Loose steering on new car

Now'd be a really great time to get out from underneath the car.....

Of course it would also be a not-so-great time to BUY another car.....

HOWEVER (comma!) Judging from your avatar, I'm guessing that you do not live behind the tinsel curtain.
THIS means that (1) you might be able to buy a fairly reliable G2 whose previous owner does not want to spend $2,000 to repair following a cat theft, since (b) the cost to replace a cat in YOUR state might only be a couple hundred bucks.

Something to think about while you're deciding whether or not to change your user stats....

Good Luck!

 

I have a '16 Prius. When it was new the steering was tight, predictable, no play. But it sure does now. Tires are good. Pressure is fine. But the steering play, lack of it being able to hold a line is frustrating. I'll ask the dealer this week when I take it in for oil but I have no confidence it'll get addressed

 

I suggest you start a new topic/thread because your issue is not on a new car as the title suggests. It's good that you found and read the old thread and seemed to have addressed all the suggestions brought up therein, but you'd be better served to start a new thread. Make sure you include the miles on your 2016, brand of tires and actual tire pressure, not just "good"

 

+1 on the "start a new thread" comment.

No.
We're not trying to be one of those buzz-kill 'forum sheriff's' but rather there might be some other 2016 drivers out there who would not find this thread under its current title......and let's face it:
Your car is now 6-7 years old.

So...
YOUR problem.
The G4s have been on the ground for 7 years now, which is a pretty long run, and your car was the first model year of this gen.
However (comma!) the G4s (appearances notwithstanding) have been very sound mechanically, with very little in the way of widely reported defects.
I haven't heard of very many people in this forum or out in the real world describing the steering of a G4 as "loose" or "not being able to hold a line."
BUT.....we're ASLO talking about a 3200# car on itty-bitty tires with a VERY humble thrust-to-weight ratio.

This appears to be a "you" or a "your car" thing.....and the car is no longer a spring chicken in automotive years but rather it's rapidly approaching "middle age."
....and it's probably been "dealer maintained" if you're still letting them change your oil.
...AND you live in Washington, which is topographically diverse state with 4 actual seasons, and depending on which corner you live in (if any) you might live a very urban or a very rural setting with all of the expected variations in road surface quality.

This means that you may be dealing with structural issues from hitting potholes that are big enough to be mapped on Google Earth, corrosion from wintry roads, battle damage from an unmentioned (or undocumented) collision, or worse of all......being used as a training-aid for some aspiring young driver who regards the "Fast and Furious" movies as documentaries.

We DO know TWO things for sure:
1. The car is at least partially "dealer maintained."
b. You're not going to be buying another new car for a little while, unless you're a moron or money means nothing to you....neither of which are likely since you appear to be a longtime G4 owner.

Therefore....I would consider seeing other people.
Assess your tires, and consider getting your alignment checked by people who actually check and adjust automotive alignments.....instead of just checking off a block on a dealer maintenance form.

 

Tread isn't the only thing that can "wear out" on tires.
But some tread patterns tend to get a little "squirrely" as the tread wears.

 

Yep, our electric-powered steering system is pretty amazing and a lot "softer" then the steering in my Tundra and WAY softer then the deuce-and-a-half diesel trucks I drove in the military! (Power steering? Nope, you WERE the power steering and don't keep your thumbs in the middle of the steering wheel when you let it go or it would break them!!)