pulling to the right after tire replacement.

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Sterlingarcher6969, Dec 13, 2024.

  1. Sterlingarcher6969

    Sterlingarcher6969 Junior Member

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    2014 prius two 172k mi

    I took my prius (which drove straight before) in to les schwab for 2 new tires (FR)(FL). a couple weeks ago (I usually swap out the front and the back separately as they wear out)

    the next day i noticed a significant pull to the right that was not there before, it would pull me from center to the start of the breakdown lane in less than 3 seconds. If my drive back wasn't so short i probably would have noticed the day of replacement.

    I took it back to les for warranty. they rotated the tires and did an alignment and everything was perfect, 0s for all. drive it home same pull.

    Took it again to les and they took it for a couple drives and ended up adjusting as far as they could to the left and recalibrated the steering to fix the problem. drive it home, MUCH BETTER but......still in the breakdown lane within 8-12 seconds.

    this is on a car that i could let go of the wheel for a good 20 seconds on a flat enough road.

    Take it in a third time and they tell me it's probably a power steering issue and to take it to the stealership.
    I find it hard to believe that the power steering would develop an issue the day after a tire replacement.



    i have access to techstream if its possible to fix it with that.
     
    #1 Sterlingarcher6969, Dec 13, 2024
  2. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    It's the tires..... NOT the power steering.
    They can only adjust the tow.
    If you swop the front tires, It will either go straight, or pull the other way.

    You might also want to check the brakes, to make sure they are not sticking.
    The rear guide pins seem to stick due to less use. They need to be removed, cleaned,
    and the boot/inside needs cleaning then regreased.
     
    #2 ASRDogman, Dec 13, 2024
  3. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    It's possible that someone at the tire store bumped into something when driving or screwed up something when it was going up and down on the lift. And while It would make sense to blame it on the tires, seems rotating the tires would eliminate that.

    If I were you I'd keep showing up at Les Schwab everyday until they resolve it because the misalingment happened during their install and them saying "they adjusted it as far as they could to left" and it still pulls indicates something was bent or damaged when they put the tires on and it's their job to figure it out, not your job or our job.

    Just keep showing up and once you run out of people to look it over at your existing store, then go to a different Les Schwabb. Also file a claim with their corporate office indicating how many times you've tried to get this addressed. The reason these tire stores charge so much to mount and balance tires is because it makes it easier to be accountable when these situations happen.

    Of course soon as old the guy who started Les Schwabb died his kids sold the company and now that company is again selling the company, so maybe loyalty to their once great service is no longer wise?
     
    #3 PriusCamper, Dec 13, 2024
  4. Sterlingarcher6969

    Sterlingarcher6969 Junior Member

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    I Knew I was missing something! I forgot to mention they rotated the tires.....twice
    and the new tires are now on the rear.

    I just found out I'm within the limit for the 60day satisfaction guarantee so I'm going to try and get them changed out for a different set. (at a different location) if it doesn't fix the issue. ill start climbing the corporate ladder. Thanks.
     
    #4 Sterlingarcher6969, Dec 14, 2024
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Witness Leader

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    This happened to us once (previous vehicle), no tire replacement, but over time started pulling more and more to the right. Tire shop swapped left and right front , and pull went away. Mostly. They mentioned “conicity”.
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Dec 14, 2024
  6. jdenenberg

    jdenenberg EE Professor

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    What tire brand and model? I have never had problems with Michelin or Nokian tires.

    JeffD
     
    #6 jdenenberg, Dec 14, 2024
  7. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    If you would have simply had them swop the front tires, you could have removed
    them from the question....


     
    #7 ASRDogman, Dec 14, 2024
  8. Sterlingarcher6969

    Sterlingarcher6969 Junior Member

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    Got the tires replaced at a different les location in a different city, still pulls to the right. the change before and after can't be more than 10%, within placebo range. i'm going to look into that guide pin issue. thanks for the help!
     
    #8 Sterlingarcher6969, Dec 17, 2024
  9. ASRDogman

    ASRDogman Senior Member

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    Post 7, and 2.
     
    #9 ASRDogman, Dec 17, 2024
  10. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    Yer breaks r drag’n. The pads are making contact, check the rotor on the side it’s pulling to. If it’s hot or warmer than the other rotor then it’s the pad, remove the pins and remount the pad and pins.
     
    #10 Grit, Dec 17, 2024
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