2018 TSS Crewmax 4x4 Steering feedback

I have had my truck for 3 months and have 9000 miles on it. The other night I was traveling about 75 mph on a highway where I hit a pool of water on the right side of the road. This has happened to me before many times. I often drive with my left hand holding the top of my steering wheel. The water caused a violent reaction to my steering wheel that caused a sprang in my wrist and I’m not a little guy. I was thankful it wasn’t my wife driving because she would have probably crashed. I don’t think any external force should be transmitted into the steering wheel like that. I discussed this with the dealer and Toyota is going to investigate. Has anyone else had any steering feedback issues?

 

Welcome from Texas, I've never had such issues, I've hydroplaned before, but never anything happen to me

 

Thank you for your reply. I agree with you. The fact that I haven’t experienced this before in any vehicle ever is the reason I’m on this forum.

 

I live in the DWF area of Texas and we have had a lot of rain in the last month. That said and the fact that I'm on my 2nd Tundra in 5 years I can say that I have experienced exactly what you have stated. I have hit deep pools of water in the dark and had my wheel jerked hard because of this. Never sprained my wrist and I tend to drive with just my left hand on the top of the wheel as well. Both of my trucks did this and I just attributed it to having larger tires on it (stock 20's) on both trucks.

 

Thank you for your post wigsplitter. What I have found on the web regarding this situation is referred to as feedback. Car manufactures spend a lot of time working on the drivers experience regarding this because it is the interface between the drivers and the vehicle. I was surprised at all of the things that they consider in design to meet drivers preferences. I love the truck but I’m concerned about a possible safety issue for my family or others considering my experience.

 

Could it have been more than just a pool of water? Like a pothole or broken pavement?

 

No. It was just water. The violent reaction in the steering wheel is what took me by surprise.

 

With power assisted steering I didn’t think it should do that. It literally twisted my wrist so hard it hurt me for two days. I expect the truck to react by slowing abruptly. I’m concerned because my wife could have been driving and it would have been very difficult for her.

 

It's not unique to Toyota. I've seen trucks and cars go off the road after hitting large volume of water. This was recently fixed but there's an area here in town that always held water in the right lane during a heavy rain, speed limit is 35. Most locals know to switch lanes or slow down through there, but if you're in the right lane doing the limit with no place to go you're in for a surprise. At 35 it will pull you off the road over the curb if you don't react. If you do react you likely over react so if there's a vehicle next to you in the left lane then things can get messy. There's a lot of resistance in deeper water. That hydraulic steering fluid has to go somewhere and that's back through the system.

Hydroplaning is when tires skim across a thin layer of water. Deeper water has more of a braking effect.

Here's an analogy. Have you ever driven a vehicle with a lazy or seized front brake caliper? When you apply brakes the working side pulls the wheel in that direction. So if the left side works you'd get a left pull, right side, right pull. Now add a high rate of speed and slam on the brakes. Pucker up.

With the water, tires are a factor too. Wider tires, or mud tires with larger tread blocks, also minimal or no siping can increase the effect.

I don't know what volume of water you hit but I think what you experienced is normal.

 

Thank you Rob371,
You spent a lot of thought and time in your post. I agree with everything you say. When I ask people that drive Fords, Dodges and Chevy’s, they don’t experience any violent reaction from the steering. Should a 4x4 truck be designed to handle larger tires and rough Terrian where the steering doesn’t injure you when the tires hit objects. I have not experienced that before. I have never owned a Tundra either. Toyota is sending someone to inspect the truck. I hate to say it but if this how a Toyota functions then I don’t see myself keeping the truck. I can’t really think of any type of situation where the steering wheel would turn so quickly that it would sprang a grown mans wrist after hitting anything. Its my opinion that the power steering should have prevented the steering wheel from doing anything that abrupt. I hope it never happens again or that the Toyota representive can find an answer.

 

I doubt that they will find an answer since it will be very difficult to replicate the situation. I am in Florida and we have had the wettest season in a very long time. I drive a lot for work and have hit many water holes along the side of the road. Yes, I agree that it jerks the wheel, but I have experienced the same with many other vehicles. Although I usually drive my Tundra, I sometimes drive one of the company vehicles which are F-150 or Chevy Silverado, and I don't think there is much of a difference. My wife's minivan and Prius will both do the same thing - it is difficult to say which one jerks more severely because every puddle is different so it is difficult to compare, but I have had some pucker moments in the other vehicles also.

 

Thank you for your post. I don’t have anything to compare it to so your input is appreciated. I think I will just let it go for now. It just happened that one time so we will just have to see. I need to just stop thinking about it and drive the truck.

 

I had something similar happen to me on a Chevy van drove though some deep puddle and lost power steering briefly for a few seconds. I suspect water on the serpentine belt may have caused the power steering pulley to slip which caused a temporary loss of power.

 

If you ever watch race car or off road drivers they drive with their thumbs outside the steering wheel rather than wrapped inside. They do this so they don't break their thumbs if there is harsh feedback in the steering.

 

I can't think of any car I've owned that wouldn't do this "if" you hit a big enough, deep enough pool of water. This isn't just a mild puddle that causes this. Typically they appear to be just "puddles" but when you hit them they are much deeper than they look.

There is a spot near my work that floods when it rains. It appears to be just a puddle but when you go through it it will actually slow the truck down quickly if I'm not staying on the gas because it's so deep.

I don't think there is anything wrong with your truck you just weren't expecting or prepared to hit that kind of water that would pull your truck to the side like that.

That's my opinion.

 

I agree. If only one wheel hits deep water it is going to pull. If there's also a pothole under the water it could cause a more violent pull. I wouldn't be discouraged being a new owner. Toyota has always had some of the best engineering and toughest trucks. Off road guys throw tires on the older toyos and go anywhere the modified jeeps go. Toyota was a little late in the full size market. If they start producing 3/4 and 1 tons I think it's going to eat up a lot of the domestic market. I know several guys that use their trucks commercially and are waiting for the Toyota to get into that market.

I've always had GM. Failures became so predictable as mileage increased. Living in Michigan and growing up around the auto industry made it tough for me to switch to foreign but now I'm a Toyota guy. Switched my wife out to a 4Runner also. Still got a couple GMs though; a 2008 TBSS, and a 2008 Envoy. Then there's the money pit Land Rover Discovery2, a love hate relationship with that one. Cost of ownership is definitely lower on domestic.

Give it some time. I think you'll regain faith and confidence in the truck and brand.