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Tire damage due to excessive negative rear camber that can't be adjusted

32616 Views 130 Replies 44 Participants Last post by  Jonnylowkon
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On a recent road trip our 2019 RAV4 Hybrid began vibrating on the highway. We pulled over and discovered that the left rear tire was damaged as it was cupped and missing much of the inside shoulder. The rest of the tire had approx. 5/32 tread wear. (3/32 is the minimum according to the tire manufacturer) We have been getting rotations every 5K miles at the dealer. All 4 tires had similar uneven wear, the current left rear being much worse.
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We replaced it with our full size spare and took it to a dealer in the area, they attempted an alignment; however, we were told that the left rear had excessive negative camber, this was not adjustable, and something was defective. They advised that we take it to the dealer where we purchased the car to see if they could do something. (Car is still in warranty)
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The dealer where we bought it new changed the struts and springs in an attempt to increase the ride height and decrease the camber with little effect. They said that it is now just within the "Acceptable" limit from Toyota so all is OK; however, at this camber the tire wears unevenly as evidenced by the tire in the photo above. We would expect it to be in Toyota's "Recommended" or "Preferred" alignment as represented by the smaller center green range. I understand that angles out of the recommended range can cause uneven tire wear. The replacement is also starting to show similar uneven wear after less than 1,000 miles.

What does a normal alignment report on a RAV4 Hybrid look like? Has anyone else had issues with uneven tire wear?
Would be very helpful if some of you could also post pics or results of your last alignment reports if you have them.

Thanks in advance.
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What does a normal alignment report on a RAV4 Hybrid look like? Has anyone else had issues with uneven tire wear?
Would be very helpful if some of you could also post pics or results of your last alignment reports if you have them.

Thanks in advance.
Perhaps you could try the search function on this forum using the word(s) "alignment" or "tire wear" and see what results you get?
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My 2019 RAV XSE'd rear left camber was out of range and ruined my original tires (Dunlop GrandTek's) by 20,000k. I suspect this was out of alignment on original delivery. The camber is non-adjustable and Toyota doesn't have a good fix to-date for me. I told the dealer the tires were making noise prior to 20k, and the service tech said "Oh, they usually put of soft OEM tires to decrease road noise"
Is the dealer suggesting that you did something to cause the misalignment?
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No, but they also said that it’s not under warranty.
That make no sense to me. Good luck.
Is this a defective in certain cars or all 4.5 Rav4 Hybrid?? How many ppl r seeing the same issue in theirs or not? Mine has only 7K miles and it doesn't seem to have the issue by visual inspection. However this can be serious and long term which starting to get me worried.

OP thx for sharing and wish you find a solution soon, plz keep us posted.
My CA built 2020 with OEM Michelins is not showing any signs of abnormal tire wear after 24,000 miles. The tires have been rotated every 5k miles. And I frequently drive on rough gravel roads.
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Here is my before and after alignment report on my 2019 XSE with 18K miles. I travel mostly highway, I drive very conservatively, Florida has good roads, I carry about 200Lbs of cargo in rear. Very little passenger travel just me most of the time. The Tech said the rear camber came into spec after rear toe was adjusted. I did hit a curb once or twice in 18K miles so that could explain why the front was out. Tires rotated every 5K and kept at 33-34 PSI. I purchase a 5 year alignment agreement for $230 as I see this car needing to be checked frequently. I figure after the second or third alignment the agreement will begin to pay off.
Were your tires showing any abnormal wear?
Hi, just got this today, and Goodyear wants $110 to get the front left toe adjusted and can't do anything about the rear right camber.

Car still running straight, in fact, i was just driving it over 80 on a road trip and it didn't have any vibrations or pulling to sides. So, do i need to fix that front or should wait and observe?

plz advise, TIA
I am sure there are many differing opinions on this but if your tires are wearing evenly and you don't feel any pull or vibration then I would take the wait and see approach.
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Big Thanks for your input, as I did bring it into a Toyota dealer and the service guy declined it as a warranty item. Can anyone point me to some papers clearly stating that alignment is covered by warranty under the 12K miles, that'd be very helpful, and I will make an appointment for it at a different dealer today.

Again, Thanks for all of your input and that's why this forum/community is awesome!!
It appears that alignment expires after the first 12 months of ownership.
Font Screenshot Electric blue Parallel Number
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I've gone 63,000 miles on Goodyear Assurance MaxLifes, and there is some wear on the edges but they're still going. The reason the wear is showing on the inner and outer edges is because I make sure my tire rotations have some sort of cross rotation in them. I only mention this because the two different Toyota dealers I've used will simply swap front-to-back and back-to-front with no cross over even when I ask them to do it. The reason I know when they don't cross them is because I have my tires marked with numbers so I know where they should be after service, and, if they're not correct, I have them do it again. For what it's worth, the owner's manual does advise same-side front and back swaps with no cross for some reason.

So, just a head's up, if you're having your tires rotated at the dealer, there's a good chance it's be a same-side swap and you might not be maxi'ing the life of your tires...
Or you have tires such as the Michelin Cross Climates which are directional and should only be rotated front to back (or vice-versa) on the same side of the vehicle.
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