Steering Wheel off center

[Prospero]

Ok, this is probably a nit, but it's annoying.

My smartCar drives fine, works fine, no shifter problems, no roof leaks, shifting smoother since the 2.0 upgrade, etc. I love the car.

However ... ever since the 2.0 upgrade (though I can't swear that this wasn't the case before), I've noticed that in order for the car to drive 'straight' the steering wheel needs to be turned about 10 degrees to the left. If I have the steering wheel centered, the car veers slightly to the right.

Not a problem driving -- I automatically adjust, but, as I say, a bit annoying.

Being totally ignorant -- is this indicative of something else (wheels out of align?) Could it have occurred during servicing? Can I/Should I get this corrected?

Or is it just something I should live with?

[forestacademy]

Unless they did something with the front end durring service It souldn't have thything to do with it.

Call your service tech, Perhaps you just didn't notice it until now, Find out from your service tech how long it should take to check and if they would cover it. ASk while its still covered.

[Padawan]

Can you take a photo of just how far off-centre it is? Mine is generally very close to centred (after having the alignment adjusted and then confirmed on two separate occasions) but it will change slightly depending upon how much fuel I have in the car, and whether I am driving alone or with a passenger. The narrow tires, quick steering ratio, and light weight of the car make it difficult to get a 100% centred steering wheel, but it should be close.

[John_H]

First do an inspection yourself. Look for uneven tire wear and please double check the pressure.

[jimvw57]

Just a guess but try driving on the wrong side of the street (only in a safe location) it could be the crown in the road that is pulling you to the right. More than likely you have a low tire pressure causing the pull.

[fortow]

If the car has had an alignment at some point, the steering wheel not lying straight when going straight means that there was a sloppy job done with toe setting. It doesn't indicate that there's anything wrong with the alignment necessarily. It can also be easily corrected if it bothers you - and that sort of thing bothers me too. I've corrected this before on a my cars. I'm not going to suggest that you do it yourself since you indicated ignorance of these things. Your dealer should have no problem setting things straight though.

It has nothing to so with the 2.0 upgrade and unless there's been suspension/steering damage it would only be the result of a sloppy alignment job. The crown of the road could have some effect but it sounds like yours is out too much for that. Check that effect out by driving straight in a parking lot. If the wheel is still not centered than crown is not the issue. Tire pressure is easy to check. The pressure in the right front tires would have to be very low to cause this, besides if your TPMS is functioning you would have a warning of low pressure.

[jimvw57]

I have seen cars come off the service bay lifts with damage that has caused the front end alignment issues, or maybe that last pothole took it's toll, not saying that has happened but definatly worth contacting the dealer. It should be straight. You don't say if you have the power steering or not, that could be an issue too. Best to contact the dealer.

If the TPMS has been reset with one or more of the tires low, it will not indicate a problem. It only shows if the pressure changes from the reset point.

[sato7]

PROSPERO, you are not going mental, the 2.0 does a reset of various parameters in the ECU. and one of those might be the electronic power steering centering. this is a LEARNED feature and perhaps when done the steering wheel was off by the degrees you say. Call the smart service center and have them check into that. I have the tech training CD and it covers that feature.