alignment

You do? Is that documented somewhere? What exactly do you get, just alignment, or rotation, or..?

 

My steering is off center too. Mine in at the shop today for that reason. It bothers me bigtime. It's a brand new car. The steering should be centered like my previous new car was. If I were you, I would demand they center the steering.

 

i have it too.
it is slightly to the right but there are a couple things to consider.
1. does it pull? mine doesn't.
2. are the roads you are driving perfectly flat? mine aren't and at times i also think my wheel looks normal. it's barely noticable to me.

something else to think about is the dash itself isn't at a right angle, you'll notice the slope up to the right. this gives a slight visual illusion of misalignment.

my wife's car had the same thing when it was new.

anyway, i have it but am not taking it in until i notice a pull or something else.
-r

 

Postings I've read on various Prius forums suggest that sometimes these new Prii have wheel alignment problems and that a mis-aligned steering wheel provides a hint to the existance of that problem.

If you wait too long after buying your new Prius before bringing it in for this problem, chances are the shop might place the responsibility for the problem on your shoulders (caused by your hitting a curb, or bouncing through a chuck-hole, etc.). I'd take it in NOW.

Be sure though that the steering wheel alignment is checked on a straight and FLAT driving surface (most roads are canted on either side of the center line).

If you check this Prius New Car Checklist site, note that the steering wheel alignment is prominent on that list:

http://www.vfaq.net/

 

Mine is brand new and is slightly to the right too (but it doen't pull neither).

It looks like a very common "feature" isn't it?

Anyone had a perfect fix after an alignment or we should live with it?

 

I've leaned to the left for quite a while. I'm used to it by now :wink:

 

Your first wheel four-wheel alignment and balance are free during the first 12 months or 20,000 miles, whichever occurs first. (Prius Owner's Warranty Information, p. 9).

From experience, an acceptable explanation to ensure alignment coverage is something along the lines of "wanders at high speed, constant throttle, level surface, no wind, tires properly inflated". I get it done soon after delivery whether the wheel is crooked or not. Why wear tires needlessly or have to deal with nervous steering?

Most alignment problems are traceable to the car being lashed down to the deck of a rolling ship for 1-3 weeks before delivery, I've heard. Better to have it tended to sooner than later.