Alignment PSA

My 21 trd pro was pulling slightly to one side… comes out it wasn’t aligned proper. (I was first owner) got it taken care of at 10k miles.
My 22 also pulls slightly to the left … and it was out of alignment. Dealer corrected it at 5k miles.

Both trucks were brand new purchased by me … accident free. 100% stock.

Woman’s 14 year old acura on factory alignment with no issues.

do these things pop out of alignment ? With the first truck I thought it was a fluke… but now it’s more of a pattern.

Additional fyi. Alignment is covered for 12m/12k miles by the warranty
Bizzare

 

Disappointing. My '22 rubs with a slightly bigger tire so I'm guessing my alignment from the factory is off too. Fortunately that will be fixed soon after a suspension install. I never had alignment issues with any other vehicles.
Good info on the alignment warranty.

 

my truck drifts to the right off the highway if i let go of the wheel. also if hold the wheel center, it drifts to the left...maybe i should get it checked before i wear the tires out

 

I look at an alignment as a wear item. I don't care where you drive and how you drive... there are to many variables to keep an alignment 100% for the life of the vehicle.

A bad enough pot hole will pull an alignment out of spec, especially with the cam bolt tq requirements tacomas have. And just b/c it pulls to one side doesn't mean the alignment is out of spec. Things like road crown and tread patterns play a part. Having said that, the fact that it isn't pulling to one side isn't enough to suggest your alignment is within spec.

 

I'm probably in the minority but I'm an absolute stickler for a good alignment on especially on IFS vehicles.
I drive like a wild man in the winter and I usually get it re-aligned in the spring when I swap to my summer wheels.

These do in fact drift out of alignment by a little (or a lot) with enough miles and big potholes, curb hopping, dirt roads, winter shenanigans etc.

 

Did you miss the whole picture of it being out of spec before writing this?

 

a really well done alignment is life altering

 

my transmission was low on fluid from the factory.... stuff happens

 

Did you miss the part where most of these trucks don't leave the factory 100% correct without fault. It's why you have a warranty and just because it's yours doesn't make it special. It was out of alignment, you had it corrected. Great for you, my post was shedding light on reasonable expectations.

 

It wasn’t just 1 it was 2 trucks. And they were both relatively new.

Expectation is that a new truck is within alignment spec. Your comments about things being within spec and pulling are absolute non sense.

 

Let's try this one more time.. my transmission was low on fluid from the factory

 

No idea what this has to do with my alignment thread but thanks for that info

 

Brother come on, don't be obtuse

let's spell it out for the extra slow folks.... cars leave the factory with stuff out of spec all the time

 

Restaurant Waiting staff must love you.

 

Also you are aware that a truck can be " within spec " and still pull to one side? That's where things like road crown and asymmetrical tread pattern come into play. Not to mention tire pressures and a host of other things related to front suspension components. It's not nonsense at all as you implied earlier.

And the below post was referencing the fact that 100's if not 1,000's of brand new 3rd gens left the factory low on transmission fluid, its well documented on this forum. That's right, brand new trucks left dealers lots from all across the country low on the fluid that makes a trans work properly. So the fact that you had 2 trucks leave the dealers lot with bad alignment isn't surprising at all.

 

An alignment in the hands of a skilled tech with a calibrated machine is the first thing any experienced sports car buyer, who plans to autox or canyon carve, has done. Usually ballasted and to specific numbers.

While trucks and other plebian vehicles are generally ok 'in the green', an alignment out the gate isn't a bad plan. And no harm in seeking better numbers, especially being balanced side to side with caster and camber.

 

People getting way too cranky over this, but I think a $40k vehicle should come with a good alignment from the factory (and all fluids topped up). I don't think that's asking too much.

 

Yep. this wasn’t supposed to be some sort of dick measuring contest of whose truck had more shit wrong with it from the factory.

Just trying to give a heads up to some with a newer truck. It’s free for 12 months then you’re out $100+

Don’t see the point in crying over spilled milk.

Just another thing to watch out for.

 

It's not uncommon for alignments to be a little touch and go from the factory. Heck look at the rear axles that stick out on the passenger side, at least both my 2nd gens had it..

A good sports car focused chassis shop near me straightened out the axle and the front end nicely.