NHTSA Complaint #10316310 — 2007 TOYOTA FJ CRUISER

I HAVE A 2007 TOYOTA FJ. THE STEERING SEEMS TERRIBLY WEAK AND UNPREDICTABLE. IT DRIVES LIKE A VEHICLE THAT HAS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MILES ON IT, BUT THE STEERING HAS BEEN LIKE THIS SINCE I PURCHASED IT. I'VE HAD THE WHEELS ALIGNED THREE TIMES, BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. TOYOTA SAYS THE THERE IS NO ISSUE BUT THAT THE STEERING ON THIS STYLE VEHICLE IS JUST SENSITIVE. WHILE I REALLY ENJOY THE VEHICLE, I'M ALWAYS ON FULL ALERT WHEN DRIVING KNOWING THAT AT ANY GIVEN TIME, THE STEERING MAY SUDDENLY TAKE THE VEHICLE LEFT OR RIGHT WITH NO PREDICTABILITY. I'VE DRIVEN A LARGE NUMBER OF SUVS AND PICKUP TRUCKS. I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED A NEWER VEHICLE THAT REQUIRES SO MUCH ATTENTION TO THE STEERING. IT MAY GO LEFT OR RIGHT WHEN THE ROADWAY SURFACE CHANGES, WHEN ENCOUNTERING UNEVEN ROADWAY SURFACES, WHEN TRANSITIONING FROM WET TO DRY OR ICE TO CLEAR PAVEMENT, OR FOR SEEMINGLY NO REASON AT ALL. OFTEN I FIND MYSELF ACTUALLY COUNTER STEERING (INPUTTING OPPOSITE TENSION ON THE WHEEL) TO KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM GOING LEAVING THE LANE I'M TRAVELING IN. IT IS VERY UNPREDICTABLE WHILE CHANGING LANES. AS I BEGIN A SLOW MOVE TO AN ADJACENT LANE, THE STEERING MAY SUDDENLY JUST PULL ME OVER TO WHICH I THEN HAVE TO COUNTER STEER TO KEEP FROM GOING TOO FAR. *TR