I have a 2015 and find it very good.
Check that your front tire pressure isn't too high reducing rubber contact with road. Assuming front suspension is good the only other thing I can think of is weight distribution. Heavy on rear of car?

 

Excessive tire pressure would make the vehicle feel jittery and harsh around town.
Floaty would be undeinflated tires.
Highlander has 60 profile tire so feels soft but I wouldn't describe it as floaty.
Even the 4 runner on its 70 profile tire feels bouncy but not floaty, that sounds like being picky or faded shocks.
Get bilsteins.

 

New tires, correct psi.
Car empty.

Mike, do you have another vehicle as a comparison?


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New tires, correct psi.
Car empty.

Mike, do you have another vehicle as a comparison?


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Mine is a 2015 Highlander Limited which I purchased in 2020. We overlapped a few months with our old 2008 Chev Equinox which I had no steering issues with. I found the Toyota and Equinox very comparable for handling. Both have electric power steering. Did your Highlander handle like this before you got the new tires?

 

Are both of those vehicles electric power steering?

 

My 2017 feels like it hasn't got enough caster. Like it is too easy to steer from straight. One might call it "floaty". I have not had it checked. It could be the tires that came with a used vehicle. Very cheap no name brand.

 

My 2017 was like this until an alignment seemed to cure it. It has since been my very best straight line highway vehicle. The steering wheel, although very slightly rotated to the right, has a very centered feel with no pulling or wandering.

 

Interesting, I would describe my 2015 exactly that way. Even has the steering very slightly off centered to the right.

 

It is wheel alignment related, never mind the numbers are green.

Go visit a competent alignment tech.

 

Has felt like this since we purchased at 45k miles.
Had new continental tires, now have Michelin. Same feel.

Had alignment done.

The above post about not wanting to track straight, or easily wanders is correct as well.
Just feels all over the place.

I drive a Audi s4, and these are worlds different in steering feel.

Feels like the HL has very worn out suspension parts. Maybe it’s normal.


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Had alignment done.

Mind sharing the alignment numbers?

 

What trim?

 

Steering can feel light and floaty after getting new tires, but that goes away as the new tire surface wears in, within a few hundred miles. This problem has continued throughout the life of the first set of tires so the cause must be something else. Was the dealer who checked the car the one you purchased it from, if so how motivated were they to find a problem? Similarly, dealerships and franchises aren't the best places to find technicians with the skills or interest to dig more deeply into handling and alignment problems. Here's how you might proceed:

- Establish a baseline, drive HL's of the same year and model to see if the problem is common to the type or unique to your vehicle.

- Does your car have the OEM wheels, or at least wheels with proper diameter, width and offsets? As previously mentioned, check for proper inflation.

- If it's just your car, locate a suspension/alignment specialist who can check whether the body has been distorted, such as in an accident. If this is the case and wasn't disclosed pre-sale, you might have a strong case for a refund or at least thorough repair. Otherwise make a decision on having it straightened vs. dumping it. A reputable body shop (they exist) can perform the measurements and, if necessary, recommend a competent frame specialist. However, I'm familiar with cases where even after a body was returned to spec. it still didn't handle properly, one tire would wear unevenly, etc.

- Assuming the body meets spec., seek out an independent suspension/alignment specialist to give you car a thorough going over for worn or damaged parts, and if any, fix those before moving on to alignment. You'll probably need to search for the right place - you might ask an independent mechanic, the local high school or community college auto shop instructor or local track racers or car clubs. Bad struts/shocks can create a floating feel but might not be obvious from a physical inspection, and worn bushings can cause subtle issues.

- Sometimes the standard alignment specs won't work for a particular car, but a truly knowledgable alignment specialist can tweak individual adjustments to solve a handling issue.

Best wishes.

 

Mine isn’t floaty in the sense that I constantly need to correct my steering in order to track straight but the suspension is pretty soft. I would not define steering response as quick. It’s more like it takes an extra 1/4 second to load up the suspension before the vehicle responds to any remotely aggressive inputs at speed.

 

That steering defect is what my alignment fixed.

 

Worn shocks?

 

Based on watching many episodes of Wheeler/Dealer, the most frequent cause of sloppy handling in their programs was worn bushings in the suspension or tie rod ends.

John

 

Dealer and a separate Indy shop said suspension looks good. Indy shop test drove it and said it drives like it should.

If they say it’s good, I dont know what specific part to change.

I dislike driving it, that’s why I’m looking for a solution.


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Dealer and a separate Indy shop said suspension looks good. Indy shop test drove it and said it drives like it should.

If they say it’s good, I dont know what specific part to change.

I dislike driving it, that’s why I’m looking for a solution.


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70k miles
Shocks are on the way out .
Or they will be at some point, most cost effective solution replace them.
It is a wear item and you will replace them anyway and go to a different dealer.
I had a toyota pickup at 60K miles years ago develop a tloaty unstable feel.
It was the shocks , toyota wearable parts are garbage. Replaced them with aftermarket.
But don't trust me.
I am not a mechanic.

 

You could try verifying this by driving others of the same series. If it's truly how they are, the next step might be visiting a qualified suspension tuner to see what's possible.

 

I too was going to mention tires. The Latitudes felt unsure and a bit floaty. Changed tires and I was much happier...Maybe there is a combo issue of tires and shocks, and maybe a bit of expectation.