Hi, I'm looking for some feedback on a problem I've been dealing with for quite some time, a few months actually. Ive just been very frustrated about it and do not have all the time in the world to be dealing with it, I shouldve posted a long time ago.

I ordered and installed TRD Springs, Struts, and rear sway bar on my tC. Install, everything was flawless (to the best knowledge of me and the installer). For about 2-3 months everything was tight and performing beautifully, but then I started encountering problems. I'll try to describe in best detail that I can what Ive been experiencing.

My steering started feeling soft and I was encountering a vagueness on center which only got worse over time. In addition, I began to hear slight grinding noises and vibrations/inconsistencies through my steering wheel and pedals, as well as where I rest my left foot next to the brake pedal. This grinding eventually got worse, appearing at its worse at particularly angled turns on the highway between 50-60mph relatively. It is a semi-high pitched noise which occurs when the wheel is a few degrees off center. It seems to be coming from around the steering wheel, not down by the actual wheels. My vagueness on center got worse over time, at which point I took it back to the installer for a reinstall. It was brought back twice over 2 months to reinstall what I first thought was a suspension install problem on the front end. What is odd is that the person doing the install was very meticulous and seemingly did everything perfect, and it did make the situation better than what it was; thing is, it only lasted temporarily. I could still feel inconsistencies after the reinstall, but it got worse again within a week or so. Now, I dont understand why reinstalling would alleviate the problem some only to bring it back to its original problematic state; there was talk about a faulty install but it was reinstalled 3 times in total and with proper accuracy. How hard could such an install possibly be, especially for someone who has worked on a good amount of Scions?

Real Experiences with the problem: I've come to believe now it has something to do with the steering for the fact that the suspension itself and the ride seems fine and reacts to the road correctly. My input with the steering wheel does not create the quick responsiveness that it used to, and I have a serious vagueness on center, extending about 50 degrees in both direction. One of the worst experiences I had driving in this state had to do with a turn I took around 55mph on the highway and my car jerked to the right without me making any directional changes to the wheel, almost as if a strong gust had hit my car and moved it, creating turbulence. It felt like I had no control and I was going to run off the higway. Currently at speeds exceeding 80mph my car does not feel stable and I cannot drive as aggressively through turns as I used to.

Take it to the dealer right? It's bad enough Ive had to skip school and work to meet their bull____ 7AM-11AM deadlines for appointments with technicians, but these guys are idiots and cannot feel the problem. They wear unlaced timberland boots and drive with one hand, just robotically turning the wheel through turns and commenting it feels fine, like any other tC. Bull____. A special field service technician was supposed to call me to set up an appointment, that was 2 weeks ago.

I have no idea what to do at this point beyond wait it out and see which is the part causing the problem once it breaks. I'm thinking its either a faulty install (which I find to be unlikely), a faulty spring/strut (does that happen?) or a manufacturers defect of some original part on my car, god knows which one.
Any thoughts?

 

Hm, that's discouraging. No similar experiences or speculations?

Could the Toyota recall affecting SUVs play any part in this or are the parts completely different?

"The recall was prompted after the discovery that a defect with the front suspension ball joint could lead to wear and tear over time. Excessive wear or looseness in the ball joint could force drivers to exert more effort when steering, allowing the vehicle to drift and increase the amount of noise from the suspension. "

 

No matter how meticulous the installer seemed, something got out of whack. Are no parts showing any visible signs of stress or wear? At speed, with the car in neutral, does it behave the same way?

There are so many things it could be... I dare not even hazard a guess.