sysmgr2

Let me please 'paint the picture'... I just fell in love with, and purchased a new '06 box that was loaded by the dealer. (TRD shocks, springs, wheels, intake/exhaust, shifter, etc.) I brought it in the next day, because it pulled to the left, and the wheels/tires were out of balance. The tire balance problem was fixed, but the pull persisted. They're now had it 3 different times, changed bolts, and even had the 'factory engineer' look at the numbers... He now wants them to 'rotate the shock towers 30degrees', loosten the springs/struts, bounce the truck and then re-align'... Apparently their getting the suggestion from a Camry service note. This has been going on for the last two weeks... They've had the vehicle more than I have... I know I'm a noob when it comes to an Xb, but my 'other car' is an S-2000, so I'm no stranger to short-wheelbase, tightly suspended cars... Just to see if it helped, I loaded a couple of friends on the passenger side. No difference.

If you could offer some advice, I'd be grateful...

Thanks!

INTENSE_POWER

is it a brand new xB? or is it used?
could be many things that make the car pull to one side. Hopefully they have someone that knows who to use the alignment machine properly or make sure it's not the brakes sticking. on one side

sysmgr2

It's new, sorry... I did have them check for brake issues too. I'm pretty confident in the tech they've got working on it, I guess I was just wondering if there was a known problem with lowered Xb's... Thanks!

wwjdd

I have had a problem with pulling to the right. I have aftermarket tires/wheels (17's) and 2" drop. I took it to the dealer for an alignment after the drop. Before they started, the tech took it for a ride and came in and said it was a tire causing the pull. I had them do the alignment, anyways. It was out of alignment, but still pulled to the right. I had hit a pothole and bent a rim a couple of days before going for the alignment. I had them put it back up on the rack and look for any bent parts. The tech said if any parts were bent, their alignment machine would show that and it would not align correctly. He, again, told me he thought it was a tire problem. He suggested I put my stock 15's back on and see what happens. I did and the problem is gone. Now, I have to figure out which tire is bad.

sysmgr2

Just received a call from the service manager, who informed me that the 'front struts were reversed, and the shock towers were damaged in the process of forcing them in'... Replacement parts have been ordered, and I should have it back tomorrow. I hope so...

Question: Does this all seem reasonable? I can't imagine how hard it must be to force the wrong strut into submission...

JoMac

The front struts were reversed? How did they manage that?

sysmgr2

I'm only repeating the tale told by the service mgr... I have never seen the service manual, or even looked underneath my Xb yet. I just hope that nothing was 'tweaked' beyond repair. I'll try and get pictures of the old parts when I pick it up tomorrow.

bB2NER

Sounds like whoever did the original install pulled both sides off then installed them on the opposite sides. This is why I only remove one strut at a time when changing out my front springs. Sounds like that tech needs to go back to suspension school. This is another reason to buy these parts and install them yourself in the first place.

JohnathonSull

Mine pulled to the left just like yours, I had posted a few months back my adventure with it and gave up.

I first took it into Toyota and they told me it was an alignment problem. So they re-aligned the wheels. That didnt fix it so I took it back into the dealership. They then told that the viscosity of the tires was bad, the ruber band inside of my front left tire had shifted and caused the car to pull. So I had the tire replaced. When Discount Tire put a new tire on it they told me the tires where rotated wrong and that Toyota put the tires on the car backwards from how they where supposed to be placed. Way ta go toyota, can't even rotate tires on your own cars! So anyway I put the new tire on the car and it still persisted. I gave up and assumed it was just part of the car. It doesn't seem to be hurting anything. Let me know what happens with your car. I'll be printing this page out and taking it to the dealership when yours gets fixed. I want mine fixed properly as well.

bB2NER

Has anyone check the front bearings. I've been reading a bunch about front wheel bearings going bad and causing all sorts of problems. It would explain a pulling to one side for sure.

sysmgr2

First, let me thank everyone in the community for their helpful posts and suggestions. At 50+, I don't often find myself in the position of a 'noob', so I'm grateful you've all been so patient and welcoming.

I picked my Xb up on Saturday morning. They had only replaced the right side insert, as the left hadn't arrived yet. While it still isn't quite 'perfect' and still drifts slightly left, I'd say it's at least 80% better. I'm presuming the installation of the left side will cure it all. I'll be sure to report back as soon as that happens. Best of all, my beloved box tracks much more smoothly. It used to feel kind of 'squirmy' in rain grooves or on the open grid of a steel lift bridge.

As for the suggestion that I should do all my own 'wrenching', while I couldn't agree more, I'm afraid I don't have as much free time to do that anymore... I've had to find trusted mechanics for each of my vehicles (S-2000, Xb and Harley). I must say that the new suspension specialist that Toyota Marin hired from Mitubishi Racing has done an excellent job sorting things out.

If I may be permitted to offer a small bit of advice to those of you who have problems getting issues resolved, particularly while you car is still under warranty- Don't be afraid to 'escalate' up the food chain. As an example, I started with the service writer, went back and spoke with the lead writer, then the service manager, and finally got the 'field engineer' involved. (other brands may call this the 'zone rep'.) We finally agreed on a course of action (fueled in part by your excellent observations and suggestions!). Once the suspension mechanic was told to 'take it all down, measure everything and put it back to factory spec' the error was obvious. The fact that all of the parts were TRD and dealer installed helped.

Now I need to start reading through the threads about sway bars...

Thanks again!

INTENSE_POWER

awesome.

Good to hear toyota is taking care of you and seemed to have found the problem.

Keep us updated if it fixes the issue just in case someone else has a similar issue.

here is a popular swaybar for the xB to hellp you start your search
Hotchkis Sport Sway Bar Set

bB2NER

The front stock sway bar is fine. all the front needs is Energy endlink bushings. . and the rear needs either TRD, Progress, or white line rear bar.