Q: 2011 Lincoln MKZ has distinct pull/drift to left

asked by on July 26, 2016

Recently I purchased a pre-owned car and after the first few days I started noticing a distinct pull/drift to the left. I took it to the dealership and they told me that there was no problem with the alignment. They also showed me a letter from Ford that indicated that ‘some’ MKZs drift left. They called it a “characteristic” of my car. This was very aggravating! Can you tell me a way to correct this pull to the left in my car? Thank you.

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I would first recommend having all of your tires on your 2011 Lincoln MKZ checked for incorrect tire conicity. Tire conicity is the ability of the tire to become cone shaped. If the tire tread becomes cone shaped this means that one diameter of a tire is smaller than the diameter on the opposite side of the tire. If a tire is cone shaped, the vehicle will pull towards the side with the smallest diameter.

Ways to resolve this issue would include replacing the tires if necessary, and having an alignment performed. If the alignment of your vehicle is within specification, you could request that the technician align your vehicle slightly different to offset the pull that you are experiencing. If you want to have this checked before moving forward with a repair, you can have the pulling issue diagnosed by a certified technician, such as one from YourMechanic.

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