2017 LC200 pulls to right when accelerating (1 Viewer)

[CalifTLC]

Hi All! I have a very frustrating situation that I hope you can help with. I bought my brand new 2017 Land Cruiser a few months ago and on the drive home noticed it was pulling to the right. Called the salesman and informed him of the situation and he said "just take it into any Toyota and they will do an alignment for you. Well, after 10,000 miles and 4 visits to the dealer, they can't figure out. This is a completely stock vehicle. They have re-aligned 3 times. Done the tow, rotated tires,etc. Whenever I accelerate this car pulls to the right. If I let off the gas it straightens out. This is particularly annoying when driving up to Mammoth Mountain from Los Angeles on a 5 hours drive. I literally have to keep the wheel cranked to the left. Now the tires are starting to feather. The dealer had the manufacturers rep drive a new LC up from Orange County just to drive mine. After driving mine he said "Yep, they are both doing it!" They invited me over to the dealership in Thousand Oaks where that GM said the same thing "This one does it also!" Then I received an email from the dealership "Please come get you car, this is an "operational characteristic" and there is no fix for it." They basically told me to go pound sand and just "accept it." I told them like hell. You pay $80,000 for a new vehicle and continue to fight it driving down the street. They said "all four wheel drives have torque steer." To that I reminded them that my 3 previous land cruisers never did this nor did my 5 land rovers and they were all full time four wheel drive. SO here are the questions that I need the forum's help with. (1) I heard that the new 2017 and 2018 models have a new 8 speed transmission and that this may be causing the issue. Do any of you know if this could be the cause? (2) They have sent me emails stating that my alignment is "within spec." Could it still be incorrect? (3) I read in a previous post here that a rear axle could be causing the pull if it is out of place. Any thought to that? And last, Is it reasonable to ask me to accept this condition on a brand new $80,000 vehicle? They aren't giving me free lifetime service or unlimited tires so it seems ridiculous!

 

[Roy Park]

My 2018 doesn’t do that. I’d lemon law that vehicle ASAP.

 

[CalifTLC]

Thank you Roy. I appreciate knowing your feedback .

 

[ryanCA]

My 17LC doesn’t do it, and I bought it from Thousand Oaks.

My wife’s 17LX didn’t do it, and her brand new 5 seater 18LX doesn’t do it

 

[M1911]

Speak with the service manager and insist that they get a regional rep from Toyota involved.

 

[CalifTLC]

Here is what the service manager wrote me in an email: "Per our conversation, Toyota sent out a field service rep. out to inspect your vehicle. He brought a matching vehicle for comparison. The rep. and my tech drove each vehicle and compared drivability base on your concern. Both vehicle behave the same way. Both vehicle were put on the alignment machine for comparison. The specs were similar and within the factory specifications. The conclusion is that this is a normal characteristic of this vehicle. No repairs were performed. Your vehicle is ready to pick up at this time. Thank you, MS, Service manager, DCH Toyota of simi valley"

 

[ryanCA]

Go to another dealer yourself

Test drive a new 18. See yourself if there is an issue.

Do this first.

Then give the service manager your car and point out there is a difference between one that doesn’t pull to the right and your one.

If that doesn’t solve it, lemon law time. Threat of it will get Toyota to give you a new truck, but I hardly doubt it will go that far, once you find a competent service department willing to work with you

 

[M1911]

That’s BS. Escalate directly to Toyota. I would also take it to a good alignment shop.

No, the 8-speed transmission doesn’t have a damn thing to do with this. It is most likely suspension geometry.

 

[CalifTLC]

Thank you everyone. I appreciate all of your replies and suggestions.

 

[UCrazyKid]

I'm no mechanic, but I might suggest they check the front and rear subframes (if this vehicle has them). My 2008 Lexus ISF pulled right, right off the showroom floor and I learned from forums that it was not uncommon in early builds of that vehicle. Regardless of how many alignments I had, the problem would not be fixed. They even placed Lexus caster blocks as prescribed by one TSB and to no avail. Finally an alignment specialist (not just someone that goes for the "green") looked a the readouts and immediately saw problems with cross measurements. The front subframe was misaligned by a few mm's. Once fixed (an marked for future alignment if the subframe needed to be moved) the car aligned correctly and has never again had a problem.

A few strategies: Definitely call Toyota corporate and complain (they are in SoCal), a lot! Especially mention your history as a customer. Have it examined by a specialty alignment shop (either one that does big trucks or race cars) to determine if there is misalignment. This is your evidence. Hold the sales rep responsible as they are the ones that make commission when a vehicle is sold. Lastly, and I am not a fan of this, make a scene at the dealership on the showroom floor in-front of prospective customers on a busy day.

Good luck to you. This BS and they should be doing more to remedy this. I hear again and again there are problems with owning Toyota's most expensive product and getting the level of service one would expect. Perhaps try a Lexus dealer for another opinion?

I've been down the road of a few fights with Lexus, my alignment story above and later a failing valve train that required and engine rebuild. They gave me the run around for a long time but finally complied, honored their warranty and fixed things. I was a second owner and that was a disadvantage, you don't have that strike.

 

[JS22STL]

No issues with my 16.

 

[Sandroad]

I have no noticeable torque steer or pull either way with my '17, even under full throttle. (Though I don't use full throttle much because the acceleration of this thing almost scares me!). I do know that dealer's alignment equipment can be out of adjustment and/or techs don't know how to use it correctly with an LC. I did have to get 2 alignments on my LC to get the steering wheel centered because the tech didn't get it right twice. I also know that tires can cause pull and steering issues. If they have been rotated and the problem persists, that may not be the cause in your case. But, for sure a bad tire can cause problems that appear to be alignment issues. The OEM tires are nothing special. I suggest getting an alignment at another dealer and also try rotating the tires again (doing a full 5 tire rotation). You definitely should not be "fighting the wheel" going down the road.

 

[ohsix]

I had the same problem on my ‘17 LC200 after a tire rotation at 15,000 miles. I had the oil changed and tires (BFG A/T) rotated at the dealer. I took it back and they aligned it (for $140) and it still pulled to the right. I took it to an independent alignment shop and they said it was a tire issue. They checked alignment and rotated the tires ($120) and the pull went away. They said that’s not uncommon. They also said I might rotate the tires again in 10,000 and may not experience the same problem.