Subaru Outback Forums banner

Steering wheel not perfectly centered

20K views 20 replies 11 participants last post by  island21638  
#1 ·
Hi,

I just bought a 2012 2.5 CVT Outback last Thursday and noticed the steering wheel is not perfectly centered (I didn't notice it until the day after I bought the car). The angle is very slight, but it's a new car, and it's going to bug me.

The car handles perfectly, tracks straight without adjustment, doesn't wander at speed.

My question is does anyone have knowledge about how easy/hard is it to adjust the angle of the wheel? Could fixing it potentially lead to other issues (wandering, not tracking straight, etc)? And finally, is it just an annoyance that can wait to be fixed, or could it be indicative of an issue that needs to be addressed immediately?

Thanks!
 
#5 ·
My 2012 came from the factory w/ the same problem. Dealer found that the toe was WAY out of whack from the Subaru factory. Others on this board have reported the same issue. Get it aligned properly by your dealer and go on your merry way....:D
 
#8 ·
It is evidence that quality control regarding alignments from the factory is inadequate. It's not just steering wheel orientation. My lane wandering issue happened because they delivered my car with zero toe. I'll update the lane wandering thread with the specs and the reults of my alignment, which included having my steering wheel straightened. Why not deliver the cars with a spot-on alignment and a straight steering wheel?
 
#10 ·
Perhaps, but I believe SOA would save money. It would cost less to fix these issues with the factory alignment than to pay for alignments at the dealerships under warranty. And why would any automaker think it is okay to consistently deliver cars with offset steering wheels? Don't get me wrong - I think everything else about my OB is great.
 
#11 ·
Perhaps, but I believe SOA would save money. It would cost less to fix these issues with the factory alignment than to pay for alignments at the dealerships under warranty. And why would any automaker think it is okay to consistently deliver cars with offset steering wheels? Don't get me wrong - I think everything else about my OB is great.
The fact is that 90% of drivers would never notice. Those of us on this board are "enthusiasts" (Read: Obsessive compulsive) and will pursue it. SOA will probably come out ahead as you pointed out since most drivers would never bring back for alignment.
 
#17 ·
I do not agree that quality control is awful. There as an area that needs improvement: factory alignment, which leads to offset steering wheels and lane wandering, which are known issues and cause returns to the dealers for warranty work. The shakes are in a different category.

I think this thread has run its course, now that we are repeating ourselves. Time to move on.
 
#20 ·
As the original poster of the question I figure I'd give an update.

After a week driving the car (approx 400 mile), the steering feels great. The car doesn't pull, returns to center after turns, doesn't wander at speed, handles better than expected (although a rear sway bar is on order). It's really just the position of the wheel that's not perfect.

I talked to the service manager at my dealership about waiting to fix it, he said it really won't hurt anything to wait. So I'm just going to wait for the first oil change and fix it then.

As for the quality of the car I'm very impressed. The fit and finish, quality of materials, design are great. it's really a lot of car for the money.
 
#21 ·
50% of all cars are out of alignment from the factory. Just because the wheel is straight or not is not a guarantee that the alignment is correct. Mine drove perfect and the wheel was dead on but I had it checked at 3,000 miles. It was out in the rear a good bit. Once the wheels start to wear they will continue. Have it checked before you put to many miles on it.