prime steering not going back to center

Sounds like your dealer needs to learn to listen better. I wonder if @bwilson4web has any suggestions. IIRC, he's done some sort of custom alignment on his Prime.

 

can you post the print out of the alignment data?
what tires are you running, and what pressures?
typical highway speed?

 

Mine is dead straight. If it's doing that, it's because of an alignment problem. Try a different dealer or a third-party.

 

I do notice that steering doesn’t return to center if after turning at parking lot speeds, but mine is good on the freeway. The only time I have issues are with freeway grooves. The toyo tires seem to track them which is quite disconcerting.

 

Googling this:

what helps a car steering return to center

returns some food for thought. Something overly tightened?

 

Sounds like it might be a problem with caster, you may want to find a place that is able to check it. If it's out of spec, get a quote to fix it then see if you can get Toyota to pay for it, unlikely that it's adjustable so it wouldn't be cheap to fix.

 

same to you, all the best!

 

What came up a lot when I searched, was that caster for sure is what helps centre the wheel, but various steering and suspension components, if overly tight/stiff, can defeat the caster influence.

 

I've seen alignment specs for other Toyotas that are ridiculously wide. If one wheel was set at the max in-range spec, and the other side at the minimum in-range spec, it would be "in range" and out the door, and drive like garbage.

Get the factory specs and get the specs of your car. Some cars have adjustable rears, so get a 4-wheel alignment. Even if nothing is adjustable on the rears, get the 4-wheel measurements. Something may not be assembled correctly, or maybe it got bent when your car fell off the truck.... A "thrust" alignment is for non-adjustable rears where the actual direction of thrust of the rears is measured, and the fronts are set to match that.

I demand that the alignment be set at the center of the spec, not just anywhere in-spec. I have that put on the work order, and I won't pay until I see the results in the center. If the caster is adjustable (probably not on our cars, but it needs to be measured in case something is bent), I like it set to the max in-range. Not the center of the spec in this case. The tech can't complain, because anything in-spec covers his liability.

Camber--the inward or outward tilt of the wheels. (both sides need to be the same)
Toe-in--the wheels point inward a specified amount (both sides need to be the same)
Caster--the inclination of the steering axis (more gives more return-to-center feel)

Way back in the time of bias ply tires the rights and lefts would be set a bit differently to handle the camber (high middle) of the pavement. That is not desired with radial ply tires, but the old myth lives on with some techs.

 

Does your car have lane assist? That can be a pain at times.

 

I fear my Prime is similarly poor at tracking straight at highway speeds. If you move the wheel a bit to either side it will continue in that direction rather than return to center. This is pretty tiring on a long trip - you have to constantly work to keep the car going straight.

My wife's Murano behaves similarly, and has aggravated me for years. My previous car was an '06 VW Passat and was a great high speed cruiser, tracking straight and true hands off. My son's Mazda 6 also tracks nicely.

I've adjusted to it somewhat after 5 months, but still find it tiring on a long drive...

 

Try lowering your tire pressure to spec rather than overinflate them for marginal mpg gains. This is especially true if you have eco tires as they seem to track highway grooves more regularly.

 

Did the dealer drive the car?

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

The v in factory alignment specs has always tracked straight like a train on tracks, no matter whether OEM Toyo A20 summer at 42/40psi or Dunlop WinterSports at 38/36psi, with clinically even tire wear (and not much, at that).

Neutral toe may result in wandering, while negative toe can create left/right darting, especially with strut suspensions that don't manage camber and bump steer well. Toe and camber are adjustable.

Caster affects self-centering too, but is not, to my knowledge, adjustable. .

 

I think this is simply the difference between Toyota and VW's power steering calibrations that you're seeing - VW's electric power steering systems have a very aggressive return to center (to the point that they'll hold what they think center is, even with things like crowned roads and IIRC even crosswinds), where Toyota's systems tend to be a little "sticky" near center to try to get a similar effect - it'll stay where you put it if you're near the center.

 

I dropped the pressure down to the values on the door post (from about 40 psi), and while it reduced the skittishness a touch, the wheel still won't return to center if nudged to either side...