SOLVED: Steering Wheel Not Straight, Needed Alignment

Krzydmnd

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***3/12/2019 Update*** Resolved by Adjusting Alignment

hi all!

I have had my ranger into the dealership for the third time w/ no resolution yet and I'm looking for some feedback.

The day after I picked up my truck I noticed that the steering wheel isn't true-straight when the truck is driving straight. I took it in, and they said they made an adjustment, but when I left the lot, it wasn't fixed so I turned right back around. They put it on the alignment rack and said it was slightly out of toe, and made the adjustments.

STILL wasn't right so I booked the second actual service appt where they did some kind of adjustment and it solved the problem! For about two weeks.

SO I took it back in today, and the tech said he made an adjustment but it was so windy here that he couldn't really tell if it helped on the test drive. Not expecting it to be fixed, I drove off. even worse. SO I turn around again and ask the tech to take a drive w/ me. He acknowledged the problem, but was giving me the old 'road slope, wind, blah blah' when I KNOW it's not that. This was most frustrating, because even after the ride, he's effectively pawning it off as if I'm the problem and being overly picky?

He suggested dropping it off for a day so they can really go over it, which I will, but I'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing this, or has on other vehicles where they found a solution?

It may seem trivial to some, it's not a huge variance, but it's definitely visually noticeable and I expect tighter tolerances on a brand new vehicle! It's bad enough that if you put a level on the wheel and held it perfectly level, you are changing lanes just as much as it would take to do so on the highway under your control.

What can I have them look at? are there servo adjustments or something for the electronic steering? The tech today told me Toe was the only steering adjustment, that just doesn't seem possible. Is there some acceptable amount you'd be OK with in your vehicle? I mean I sit right there, staring at the problem every time I look down at the dash...

any feedback or suggestions are appreciated!
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Toytec

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Ask them if their Hunter machine has the latest software for the Ranger since it's so new.
 


JDCinVA

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What's the lemon law like in your state? In VA, if you go back to the dealer 3 times for the same issue and it's not repaired, you can file a claim for refund / replacement with the state attorney general.
 

FLEngineer

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Ask them if their Hunter machine has the latest software for the Ranger since it's so new.
I believe there is actually a service bulletin to this affect.
 

kep

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That can't be that hard to fix....I prepped for a dodge dealer about 39 years ago and every car came in with the steering wheel off center, it was part of my job to check toe and center the wheel. Centering the wheel is just turn one adjuster in and the other out the same amount til the wheel is centered.
 
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Krzydmnd

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That can't be that hard to fix....I prepped for a dodge dealer about 39 years ago and every car came in with the steering wheel off center, it was part of my job to check toe and center the wheel. Centering the wheel is just turn one adjuster in and the other out the same amount til the wheel is centered.
exactly why this is so frustrating lol!
 

RiverRojo

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Wow is all I can say to this thread. If the steering wheel is truly that far off, the tech is blind. Yes, wind and road crown will affect the levelness of the steering wheel. Simply put, your "steer ahead" is incorrect. This is an easy fix of adjusting front toe (adjusting tie rod length). You don't even need an alignment machine if a front end tech is worth his weight. If it was fine, then switched...your rack is loose and has shifted. I was a front end tech at a ford dealership at 5 years btw...
 

PhysSDK

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Eh ideally you want dead center steering, dead center on the rack. Some racks if you just adjust tie rods when you’re off this far you can affect turning radius. Looks to me when they linked the steering u joint they were off a few teeth.
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