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After tire rotation, car pulling to the right

40K views 17 replies 10 participants last post by  Gavinallan1 
#1 ·
Last Saturday, I took the car in for first maintenance and they rotated the tires. Since then, the car has an obvious pull to the right. I could tell that they rotated the front tires to the back on the same side they currently were on (i.e, right front to right back, etc.). I checked the manual, and it indicates that the tires should be cross-rotated. So I took the car back in and suggested they rotated them incorrectly. The advisor then told me I needed a front end alignment for $125 (6230 miles!). He should know, so I said yes. Then, on the trip home, I could clearly see that the car is still pulling to the right on highway speeds as well as lower speeds. Anyone have any similar experiences, and if so, how did you resolve them? Dealership told me it really doesn't matter which way you rotate the tires. Is that so? Can we ignore the manual???
 
#2 ·
Since now you had an alignment, and your car still pulls, you now need to rule out a bad tire. Do you remember any major tire 'hits' (which may have also affected your alignment); an internal cord may have been broken causing an un-round tire. Tire rotation, cross or front to back, shouldn't cause the vehicle to pull.
 
#3 ·
Hello RockvilleXTS,

I am sorry your vehicle still seems to be experiencing an alignment malfunction after tire rotation. C&C does offer some good insight on the situation. If you would like to discuss this further with me, please private message me with your VIN and dealership name and location.

Regards,

Laura M.
Cadillac Customer Service
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the advice C&C. There was no pulling at all until the tire rotation. I don't recall any major hits. Wouldn't the car pull to the right before the rotation as well as after? I'm taking it back in tomorrow to the dealer. The tires only have 6230 miles on them, and I haven't hit any potholes that I remember. If the rear tires are now on the front (non-crossed), and it is a tire, does that mean something is wrong with a tire that was on the rear before the rotation?
 
#6 ·
Tire pressure is exactly the same on all 4 tires. I'm very attentive to that issue, and keep the tires at 35 psi cold. The weather extremes lately have challenged me on that account, but the pressures are the same. It will be interesting to see what the dealership says this morning. I'm taking my tire hazard policy in that I bought in case they say it's a tire, but I bought the policy at another dealership, and it says to return to the seller. So, if I have to return to the selling dealer, I'll have to admit I took the car to a closer dealer for service. :-(
 
#8 ·
Thanks for all the great advice! They found (drumroll), that the tire rotation in the XTS manual is, in fact correct (p. 10-48). They had kept the tires on the same side, but you have to switch the front tires (formerly rear tires), left to right. So, I paid for a front end alignment (6230 miles), but I guess that wasn't a waste because he showed me one set of numbers was out of spec (a bit). However, word to the wise! Insist that your dealership FOLLOW CADILLAC'S MANUAL and rotate the tires accordingly. Might save you a second trip back and some extensive eye rolling. :D (shouldn't they know these things???) Now, no pulling at all. (Different dealership than where I bought the car. So, next time, I'll drive the 43 miles to the other place! Worth not making 2 trips.)
 
#9 ·
Wouldn't it be back to the way they rotated (back to front)on the third rotation (crossing ) with the one that on the back in same place they are when they rotated first? Then pull would come back. Sounds to me vehicle has radial pull from bad tire.
 
#11 ·
Nope. They only switched the front 2 tires yesterday, and left the ones on the back (which originally were the front tires) alone (and on the same side as they were on the front). The end result was a rotation that is recommended in the XTS manual rather than the first rotation (with no crossing) that they did last Saturday. Now, no pulling at all.
 
#12 ·
I have been having alignment issues where the car drifts to the right if I let go of the steering wheel, particularly at freeway speeds. I have been to the dealership three times, but it still does it. The tech said he had adjusted it as much as allowable under the GM specs, but it still drifts to the right. We also rotated the tires, but that did not change anything. At low speeds, on certain roads, particularly in the left lane, it will sometimes drift to the left, but it is always to the right at freeway speeds even when the freeway is quite straight and level. I'm very frustrated, but don't know what else can be done. I would describe it as a drift, more than a pull.
 
#16 ·
I don't think the dealer should have charged you a single red cent. I also think that if the Cadillac customer service people on this site had any cajones at all they would fight for you and get your money back.
What good is customer service if they can't help you?
My dealer replaced my tire for free with 6,500 miles on it because it was out of round. They never questioned a single thing.
 
#18 ·
My dealer rotated, balanced, and aligned my XTX4 a few weeks ago under warranty @ 6600 miles. The car drives awesome! No drift. No pull. No vibration. Steering wheel is perfectly straight and centered.
The only problem was that the tech didnt reteach the TPS system to read the appropriate pressure at the correct location. Took it back and they fixed that too.
 
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