Steering Issues Corrected. Pulling left AND right
12-17-20, 02:59 PM
#1
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
Steering Issues Corrected. Pulling left AND right
This post is to help others with same or similar issues with steering that significantly pulls left or right randomly, but corrects self after a period of time.
Brief History- Since Feb 2020 my 2016 ES350 w/32k miles would pull to the left or right after sitting for a period of time, generally more than 2 days. Neither our Lexus in Lynnwood (spoke w/2 service people on phone 2 dif times) or our local Toyota dealership in Bellingham (spoke w/1 service person) had an idea of what the problem was. Out of warranty 4 yr period.
I personally checked calipers and slides, wheel bearings, tie rod ends, ball joints, rack&pin, and bushings for wear-all good. Tires were newer (replaced junk Michelins at 30k) but rotated anyways.
After thinking about how sitting period had an effect and how the season seemed to shorten the time period, I figured it out. Battery was getting old at barely 4 years (panasonic junk)and the old battery was somehow negatively disrupting elect power steering EPS assist. No codes were sent so no way to deduce. Did not perform load test, but old bat tested at 12.3 volts when pulled. New battery tested at 13.3. problem fixed.
Called both dealerships and told them fix. Of course the lexus service fellow said he new this issue (maybe?) but said he had new service guys there that didn't and he'd let everyone know. He also said an old battery will negatively affect the Air Conditioner. Hope this post helps someone avoid all I went through to determine the problem.
Brief History- Since Feb 2020 my 2016 ES350 w/32k miles would pull to the left or right after sitting for a period of time, generally more than 2 days. Neither our Lexus in Lynnwood (spoke w/2 service people on phone 2 dif times) or our local Toyota dealership in Bellingham (spoke w/1 service person) had an idea of what the problem was. Out of warranty 4 yr period.
I personally checked calipers and slides, wheel bearings, tie rod ends, ball joints, rack&pin, and bushings for wear-all good. Tires were newer (replaced junk Michelins at 30k) but rotated anyways.
After thinking about how sitting period had an effect and how the season seemed to shorten the time period, I figured it out. Battery was getting old at barely 4 years (panasonic junk)and the old battery was somehow negatively disrupting elect power steering EPS assist. No codes were sent so no way to deduce. Did not perform load test, but old bat tested at 12.3 volts when pulled. New battery tested at 13.3. problem fixed.
Called both dealerships and told them fix. Of course the lexus service fellow said he new this issue (maybe?) but said he had new service guys there that didn't and he'd let everyone know. He also said an old battery will negatively affect the Air Conditioner. Hope this post helps someone avoid all I went through to determine the problem.
12-17-20, 07:03 PM
#2
Driver School Candidate
I'm glad you got it fixed. I'm a tech myself and I can't recall ever seeing that problem. I believe you, though.
But...something I don't believe is that my two favorite brands (Michelin and Panasonic) are junk.
But...something I don't believe is that my two favorite brands (Michelin and Panasonic) are junk.
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PatrickAz (12-18-20)
12-18-20, 06:15 AM
#3
Driver School Candidate
Thread Starter
No disrespect intended. All brands have their good and not so good products. Here's my take. The Michelins on my es350 were very noisy and did not last long (rotated frequently/nearly all easy freeway miles). Would not recommend. A battery that lasts less than 4 years in a garage kept Lexus does not instill confidence in the product. I'm sure there are good Michelin tires and Panasonic batteries out there, I just won't be purchasing them.
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