steering issue - please help

[t4rain]

i have had my 02 sport for about a month now and my steering has acted up twice. the first time i was going slow in a parking lot and the wheel would only rotate about 120 degrees at a time before it would feel like it was at full crank but then i let off it and it would go another 120 degrees. i can't explain it well but it required me to take a 3-point turn to do a 90 degree turn in a parking lot...

the second time happened today and was a bit scary... i was on the freeway and it curved to the left but my VSC warning started beeping and it was a VERY gradual turn and i was probably going about 50. then i felt the steering do something weird and it felt like my front wheels rubbed against something twice which made the front wheels not spin freely (it felt like i slammed on the brakes twice but my foot wasn't on the brake pedal). i don't know much about this stuff so i am going to a mechanic but i wanted to see if you guys had any ideas first. hoping it is just a fluid issue but i fear that it is something major. the 4runner has 86k miles on it fyi

 

[rdgt4r]

Hmm any dash lights on?

Maybe a front wheel speed sensor is bad for the second senario, But it has such low mileage that makes it tough. Could be a rack problem. If you could getting the front wheels off the ground and having someone turn the wheels while you look for obvious signs of trouble would be my first recommendation.

 

[brian2sun]

This isn't a common (known) problem and it sounds a little dangerous to me. I say take it to a shop ASAP.

 

[Duhockey]

This isn't a common (known) problem and it sounds a little dangerous to me. I say take it to a shop ASAP.

Ditto,

and make sure to let us know what the trouble was!

that way we can keep an eye out for others that might have the same issue

 

[KellyJ]

Sounds like you might need the Zero Point Recalibration for the VSC, at least for the second situation you described. The dealer should do it for free. But yeah, definitely take it in to be looked at immediately.

 

[t4rain]

a quick update: i took it to midas and they said the steering is fine but there is definitely something wrong with the car... could be electrical or it could be something with the rear end. they said to should take it to a dealership.
I called the dealer and the technician i spoke with said the VSC could be pumping the brakes and he said he would do the recalibration kellyJ mentioned for $90 since it is out of the 3 year 36k warranty (pretty steep but i dont have any other options) and that should fix it as long as the sensors didn't go bad which would be an additional cost. i'm taking it in there tomorrow and i will let you all know what it was.
i really appreciate the help/advice...

EDIT: i tried calibrating the VSC using keywords from KellyJ and i found this thread on yotatech it seems to have helped but not completely fixed the issue.

EDIT 2: got VSC recalibrated at the dealer for $90 but it fixed the problem...