willb0125
New member
I have had my '15 TEP for a little over 18 months and about 26,000 miles. Only "modification" is a set of Nitto Terra Grappler G2 tires in stock P265/70/17 size. So I think we can call it stock. Including the OEM times these are the 3rd set of tires on the truck. It had Cooper Discoverer AT/3 on it from 10,000 to 25,000 miles.
From about the 5,000 mile mark I have been dealing with steering wheel vibration in the 55-65 MPH range. I know this is not a new topic by and stretch. I have read through what seems like an infinite number of post on the vibration issue and I have tried just about every fix you can imagine. I can’t even remember how many times I have had this thing re-balanced, including several Road Force balances and 3 sets of different tires and nothing seems to help. Toyota service department can never reproduce the issue so they will do nothing except balance and rotate. So helpful.
New over the last month or so I have been dealing with an entirely new set of issues. First the alignment was off, hard pull to the right. So I do what seems like the correct thing and bring it in to the dealer for an alignment. This was a paid service not under warranty. I probably would have got the same end result if I had simply driven in to some curbs. 2 days and 3 trips to the dealer later and the alignment is worse than it has ever been. Now I have the service rep telling me it’s all in spec and they don’t know what’s going on. At this point frustration kicks in and I take it to a local shop who magically is able to fix the alignment for another $100 out of my pocket.
I also had this shop replace the tires a week or so later in hopes of resolving the shaking steering wheel. And miracles happened, no more shaking no more pulling. Life was good, happiness was had.
Well that lasted for about 2 weeks. I started noticing a slight clunking sound coming from the front end when braking and backing out of parking spots. This got progressively worse over about a weeks’ time. Fearing one of the front wheels was going to fly off I made the dreaded trip to Toyota again. Takes them about 4 hours to figure out the driver’s side front LCA bushings are shot and the whole thing needs to be replaced. Next day the parts come in and are installed. No more clunking at all, sounds good as new. I get 1/4 mile from the dealer and realize the alignment is pulling to the right like a champion again. It’s too late to go back to the dealer so I head back the next day. Takes them 6 hours and multiple attempts to get it to hold the correct alignment. Techs seem mystified as to why it won’t stay aligned but they eventually get it worked out.
But wait there’s more. 2 days after the LCA/alignment is resolved and now its back. Nice loud clunking sound but this time if seems to be coming from the passenger’s side. I am currently waiting on a call back from the Toyota service rep to see what genius idea they come up with this time.
So I'm starting to think this is not normal behavior. But that just might be me.
This truck is my DD, does about 60 miles on the highway back and forth to work. Been to Rausch Creek once for the 101 class, not exactly extreme off road and about a dozen trips to the beach here on Long Island.
This vehicle has spent more time in the shop then every other vehicle i have owned, combined over the last 20 years. I bought the Toyota over a domestic product specifically because of its reliability record. To say I am disappointed is an understatement.
From about the 5,000 mile mark I have been dealing with steering wheel vibration in the 55-65 MPH range. I know this is not a new topic by and stretch. I have read through what seems like an infinite number of post on the vibration issue and I have tried just about every fix you can imagine. I can’t even remember how many times I have had this thing re-balanced, including several Road Force balances and 3 sets of different tires and nothing seems to help. Toyota service department can never reproduce the issue so they will do nothing except balance and rotate. So helpful.
New over the last month or so I have been dealing with an entirely new set of issues. First the alignment was off, hard pull to the right. So I do what seems like the correct thing and bring it in to the dealer for an alignment. This was a paid service not under warranty. I probably would have got the same end result if I had simply driven in to some curbs. 2 days and 3 trips to the dealer later and the alignment is worse than it has ever been. Now I have the service rep telling me it’s all in spec and they don’t know what’s going on. At this point frustration kicks in and I take it to a local shop who magically is able to fix the alignment for another $100 out of my pocket.
I also had this shop replace the tires a week or so later in hopes of resolving the shaking steering wheel. And miracles happened, no more shaking no more pulling. Life was good, happiness was had.
Well that lasted for about 2 weeks. I started noticing a slight clunking sound coming from the front end when braking and backing out of parking spots. This got progressively worse over about a weeks’ time. Fearing one of the front wheels was going to fly off I made the dreaded trip to Toyota again. Takes them about 4 hours to figure out the driver’s side front LCA bushings are shot and the whole thing needs to be replaced. Next day the parts come in and are installed. No more clunking at all, sounds good as new. I get 1/4 mile from the dealer and realize the alignment is pulling to the right like a champion again. It’s too late to go back to the dealer so I head back the next day. Takes them 6 hours and multiple attempts to get it to hold the correct alignment. Techs seem mystified as to why it won’t stay aligned but they eventually get it worked out.
But wait there’s more. 2 days after the LCA/alignment is resolved and now its back. Nice loud clunking sound but this time if seems to be coming from the passenger’s side. I am currently waiting on a call back from the Toyota service rep to see what genius idea they come up with this time.
So I'm starting to think this is not normal behavior. But that just might be me.
This truck is my DD, does about 60 miles on the highway back and forth to work. Been to Rausch Creek once for the 101 class, not exactly extreme off road and about a dozen trips to the beach here on Long Island.
This vehicle has spent more time in the shop then every other vehicle i have owned, combined over the last 20 years. I bought the Toyota over a domestic product specifically because of its reliability record. To say I am disappointed is an understatement.
