Pulling to the right during driving/braking.

My Tacoma gurus. I need you now more than ever. I have a 2006 Tacoma 4x4 double cab. I’m having serious issues with it pulling to the right. It starts off as a little but then gets progressively worse as I go faster. It also gets worse when I brake and the even worse the harder I brake. I also have a knocking noise whenever I back up when I’m parked. For example, when I pull out of my driveway, I’ll hear one knock from underneath the cab and that’s it. And it’s always when I reverse after being in park. Now here’s the list of things that I have done to try and fix the issue.

- New rack and pinion
- New cv axles (they were broken)
- Replaced a worn steering shaft that was making a knocking noise on the inside but that’s gone now after I replaced it.
- Countless alignments and balancing
- New Hubs
- a small spacer for the drive axle to help with driveline vibrations

Now I have the truck on a 2” leveling kit with 30” tires on 20” rims. (I didn’t get to choose) I don’t drive like a lunatic and I haven’t taken this thing Offroad in years. So can someone please help me on finding the issue with my truck.

 

I've got the same issue. Based on how the tire guy was beating the alignment cam tabs with a hammer, I'm going to think they are so bent its keeping them out of alignment? I was thinking it was time for me to purchase some aftermarket cam tabs.

Anyone else's thoughts?

 

On my GX470 it was the lower control arms. Installed some cheap 1A Auto ones 2 years ago. It has been great handling and no pulling ever since.

 

Any stinky brake smells? Like something getting hot? Look at the pad wear side to side, is it equal?

 

Me sure your alignment bolt things are torqued to 100 ft lbs. That is a common problem, many shops don't tighten them up enough. The noise backing up is a symptom of this too.

If they're all mangled up, you might need to replace them and fix the tabs, but to start with, see if you can tighten up the bolts. Get a torque wrench on it. I *think* it's 19mm to turn the nut and 25mm to hold the collar. If you can turn them tighter before hitting 100 ft lbs then your alignment probably slipped.

I bring the wrenches with me when getting an alignment, snug them up in the parking lot before even driving home.

Edit: a thermal camera can help diagnose brake drag. Ir heat gun works too, or just touching the wheels to see if one is hotter, but pictures are more fun. You can get an IR camera for two or three hundred bucks now, plugs into your cell phone. An incredibly useful tool actually, not just for car repair, also for electronics, home repair, etc.

 

Tbh it sounds like a seized brake caliper or collapsed brake hose. Ive had that happen before on other vehicles. Will cause the exact problems youre experiencing.