Why Is the Steering Wheel Off-Centre After an Alignment?

If the steering wheel sits a few degrees off-centre on a straight road after an alignment, the cause is usually one of the following.

1. The steering wheel was not centred during the adjustment

In a correct alignment, the steering wheel is locked in the centre while toe is set. If this step is skipped, the steering wheel will be off-centre even if the values are correct.

2. Road camber

Roads slope slightly to the right for drainage, so a car may drift slightly to the right; this is normal. A clearly off-centre steering wheel, however, is not.

3. Play in the front end

A tie rod end or ball joint with play causes the setting to shift quickly.

4. Steering angle sensor

On some modern cars the steering angle sensor may need to be reset after an alignment.

In our workshop we lock the steering wheel during the adjustment and test-drive the car before handover.