Firestone: "we can't align your truck because it has lane departure..."

Took my truck to Firestone for an alignment. They drove it into the bay, and after about 15 minutes, the manager comes out and tells me they can't align my truck because it has the lane departure feature. I asked when they would be able to do it, and he didn't have an answer.

This is a major bummer because the main alignment tech at that location was great. He always got my 4Runner in spec with high caster. I paid for the lifetime alignment and used it probably 8 or 9 times in the last couple years alone. It was especially useful because I do a fair amount of off-roading. I was hoping to have the luxury of getting my truck aligned after every off road adventure, too.

Maybe it's time to learn how to do it myself in the driveway.

 

That's the problem, go to your local Toyota dealer.

 

wifes car has lane departure and have never had any issue getting it aligned at any shop, even AAA did it. Never heard of a shop not being able to align a vehicle with that feature. Only thing I can think of it that maybe there is some type of calibration required after alignment to sync the sensors and they were not equipped? Does not really seem plausible, makes no sense to me.

 

For years, I had great experiences at that Firestone location with that tech. He took care of my lifted 4Runner every time.

I did end up going to the Toyota dealer. Everything is "in the green", and it drives fine, but from the front of the truck it still looks a bit like my tires are leaning out at the top like this \\ //. I'm over taking my truck back a second time. I've done that every single time I've had work done at a Toyota dealer. All of the dealers in the Nashville area suck.

 

Firestone is absolutely clueless. No issue aligning a Tundra with lane departure at all -

 

Yeah, it’s weird.

Has anyone else tried to get lifetime alignments for their Tundra and been told the same thing?

 

I call bullshit. I have lane departure on my 2017 and never had a problem with alignment.

@eccracer, ever heard of this?
(Really, I’m tagging you to all possible differences in years... ‘get a 1st gen’.)

 

One excuse is as good as another. Get the hell away from Firestone and don’t look back. Trying to persuade someone to do work they don’t want is a sure way to get crappy work. Too bad. Their loss

 

That manager has a brain infection or rabies. Stay away and go elsewhere.

 

You should have asked him how pilots fly planes that have autopilot?

 

Lane departure requires an alignment machine that is capable of connecting to and communicating with the vehicle through the obd port, they have to be able to zero the steering angle sensor. If the sensor isn't zeroed after the alignment, the vehicle will try to return it to the old center and you wind up with a pull. They can get the alignment in spec, but you will always be fighting the truck to make it drive straight.

 

Still a problem go to dedicated alignment shop

 

The tundra only beeps at you, it doesn't steer back into the lane for you.

Like others have said find a real alignment shop to avoid hassles

 

I got loads of perfect alignments on my 4Runner out of this location for the $170 lifetime alignment fee. Saved me a ton of money. I get that the average Firestone experience isn’t anything like mine, but man I’m bummed to miss out on that lifetime alignment for the Tundra.

 

Well, that may be different then. My truck is a 17, so I don't have all these fancy pants features, my only experience with lane departure is my wife's yukon denali and it will steer you back and this was an issue I ran into with it. Maybe the tech just assumed that since it had lane departure that it would steer, but that just takes us back to the tech not knowing what he was doing.

 

I went to a Firestone twice long ago. First time they did a shitty alignment. Second time I walked in with DJ's specs and they all looked at each other and told me my truck would drive like crap and wear through tires with specs like that. I left and never went back.

 

I am going to call back and tell him that it just beeps; it doesn’t steer the truck back into the lane. I think when the tech drove it into the bay, he saw the button on the steering wheel, saw it was a 2021 on the work authorization form, and knew that they didn’t have any software for lane departure on a new Tundra.

The manager was very apologetic and has always been cool to me in the past. I didn’t know enough of why that would be a problem, but thanks to @Cuzican post #11 above, I’m inclined to believe it’s a misunderstanding. Worth checking out anyway.

 

Had I had an experience anywhere near like yours, I would’ve done the same. Instead, I got 1000s of dollars worth of perfect alignments on a lifted 4Runner (which are notorious for shaking on the highway due to alignment sensitivity) for $170.

 

I have Firestone Lifetime alignment on my 2018. Also have it on my wife's 2011 Honda which needs alignment monthly. I now know which Firestone locations to avoid and which ones that are good in my area. Never had a problem with them refusing to do an alignment on my truck.

 

How would they not know or have it? Didn't the Tundras get this system starting with the 2018 models?

 

This is why over engineering and nannies are bad

 

Agreed

 

Hmm, maybe they didn't want to sell you another lifetime alignment package and lose more money. I bet 99% of the people that get that package don't go back 8+ times.

 

I had an Issue with a Firestone dealer here, I took my 2019 to a Firestone shop and they realign my truck when I left the shop when I applied my brakes it sounded like my brakes were metal to metal it was bad. I went back and told the shop foreman what was going on while I could not understand why I had brake issue when all that was done was a wheel alignment. He got his tech to go ride with me and for whatever reason it did not make the sound, I took tech back then I went home but before I got home the grinding noise came back. So went on home then started searching the internet for possible cause, long story short when ever there is an alignment adjustment done the "yaw" needs to be reset as this affects the ABS system. Any shop can do the alignment if they have the wheel alignment equip but once its done they need to connect to a scanner (Techstream or equivalent ) and reset the ""yaw""

 

My limited's lane departure operates like it is a visual system giving feedback to the driver. I would be surprised if it was tied to the steering position. My truck would have to have a very detailed road map to know where the actual lane dividers are if otherwise.