'16 Limited - Wandering Issues?

[generald]

New to T4R coming from an old '00 Ranger. Excited to join up!

Picked up a new '16 Limited last Sunday and experienced something completely new to me...wandering (per a few searches).

Issue
Essentially, the truck continuously sways left and right at highway speed (65mph+) on a good freeway here in the bay area when driving dead straight. There is minimal (expected) wheel play and it tracks pretty well.

Solution?
After searching, I found it could be two things given the new tires: tire balance, tire structure themselves. I also found that for older trucks it could need be: tired rotation or the tire wear is uneven.

Request/Next Steps
I intend to bring it to a local dealer given the warranty, but does anyone have ideas on what I should bring up?

Thanks in advance!

*Note: I have driven trucks before and towed in wind, so I understand there is expected sway and steering play.

 

[fraggy]

Swaying

Does the highway have slight grooves in it. I experienced a similar problem at high speeds that is the result of the tires. It even does it on a new cement highway with small parallel lines in them. My tires were Yokahamas. Changed the tires and it went away. You mentioned it wasn't tracking, but this an similar tracking problem that I experienced.

 

[DesertCanyons]

Wander off course

There doesn't appear to be any play in the steering that I've noticed in my 2015 with 4500 miles on it. But if I look away for a second the car will steer itself off course. I find the car wandering out of the lane when I'm distracted. I've learned to keep my eyes on the road and not look away for more than a second.

 

[philsey]

I had this problem when new, for several months actually.

From reading this forum, this was quite common. The solution was to get an alignment and have the caster set to as near +4 deg as possible.

It was like magic. That was 2010, been great ever since.

Fortunately, my Toyota SM knew exactly what I wanted, and why. Your dealer may push back on the 4 degrees, telling you that "it's already in spec". This has been discussed on here multiple, multiple times - same symptom, same fix.

Google search this forum for "caster" or "castor", you'll see. Don't rotate, don't swap tires, don't do anything else until you first get the caster set.

And get a printout from the alignment so you can see what it is.

 

[3William56]

I just got back from a windy road trip and had to search to see what others had experienced regarding wandering. My last vehicle was a '09 Tacoma TRD double cab, and there is a drastic difference between it and my '15 4Runner SR5 Premium. It surprised me because they are so similar in many ways.
I'm going to go to my dealership and ask about the castor setting, because my last long drive was ridiculous. Not enjoyable at all.
I'll post my results.

 

[03_4x4Runner]

When my 14 was new it wandered. The dealer aligned the front for free and it is fine now. The toe in was slightly off.

 

[rayjr]

4 runner wandering

I had this problem when new, for several months actually.

From reading this forum, this was quite common. The solution was to get an alignment and have the caster set to as near +4 deg as possible.

It was like magic. That was 2010, been great ever since.

Fortunately, my Toyota SM knew exactly what I wanted, and why. Your dealer may push back on the 4 degrees, telling you that "it's already in spec". This has been discussed on here multiple, multiple times - same symptom, same fix.

Google search this forum for "caster" or "castor", you'll see. Don't rotate, don't swap tires, don't do anything else until you first get the caster set.

And get a printout from the alignment so you can see what it is.

My 2016 is wandering exactly like the rest in this thread. Did the +4 deg of caster put excessive wear on your tires? Did it cause the tires to rub the inner fender splash shields? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[TEujunga]

My 2016 is wandering exactly like the rest in this thread. Did the +4 deg of caster put excessive wear on your tires?

Caster does not affect tire wear, but more caster isn't always better, either. It's not necessarily a cure-all for all "wandering" issues, which can have a variety of sources.

Not directed at the OP, but honestly, I don't know why there's generally so much voodoo associated with alignment. It ain't rocket surgery.

 

[philsey]

My 2016 is wandering exactly like the rest in this thread. Did the +4 deg of caster put excessive wear on your tires? Did it cause the tires to rub the inner fender splash shields? Any help would be appreciated.

Did the +4 deg of caster put excessive wear on your tires?
* You don't necessarily get to 4* always, but no.

Did it cause the tires to rub the inner fender splash shields?
* No, but oem sized
.

 

[rayjr]

My 4 runner is a 2016 stock SR5 with 5000 miles on it. The OEM tires were flat spotted from sitting on the lot so I replaced them with Toyo Open Country HT. Vehicle wear can't be the culprit, so I am trying as many avenues as possible to get this truck to a point that we want to keep it.

 

[Leeflorida]

16 FourRunner wanderer

My 16 Four Runner had issues with wandering from day one. Was a new build. Toyota checked pressure in tires and said they did not see problem. It was realigned and rebalanced. Still had same issue. I liked the vehicle but it made driving to much of a chore. The other issue I had with it was I had cloth seats and they were wearing out so fast on the edge of drivers seat. The black cloth was turning gray. If the truck did not have the front end issue I was gonna have leather put in but felt like it was a losing battle. I traded it in on a 17 F-150 Lariat which drives and tracks beautifully. Ironically gas mileage is about the same. Wish they would bring the Fj Cruiser back!

 

[e60ral]

My 16 Four Runner had issues with wandering from day one. Was a new build. Toyota checked pressure in tires and said they did not see problem. It was realigned and rebalanced. Still had same issue. I liked the vehicle but it made driving to much of a chore. The other issue I had with it was I had cloth seats and they were wearing out so fast on the edge of drivers seat. The black cloth was turning gray. If the truck did not have the front end issue I was gonna have leather put in but felt like it was a losing battle. I traded it in on a 17 F-150 Lariat which drives and tracks beautifully. Ironically gas mileage is about the same. Wish they would bring the Fj Cruiser back!

you could have saved yourself from having to drive a ford if you just got it aligned

 

[KP Texan]

My 16 Four Runner had issues with wandering from day one. Was a new build. Toyota checked pressure in tires and said they did not see problem. It was realigned and rebalanced. Still had same issue. I liked the vehicle but it made driving to much of a chore. The other issue I had with it was I had cloth seats and they were wearing out so fast on the edge of drivers seat. The black cloth was turning gray. If the truck did not have the front end issue I was gonna have leather put in but felt like it was a losing battle. I traded it in on a 17 F-150 Lariat which drives and tracks beautifully. Ironically gas mileage is about the same. Wish they would bring the Fj Cruiser back!

Hopefully you don't have the highway vibration that is inherent in so many F-150s... my '13 had it and so do a lot of the new ones. What's bad is there is no cure:

https://www.f150forum.com/f118/vibration-issues-group-thread-ford-complaint-please-read-395499/

 

[philsey]

I'm going to post my recent experience with my just-delivered 2018 in the event other new deliveries have a similar problem.

Given my experience with my new 2010 (posted earlier in this thread), and the fact that the '18 also wandered about on the highway, I was sure I had the same problem with caster setting.

My dealer agreed to check alignment. On the rack, the tech checked air pressure first, found >50# all around. It was delivered this way. I should have checked it, but assumed a new vehicle would have been checked.

Back to 32# ... problem solved.

 

[doxidad]

I had the wandering problem with the 2015 SR5 that I used have. It was like this from the get go. It was both 50+ lbs in the tires and alignment. I found the over inflation. It helped but it was still all over the road. Took it back to the dealer. They checked the alignment. Said it was out and adjusted it. Night and day difference. The 2017 TRD ORP I have now tracks solid.

 

[pcrdude]

2016 Limited on TRD wheels and tires. Vague "return to center feel", and some wandering. Dealer tech was knowledgeable, and put in max caster as I requested. Problem solved.

 

[Rubble]

Wandering

2018 TRD ORP W/KDSS. Vehicle wandered quite a bit at speeds above 45. I did research on this forum regarding alignment, caster, and continuous small steering corrections, and I appreciate the input everyone has provided on the topic. I checked the tire pressure, and it was at about 40. I took the vehicle to the dealer for an alignment check, and the toe was out and caster was not within specs. After the alignment, the rig still wandered a bit, so I went back to the dealer and they had a specialist look at it. He redid the alignment, and set the tire pressure to 34. The wandering has improved greatly.

For the 5th generation 4Runners, what are realistic expectations as far as how this vehicle tracks down a freeway or road?

Thanks for any input.

 

[philsey]

For the 5th generation 4Runners, what are realistic expectations as far as how this vehicle tracks down a freeway or road?

Thanks for any input.

My '18 was awful when I first drove it on the hwy. I took it in for an alignment (or so I thought), and the alignment tech found all the tires at 50#. Silly me, thinking the delivery get-ready would include a tire check.

Now at 32# it drives perfectly, as it should.

 

[saskrunnerpro]

I have 2018 trd pro . Have had alignment issues right from new . I took it to dealer last week and they said they found the toe was out and the pull to the right was gone . Still having wandering and issues pulling to the right . They had the caster set pretty high +3.5 . Checked tire pressures they are all at 35psi . My wife drives the vehicle a lot and is having a hard time control it on the freeway . Damn dealers never fix anything !!

 

[highalti2d]

Purchased new '17 TRD ORP (non-KDSS) and noticed left/right swaying issues on the highway. The 2002 Tundra I previously owned drove effortlessly and straight as a rail on the highway. At first, I attributed the swaying back and forth to the OEM Bridgestone tires. After installing new Cooper AT3 tires, the nose-dive has improved but the swaying remains. It makes highway driving unpleasant having to constantly correcting the vehicle to stay centered in the lane. I'm going to follow up with dealership regarding alignment recommendations. I'm wondering if they have issued a TSB on this topic. Also, is first alignment done at factory or dealership during pre-delivery inspection?

Thanks for all of the thread input regarding what to check. I'll follow up once I visit the dealership.