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Steering and Alignment Problem on my '03 Highlander
Suspension/Steering Adjustments on Highlander?
I am the proud but disappointed owner of a 2003 Highlander Limited 2WD. Ever since I bought my car, there has been a pull to the left and the steering wheel was off-center. Such had been the case with my 2001 RAV4 and my 2003 Camry, both of which were fixed without issue.
My car now has 1000 miles on it. I have taken my car to Bell Road Toyota in Phoenix twice now for adjustment, and there is still a pull to the left, considerable bump-steer, and wandering on straightways especially at freeway speeds. On center, the steering feels disconnected and sloppy. They assure me that everything's "within spec." The service manager thinks I'm crazy and he sees nothing wrong with it. In a test drive of 4 miles I don't see how he could make that determination.
Upon researching my car's symptoms on the internet, it appears that the camber settings could be the culprit. I got a printout of the alignment settings from the dealer and the left front camber is at -0.3 degrees and the right is at -1.1 degrees. The rear camber is (left) -1.0 and (right) -2.1. For the record, toe settings are at an exact 0 degrees on both sides in the front and +0.16(l)/+0.17 (r) in the rear so I don't think toe is the culprit.
At first glance of these stats, it would seem obvious there's a bias to the right in terms of negative camber which would force the car to drift left. The problem is that the service manager says there is no camber adjustment on the '03 Highlander. Is this true, or could be he just be misinformed?
Anyone out there have more info for me? Am I on the right track?
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