got Sienna at 13 miles new, but not driving straight

Generally, a new car will have about 12 miles from testing, shuttling, etc.

As for the steering problem, it sounds like an alignment. Bring it bad and have it checked.

You could also have the tires moved to the opposite side of the car to see if the pulling changes. It seems more tires these days are plagued with "radial pull" than in the past.

I agree with the other poster who said that an alignment should be done. It is not unusual for a new car to need an alignment upon arriving at a dealer.

When a vehicle wanders or pulls, the first thing to check is the tire pressure, then alignment, then start swapping tires.

Uneven tire pressures are a possible contributor if the dealer didn't do a proper pre-delivery inspection. Cars come from the factory with very high tire pressures to reduce damage to the tires when they are chained down on ships, trains, and transporters.

If the person who ties down the vehicle on the ships, trains, and truck attached the chain improperly or tightened it too much, the alignment could be affected, which accounts for most of the out-of-alignment new vehicles.

shuttling,

I am more inclined to think is it a bad tire as I have had that problem before and it was caused by a tire. Toyotas are usually pretty darn good about alignment from factory and hold it well too. I had one that was never aligned until it got new front struts at 180K and it never pulled (except I have a tire go bad once) or wore tires funny either its whole life.

There is a big difference between the causes of steering pull and wander and what can cause them. BIG TIME!

Absolutely! Service departments that deal with a lot of customers know that many customers are not good at describing the difference between a wander and pull and in any event, the sequence of things to check is still the same, even though the causes will probably be different.

LOL! You never had a Corolla 1200! I just gave up; it was cheaper to buy tires!

He did say pull to one side, not that it wanders.

Sorry, my use of the terms "wanders and pulls" together is an old habit from my days as a Toyota district service manager. I used to tell my dealers to always record that the vehicle "wanders and pulls" if the vehicle is under warranty so that no matter what the cause and remedy were, the CCR would match and the warranty claim would get paid. The dealer has to record before and after alignment specs, and if the condition was recorded as a pull but toe and thrust were correct but caster was off, the claim could be rejected.

Hi Ray,

My hubby AND me both agree that it pulls to one side.. Well, maybe I am not sure what 'wanders' mean. But what I mean by pulling to the left means that on a straight road I constantly have to hold the steering to the right and if not it will curve the wagon to the left.

The company we bought it from (who isnt a dealer himself) said that he is going to get back at us in a day or 2 and tell us where to take the car to and make sure its being taken care of.

Today we traveled some long distance trip. a round trip each way 120 miles. Up unto moutain roads, interstate thruways, and when returning while stopping in a service area for some drinks etc. we heard some new tiny noises from the engine... Is that normal for a brand new Sienna after 500 miles?

Any need (or is it OK if done) to shift into gear "4" (and sometimes "3") while going uphill or wanting a better pick up??

Thanks for your insight and time!

E.

Erina,

The symptoms you are describing are referred to as "pulling."

"Wandering" is a less common condition and is generally referred to as difficulty keeping the vehicle in a straight line.

Take it to any Toyota dealer in the U.S. for warranty service. I wouldn't wait too long because you can experience uneven tire wear.

I don't know what you mean by "tiny" noises. If the engine is off and you hear ticking noises, that is just metal parts cooling down and nothing to worry about.

Your Sienna has a electronically controlled transmission (known as an ECT). It will choose gears based on engine load, engine RPM, throttle position, road speed, coolant temperature, and whether the brakes are applied or not.

There is no need to move the transmission lever from drive to 4 or 3 when going uphill unless you want better pickup and/or are heavily laden or towing a load. Generally, the only time I do that on uphill stretches is if the transmission keeps shifting back and forth from higher to lower gears.

On downhill stretches, I often select a lower range to provide engine braking.

Ray,

The dealer said that the car should be taken to any mechanic and a full alignment should be done on the dealer's expense, after there is no trouble with the tires-wheels-tire pressure itself.

Just wanted to share ..and if you have a comment please share your wisdom. I appreciate it alot!

thanks, E.

I have never heard of a dealer offering to let the customer take the vehicle to any alignment shop to be done at the dealer's expense unless the dealer does not have its own alignment equipment. The problem with this arrangement is the you will have to pay out of your pocket and wait to get reimbursed by the dealer.

My recommendation would be to take it to a Toyota dealer with an alignment machine so you do not have to front the money.