4cylinder Posted May 2, 2018 at 04:47 PM Report Share Posted May 2, 2018 at 04:47 PM I live in Michigan where pothole collisions often cause wheel misalignment and when that happens the car will pull a bit to one side and require the steering wheel to be angled slightly in order to maintain a straight direction. When I had my 18S08 steering wheel recall (the one regarding potential detachment) done at the dealer, I decided to ask them to realign my wheels at the same time, in order to kill two birds with one stone. Two weeks before doing the 18S08 recall, I swapped my winter tires with the stock Michelin all-seasons. The shop that did this found that my two front wheels were bent at the lip from pothole collisions, but they didn't have the ability to repair the wheels, so they rotated them to the back of the car in order to reduce vibrations. The wheels that are now in front are still good. At the time, I totally forgot to tell the shop to do an alignment as well, so I decided to wait till the 18S08 recall visit. The whole time, my steering was slightly off center to the left. After the 18S08 visit, I noticed that the steering was off center again - this time to the right! I have three theories as to why this might have happened: 1) Whoever did the alignment job at the dealer did a poor job, i.e. not centering the steering wheel when supposed to 2) Whoever did the 18S08 recall did not calibrate the steering wheel after reinstallation 3) The bent wheels on the back of the car may be causing the pull. However, each theory requires a different solution. If it was #1, I'd go visit an independent shop instead of trusting the dealer again. If it was #2, I'd go back to the dealer and demand a free service. If it was #3, I'd have to go buy new wheels or find someone who can repair them. Any input and suggestions would be much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muzicman61 Posted May 4, 2018 at 01:42 PM Report Share Posted May 4, 2018 at 01:42 PM My suggestion.... move out of Michigan. :) 4cylinder and jsamp 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4cylinder Posted May 4, 2018 at 03:24 PM Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2018 at 03:24 PM My suggestion.... move out of Michigan. :) I actually have that planned out haha. Work requires me to stay till at least 2019 :/ Low cost of living is nice though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muzicman61 Posted May 4, 2018 at 06:19 PM Report Share Posted May 4, 2018 at 06:19 PM I hear ya. I'm in Illinois and can't wait to get out. Interviewed for a job in Phoenix. Praying I get it so I can say goodbye to this over-taxed Hell hole. If not I retire in 5 years and leave then. :) 4cylinder 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trades46 Posted August 26, 2018 at 04:38 AM Report Share Posted August 26, 2018 at 04:38 AM My 2018 Fusion has good alignment, but back in February 2018 when we first got out Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, the car was delivered with a bad alignment - the car needed to steer 5~10 deg to the left to stay straight. It took 5 dealership visits (and constant whining through emails and phone calls) to finally convince a technician to drive the car while I sat beside him on a straight road with no traffic to admit there was an issue. They fixed it at no cost. Hopefully your dealer can make it right - but don't be afraid to put some pressure on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4cylinder Posted August 28, 2018 at 11:38 PM Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2018 at 11:38 PM Turned out it was the bent wheels on the back. Replaced them and everything was fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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