'm dropping my car off at the selling dealer in the morning, and I'll let you know what, if anything, changes regarding the way the car drives.

[Patrick Wong]

It seems likely that wheel alignment or a dragging rear brake is causing the problem. Just for fun, it might be worthwhile to check your tire inflation to make sure that is correct.

I have not noticed torque steer with Prius. If it happens, it would occur under rapid acceleration.

[pt95148]

Originally Posted by pt95148

I booked my car in this morning to have this same issue looked at. They just called to say everything is normal. They do have a print out for me to see. I will collect it later on and will let you know what they say.

Here's the result of my visit. I found the dealer professional, no BS, they even told me to ignore the psi on the plate and go higher. I checked and found they put 40 psi all round.
I paid "zero" dollars and got a free car wash

[olimpicars]

My dealer reported that the cause of the occasional pull to the left was a combination of the toe and the camber being out. After the realignment was performed, this also cured the slight brake pull to the left. No charge. I'm more than satisfied with the service.

[Boo]

That's great. We do like those happy endings.