Car pulls left

[wickerham]

I took wife's 2006 Scion for a drive other day and it pulls to the left, like outta alignment. I went and had an alignment done and due said "it was out a little". I asked, "does it pull left?"
he said "no". So I drive home, it's still pulls left. Went and checked/filled all four tire to proper PSI. Still pulls left!
I'm outta ideas here............
HELP!

 

[beast3300]

If you hold the steering wheel straight does it go straight?

 

[Billbert]

Start with a new alignment tech, this one isn't very good. Next step is rotate your tires to see if the pull goes away. (It may be a 'radial pull') If it doesn't go away after the rotate, find a new alignment tech.

 

[Black_Thunder]

also try rotating your tires.

 

[Black_Thunder]

ah i need to read all the posts before i post


yes like the above rotate your tires and see if the pull goes away, could be a tire issue.

 

[CourierDriver]

u could rotate ur doors , just kid n,,the serious answers sound good to me,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Jakegday]

instead of going in and saying "i need an alignment" you should have said, "my car pulls to the left, can you check it out"

did you have your tires balanced? although not likely, a weight may have fallen off and is causing your problem

 

[Chris142]

Radial pull.

 

[beast3300]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Radial pull.


Might be, that is why I asked if the car goes straight if the steering wheel is held straight.

 

[mechanicx]

I think you can just swap the front tires to see if it is tire pull. Some publications say rear tires do not cause lead or pull (the rears cause other types of problems). If car leads in the same direction it's the alignment. If it leads in the opposite direct then swap the left rear with the left front, and if it still pulls opposite direction, then swap right rear with right front.

Try to get a before and after print out from the alignment next time if you haven't yet.

 

[wickerham]

nice. thx for all the answers so quick. I thought of weight falling off, but seems not likely to have happened. Also, have thought of rotating tires to see if it remains.
Thing is, it didnt pull before and they havent been rotated yet.
Keep ya posted though.

 

[97f150]

What condition are the tires in? One of our 1 ton work trucks started pulling to the right all of a sudden. Than came a shake. Turns out the left front tire was about to peel its tread like a banana.

 

[CharBaby]

I beleive in Radial Pull. I've had more tires with radial pull than I can count. Swap the two front tires with one another and see if the car pulls to the right. If not, then you might have a brake hanging up a bit.

 

[bigmike]

I always request a before/after print-out when getting an alignment. I have lifetime alignments, so that makes my life a little easier as well. I've had radial pull before and it's quite noticeable when it has occurred. If you have uni-directional tires, you could swap the front 2 like others suggested and see what happens. Most times I've run into this though, the tires weren't all that good to begin with (old, worn, etc.).

 

[mechanicx]

Good point. Check for brake drag when swapping the front tires. The wheels should rotate with out binding.

 

[mechtech2]

Demand to see the specs before and after the alignment.

If you post the post alignment specs, I can tell you what is wrong.
I hope the rear was done along with the front.

A neutrally aligned car WILL pull in the direction of the road crown [slightly].

 

[wickerham]

Tires are fine, practically brand new still and like previously stated "they didn't pull this summer when brand new."

Brake hanging up is good call. These are original pads still on a 4 year old car. Last check (summer) they were still okay but who knows now that wife drives car exclusively?

 

[mechanicx]

Tires can develop a radial pull if they impacted a pothole etc. Also if you recently rotated the tires the pull could show up that wouldn't before.

It might be the alignment. An a lignment check with print out would tell.

 

[bigmike]

Originally Posted By: wickerham
Tires are fine, practically brand new still and like previously stated "they didn't pull this summer when brand new."

Brake hanging up is good call. These are original pads still on a 4 year old car. Last check (summer) they were still okay but who knows now that wife drives car exclusively?


Just change the wife and the car will be fine.

 

[mechtech2]

I forgot about mentioning brake problems - it sure could contribute to a pull - but there should be additional symptoms when you apply them.
What is the camber , and toe of each tire, front and rear?