Steering Wheel Not Centered

I noticed this on mine a few days after delivery, the alignment is fine but the wheel is off for sure. I had this on a car before sand they fixed it.

same here - 2 months in, I emailed my PM to see if it will be covered if I bring it in. Also, I will need to check the tire pressures to ensure the left and right are the same,

Long ago, I heard rumor of cars that allowed the steering wheel to be centered independently of the front-end alignment. Yet, I've not seen this in any car, and have no idea what cars were being discussed.

I think it's a great idea though! You're counting on the alignment tech to eyeball the steering wheel straight, then make the adjustments. If his eyeballs are not as straight as yours, it can be off *just* enough to be really annoying to folks of the OCD persuasion (hand raised). How great it would be to turn a jack screw under the steering column that would simply put the orientation of the steering wheel exactly where you want it. It should be as simple as the ubiquitous up/down adjustment of the wheel for different drivers.

We don't seem to have that though. Maybe I'm the only one who wants it.

2013 MY, 49K miles. After a recent tire rotation, I get the sense the vehicle likes to drift to the left ever so slightly, even when the steering is centered. Tires are in good condition, and the tire shop did do balancing before rotating. Rotation was done in counter clock wise fashion due to right front tire exploded only a couple months ago and was replaced.

I'm trying to decide what's causing this drift. Wheel balancing? Alignment issue? Incorrect rotation method (standard method is to front and back swap)? Or all of the above and something else?

And I read somewhere here that there is something "special" with the LEAF rear axle when alignment is done...does that mean I should get Nissan to do it or is a 3rd party fine?

jdcbomb said:

2013 MY, 49K miles. After a recent tire rotation, I get the sense the vehicle likes to drift to the left ever so slightly, even when the steering is centered. Tires are in good condition, and the tire shop did do balancing before rotating. Rotation was done in counter clock wise fashion due to right front tire exploded only a couple months ago and was replaced.

I'm trying to decide what's causing this drift. Wheel balancing? Alignment issue? Incorrect rotation method (standard method is to front and back swap)? Or all of the above and something else?

And I read somewhere here that there is something "special" with the LEAF rear axle when alignment is done...does that mean I should get Nissan to do it or is a 3rd party fine?

Click to expand...

Service manual shows rotation front-back only.

Is the newer tire on the front? How much newer is it? Is it the exact same tire? Even a small difference in diameter in the driving wheels can result in a pull when power is applied. A front/back swap might help. Tires should be replaced in pairs at least. And even that can result in issues with traction control if front/back sizes are too different.

For what it's worth, I had a bothersome pulling problem early-on with my 2012 rotating the tires solved it.

I had the issue once with my old snow tires - also solved by another rotation.

Nubo said:

jdcbomb said:

2013 MY, 49K miles. After a recent tire rotation, I get the sense the vehicle likes to drift to the left ever so slightly, even when the steering is centered. Tires are in good condition, and the tire shop did do balancing before rotating. Rotation was done in counter clock wise fashion due to right front tire exploded only a couple months ago and was replaced.

I'm trying to decide what's causing this drift. Wheel balancing? Alignment issue? Incorrect rotation method (standard method is to front and back swap)? Or all of the above and something else?

And I read somewhere here that there is something "special" with the LEAF rear axle when alignment is done...does that mean I should get Nissan to do it or is a 3rd party fine?

Click to expand...

Service manual shows rotation front-back only.

Is the newer tire on the front? How much newer is it? Is it the exact same tire? Even a small difference in diameter in the driving wheels can result in a pull when power is applied. A front/back swap might help. Tires should be replaced in pairs at least. And even that can result in issues with traction control if front/back sizes are too different.

For what it's worth, I had a bothersome pulling problem early-on with my 2012 rotating the tires solved it.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the feedback. The right front tire was rotated to the left front position, and all other tires rotated in same direction. This "newer" tire was the same brand and identical size and type (Pirelli Cinturato 215/50/17) as the other 3.

I decided to do this kind of rotation as that right front tire had only maybe 500 miles on it, while all the other 3 had 5000+ miles in their previous positions. It didn't make sense for me to rotate it to the back as then I would have much higher wear on the other front tire.

Is it bad for efficiency or safety if I keep it in the current config?

My tires were Pirellis as well. I suggest you move the new tire to the back.