Suspention Tracking Issue

[chfjp]

I have a 2000 GS300 with a strange tracking issue. At highway speeds when I accelerate hard the rear end kicks to the right. On sudden braking from highway speeds the rear kicks to the left. All alignment geometry is in spec per alignment shop's print out. Tires wear is VERY even with no cupping or feathering. The car has not been in a major accident that I'm aware of. Steering wheel is centered with no pull. The car seems stable at highway speeds but wheel is "very light". Car seems especially sensitive to side winds considering its profile and size. Any recommended solutions? Thanks

[rickgus]

Can't really help ya, but I'd say you have something going on that's not normal, to say the least. Mine's pretty stable at all speeds(all the way up to 120mph!)

[athenslex]

Strange coincidence. I did a suspension search on one of the forums and happened to read about this a couple of weeks ago. I can't remember what it was but I will try to retrace my steps and find out. Bottom line, it is a problem that has been seen and as I recall the guy got an answer that fixed it. I'll try to get it to you.

[athenslex]

I found this for you. I didn't want to re-type everything so i copied and pasted these from an old post I found. The first is a guy asking about a problem that sounds like yours. The second section is a response that seemed to help. Good luck.

I have a '99 GS300 with 103,000 miles that I took in for service recently. I had the timing belt changed along with some other things, one of the things I had done was a 4-wheel alignment. I figured since I've never had it done it was time. After I got it out, I noticed something different about how the car rode.....I noticed when going down the highway the backend would seem to sway right to left when going over large dips. It is not a problem around town but once I get past 70 the car feels slightly unstable when going over a lot of dips. Has anyone else experienced this?

I saw where someone one with a previous generation GS (93 - 97) had the same problem but I never saw anyone respond with an answer. I'm hoping I'm a little luckier. I'm going by the dealer ship in a couple of days and I hope to offer some 'suggestions' to him because I have a feeling the 'Service Manager' is going to think I'm half crazy.

Thanks for any suggestions you guys can provide.

Well, I have good news and bad news for you. You were probably reading about my car. I was just logging on to write an update on this problem. And yes, this can be a really spooky condition.

I had this same thing happen to my '96 GS with 85K on it. The Toyota dealer was stumped. I took it to Lexus. They had no less than 5 technicians, including their chief diagnostic guy pour over it for about a week. What they finally came up with was this:

1) Bad wheels bearings on the passenger side, rear.

2) Bad bushings on the driver's side #1 control arm (vertical one)

3) Bushing on the rear cradle that isolate the the cradle from the body were deteriorating.

It took them another week to get the parts, then they had to remove practically the entire rear suspension to replace the bushings. The total for parts and labor was over $2K. They knocked 10% off the bill for me since it took them so long to figure it out.

I just got the car back at the end of last week. The problem was fixed. My car is in great shape other than this issue, so it was worth it to fix it. I plan to keep the car for a couple more years. If the rest of your car is not so great, then you have a judgement call to make.

I would recommend that you do fix it right away, as this tends to get worse and can ruin other parts. I would probably have them check the #1 control arm first to see if that corrects the poblem and then go from there. Maybe you'll get lucky and not have to replace as much as I did.

Good luck!

[chfjp]

I found this for you. I didn't want to re-type everything so i copied and pasted these from an old post I found. The first is a guy asking about a problem that sounds like yours. The second section is a response that seemed to help. Good luck.

I have a '99 GS300 with 103,000 miles that I took in for service recently. I had the timing belt changed along with some other things, one of the things I had done was a 4-wheel alignment. I figured since I've never had it done it was time. After I got it out, I noticed something different about how the car rode.....I noticed when going down the highway the backend would seem to sway right to left when going over large dips. It is not a problem around town but once I get past 70 the car feels slightly unstable when going over a lot of dips. Has anyone else experienced this?

I saw where someone one with a previous generation GS (93 - 97) had the same problem but I never saw anyone respond with an answer. I'm hoping I'm a little luckier. I'm going by the dealer ship in a couple of days and I hope to offer some 'suggestions' to him because I have a feeling the 'Service Manager' is going to think I'm half crazy.

Thanks for any suggestions you guys can provide.

Well, I have good news and bad news for you. You were probably reading about my car. I was just logging on to write an update on this problem. And yes, this can be a really spooky condition.

I had this same thing happen to my '96 GS with 85K on it. The Toyota dealer was stumped. I took it to Lexus. They had no less than 5 technicians, including their chief diagnostic guy pour over it for about a week. What they finally came up with was this:

1) Bad wheels bearings on the passenger side, rear.

2) Bad bushings on the driver's side #1 control arm (vertical one)

3) Bushing on the rear cradle that isolate the the cradle from the body were deteriorating.

It took them another week to get the parts, then they had to remove practically the entire rear suspension to replace the bushings. The total for parts and labor was over $2K. They knocked 10% off the bill for me since it took them so long to figure it out.

I just got the car back at the end of last week. The problem was fixed. My car is in great shape other than this issue, so it was worth it to fix it. I plan to keep the car for a couple more years. If the rest of your car is not so great, then you have a judgement call to make.

I would recommend that you do fix it right away, as this tends to get worse and can ruin other parts. I would probably have them check the #1 control arm first to see if that corrects the poblem and then go from there. Maybe you'll get lucky and not have to replace as much as I did.

Good luck!

Thanks Athenslex - I did see this post and hoped there might be something easier and cheaper. I'll keep this site updated as to what I find. Oh, I do know it is spelled suspension - up too late last nighg