unsafe stearing feel always correcting back and forth at 65 mph

Lewis: I just started driving a 2008. I feel the same way many afternoons on the interstate driving home. I have begun to attribute this feeling in large part to being in a new car. I drove a very stable Subaru Outback for 10 years - it had all-wheel-drive, wider tires and 22 mpg. So, I get in this jelly bean with tiny tires all blown up to about 42 psi and head down I-65 - I think I feel every crosswind, headwind and vehicle slipstream out there. It's not boring! And I'm getting great gas mileage. I think I will learn to live with it.

I will also send it in for an alignment check soon, just to be sure.

Bo

 

Mostly it is the tight steering. The electrically assisted power steering has nearly zero deadband, meaning every little input gets sent to the wheels, producing what is called pilot induced oscillation. As you get more used to car, this tendency will diminish.

Obviously you want to check things like tire inflation and tread.

Tom

 

+1 what qbee42 said.

The "fly by wire" steering, on the Gen II anyway, has virtually no
tactile feed back. The steering wheel does not push when you make
minor corrections. So, you subconsciously turn the wheel a little more
to get some reaction inthe wheel and to your hands. (Did you know
that the steering wheel is not directly conected to the steering gear?
I'm not kidding, it's all electronic, as are the brakes and "gear
selector.")

I'd say you have to relearn making small corrections on visual clues
alone. I't not that difficult, but is has to be a conscious effort. Once
you get some on the job training, you'll be able to relax and start to
enjoy the may little niceties of the car.

Hope this helps.

 

This is posted under Gen II, but is about a 2010. I bet you get even more folks who tell you about the Gen II steering and few 2010 owners replying.
[Edit: and now they have moved it]

 

Betcha the feeling goes way in a month or so.

 

Sorry, this is not true. Try turning your steering wheel when the car is shut down, I bet with effort the wheels will turn and the steering will be very heavy. The Prius has electric power steering. Electricity does what hydraulic oil does in other cars but the system is otherwise the same as other cars. there is no slack in the steering, it is very tight.

Best way to handle it, relax your grip on the steering wheel and allow some slight variations to course while remaining in your lane. You will find your car tracks straighter.

If this doesn't do the trick a 4 wheel wheel alignment at a reputable tyre dealer of Toyota dealer may help.

 

I just did a 240 mile drive at 65/75 mph and had no problem at all with steering, but i'm not the kinda driver that puts a strangle hold on the wheel. There was some short bursts of speed up to 95 mph as i was passing some slow movers. I use a pretty light touch and always have. Even when doing some racing. But i'm to old to do much racing anymore.

 

Lewis,

I had exactly that problem with my 2005 and it turned out to be alignment. In my case it was very hard to find because it was the rear axle that was toed out to far. Hopefully yours will be easier to find, get an alignment done right away and that might fix it. Toyota should do the alignment under the warranty.

My car was all over the road even with no wind. It would show up at speeds in excess of 60 MPH, at slower speeds it was usually OK. Several of the Gen 2 cars seemed to suffer from this. One of the hardest and most frustrating things was that no one would believe I had anything wrong, unless of course they had experienced it themselves. After it was finally fixed it was literally like a different, and far better, car.

My saviors turned out to be Galaxee and DH from this site, he was a Toyota Hybrid tech at the time and had seen the problem before. They helped me find what was wrong and were able to tell me how to fix it. Thanks for friends on PC.

Edit: When you have the alignment done be sure to get a copy of the readings, it's just one page and it shows as found and as left readings for the alignment parameters front and rear.

 

Try making your corrections very slowly, and that'll help give
you the purely-visual feedback path the Prius needs. And if
you're driving with one fist on top of the wheel like a lot of
people seem to do, that's inherently unstable...
.
_H*

 

This has been discussed in a few threads--it's probably tramlining.

 

My new 2010 Prius-III seems to steer well at all speeds, even slightly more or less than the speed limit.
At 40 psi (as delivered by the dealer) I do feel cross-winds easily, but the steering is steady and smooth.