Steering In Circles

[ktiq]

Help we have an IQ that used to steer as any other car I have driven ie when you turned the steering wheel it turned a corner and as soon as you relaxed your grip on the steering wheel it started to straighten up.

Now after a repair of a new bearing in the front wishbone it is very slow to return and if you put full lock on (either direction) and set off without touching the steering wheel it goes round in circles never attempting to straighten up.

Toyota garage that did the repair claim all IQ's drive like this, Toyota customer service are extremely polite but not very effective they claim everything I have suggested is within specification.

I need help finding out if all Iq's steer in this way please let me know.

many thanks

Keith

[tarquin]

Help we have an IQ that used to steer as any other car I have driven ie when you turned the steering wheel it turned a corner and as soon as you relaxed your grip on the steering wheel it started to straighten up.

Now after a repair of a new bearing in the front wishbone it is very slow to return and if you put full lock on (either direction) and set off without touching the steering wheel it goes round in circles never attempting to straighten up.

Toyota garage that did the repair claim all IQ's drive like this, Toyota customer service are extremely polite but not very effective they claim everything I have suggested is within specification.

I need help finding out if all Iq's steer in this way please let me know.

many thanks

Keith

Hi Keith

All I can tell you is for mine to stay going round in a circle in either direction I have to hold the steering wheel fairly tight or it will go off at a tangent and be off centre either side and in about 4yrs will need the slightest adjustment to be straight again hope this helps. I am guessing, it sounds as if the new bearing is too tight. Some excellent people on here

I am sure will know or at least give a good input

David

[johnan]

Help we have an IQ that used to steer as any other car I have driven ie when you turned the steering wheel it turned a corner and as soon as you relaxed your grip on the steering wheel it started to straighten up.

Now after a repair of a new bearing in the front wishbone it is very slow to return and if you put full lock on (either direction) and set off without touching the steering wheel it goes round in circles never attempting to straighten up.

Toyota garage that did the repair claim all IQ's drive like this, Toyota customer service are extremely polite but not very effective they claim everything I have suggested is within specification.

I need help finding out if all Iq's steer in this way please let me know.

many thanks

Keith

A lack of self-centring in the steering is usually due to the caster (or castor) angle of the notional (an IQ doesn't have a king pin as such) king pin assembly being incorrect.

It is possible that this angle could have been disturbed during the bearing replacement, but not likely.

As said before it would seem something is too tight and preventing any self-centring effect from working adequately.

If you could jack the front up you would be able to try to turn the steering and see if it feels stiff especially towards full lock.

I wouldn't be too happy if it does feel stiff, or uneven in feel.

Can I ask what was the problem with the original wishbone bearing? They are usually just metalastik, rubber material with a central metal bush which take years to wear out.

Was it rattling or knocking, or causing vague steering?

[ktiq]

Help we have an IQ that used to steer as any other car I have driven ie when you turned the steering wheel it turned a corner and as soon as you relaxed your grip on the steering wheel it started to straighten up.

Now after a repair of a new bearing in the front wishbone it is very slow to return and if you put full lock on (either direction) and set off without touching the steering wheel it goes round in circles never attempting to straighten up.

Toyota garage that did the repair claim all IQ's drive like this, Toyota customer service are extremely polite but not very effective they claim everything I have suggested is within specification.

I need help finding out if all Iq's steer in this way please let me know.

many thanks

Keith

A lack of self-centring in the steering is usually due to the caster (or castor) angle of the notional (an IQ doesn't have a king pin as such) king pin assembly being incorrect.

It is possible that this angle could have been disturbed during the bearing replacement, but not likely.

As said before it would seem something is too tight and preventing any self-centring effect from working adequately.

If you could jack the front up you would be able to try to turn the steering and see if it feels stiff especially towards full lock.

I wouldn't be too happy if it does feel stiff, or uneven in feel.

Can I ask what was the problem with the original wishbone bearing? They are usually just metalastik, rubber material with a central metal bush which take years to wear out.

Was it rattling or knocking, or causing vague steering?

I thought at first it was a cv joint that was going you could feel some movement between accleration and braking, problem was diagnosed by a local garage and they advised it should be a warranty job done by Toyota

[ktiq]

Help we have an IQ that used to steer as any other car I have driven ie when you turned the steering wheel it turned a corner and as soon as you relaxed your grip on the steering wheel it started to straighten up.

Now after a repair of a new bearing in the front wishbone it is very slow to return and if you put full lock on (either direction) and set off without touching the steering wheel it goes round in circles never attempting to straighten up.

Toyota garage that did the repair claim all IQ's drive like this, Toyota customer service are extremely polite but not very effective they claim everything I have suggested is within specification.

I need help finding out if all Iq's steer in this way please let me know.

many thanks

Keith

Hi Keith

All I can tell you is for mine to stay going round in a circle in either direction I have to hold the steering wheel fairly tight or it will go off at a tangent and be off centre either side and in about 4yrs will need the slightest adjustment to be straight again hope this helps. I am guessing, it sounds as if the new bearing is too tight. Some excellent people on here

I am sure will know or at least give a good input

David

Many Thanks

David I feel as though Toyota are just backing up the garage who did the repair very non commital and no one can tell me if the stearing is faulty or not all they can say is we have checked this and its in tolerance. I would like a few more iq owners to tell me how their IQ steers just so I can show to toyota that ours is not right

Keith

[johnan]

Putting on full lock, driving off, and the car not automatically straightening up is completely unacceptable, if it is as bad as you previously described.

The self centring effect diminishes as it approaches the straight-ahead position, but should be very apparent at the extreme ends of the lock.

It is hard to see how just changing a wishbone bearing could cause such a fault to arise, unless they did not fit it correctly or they fiddled with the power steering (it is electric I believe..maybe they pulled a wire off!) or something else.

Could you ask the garage that originally diagnosed the bearing fault to have a run round the block and see what they think? I think an "outside" opinion is required.

John

[Jamesbelfast]

One of the main causes of steering not self-centering or tram-lining as it common referred to is caused by a steering or suspension bearing or mount.

[cabcurtains]

Book it into a different Mr T ask them to test drive it as you think something is wrong, then let them decide. Just dont tip them off about the previous fix.

[johnan]

Book it into a different Mr T ask them to test drive it as you think something is wrong, then let them decide. Just dont tip them off about the previous fix.

Good suggestion!

[ktiq]

Putting on full lock, driving off, and the car not automatically straightening up is completely unacceptable, if it is as bad as you previously described.

The self centring effect diminishes as it approaches the straight-ahead position, but should be very apparent at the extreme ends of the lock.

It is hard to see how just changing a wishbone bearing could cause such a fault to arise, unless they fiddled with the power steering (it is electric I believe..maybe they pulled a wire off!) or something else.

Could you ask the garage that originally diagnosed the bearing fault to have a run round the block and see what they think? I think an "outside" opinion is required.

John

Hi John I have already done this as I was starting to doubt myself

He put the car up on the ramp checked play in the wheels tyre wear & pressures and whatever else, said that the bearing had been replaced. Then we went for a drive first in his yard doing circles on full lock with no hands then out onto the road it is probably safest for me to say he was not impressed as it caught him out (I must point out this is a village garage on a very quiet road) he then drove it catching the white line in the road and on the wrong side of the road to put it on the wrong camber, non of which made any difference it still wandered off from straight constantley. His verdict was and he stressed that this was the only IQ he has driven He thought the tracking was ok but something wrong on the power steering and that all cars should return to straight wether they had power steering or not

[ktiq]

Book it into a different Mr T ask them to test drive it as you think something is wrong, then let them decide. Just dont tip them off about the previous fix.

Yes good idea the only thing that has stopped me is the logistics at the moment I am the only driver in the house the nearest toyota garage is 45 mins away (where the car is now) and after that about 2 hours away, I have had to use a taxi to drop the car off and will no doubt have too to collect it. A small downside to living on Anglesey

Keith

[sweet-dentist]

I had the same after the recall in the stearing department... European thing...

I do not know if righthand driven cars had this replacement.

Anyways.. I went back and the had it relined at an official "relining-centre".. The Toyota Dealer could not do it themselves... it took a day and was in warranty...

Now it is over...

I have to remark that..... the problem was not the re-centering of the steering... but the "want" of the car to go to the left!!!

Peter

[Soeley]

Book it into a different Mr T ask them to test drive it as you think something is wrong, then let them decide. Just dont tip them off about the previous fix.

Yes good idea the only thing that has stopped me is the logistics at the moment I am the only driver in the house the nearest toyota garage is 45 mins away (where the car is now) and after that about 2 hours away, I have had to use a taxi to drop the car off and will no doubt have too to collect it. A small downside to living on Anglesey

Keith

They should give you a curtasy car if you've asked for one.

[ktiq]

Book it into a different Mr T ask them to test drive it as you think something is wrong, then let them decide. Just dont tip them off about the previous fix.

Yes good idea the only thing that has stopped me is the logistics at the moment I am the only driver in the house the nearest toyota garage is 45 mins away (where the car is now) and after that about 2 hours away, I have had to use a taxi to drop the car off and will no doubt have too to collect it. A small downside to living on Anglesey

Keith

They should give you a curtasy car if you've asked for one.

I have asked but there is never one available

[barrycoll]

Hi Keith.......

if you have no satisfaction from Toy Central, then do what I have done, and get the car to a laser 4 wheel alignment centre.....they check, and reset all the parameters of all four wheels, and you firstly get a computerised readout of which wheels are out of synch such as toe-in, toe-out etc.....watching the PC screen while mine was done, all parameters come up and all should be green, but 2 0r 3 of mine were red, and after about half an hour of adjustment, all were green

very satisfying to watch, as the guy really knew what he was doing, at a cost of £69............a bargain

http://www.alignmycar.co.uk/ is the website

all the best barryc.

[ktiq]

Hi toyota have now decided the steering part they replaced in a recall is faulty no replacement until mid January

I am just hoping that this cures it

Keith

[DFish]

Good luck with getting it fixed. Are they supplying a loan car until this can be fixed? Surely this is a safety issue?

Fish

[johnan]

Hi toyota have now decided the steering part they replaced in a recall is faulty no replacement until mid January

I am just hoping that this cures it

Keith

What "faulty" part would effectively kill off any self-centreing of the steering unless a non-faulty part was fitted incorrectly and now has to be replaced again.

I would love to know what the "steering recall" was all about!

Some needed a software update only, some needed a new column as well, some may have needed a new steering rack....so what exactly was the problem and why were some cars affected more than others if they were all much the same age?

Some dealerships certainly made a real mess of the work required as far as I can gather from the forum.

[sweet-dentist]

I had my steering "part" replaced by a new one... due to the recall. The car was there fot about 3-4 hours.

But after returning the car it would steer to the left. And on the straight the steering wheel looked like you were turning to the left a little.

The car then has been brought to a specialist in adjusting the line-up of the wheels and the steering-column. Toyota dealer could not do it themselves. Took an outher day... NO free lending of a car...

I must have mentioned it already somewhere on the forum...

Peter

[DFish]

Slightly along the lines of the last post, I had my geometry setup by the dealer I bought it from just after buying it, as the steering wheel would be slightly off centre. They still couldn't manage to resolve it so I'll be going to a decent place to get it resolved.

Fish

[ktiq]

Good luck with getting it fixed. Are they supplying a loan car until this can be fixed? Surely this is a safety issue?

Fish

[ktiq]

Hi yes a loan car is being provided.

Strange how it has changed from all IQ's steer like this to its a steering safety issue. I have been told it had the steering colum replaced at the same time as the front wishbone / bearing was replaced. I no longer know what to believe.

KT

[tarquin]

Do not believe them as I have said many times since June, They tell one story to cover another,they back track, that guy you saw before doesn't work here anymore. don't worry we will sort it out for you.they have a big list of default fob off answers as do a lot of retail outlets.Your story has the classic ingredients of incompetence .

David