Does anyone else have an issue with the steering wheel alignment? When driving along and letting go of the wheel for it to return to its natural center, it always is slightly pointing to the left. I’ve had the tyre pressures checked and hawk eye alignment carried out over at atec align in Huddersfield (so not some clueless KwikFit idiot) and everything on that front is reported to be fine.
When travelling down a straight road, if it let go of the steering wheel, then it will start to pull left. I’m always having to put pressure towards the right to keep it going in a straight line — which cant be right?! It has just been in for it’s 1 year service, and nothing was picked up.
The picture below is the steering wheel sitting at it’s natural position. Do you think this is something that should be covered under warranty?
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1643 příspěvků · Připojeno 2016
I’ve always thought mine drifts to the left when I let go of the wheel and the steering wheel is slightly left. I put it down to the camber of the road. It doesn’t drift left with my hand on the wheel so I just live with it.
Astra K 1.4T 150 Nav. Černá, 18″ kola, senzory vpředu/vzadu, vyhřívaná sedadla/volant, anténa se žraločí ploutví, mytí každé 2 dny
1255 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017
My car tends to drift a bit to the left and occasionally right depending on the road I guess, but steering wheel when stationary or driving is generally always straight.
18 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017
Swap your two front wheels around and see if there is any difference.
21 příspěvků · Připojeno 2016
Mine pulls to the right everytime I let go the steering wheel. Besides, it vibrates between 100 and 140 km/h. Dealer checked everything but says the car is fine.
177 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017
due to the road’s camber, if you let go of the wheel it will pull to one side.
1 příspěvek · Připojeno 2017
Just got one of these cars this week. Noticed my tyre pressures are higher on the left.
132 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017
Coudl be due to several things. Camber of the road, tyre pressure, alignment. Even tread depth differential on tyre on opposite sides.
To investigate this you’ll have to start changing things around if the wheel alignment hasn’t highlighted any issues.
I took mj Astra J to several place for wheel alignment because it was always pulling left on acceleration. the last place I took it to was while on holiday and they did a proper job. First thing they did was inspect the car and even before putting it up on the lift they checked the tread depths and told me that was likely to be the problem. they identified the alignment was slightly off and corrected it but it didn’t eliminate the problem so they didn’t charge. I didnt’ want to change tyres there and then but when I got to my local tyre centre I asked them to stick two new wheels on the front (no alignment done) and the problem was resolved. Job done.
I now only replace tyres in pairs.
6 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017
Hi Chris did you ever get to the bottom of this problem?
I have the same issue since getting the car from the dealers, they say they can’t see anything wrong with it.
I’ve also had it tracked and it still does it. Seems to drift more when under acceleration.
Have tried swapping tyres back to front but made no difference.
Jakákoli pomoc ocenila
1643 příspěvků · Připojeno 2016
I think it’s just how the car is designed. ever been over white lines on the road and felt it through the steering wheel?
My thoughts are because the steering is so sensitive the natural camber of the road will take the car to the left. While other cars will drive straight. This is just my thoughts. don’t quote me on this!
Astra K 1.4T 150 Nav. Černá, 18″ kola, senzory vpředu/vzadu, vyhřívaná sedadla/volant, anténa se žraločí ploutví, mytí každé 2 dny
6 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017
AdieMcc said:
I think it’s just how the car is designed. ever been over white lines on the road and felt it through the steering wheel?
My thoughts are because the steering is so sensitive the natural camber of the road will take the car to the left. While other cars will drive straight. This is just my thoughts. don’t quote me on this!
But if it was the design of the car, then all Astra K models would do it. From what information I’m gathering, it’s only a few out of the many thousands produced. As the OP said his steering wheel doesn’t sit central and neither does mine.
Got a friend with the exact same model, so going to put his wheels on mine and see if this rectifies the issue. Something to do over Xmas.
207 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017
I saw an Australian motoring journalist who had a very clear and detailed explanation. To sum up — in the UK the cars pull to the left because the road has a camber to the left to desipate rain water, etc. All cars with LHD tend to pull to the right, as the vehicles drive on the other side of the road. There is no need to fix it. It also has a safety feature — its designed to do this for road safety. In case you fall asleep at the wheel — the vehicle will steer left into the ditch, rathar than right into oncomming traffic. Hope this helps.
1.4T 150 AT6 ST Innovation in Cosmic Grey
6 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017
iavorid said:
I saw an Australian motoring journalist who had a very clear and detailed explanation. To sum up — in the UK the cars pull to the left because the road has a camber to the left to desipate rain water, etc. All cars with LHD tend to pull to the right, as the vehicles drive on the other side of the road. There is no need to fix it. It also has a safety feature — its designed to do this for road safety. In case you fall asleep at the wheel — the vehicle will steer left into the ditch, rathar than right into oncomming traffic. Hope this helps.
Two vehicles, identical make, model, engine and year.
Same stretch of road, same road conditions, same speed.
One car veers to the left (only way to keep it in a straight line is to keep adjusting the steering wheel)
The other car drives perfectly without veering and without moving the steering wheel.
Nothing to do with camber
207 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017
Odd indeed, if its not wheel alignment ot tyre pressure, only thing comes to mind that theres something wrong with the car, play in the steerimg rack maybe.
1.4T 150 AT6 ST Innovation in Cosmic Grey
6 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017
Just an quick update.
Since I’ve only had the car a month and raised the complaint within the first 30 days, the finance company have got involved and will be arranging for an independent mechanical engineer to come and inspect the car. Hopefully next week.
Will post their findings.
151 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017
Is there any chance u could have a binding caliper?after a journey if u hold it hand close to the alloy to which side ur car is pulling too without touching it’ll be roasting and the brake pedal will be more solid than usual.Failing that has it had an impact with a kerb and the allignment is out?
231 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017
iavorid said:
I saw an Australian motoring journalist who had a very clear and detailed explanation. To sum up — in the UK the cars pull to the left because the road has a camber to the left to desipate rain water, etc. All cars with LHD tend to pull to the right, as the vehicles drive on the other side of the road. There is no need to fix it. It also has a safety feature — its designed to do this for road safety. In case you fall asleep at the wheel — the vehicle will steer left into the ditch, rathar than right into oncomming traffic. Hope this helps.
Agee with this all cars I’ve owned have a slight pull to the left due to design of uk cars but should be very subtle
51 příspěvků · Připojeno 2018
This is interesting. I have recently bought an ST and it also pulls to left. I noted it on test drive (only 299 miles on clock) and the Vauxhall dealer said they would check it & align if needed. Checked alignment and said it was spot on. Took it to another Vauxhall dealer local who said the same (suggested I go out with a tech — surely he could have gone out on his own though I thought later!). It definately does it compared to my other car so not just road camber. Ive checked pressures but not switched wheels.
14 příspěvků · Připojeno 2018
Hi All, new to forum but have had my Astra SRI auto for 6 months second hand and has 10000 miles on clock. From day 1 mine has pulled to left and having had this problem on several newish previous vehicles I have nearly always found it to be due to the front tyres. I have even had it after fitting new Continental tyres to a Ford Focus. Anyway last week I swapped my 2 front tyres over with each other as FROG7 suggested a couple of months ago. What was the result, Ta-Dah, Absolutely perfect now even on a slight camber and if I take my hands off the wheel ( not that I ever do ! ). This now makes my Astra the best car I have ever had and Iv’e had over 50 of them. Every one had had a couple of niggly things ( think I suffer with OCD ) Only things now are the noisy Bridgestone tyres and no remote folding mirrors plus I also really missed the Ford heated windscreen this morning. Before someone comments I realise the tyre pressure moniters are now back to front but as long as I remember what I’ve done all ok till I need new front tyres when I will swap them back again.
35 příspěvků · Připojeno 2016
Did this get fixes
Summit White 136 Diesel SRi
6 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017
Never got fixed as far as I’m concerned. After an independent inspection which concluded that it was uneven tyre pressure. I purchased a set of four new tyres. This seemed to correct the problem slightly but still pulls to the left but not so severely. Just have to put up with the car for the next two years and give it back.
35 příspěvků · Připojeno 2016
Hmm. My steering wheel sits to the off left when I let go. When I correct it to the «straight» position, car seems to veer right. Super annoying.
Summit White 136 Diesel SRi
6 příspěvků · Připojeno 2017
Yep that’s indentical to my issue. Tracking and balancing are all spot on too.
35 příspěvků · Připojeno 2016
Just an update. sent my car unto VX for them to check the steering wheel and they diagnosed the issue as tracking. Probably true as I’ve hit some potholes (cornwall council for you) and clipped a curb once. Definitely doesn’t pull on the dual carriageway any more and deffo feels much better.
Summit White 136 Diesel SRi
8 příspěvků · Připojeno 2018
Hi. My car (a 2016 SRi 150) has pulled slightly to the left off and on since I bought it in July 2018. I’m not sure if it could be classed as a genuine problem with the car or simply a road camber/UK cars are designed this way/unevenly worn tyres/my own over-sensitivity to this sort of thing kind of issue. I do find it damn annoying though!
To solve the problem, firstly, I took it to my local garage to get the tracking checked (having bought the car from a Vauxhall dealer an hour or so ‘s drive away, I didn’t want to traipse all the way back just to get the tracking done). Sadly, they said it was fine, so I put up with it for a while. Next up, I booked the car into the dealers I bought it from to have a couple of issues seen to (missing aerial and offset steering wheel) and had them look into the pulling to the left issue too. They drove in the car with me and (reluctantly) agreed it pulled to the left a bit. So, I left it with them and whatever they did pretty much solved the problem. However, after getting it serviced at my local Vauxhall dealer just last week, the PTTL is back! Bit annoying. Might swap tyres around and see if that helps or just grit my teeth and bear it.
I did get this a little bit in my previous car — an 06 Mazda 3 Sport, but that mostly seemed to be OK (I figured the potholes on my old drive to work knocked things out of whack every so often), but not noticed it ever before.
I’ll post again if I find a cure.
