garage problem

The wheels on the Prius are closer to the ends of the car, so the rear end lags behind on the turn. This leads to the dreaded "Prius crooked in the parking space" problem.

The solution is to slightly overshoot the spot in the garage at first when you begin the turn, then swing back into line as you enter the door. The car should enter the garage already straight. After a little practice, you'll be a pro.

 

Are you certain it's not a worn tire or an alignment issue swinging the rear out a bit?

 

The Prius actually bows out around the rear tires. I found this out backing in to a carport when I first got the car. I scraped paint right around the rear tire well. Once I realized this I have started allowing a little more room and have not had any further problems.

 

It also helps to reverse into the parking space because the front of the car can "swing" more, making the car more maneuverable. Just be careful when leaving, don't turn too early, or you might scrape the rear side.

SCH-I535

 

If you will look down the side of the car you will see that the rear fender well protrudes out a little. You just need to allow a little more room for clearance than you think. If that means getting a little closer on the other side to gain clearance then yes.

 

We have a similar garage setup with a very short turn. One trick we use is to do a maneuver similar to a 3-point turn. Rather than turn straight into the garage, overshoot it at an angle (e.g. towards the second garage if there is one). Then, back up turning the wheels so the front comes in line with the garage. Then pull forward with a straight shot.

 

My son had the same problem on his BMW 3. Turned out, from the factory, the uni directional tires were installed backwards in the rear, so I wouldn't trust anything, even new. Whatever it happens to be, hope you figure it out.

 

It has to be the way you're approaching your turn-in - it sounds like you're starting your turn-in too soon. My best guess is you're allowing more clearance on the left side than needed thereby cutting it too close to the right side. I have a similar garage setup with 2 individual garage doors. The Prius has a smaller turning radius than most cars and I found my 2010 Prius was the easiest to park. My current 2013 v5 is bit trickier because of the large turning radius but I manage to get in without scraping.

 

That's funny. Did you buy our old house in South Jersey?
We had a 2-car right turn garage and a Mazda 626, and a Camry.
But we had a fairly wide driveway turn which became immediately apparent shoveling tons of snow off of it.
Can you think about adding a strip of concrete to allow wider turn?
Yes get that car inside in the winter! That's whole reason we moved to a house from the apparments in South Jersey.