Nissan Juke steering problem

Corktech

I recently purchased a new 2017 Nissan Juke. The steering wheel does not center back after making a turn and you have to manually center it back. I have never seen this happen in another car before. I brought the car back to the Nissan dealer and they said it was normal. Has anyone experienced this before. I 'm pretty sure a steering wheel should return to the center after you make a turn. attached pics were taken when stopped at the traffic lights.

mikeecho

Seems strange.

Go to a dealer and take one of the same year for a test drive.

See what that does.

Boom_Bap

I've driven a 2014 and a 2017 Juke and the steering wheel does roll back to straighten up after turning.
Sounds like a problem so bring it back to the dealer.

Atlantic Dawn

I'd go back to the dealer and ask to take a test drive in another 2017 model to compare it.

Corktech

Thanks for the replies. I have brought the car back to the dealer, and they advised that this was NORMAL!!! and said they could do nothing about it as it was within spec and normal. The reason i brought it back is because it was getting more noticeable. I also asked them for a report of the " tests " they did on the car, as it only took 10mins. I have yet to get the report or a reply.
Will definitely ask to test drive another 2017 Model to compare.
Thanks again

biko

Just checking some obvious stuff
All tyres are properly inflated?
You are driving along fairly fast and not at standstill?
Is car pulling to one side when going straight?

If car is brand new it is unlikely to be the suspension components anyway.

Four Phucs Ache

Stiff ball joints or top mounts maybe ?

Atlantis50

Is your issue that the steering wheel returns to the center after you make a turn while the car is in motion, but not while stationary?

mickdw

Photos mean nothing here. Wheel won't centre itself sitting at lights.
A video would be interesting to see what happens when you pull away.

Atlantis50

I drive a Nissan Note and my steering wheel doesn't centre itself while stationary either. I've never seen it as a problem although this is my first car...

mickdw

No steering will centre while stationary.
Self centering is caused by the suspension geometry and is not due to spring loading or anything like that. The geometry is such that when moving forward the forces tend to straighten the steering. When reversing, the steering is more likely to want to spin to full lock.
Sitting still will mean steering stays exactly as you leave it.

Carpentry

mickdw wrote: »

No steering will centre while stationary.
Self centering is caused by the suspension geometry and is not due to spring loading or anything like that. The geometry is such that when moving forward the forces tend to straighten the steering. When reversing, the steering is more likely to want to spin to full lock.
Sitting still will mean steering stays exactly as you leave it.

exactly.

Corktech

Atlantis50 wrote: »

Is your issue that the steering wheel returns to the center after you make a turn while the car is in motion, but not while stationary?

Hi, The steering does not return to the centre after you make a turn while the car is in motion

Corktech

mickdw wrote: »

Photos mean nothing here. Wheel won't centre itself sitting at lights.
A video would be interesting to see what happens when you pull away.

I will try and get a video. It doesn't center while in motion after a turn.

Corktech

mickdw wrote: »

No steering will centre while stationary.
Self centering is caused by the suspension geometry and is not due to spring loading or anything like that. The geometry is such that when moving forward the forces tend to straighten the steering. When reversing, the steering is more likely to want to spin to full lock.
Sitting still will mean steering stays exactly as you leave it.

The issue i am having is not when it is stationary. When in motion and when you turn the steering wheel it stays in the turn position. The car will drive straight but the steering wheel does not reposition back to the center unless you manually put it back

kirving

Corktech wrote: »

The issue i am having is not when it is stationary. When in motion and when you turn the steering wheel it stays in the turn position.

OK, that's a clearer description of the problem.

Corktech wrote: »

The car will drive straight but the steering wheel does not reposition back to the center unless you manually put it back

So you turn the wheel, take the corner, straighten the wheel a bit, the car drives straight, and then, while continuing to drive straight, you centre the wheel, and the car continues straight?

Cordell

It looks like the car has a variable ratio steering, that is, some sort of cvt gearbox incorporated in the steering system. A while back some Infinity or Lexus which had the same system had a similar behavior, and back then it was considered a problem. I can't find the video anymore, but it was triggered by quickly turning the steering wheel back and forth ending up with a car that drives straight with an offcentre steering.

Corktech

Kevin Irving wrote: »

OK, that's a clearer description of the problem.



So you turn the wheel, take the corner, straighten the wheel a bit, the car drives straight, and then, while continuing to drive straight, you centre the wheel, and the car continues straight?

Thanks for the reply. No it's not that straight forward. You turn the corner, the car will drive straight but the steering wheel doesn't spin back, you have to manually center it back, and sometimes when centering it back manually the direction of the wheels will change. I Think the steering wheel may be loose, but I'm no Mechanic. I spoke to the dealer earlier and I asked if I could drive another car to see the difference.I know it seems pretty straight forward, but I really haven't seen this before. The only reason I brought it to their attention was it is getting more noticeable. If it was normal, it would have been there from the start. Nissan don't seem to be too concerned, so I'm sure it is o.k. I Nissan has had a lot of recalls in the past due to steering wheels, so maybe i am just been overly cautious.

If the wheel is spinning it will snap the squib connecting the wheel to the cars wiring (horn button,airbag etc)

You could try doing a load of right turns and see what happens.

mickdw

OSI wrote: »

So the car is going straight when the wheel isn't pointing straight, and yet you can alter the wheel angle to straighten it without affecting the direction of the car? That's a pretty significant fault and I wouldn't leave the dealership until it was sorted.

I'd very much doubt that is happening.

Senna

I think I understand what you are describing, It sounds like an issue with the suspension setup,
Best test would be in a car park, drive straight, then turn sharp right, then begin to straighten the wheel slightly WHILE gently increasing the acceleration. If the car continues right then there is definitely an issue and I would be taking the car back to the dealership and not accepting any BS.