Crooked Steering Wheel 07 5 door hatch - Toyota Yaris Forums

DDPK · 06-16-2015, 01:08 PM

Hi there, I have an 07 5 door Hatch Auto and my steering wheel is off a bit while I'm going in a straight line.

The car tracks straight and doesn't pull when I let go of the wheel. I just think that it was not set to zero correctly by the guy who aligned it for the previous owner, about 15,000k ago

Is there an easy way to zero the wheel?

(I'm fairly mechanically inclined and I thought with the electric steering box there might be some fancy trick?)

Thanks for the help

CoryM · 06-16-2015, 10:39 PM

They way alignments work is you set the steering wheel to "straight", and then adjust the tie-rods to keep it there while driving. The Yaris is bad because there isn't much to line up with, and your idea of "straight" may be different than the last guy. Centering the steering wheel should be done with an alignment machine, or tire wear can result. Also, it only takes a bump to knock the alignment out, so if your steering wheel is off center, your toe may be out. I'd suggest getting your alignment checked as many shops will do that for free. If you post the alignment results, I can advise further (I've done thousands of alignments).

Long story short, no. There is no easy AND correct way to center the wheel at home.
Cheers.

shepd · 06-17-2015, 01:51 PM

Remove the steering wheel and install it in whatever position suits you best (well, don't go too far off center as I imagine the clockspring could be damaged). Since your alignment sounds good, that's all you need to do. Either the alignment shop didn't align the car with the wheel set straight or someone pulled the wheel off and didn't put it on in the same position.

I confused the heck out of an alignment shop when I brought my Corolla in there. I'd removed the steering wheel as I figured it might make replacing the turn signals easier but I didn't put it back on straight. The alignment was required years later when I did some suspension work and wanted things just right, and I'd forgotten about the wheel being a few degrees off center (that's how little I cared HA!)

To remove the steering wheel you will need a steering wheel puller tool. You can rent one for free at partsource. There is an airbag in there so this is not a danger free operation, there is a very small chance you can do something silly and have the airbag go off, hurting you significantly, so be careful. Be certain you have disconnected the battery. Installation is as simple as popping the wheel back in place and tightening nuts.

The factory service manual has the procedure in "Steering Column", section SR-30, though it looks simple enough it's not necessary to read it.

DDPK · 06-17-2015, 04:38 PM

Thank you for your help. Going to have one more shop do a double take on the align and then consider the steering wheel adjustment.

06-16-2015, 01:08 PM	#1
DDPK Drives: 2007 Yaris 5 door Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Vancouver Posts: 5	Crooked Steering Wheel 07 5 door hatch Hi there, I have an 07 5 door Hatch Auto and my steering wheel is off a bit while I'm going in a straight line. The car tracks straight and doesn't pull when I let go of the wheel. I just think that it was not set to zero correctly by the guy who aligned it for the previous owner, about 15,000k ago Is there an easy way to zero the wheel? (I'm fairly mechanically inclined and I thought with the electric steering box there might be some fancy trick?) Thanks for the help

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06-16-2015, 10:39 PM	#2
CoryM Drives: 2009 5-door, 5-speed Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: White Rock BC Posts: 687	They way alignments work is you set the steering wheel to "straight", and then adjust the tie-rods to keep it there while driving. The Yaris is bad because there isn't much to line up with, and your idea of "straight" may be different than the last guy. Centering the steering wheel should be done with an alignment machine, or tire wear can result. Also, it only takes a bump to knock the alignment out, so if your steering wheel is off center, your toe may be out. I'd suggest getting your alignment checked as many shops will do that for free. If you post the alignment results, I can advise further (I've done thousands of alignments). Long story short, no. There is no easy AND correct way to center the wheel at home. Cheers.

06-17-2015, 01:51 PM	#3
shepd Drives: 2007 Yaris 5 door RS Join Date: Nov 2014 Location: Kitchener, ON Posts: 178	Remove the steering wheel and install it in whatever position suits you best (well, don't go too far off center as I imagine the clockspring could be damaged). Since your alignment sounds good, that's all you need to do. Either the alignment shop didn't align the car with the wheel set straight or someone pulled the wheel off and didn't put it on in the same position. I confused the heck out of an alignment shop when I brought my Corolla in there. I'd removed the steering wheel as I figured it might make replacing the turn signals easier but I didn't put it back on straight. The alignment was required years later when I did some suspension work and wanted things just right, and I'd forgotten about the wheel being a few degrees off center (that's how little I cared HA!) To remove the steering wheel you will need a steering wheel puller tool. You can rent one for free at partsource. There is an airbag in there so this is not a danger free operation, there is a very small chance you can do something silly and have the airbag go off, hurting you significantly, so be careful. Be certain you have disconnected the battery. Installation is as simple as popping the wheel back in place and tightening nuts. The factory service manual has the procedure in "Steering Column", section SR-30, though it looks simple enough it's not necessary to read it.

06-17-2015, 04:38 PM	#4
DDPK Drives: 2007 Yaris 5 door Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Vancouver Posts: 5	Thank you for your help. Going to have one more shop do a double take on the align and then consider the steering wheel adjustment.