I have a steering/handling problem with my 2000 Tacoma 4X4 Extended Cab. The truck seems to react severely to any grooves or uneven patches on the road surface. At highway speeds, my truck will veer left and right repeatedly until I slow down or the road evens out. Also, if I hit a bridge deck or other road bump that is not perpendicular to my vehicle's direction of travel, the truck will veer left and right. Also, if I go around a curve at highway speeds, the truck seems to lunge both left and right throughout the length of the curve. To me, the symptoms feel like a real bad front end alignment.
First I had the shocks replaced and there was no improvement at all. Secondly, I took it to Toyota for an alignment. They told me the steering rack was worn and needed to be replaced. After paying them $1,036 for that service, I took it on the road and found that I not only still had the original problem, but also an additional new symptom. Now in addition to the horrible handling problem, there is a knock when I turn left at slow speeds and then a corresponding knock when I turn back to the right. Toyota has not been able to locate neither the source of the knock nor the source of my handling problems.
Does anyone have any suggestions? Toyota has checked the other steering components and rechecked the alignment (they say they have anyway).
