alignment/drift problem on 2005 Camry SE

[dusart]

I haven't seen much on this topic so I'm not sure if it's an isolated issue or what but my 2005 Camry SE V-6 slightly pulls to the right. I originally thought the pull was due to road pitch and since the steering was sensitive, my car would want to drift to the right, especailly when driving on the right most lane. So, after 2K miles, the front tires started cupping. I went to the dealer and he moved the front tires to the back and adjusted the alignment. I am not sure what exactly was adjusted. Now, after 1K miles, I still feel the drift and the cupping appears to have returned. Should I expect supping if the alignment is correct but the car is just 'following' the road? Also, wondering if any other SE ownwers have had this problem? I also notice that when I take off from a red light with hands off the wheel, the steering wheel tends to turn to the right by itself... but I'm not sure if this is related. Appreciate any feedback.

[lucian688]

I had the same problem w/ my 02 Solara SLE, for 2 years, I won't let anyone in the family to drive it because it drifts to the left. I took it to I think ' White Wheel Align" shop at Cleveland, OH & they fix it... On my 05 XLE V6 after 9K, it's starting to drift to the left again! Next friday, I am driving 150m to that tune shop to get it fixed...

Check Tirerack/other places & ask for a mom/pop (not chain store) tune shop...

Goodluck...or you can drive up to Cleveland.

I now live in Ohio! Not in NJ!

Lucian

[toyo_tech02]

the newer camrys as well as the solaras have a problem with the coilsprings on the front causing a slight drift, if it is still inder warranty take it to the dealership and they willl take care of it.

[xpeed]

I have no problems with mine. But take it to the dealer, it'll be covered under warranty.

[dusart]

Originally Posted by toyo_tech02

the newer camrys as well as the solaras have a problem with the coilsprings on the front causing a slight drift, if it is still inder warranty take it to the dealership and they willl take care of it.

Appreciate your feedback. I just called my tech advisor and told him i'd be coming in for a 2nd time. He keeps telling me it's the road crown or torque steer. argh
Is there a doc or something I could reference so that he knows what to do when I go in there?
Thanks alot.

[dusart]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Went back to the dealer and had the head mechanic look at it. The car was aligned to spec but he had to adjust the camber (was way off) to get the car to drive straight. He was aware of the tech notes that req'd changing the springs and rotating them but was not needed in this case.

[bassman]

I original bought this car in 10/04 and since 4/05 through today 2/10/07 this car has been taken to Firestone 11 times to check and fix the alignment. Front tires were replaced in 12/05 and all four tires replaced in 11/06. The alignment checks out today, and tires were rotated, but it still pulls very badly to the right. Firestone thinks it may be the front caster which may need adjusting but only the dealer can do that, after making you pay for doing their own alignment! Hopefully it will work.

[marc780]

There's a TSB on this and some other posts about the pulling problem. The wheel alignment can be perfect and yet the car may still pull in one direction or another. The reason is the tires, your car will "like" some tires better than others and will quit pulling when you find the right combo. Choose a tire with a stiffer sidewall, at work we use dunlops and bridgestones on the Camrys and they tend NOT to pull, with these tires. TSB can be found in this thread too
http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/t176218.html

[summerwind]

here a link to where I posted the TSB. It's in pdf format so you need Acrobat Reader plugin to view it.

TSB