2008 SR5 4X4 wanders on road

[snb421974]

Hi all--I'm new to the group, and own a "certified pre-owned" 2008 SR5 I bought three years ago. It had no recorded damage history. However, lately I've noticed that it tends to veer in the direction of the road grade on certain paved roads. While typically this is to the right, it also wanders left in certain situations. I'm not sure if this is new behavior or not--I never noticed it before, but that doesn't mean it wasn't doing it. It does seem to pull up straight at a hard stop in a level place (like a parking lot).

The only reason I worry that this may be a serious concern is that the panel gap between the left front fender and the hood is uncharacteristically wide--you can actually see the bracket for the battery when looking straight down into the gap, and it is wider than the gap on the other side of the hood. Of course I did not notice this until having owned it for some time. Does anyone have a similar panel gap or the wandering problem? Thanks!

Sam

 

[galactic_04]

honestly, I'd have the alignment checked. Some road wonder is normal with the 4runner. I noticed this too when I was driving my MR2 before the truck. It really seemed to pull and be all over the road. I did have the alignment done and checked tie rod ends, balljoints and all that and it still has some wonder to it. It's definitely not a sports car!

 

[webby]

Alignment and condition of front end parts, as has been mentioned, can be a major factor. Also, tires, tires, tires. The condition, the brand and model of tires will make a tremendous difference in how any vehicle handles. It can be night and day. I have Michelins on my 09 SR5, and I get almost no wandering -- mine drives very straight and true.

And last, but obviously very important, did you check the history of the vehicle for accidents before or since you purchased it? The gaps between the panels on my runner are pretty much consistent everywhere. Good luck sorting it out!

 

[teampwr2]

Yes Tire Tires Tires and front end components.....All roads have Crowns For water drainage and as your tires etc wear it could cause wandering

 

[snb421974]

Thanks, everyone. I will have the alignment checked at the 60k service (coming up). It did get new Michelins when I bought it, so that doesn't seem to be the issue. In terms of previous accidents, the Carfax came up clean, but it was an Enterprise rental car, so 1) Anything could have happened to it; and 2) They could have fixed any damage on their own and not reported it. That being said, my basic faith in humans makes me want to believe they wouldn't have covered up frame damage...It's probably just the normal wander of a car built to have some play in the suspension.:thanks:

 

[d2huffman]

When the tread wears down it changes how the tires track also. Have you had your tires rotated regularly? At 5-6/32 most of the real definition of the tread is gone.