Alignment/Pulling to the right??

Jeff in KC · 03-02-2002, 04:03 PM

Any current Liberty owners having problems with their vehicle pulling to the right? I'm about to pick up a new Limited (any day now) and I've been seeing this problem on the internet. I had a horrible experience with this problem on my 93 Grand Cherokee that took months, multiple dealer visits, and a new steering gear before it was resolved. And it still pulled slightly.

Otter · 03-02-2002, 08:36 PM

yup, same here. althougg not too bad. learned to live with it though. seems like alot of my 4x's all pulled a little off to one direction or another, even with alignments etc.

USPLiberty · 03-03-2002, 01:30 AM

Mine pulled to the right when I first got it. I took it back in the very next day and they fixed it. They didn't tell me what was wrong. The steering is pretty much neutral now.

There have been a lot of complaints related to the struts on many webforums. Noises, clunks and such. There may have been a bad batch of MacPherson struts installed on the early Liberties.

Gecko · 03-03-2002, 05:01 PM

Liberties do not have MacFherson struts.

Dirtnapper · 03-04-2002, 10:09 PM

We had the "pull to the right" problem, it took months of running back and forth. Finally, got it taken care, we think. There were other problems: the left front shock had to be replaced after several trips due to a terrbile noise, which they thought was from the skid plate; also had to have that replaced. Lots of squeeks, it varies in levels! Do not let anyone tell you they "all pull to the right" crap...watch your tires! Good luck...never again.

Ralph Curry · 03-06-2002, 06:26 PM

You might also verify that the road you drive on is not crowned. Almost all roads have a crown (they slope from left to right) for drainage. So, most vehicles on most roads pull to the right because that's what Newton's laws wants them to do. It is more noticeable in some vehicles though.

It is hard to find a road that is not crowned, but if you drive the wrong way, it should want to pull to the left.

If your vehicle ALWAYS wants to turn right then you've got a problem.

CK in NY · 05-24-2002, 06:40 AM

My 2002 Liberty Sport purchased in Feb 02 and currently has 4600mi pulls to the right consistently. Took it back immediately for alignment and was told it was " way out of spec". But after alignment it is still pulling. Took it back again for steering check, nothing, and they say they "cannot duplicate the problem". Another Liberty owner has suggested I have the tires rotated to see it it helps. If you had this problem and got it resolved can you let me know specifically what the fix was?? thanks!

Sniper666 · 05-25-2002, 12:31 PM

Jeff,

As a previous person responded, it could be the crown in the road. Find a deserted parking lot like a high school or shopping mall and drive through. If the pulling goes away, your problem is the crowned road. The rack-n-pinion steering on the Liberty is very sensitive to this type of thing.

If it still pulls right in the parking lot then it's time to get agressive with your dealer.

Good luck!

XR · 05-26-2002, 04:45 AM

<blockquote>quote:<hr />Originally posted by Gecko:
Liberties do not have MacFherson struts.<hr /></blockquote>Yes they do.Get underneath and look.

catcityca · 05-27-2002, 11:06 AM

My Liberty pulled to the right when I picked it up end of March. The dealer said they didn't have alignment specs and couldn't do anything until they got them. Took it to another dealer the next week. They knew all about the pulling to the right problem and fixed it.

Needless to say I will take my Liberty to that dealer's service department from here on out!

This is my first "American car" since 1985 and love it so far. 1,900 miles.

Garnet Red Limited 4WD

CK in NY · 05-31-2002, 06:22 PM

Took my Sport to a 5 star Jeep Service for the recall on the airbag bracket. Asked them to check out the "pull to the right" problem. They did notice it and first tried swapping the front tires. this did not correct it so they checked the alignment and said it was off a little so they adjusted it. Unfortunately, I feel no difference! It had an alignment done in March, why would it be out of spec already? I am really interested to hear what was actually done to correct your problem. Was it an alignment? Was it tire pressure or rotate? What else can I ask them to check? I have tried to blame this on "crowned roads" but really it is too consistently pulling to be just the roads and I have driven other vehicles on these roads for 10 years and not noticed a pulling problem. Any ideas?

catcityca · 06-05-2002, 09:23 AM

Here's what they said they did. Reversed the front tires and tightened the steering column.
I have tested the car several times on flat roads (no crown noticable) and it runs true. I tested again after reading your message just to make sure. However, if the road has a crown in either direction the car will drift slightly either way. But so does my Volvo.
My Liberty has had no other problems to date. Someone on another forum or maybe it was this one published the specifications for alignment awhile back. Perhaps you can find that and take it to an alignment specialist. I hope you get your pulling problem fixed. I wish you luck.

03-02-2002, 08:36 PM	#2
Otter Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: CA Posts: 5 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	yup, same here. althougg not too bad. learned to live with it though. seems like alot of my 4x's all pulled a little off to one direction or another, even with alignments etc. __________________ "Audaces Fortuna Iuvat [i]The Elite Class in Adventure Gear[/i] [url="http://[b"]www.tadgear.com[/b]][b]www.tadgear.com[/b][/url] [email]otter@tadgear.com[/email]

03-03-2002, 01:30 AM	#3
USPLiberty Registered User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: CA Posts: 33 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	Mine pulled to the right when I first got it. I took it back in the very next day and they fixed it. They didn't tell me what was wrong. The steering is pretty much neutral now. There have been a lot of complaints related to the struts on many webforums. Noises, clunks and such. There may have been a bad batch of MacPherson struts installed on the early Liberties.

03-03-2002, 05:01 PM	#4
Gecko Registered User Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Nebraska Posts: 29 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	Liberties do not have MacFherson struts.

03-04-2002, 10:09 PM	#5
Dirtnapper Registered User Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 67 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	We had the "pull to the right" problem, it took months of running back and forth. Finally, got it taken care, we think. There were other problems: the left front shock had to be replaced after several trips due to a terrbile noise, which they thought was from the skid plate; also had to have that replaced. Lots of squeeks, it varies in levels! Do not let anyone tell you they "all pull to the right" crap...watch your tires! Good luck...never again.

03-06-2002, 06:26 PM	#6
Ralph Curry Registered User Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 25 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	You might also verify that the road you drive on is not crowned. Almost all roads have a crown (they slope from left to right) for drainage. So, most vehicles on most roads pull to the right because that's what Newton's laws wants them to do. It is more noticeable in some vehicles though. It is hard to find a road that is not crowned, but if you drive the wrong way, it should want to pull to the left. If your vehicle ALWAYS wants to turn right then you've got a problem.

05-24-2002, 06:40 AM	#7
CK in NY Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 6 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	My 2002 Liberty Sport purchased in Feb 02 and currently has 4600mi pulls to the right consistently. Took it back immediately for alignment and was told it was " way out of spec". But after alignment it is still pulling. Took it back again for steering check, nothing, and they say they "cannot duplicate the problem". Another Liberty owner has suggested I have the tires rotated to see it it helps. If you had this problem and got it resolved can you let me know specifically what the fix was?? thanks!

05-25-2002, 12:31 PM	#8
Sniper666 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 16 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	Jeff, As a previous person responded, it could be the crown in the road. Find a deserted parking lot like a high school or shopping mall and drive through. If the pulling goes away, your problem is the crowned road. The rack-n-pinion steering on the Liberty is very sensitive to this type of thing. If it still pulls right in the parking lot then it's time to get agressive with your dealer. Good luck!

05-27-2002, 11:06 AM	#10
catcityca Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Cathedral City CA Posts: 2 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	My Liberty pulled to the right when I picked it up end of March. The dealer said they didn't have alignment specs and couldn't do anything until they got them. Took it to another dealer the next week. They knew all about the pulling to the right problem and fixed it. Needless to say I will take my Liberty to that dealer's service department from here on out! This is my first "American car" since 1985 and love it so far. 1,900 miles. Garnet Red Limited 4WD

05-31-2002, 06:22 PM	#11
CK in NY Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 6 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	Took my Sport to a 5 star Jeep Service for the recall on the airbag bracket. Asked them to check out the "pull to the right" problem. They did notice it and first tried swapping the front tires. this did not correct it so they checked the alignment and said it was off a little so they adjusted it. Unfortunately, I feel no difference! It had an alignment done in March, why would it be out of spec already? I am really interested to hear what was actually done to correct your problem. Was it an alignment? Was it tire pressure or rotate? What else can I ask them to check? I have tried to blame this on "crowned roads" but really it is too consistently pulling to be just the roads and I have driven other vehicles on these roads for 10 years and not noticed a pulling problem. Any ideas?

06-05-2002, 09:23 AM	#12
catcityca Registered User Join Date: May 2002 Location: Cathedral City CA Posts: 2 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps	Here's what they said they did. Reversed the front tires and tightened the steering column. I have tested the car several times on flat roads (no crown noticable) and it runs true. I tested again after reading your message just to make sure. However, if the road has a crown in either direction the car will drift slightly either way. But so does my Volvo. My Liberty has had no other problems to date. Someone on another forum or maybe it was this one published the specifications for alignment awhile back. Perhaps you can find that and take it to an alignment specialist. I hope you get your pulling problem fixed. I wish you luck.