2011 Toyota Corolla: pulls to one side

Filed Mar 13, 2016 · Steering · KY

I purchased this vehicle new and it has been this way since I purchased it new but it seems has become worse. I encounter difficulty steering at high speeds. Steering is extreme sensitive with the slightest movement causes great change in the direction of the vehicle. I am concerned that the car overreacts to small steering inputs or required too much effort to keep in a lane on the highway. I feel it is unsafe. I find the car wandering and constant corrections on the highway or at higher speeds (25+). My daughter just started driving (she is 16) and it is way too sensitive for her. She feels the same way and my wife that has drove the car too. I know that there is a tsb-0140-10 on the federal safety agency #10034944 on steering for the 2009-2010 but I feel my car has the same issues. Maybe my car has the parts from earlier models (2009-2010). I have checked my tires air pressure and also tire wear. All is normal. Please help. I want my daughter to have this corolla but I feel at it's current detective steering it is not safe.

Filed Mar 27, 2015 · Steering · CA

Just purchased this car at fremont toyota. Then I noticed the steering seems to wanders. I have to correct it all the time. But I thought this is normal since it is a compact car or it could be windy. But there are times when it does okay. Just tonight, I noticed my car steering wheel is not straight and I'm afraid it could be a steering computer problem which the 2009 to 2010 corollas had. I also heard a clunking noise when I turn the steering on both right and left, which is the same problem the 2009 to 2010 had. How I wish they will extend the tsb or recall to 2012 since I have read some articles that even the 2012 corolla owners are complaining about the same thing. Tomorrow I will take this car to the dealer and see what is wrong. This is a big safety issue.

Filed Jun 29, 2013 · Steering · 12 miles · CA

Since new, car wanders/drifts at speeds of over 65mph. Difficult to track straight in highway lane. Feels similar to driving in high crosswinds even when there are none. In the presence of large trucks or crosswinds it can feel very dangerous. Dealer does the standard "no problem found" and acts generous to not charge for the diagnosis. This is pretty obviously an issue in the electronic power steering software. Feels like it might be responding to a couple of different sensor inputs and having some difficulty deciding what to do. Perhaps it only occurs with certain combinations of input sensors? This would be the only justification for not having a full on recall. Meanwhile, very dangerous at high speeds for those of us that do have it! For reference, I drove an otherwise identical 2013 corolla rental car recently in co. At 75mph+ the car was totally stable. This points back to this being a model year issue and/or a part combination issue as mentioned above.

Filed Apr 23, 2013 · Acceleration · OR

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 toyota corolla. The contact stated that while traveling 35 MPH, the vehicle erroneously accelerated. The contact also stated that while attempting to decelerate, the vehicle pulled to the right abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was repaired. The contact was unsure of the exact was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage and VIN was unavailable.

Filed Apr 15, 2013 · Steering · 12,000 miles · CA

I have a 2011 corolla le which has 12k miles on it. Till 12k everything was fine and I loved this car very much. While returning from a road trip (550 miles one way) I started noticing loosing control on the steering and the vehicle started wandering all over the lane. I thought it was due to the high winds on that day. But I got tired frequently due to this and had to take many breaks. Then I tried to reach some toyota dealer on the way but they had no service due to easter sunday. Somehow I managed to reach back to my home. It was really a dangerous drive especially when huge trucks were passing by. I took the vehicle to the dealer on the next day. They took the car and told me that there is nothing wrong with the vehicle. I couldn't agree to them. I took the car and again noticed the problem on high ways. After a week I took the car again to the same dealer and they told me that they verified the car with different set of drivers and couldn't find anything wrong with the steering. I called up toyota and registered a complaint. But they said without report from the dealer they can't do anything. I took the vehicle to another dealer. They also repeated the same as no problem with the car. Now I am not sure what should I do to get this problem solved. I really feel that something to do with the steering and I am loosing control. Steering feels much lighter and looser than before and I feel it is dangerous especially on highways.

Filed Jan 29, 2013 · Engine, Steering · 11,000 miles · NC

2011 toyota corolla: have had car aligned 2 times due to excessive pulling to the right, therefore tires have worn unevenly and now need to be replaced at 17,000 miles. The edges of the tires wore out before 11,000 miles. I addressed the issue to the dealership, who at first told me I had to pay for the alignment; then I was told it would be aligned under warranty. It had to be aligned a scond time due to continuous pulling to the right. The dealership says I have to pay for tires out-of-pocket, even though I think toyota should at least pro-rate a new set of tires. Second issue is the engine running rough and unevenly. It idles rough, and since I paid to have the injectors cleaned, it gets worse gas mileage than ever. I now have the car in the dealership shop again to fix the idle. They just called and said the y had to replace and reset the engine control module. I expected the car to perform better and tires to last more than a year, as I purchased the car dec. 2012.

Filed Sep 12, 2012 · Steering, Suspension · 7,000 miles · WI

The car is wandering sideways and you have to really control and focus on keeping the wheel straight to stay on lane. The best way to describe it is like you are always driving on windy weather with severe wind gusts. This happens on highway, with a speed of 60 MPH or higher. The assistant service manager said it could be the wheel alignment but after they aligned it and checked it, the problem remains. I live in an area where we get significant amount of snow during winter and I am afraid of my safety because of this problem.

Filed Mar 4, 2012 · Steering · 1,000 miles · FL

Update!. On 11/25/11 I wrote: nov 25, 2011 - the villages, fl - vehicle speed control this is a new car purchase (w/200 mi). At 60-75 MPH (and noticeable also at slower speeds on other roads) on the freeway the car's steering wanders all over the road, it cannot stay on a straight line even if the steering wheel is not moved. T ---------------------------------------------------- update 3/2/12 - I have an update on the problem. The problem for me is not looseness or wandering from looseness it's an overly tight steering situation causing tracking fluctuations... Most cars have some slack or 'looseness' when driving straight at higher speeds... For safety. Humans breathe and move their bodies and heads all the time. This all translates to small natural movements in the arms and hands. If the steering at higher speeds is so tight that the least movement on the steering translates to wheel movement (imagine a go cart at 75 MPH) , then while it's great at 30-45mph (for tight responsive steering) - it makes for an unmanageable struggle at higher speeds to control the steering. The car steering is reacting to the smallest movements... Think... Flying a slower cessna 172 where large steering movements cause slow turns, yet in a military jet a minute movement of the stick causes tight radical changes. Most humans are not jet pilots and we need some 'slack' at high speeds...otherwise over-corrections could cause steering oscillation and loss of control (crash). Perhaps toyota countered the 'looseness' complaints of 2009/2010 with overly tight steering in 2011. But toyota guys, do you actually drive your cars? No real engineer would call the steering acceptable. It's really a serious problem. Just copy what bmw does. Their steering is tight, natural and yet totally controllable. Can I please have a new steering? Please? For my wife's safety?

Filed Nov 25, 2011 · Acceleration, Steering · 200 miles · FL

This is a new car purchase (w/200 mi). At 60-75 MPH (and noticeable also at slower speeds on other roads) on the freeway the car's steering wanders all over the road, it cannot stay on a straight line even if the steering wheel is not moved. Trucks passing by do not appear to greatly effect steering. Wind was not an issue. This, not a looseness but rather inaccurate steering, causes a wandering which is very dangerous as the car will wander into another lane or off the road into a potential crash. The driver is 57, with 200-300k miles driving experience in mercedes to bmw to volvos to gm to other toyotas to ford cars - w/o an accident. This is a real and serious problem which may cause deaths. There appears to be little control between the steering wheel and the steering. The tires have the proper air pressure (goodyear). I repeat, this is the most dangerous new car I have driven since 1968. That's problem #1. Problem #2, a lesser problem but also ridiculous.. Is the accelerator pedal. You cannot keep the speed constant at 45-50 MPH. Holding the accelerator steady the engine speed, as shown in the tachometer ,wildly jumps up and down at will, intermittently, RPM going from 1600 to 2200. If you hold steady it drops to 1600, if you then depress the pedal the smallest possine about, it jumps to 2200, then back to 1600. Other times the same action works as you would expect a linear press on the accelerator would command a linear increase in speed. The engine/transmission speed control is all over the place with no feedback to the driver. Look... I have examined this on empty roads. It's the most ridiculous control system I have ever used. It's not acceptable and it's potentially dangerous. I cannot believe it would pass safety standards> please correct these 2 issues before deaths occur. I will swear to this.

Filed Jun 20, 2011 · Steering · 2,100 miles · LA

My 2011 toyota corolla started to wander and drift on the road after reaching speeds of around 50 to 60 MPH. I took it to the dealer and they said they could find nothing wrong but said they contacted toyota and were told to align the front end. After the alignment, or whatever they really did, it was better but still at 50 to 60 MPH if you move the steering wheel at all, the car drifts and wanders like the rear end is on ice. Very scarry. Not much better. *

Filed Apr 4, 2011 · Steering · 260 miles · TX

2011 toyota corolla. Steering very hard to keep on the road. Wanders and jerks wheel very hard and turns by itself in the wind.. Loss of control.. Unable to keep the car in the same lane as it steers wherever it wants to go. Conditions worsened by wind and passing tractor trailers.. Has something to do with the electric power steering. It over steers when you only want it to turn a little bit.. Very scary at highway speeds.