Crooked Steering Wheel in Hillsboro, KS
The short answer
A steering wheel that sits crooked while you drive straight almost always means the wheel alignment has shifted, often after a pothole, a curb or work on the steering.
You notice it on the long, straight run of US-56 toward Marion, when the logo in the middle of the wheel is tilted and your hands have quietly moved to match. The car may still go straight, and your tires are paying for it anyway. Bring it in, or we will come and get it.
Call or text (620) 416-0008. Describe the noise. We'll do the rest.
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A crooked wheel, decoded
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Text us which onesHow we fix a crooked steering wheel at Moxie
We check the parts before the alignment. If a tie rod is bent or a joint is worn, an alignment will not hold, so we find those first and tell you.
We straighten the wheels, not just the steering wheel. The alignment gets set to the maker's specification, and the steering wheel is centered as part of it.
We show you the numbers. You get the before and after readings from our Hunter equipment instead of just our word for it.
Then we drive it again. The wheel has to sit level on a straight road, and you approve every repair before we start.
Why Hillsboro brings a crooked steering wheel to Moxie
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Hunter alignment equipment
Accurate alignment on every make, with before and after readings you can see.
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We check the parts first
An alignment on worn parts does not last, so we inspect before we adjust.
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Warranty good at over 17,000 shops
Repairs carry the NAPA nationwide warranty for 24 months or 24,000 miles.
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We come and get it
Free pickup and delivery within 40 road miles of the shop, which covers Newton, Hesston and McPherson.
Call or text (620) 416-0008. Describe the noise. We'll do the rest.
Crooked steering wheel myths we hear at the counter
Hover or tap a card to flip it.
Sounds like yours? Tell us what it is doing and we will tell you straight.
Can I keep driving?
Yes, usually, but get it checked soon if it happened suddenly.
A slightly crooked wheel that crept in over time is usually an alignment that has drifted, and it is safe to drive while you book it in. A wheel that went crooked all at once after a hard hit is different, because something may be bent. Drive gently and get it checked soon.
Stop driving and call us if
- It went crooked suddenly after a hard hit
- The steering feels loose or clunks
- The car pulls hard to one side
- A front wheel looks tilted or out of line
- A vibration started at the same time
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What knocks a steering wheel off-center around here
- Potholes after the spring thaw, which knock the alignment out in one hit
- Curbs, ruts and the edge of the pavement on narrow county roads across Marion, Harvey, McPherson, Chase and Lyon Counties
- Worn tie rod ends or ball joints that let the wheel shift
- A bent steering or suspension part from a hard hit
- Suspension or steering work that was not followed by an alignment
- A lift or leveling kit fitted without a full alignment afterward
How we diagnose a crooked steering wheel in Hillsboro
- We ask when it went crooked and whether anything happened just before, such as a pothole or new parts.
- We set all four tire pressures and road-test it to see how far off the wheel sits.
- We check the tie rods, ball joints and bushings for play before we measure anything.
- We look for bent parts on the side that took the hit.
- We measure the alignment on our Hunter equipment and show you the readings.
A crooked steering wheel across five Kansas counties
We look after drivers across Marion County, Harvey County, McPherson County, Chase County and Lyon County, with free pickup and delivery within 40 road miles of 611 Orchard Dr, Hillsboro.
Questions about a crooked steering wheel
If the car drives straight, does a crooked wheel matter?
It usually does, because the steering wheel is off because the wheels are not pointing quite where they should, and that often wears the tires unevenly. It is also tiring on a long drive, because you end up holding the wheel at an angle.
Can you just center the steering wheel?
Taking the steering wheel off and turning it would make it look straight, but the wheels would still be pointing the wrong way. The right fix is an alignment, which centers the steering wheel as part of setting the wheels correctly.
It went crooked after I hit a pothole. Is something broken?
Sometimes it is only the alignment, and sometimes a tie rod or another part has bent. We check for bent and worn parts before we align it, and we tell you plainly what we find.