New Vibe wanders..........

[ke4yyd]

A couple decades back my vehicles wandered noticeably when driving on asphalt highways due to the ruts made by the large semi's. The vehicles I owned the past decade don't seem to wander near as much, in fact, I had just about forgot about the phenomena. Now my new vibe does it quite noticeably. Could be it is the light weight or maybe an alignment problem. The vehicle wanders to the left. Any thoughts.Air pressure is even on all four tires.

[northvibe]

Have you gotten an alignment done recently?

[GMJAP]

Mine hasn't wandered at all - it's very good and I haven't gotten an alignment since purchasing it.Also, I don't recall anyone else posting they had a problem with drift, so it's likely an alignment issue. I'd suggest trying to get the dealer to take car of it as it's new.

[joatmon]

I would guess an alignment issue, especially if it consitently wanders to one side. If any, it should have a bias to the right, to take you away from oncoming traffic, but if any it should be very minor. I've never noticed a drift in mine.Since your's is a brand new Vibe, I suggest taking it back to the dealer, although sometimes dealers won't align a vehicle until it's got a few more miles on it, then they say it's a "wear" issue. I suggest getting it back to them and at least registering it as an issue right away, that way they can't blame it on abuse, and will give you a service record to back you up if the tires wear earlyYou said the tires were the same pressure, but some people have had too high pressure on new vibes, supposedly the factory pumps them up a lot for the ride on the car carrier trucks, and some dealers do not let air out back to the correct pressure as part of the dealer prep. Pressure should be what it says on the sticker inside the glove box.

[jasonvibe]

The Goodyear Tires are junk. The sidewalls are so soft the car will drift/pull left when driving solo or braking and follow every groove or rutt on the highway. I have a set of snows on steel rims. The car is perfect with my $60 snows. It could be alignment...But first drive with someone in the passanger seat. Can't wait till the GoodYears are worn out. Also an alignment should be a no charge within the first 7500 miles. But very few dealers will do it...at least near me.

[new05vibeowner]

Get rid of the stock RS-As and put a set of Goodyear TripleTreds on it. If the car is new, you can probably trade them at the Goodyear store.By far and away, the TripleTreds are the best tires I have ever driven on. I cannot recommend them enough.

[01usjdmr]

I think it is the goodyears, ours does this and it drifts all over. The alignment is good.

[ke4yyd]

I had the wheels aligned and it helped. At least no bias to the right.

[vibe owner]

My factory 17's (Dunlop?) always wanted to climb up the side of any rut. My 16-inch snows and newer 17-inch replacements track straight. Tires can make a big difference.

[AKLGT]

alignment and wheels definitely make the difference!

[neenahvibe]

Did the dealer do this without complaints? Mine does this wander thing to. I also have this weird noise like a low hum at exactly the 39.5 mph mark. I called the dealer and they said some tires create a humming sound at certain speeds because of inherent balance issues. I suspected it might be something out of balance in the engine at first. Sounds like you and I are having the same issues almost completely, from the hesitation to this tire/alignment issue. I'll be watching for future postings from you.

[SeattleJeremy]

Quote, originally posted by new05vibeowner »Get rid of the stock RS-As and put a set of Goodyear TripleTreds on it. If the car is new, you can probably trade them at the Goodyear store. Intresting. I will have to stop in at the Goodyear store and ask them about that

[Katscan]

Quote, originally posted by joatmon »Pressure should be what it says on the sticker inside the glove box.Thats odd, Ive never seen a sticker inside the glovebox. All the previous cars as well as my Vibe have the sticker on the inside of the driverside doorwell. Ill have to look more into the glove box....maybe there is a sticker there I never noticed Anyhoo, I have always seen the sticker with that info on the driverside doorsil.

[jasonvibe]

there's nothing in the box but build codes. The driver's door pressures is correct. Ke4yyd,...who did the alignment? Dealer?...did they charge you? I tried to have the tires , wheels and alignment checked due to a vibration, ALL the dealers refused. Like they were hiding something. no wonder it's called a VIBE. Right now it appears to be the lousy tires as stated before.....assuming toyota knows how to make these cheap alloy wheels properly. Also I have Viking snow tires on steelies. Rated pretty good by Consumers REport. They are quieter, better handling than the RS-A's and no vibration.hey happen to be a 5 ply tire...not common, but something to keep in mind. Also, I had to pay out of my pocket to have the wheels balanced. Even though it was a warranty item. 2 were out of balance. These have significantly wider tires than a Corolla....which the Vibe has it's roots. Even a 1/4 oz. off can be felt on these cars. Oh and the Humm you guys mention. Is the automatic in overdrive at low speed. You engine is only turning 1600 or so. Take your foot off the gas for a second and reapply. This will take it out of overdrive. See if it goes away. My AWD has a wurr starting at 40 or so. The dealer showed me something like a bulletin, saying this is the gears meshing in the AWD transfer case. I checked the oil level to be sure. Toyota's own manual says this could be a number of things. Mine has not gotten loud. Just something I notice.