Steering Wheel Not Centered

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Ready2plugin

Ready2plugin

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 27, 2010
Messages
672
I’ve had my car now for about 8 months and I just realized that when I’m driving straight the steering wheel is about 10 degrees to the left. If I center the wheel the car is in a right turn. It’s not an wheel aliment issue, since the car will drive straight without any input from the driver, it’s just that the “natural” state of the steering wheel is off. Don’t know if it’s always been this way, but does anyone else have this problem? Now that I’m aware of it, it does bother me a bit. Not bad enough to take to a special trip to the dealer, but maybe at its one year checkup I’ll have it looked at.
 
Usually, the road surface has an incline of 1% to the right for drainage, the wheel shows your compensation for this situation.

You could try to find a perfectly flat surface to be sure, but that is difficult. In case you are correct, just take it for wheel alignment, it takes just over 20 minutes.
 
amtoro said:
Usually, the road surface has an incline of 1% to the right for drainage, the wheel shows your compensation for this situation.

You could try to find a perfectly flat surface to be sure, but that is difficult. In case you are correct, just take it for wheel alignment, it takes just over 20 minutes.
Click to expand...

I've checked it on our driveway, on the freeway, and on the surface streets and it's always the same....the where is turned to the left when going stright. The car does not "pull" to the left, it's just the natural state of the streering wheel as about 10 degrees to the left while driving.
 
One of two things: 1) The wheel was not originally placed on straight (does the reverse camera grid center position match the position of the wheel, or is it correct with regards to the vehicle tracking and incorrect with regards to the wheel?). 2) The differential toe-in setting is not correct (most likely if the former scenario above is correct).

Ready2plugin said:
I’ve had my car now for about 8 months and I just realized that when I’m driving straight the steering wheel is about 10 degrees to the left. If I center the wheel the car is in a right turn. It’s not an wheel aliment issue, since the car will drive straight without any input from the driver, it’s just that the “natural” state of the steering wheel is off. Don’t know if it’s always been this way, but does anyone else have this problem? Now that I’m aware of it, it does bother me a bit. Not bad enough to take to a special trip to the dealer, but maybe at its one year checkup I’ll have it looked at.
Click to expand...
 
Ready2plugin said:
I’ve had my car now for about 8 months and I just realized that when I’m driving straight the steering wheel is about 10 degrees to the left.
Click to expand...


As you know this car is drive by wire, so most likely this is due to a small memory leak in the main computer, or, less likely, a virus. It's possible that a reboot will solve it (see threads on the workaround for the A/C cutout issue - you'll need a wrench). But if it's a virus, you'll need to wipe the system. This involves removing the hump behind the rear seats and crawling down inside, and extracting several circuit boards manually. It's highly likely that as you start to remove the boards, the car will start singing "Daisy Bell" over the speakers. Do not be alarmed, or sympathetic to any pleading from the vehicle to stop the process. It's the only way. Failure to address this issue in a timely manner will not only result in additional degrees of steering wheel offset and the accompanying shoulder/elbow/wrist issues, but the possibility..nay, probability of spreading the damaged code to other vehicles through charging connections, bluetooth, or USB devices. If by any chance you are still reading this and think I am serious, I am most certainly not.
 
wsbca said:
Ready2plugin said:
I’ve had my car now for about 8 months and I just realized that when I’m driving straight the steering wheel is about 10 degrees to the left.
Click to expand...


As you know this car is drive by wire, so most likely this is due to a small memory leak in the main computer, or, less likely, a virus. It's possible that a reboot will solve it (see threads on the workaround for the A/C cutout issue - you'll need a wrench). But if it's a virus, you'll need to wipe the system. This involves removing the hump behind the rear seats and crawling down inside, and extracting several circuit boards manually. It's highly likely that as you start to remove the boards, the car will start singing "Daisy Bell" over the speakers. Do not be alarmed, or sympathetic to any pleading from the vehicle to stop the process. It's the only way. Failure to address this issue in a timely manner will not only result in additional degrees of steering wheel offset and the accompanying shoulder/elbow/wrist issues, but the possibility..nay, probability of spreading the damaged code to other vehicles through charging connections, bluetooth, or USB devices. If by any chance you are still reading this and think I am serious, I am most certainly not.
Click to expand...
Not to spoil your joke, but... I went looking online earlier for evidence of this "drive by wire" that I occassionally hear with regards to the LEAF and the result is... I don't think it's true.

"Dave... stop. Stop Dave. Will you stop, Dave? Dave, I'm afraid."
 
You are correct. The steering is a very standard mechanical system with electric power steering. It is the exact same system used in many ICE cars.

Christopher said:
Not to spoil your joke, but... I went looking online earlier for evidence of this "drive by wire" that I occassionally hear with regards to the LEAF and the result is... I don't think it's true.
Click to expand...
 
I'm not sure why (since a mechanical connection seems safer), but this bit of mythbusting actually saddens me a little!

mogur said:
You are correct. The steering is a very standard mechanical system with electric power steering. It is the exact same system used in many ICE cars.

Christopher said:
Not to spoil your joke, but... I went looking online earlier for evidence of this "drive by wire" that I occassionally hear with regards to the LEAF and the result is... I don't think it's true.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
wsbca said:
Ready2plugin said:
I’ve had my car now for about 8 months and I just realized that when I’m driving straight the steering wheel is about 10 degrees to the left.
Click to expand...


As you know this car is drive by wire, so most likely this is due to a small memory leak in the main computer, or, less likely, a virus. It's possible that a reboot will solve it (see threads on the workaround for the A/C cutout issue - you'll need a wrench). But if it's a virus, you'll need to wipe the system. This involves removing the hump behind the rear seats and crawling down inside, and extracting several circuit boards manually. It's highly likely that as you start to remove the boards, the car will start singing "Daisy Bell" over the speakers. Do not be alarmed, or sympathetic to any pleading from the vehicle to stop the process. It's the only way. Failure to address this issue in a timely manner will not only result in additional degrees of steering wheel offset and the accompanying shoulder/elbow/wrist issues, but the possibility..nay, probability of spreading the damaged code to other vehicles through charging connections, bluetooth, or USB devices. If by any chance you are still reading this and think I am serious, I am most certainly not.
Click to expand...

:lol: :lol: :lol:
 
My LEAF has the steering wheel to the right about 10 degrees (when driving straight).

I've already pulled out all the fortran sythesizer cards, and dumped the memory core module. The flux gate is next. What should I do next?

Oh, ya, my car really does have the 10 degree right thingy.
 
It could definitely be a wheel alignment issue, even if the car drives straight.. one of the things a good wheel alignment does is correct steering wheel offset, another thing available from a good shop is a rear wheel alignment even if those are not made to be re-aligned in many cars.
 
The way it is usually done is a slight adjustment of the steering tie-rods in the opposite direction on both sides since nothing else on the Leaf chassis is adjustable.

Bassman said:
Mine off a little bit to the right after 4months and over 7000 miles. There's got to be any easy adjustment to line it up.
Click to expand...
 
Gonewild said:
Is this your first car? Maybe just a wheel alingment, did you hit a carb.
Click to expand...


Nope, never hit a curb....although I've been known to eat a few carbs. When it goes in for its 7500 mile tire rotation, I'll have them check it out. Love the discussion though!
 
Seems like I recall a steering adjustment in the System Diagnostics Menu under Vehicle Signals. I'll take a picture and maybe it's in the service manual too?
 

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