Tightening up the steering on a 2012 Tacoma 2wd....

I bought a 2012 Tacoma Prerunner with 93,000 miles on it ( looks and feels like the majority of the miles were freeway or easy miles ) , but the steering has a very small amount of play at the steering wheel. When driving down the freeway going 65 - 75 mph , it tends to require minor adjustments ( about 1/4 inch of movement ) at the wheel to keep the truck in its lane. I have four brand new Dunlop AT20 Grand Trek tires on the truck , and they are all inflated at 36 psi.
Is there a part that could need replacing in the steering linkage that would restore the original zero play in the steering wheel ?? What would the best way of determining what is wrong with the steering be ? I don't have great luck with getting any problems resolved at Toyota dealerships , though I do have a gold level extended warranty.

 

might look up the zip tie mod. But realisticly, go get it aligned, wandering like that tends to be due to bad alignment.

 

Sub'ed to see what you do. I have always wondered what specific parts wear out to make the steering wheel give a little bit more over time.

 

Alignment IMO. My 2012 is tight as a tick, yours should be also.

 

Thanks for the tip... I will go get a 4 wheel alignment on it. - J.

 

Is the truck lifted or leveled?

 

No the truck has no modifications to the suspension or frame , or wheels ( no lift kit, etc. )
- J.P.

Re : 2012 Tacoma Prerunner that has slight play in steering

 

Thanks for the tip...
I will try lowering the tire pressure a bit , and see if that helps.
- J.P.

 

how do you align the rear 2 wheels ?

 

I don't know exactly , but I think they just check to see if the rear wheels are tracking properly ( using lasers on a alignment table ), and if it's not in alignment , they make changes to whatever is causing them to be out of alignment from where they should be.

 

First have alignment shop check your front steering and suspension parts for play. If there is any play in any component, then replace it. If the front end is tight you can get what is called a Thrust Angle Alignment. This means they adjust your front wheels to the thrust angle of the rear axle to make your truck drive and steer straight without any pull or wander.

 

Thanks, I really appreciate the advice... I will definitely go and get that done. - J.P.

 

Let us know how it goes!

 

so how did it go??