Alignment question

Hey Guys, I have had my 2020 Tacoma for a month now and I think I have an alignment issue. Well, I know I have an alignment issue cause one of my tires is wearing heavily on the outside. But I also feel like there is too much dead space while steering. I'm not sure what the term is, but I have to turn the wheel several inches before going left and right. Can that be tightened up with an alignment? I just pulled my popup on a trip and I felt like I constantly had to nudge the truck left and right and since there are a few inches of play in the steering, I'm moving the wheel back and forth 3 inches constantly to keep it straight. Doesn't seem to pull in either direction at least. Is this an alignment issue or something else? Or am I just too used to driving SUVs and this is normal on a truck? I know older trucks were this way.

 

What PSI is the tire(s)?

 

The PSI could be off, the tire could be out of round, you may have a suspension issue in that corner of the truck.

 

So, I have them at 35psi. Is that low/high?

 

Don't mess with it and take it back to the dealer!!!! Have them work it out! Do NOT Take it to an independent Alignment shop!

You only had the truck for a month.

 

If you're on stock tires, your best bet will be setting them at the recommendation on your door jam; that being said, 35 psi sounds reasonable, and I wouldn't expect extreme wear on the tires. BUT, you've only had it for a month, and you have no idea if the previous owner ran them at the wrong tire pressure for an extended time.

You mentioned only having it for a month; do you have any kind of warranty from the seller (assuming you got it from a dealer, but not clear)? Maybe something they can properly diagnose for you. If not, maybe check the alignment, check suspension components, keep a strict rotation schedule and see if any other tires wear on that corner.

 

Unfortunately, in this case, I bought it used from a private seller, so I will definitely have to get it fixed myself.

 

Ah O.K. the symptoms you describe are more than likely alignment related.
Do you know the history of the truck??
Was it ever in an accident?

 

Yeah, there are only 21000 miles on the truck and only one of the tires is wearing improperly so there is obviously a problem with that corner, the other 3 tires look fine so I doubt they were rotated at all. I was planning on replacing the tires anyway, just want to make sure I get the alignment fixed so it drives better and doesn't wear out the new ones. Do you have a bit of play in the steering? Would a regular alignment place be able to look at that or should I be taking it to a regular mechanic?

 

Not rotating tires for 21k+ miles could most definitely cause uneven wear, and is the point of tire rotation. Do you have any maintenance records, or any evidence or not whether the tires have ever been rotated? I'd personally start there, and then on to looking at paying to have it looked at. As for the steering wheel play, I'm unsure, but I'm sure others can post some clarity on it. Can you post a pic of the tire? How much difference in tread depth?

 

I would guess a bent inner/outer tie rod or the joints are loose. Jack up that order and try to steer the tire left and right using the tire and not the steering wheel. See if there is any play. Any alignment shop should be able to find the culprit. I doubt the splines are messed up on the steering shaft.

That said, if it was in an accident and they half-assed put the truck back together, you may have other issues as well.

 

I think you nailed it. I just lifted up my front end and the right tire doesn't budge but the left one (the one with the wearing problem) does have a little play, like a quarter-inch. Sounds like I got something loose that needs to be fixed soon. Would a tire shop know how to fix this?

 

Yes, a tire shop can change suspension components. You will need another alignment once they are replaced. The shop doing the alignment SHOULD HAVE caught this issue when doing an alignment so I wouldn't go to Firestone again. I would check out the regional forum on here where you are located and search for an alignment shop people suggest out there. Or post your geographic area here and someone can help ya out.

 

If its the passenger tire wearing on the outside of the tire. the toe out needs to be corrected. When i did my 1st toyota care visit the dealer informed me it needed a alignment on the right front. They completed it along with replacing the oil, and rotating the tires. I also learned the alignment was covered by the warranty if its done within 1 year or 10k miles from the purchase date.

 

Well, I took my truck down to the local well-respected tire shop. You know, the one with a great reputation for being honest, And they do a lot of other repairs so they know more than just tires. They don't think there is anything wrong, he even said he tried to move the tire that wore wrong and it was fine. And the problem isn't there now that I got new tires. It drives just fine. I don't know what to think. I don't want the tires I just spent a grand on to wear out in 20,000 miles like those. Maybe the previous owner put bad tires from another truck on my truck and that was the only problem. I don't know, but I will definitely be rotating these tires properly.

 

My 2020 had around 6k miles, and it drove perfect before the toyota care visit, but the dealer pointed out to me i had excessive wear on my outer edge of the passenger front tire. They needed me to hang around about a 1/2 hr more to do an alignment. I've been watching it now that they told me. I could see the tires that had been rotated were at one time on that right front side had slightly more wear vs the driver side. I'm glad they spotted the toe issue, or i probably would have needed a new tires by now.

 

Is this what your tire looked like?

 

Most trucks come with too much positive camber from factory, which if you do a lot of city driving (lots of turning) it'll wear the outside pretty fast as it gets worse when turning.

 

Exactly. My dealer said they had to reset the toe.

 

When the dealer informed me i needed an alignment for that same reason. I asked the same question if the camber was causing it....they said no, its definitely a toe issue. Well whatever it was it appears corrected.