Classification:

Reference:

Date:

ST08-002J

ITB08-046J

February 22, 2023

DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT)
AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER
This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page.
Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.

APPLIED VEHICLES:

All Infiniti

SERVICE INFORMATION
If a client reports their “vehicle pulls” or the “steering wheel is off-center,” use the Diagnostic Flow Chart on
page 4 and the other information in this bulletin to diagnose and correct the issue.

Infiniti Bulletins are intended for use by qualified technicians, not 'do-it-yourselfers'. Qualified technicians are properly trained
individuals who have the equipment, tools, safety instruction, and know-how to do a job properly and safely. NOTE: If you believe
that a described condition may apply to a particular vehicle, DO NOT assume that it does. See your Infiniti retailer to determine if this
applies to your vehicle.
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General Information
Clients may report that their vehicle’s steering wheel is “off-center” because the steering wheel spokes are tilted
to the left or right when the vehicle continues straight ahead on a straight flat road (see example in Figure 1).

Figure 1
If a vehicle’s steering wheel spokes are slightly off-center while driving straight, it may be the normal result of
road crown. Most roads in the United States are built with a “crown” to help rain water drain from the road
surface. The slope of the road crown varies from place to place.
Vehicles have a natural tendency to drift to the low side of the crown. The greater the slope of the crown, the
faster the vehicle will drift in that direction.
Tires and vehicles are designed to counteract the effect of typical road crown, but may not fully counteract the
effect of a highly crowned road.
Some freeways slope to both the left and right from the center. When driving on a freeway that slopes in both
directions, a vehicle may exhibit a small amount of drift to the left when driving in the left lane and a small
amount of drift to the right when driving in the right lane.
This bulletin does not address road crown issues because they are not vehicle related, although the
client may incorrectly perceive them to be.
Applicable Warranty




Vehicle alignment is currently covered by the adjustment Warranty for 12 months/12,000 miles,
whichever occurs first, from the vehicle’s in-service date.
Warranty application is limited to correction of a problem based upon a client’s specific complaint.
If an alignment adjustment to correct a vehicle pull or off-center condition is performed, alignment data
needs to be printed out and stored at the retailer.
HINT: Infiniti may request this stored alignment data to support Warranty Claim.

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ITB08-046J

Road Test
Determine if the vehicle has a pull or steering wheel off-center issue that requires repair.
IMPORTANT:


If the vehicle has any tire issues, such as:
o Tires that are different sizes (except when specified from the factory).
o Significant difference in the amount of wear between any of the tires.
o Any other tire irregularity or damage to any tire and/or wheel.
Replace the tire(s) or use known good tires from another vehicle for all road tests and diagnostics in
this bulletin.



Make sure the tire pressure in all of the vehicle’s tires are set to the correct pressure specification when
cold.

1. Install the following measuring tools on the vehicle:


Steering Wheel Offset Gauge (Centering Tape)



Road Crown Gauge (Tilt Indicator)
HINT: See pages 13 and 14 for a description of these tools and an explanation of their use.

2. Obtain a watch with a second hand (preferably a stopwatch) to use during the road test.
3. Take the vehicle for a road test and confirm the client’s concern.


Select a flat road where the vehicle can be driven in a straight line at a preferred speed of 60 mph.



During the road test, make sure the vehicle is pointing straight. Don’t worry about steering wheel
position during the road test.

HINT:
o If you adjusted the tire pressure or changed the tires before the road test, the issue may have been
resolved.
o If there are cross winds strong enough to affect the vehicle’s straight line movement, then
diagnosis cannot be performed.
4. Determine the vehicle’s issue. Refer to the definitions of “pull” on page 5 and steering wheel “off-center” on
page 8.
5. When the road test is completed, remove the Road Crown Gauge (Tilt Indicator), leave the Steering Wheel
Offset Gauge (Centering Tape) in place until the service procedure is complete.
6. Refer to Diagnostic Flow Chart on page 4 for the next step.

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ITB08-046J

Diagnostic Flow Chart
Check tire condition and air pressure;
correct as necessary.
Review General Information (page 2), and perform Road Test (page 3).
Refer to definitions of “pull” on page 5 and steering wheel “off-center” on page 8.
Road Test results
Vehicle pulls
HINT: If you have both a pull and offcenter condition, repair the pull first.

Vehicle does not pull and
steering wheel is not offcenter.

Steering wheel is off-center more than
allowable (see page 8).
HINT: Repair any pull conditions first. Repair of a
pull condition may resolve an off-center condition.

Make sure the TPMS is
re-initialized (if required).

See page 9

End
Procedure A and B alternative
If your retailer has a Hunter GSP9700, perform the
StraightTrack® procedure. Refer to the GSP9700
instruction manual.
Is the vehicle pull completely corrected?
Perform Procedure A: Determine if
tire pull; swap tires (page 5).
Is the vehicle pull
corrected/repaired?

No
Yes

Make sure the TPMS is
re-initialized (if required).

End

No
Does the vehicle pull in the same
direction?

Perform Procedure C: Check/adjust
wheel alignment (page 7).

Yes

No
Perform Procedure B: Identify and
replace pulling tire (page 6).

No

Is vehicle pull completely corrected?
Make sure the TPMS is re-initialized (if
required).

Yes

End

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ITB08-046J

Vehicle Pull or Drift
Description/Definition of a Vehicle “Pull” Condition
The vehicle consistently drifts to one side while driving at a constant speed on a straight, flat road.


A vehicle is said to “pull” if it completes a lane change in less than 7 seconds (with no steering
correction from the driver) when driving at 60 MPH on a road with less than 1.5 degrees road crown
slope. All four wheels must pass into the other lane during this time (7 seconds).

PROCEDURE A (Determine if a pull condition is caused by a tire)


Always torque wheel lug nuts using a torque wrench to the specified torque. Refer to the appropriate
Electronic Service Manual for torque specifications.



Make sure the tire pressure is set to the correct specification.



If the TPMS warning light comes ON, ignore it for now.

1. Swap the front tires side to side (left to right and right to left).
2. Swap the rear tires side to side (left to right and right to left).
3. Road test the vehicle.
4. Refer back to Diagnostic Flow Chart on page 4 for the next step.
Figure 2
For vehicles with “directional” tires (tires designed to rotate in only one direction):
a. Swap all four tires from a known good vehicle (known good tires).
b. Make sure to mark the tires to indicate their original side of the vehicle (left or right).
c. Road test the vehicle.
d. If the pull goes away or is reduced, perform Procedure B on the next page to determine which tire was
causing the pull.
e. If the pull is the same, go to Procedure C on page 7.

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ITB08-046J

PROCEDURE B (Determine which tire is causing the pull)


Procedure B is done only if there is a tire pull issue.



The steps in Procedure B should identify which tire is causing the pull.



Make sure the tire pressure in all of the vehicle’s tires are set to the correct pressure specification when
cold.



Always torque wheel lug nuts using a torque wrench to the specified torque (refer to the appropriate
Electronic Service Manual for torque specifications).



If the TPMS warning light comes ON, ignore it for now.

1a. For vehicles equipped from the factory with tires that are different sizes between the front and rear, or
vehicles with “directional” tires:
a. Put all of the tires/wheels back to original positions. The vehicle should now pull the same as it did on
your first road test.
b. Install/swap only one tire with known good, and road test.
c. Repeat step 1b for each tire until the pull goes away or is reduced.
d. Replace the tire that reduced or eliminated the pull.
HINT: Make sure directional tires are reinstalled on the same side of the vehicle from which they were
removed.
1b. For all other vehicles:
a. Rotate tires 2 and 4 on the passenger side (Figure 3)
and road test.

Front

o Pull goes away or is reduced: replace tire 2
(which is now on the rear).
o Pull gets worse: replace tire 4 (which is now on
the front).

Front

o No change: put tires 2 and 4 back to their original
positions.
b. Rotate tires 1 and 3 on the driver side (Figure 2) and
road test.
o Pull goes away or is reduced: replace tire 1
(which is now on the rear).
o Pull gets worse: replace tire 3 (which is now on
the front).

Figure 3

o No change: put tires 1 and 3 back to their original
positions.
HINT: When replacing a tire, if there is significant tread wear it is good practice to replace tires in sets
(both front, both rear, or all four).
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ITB08-046J

2. Procedure B should have been done only if there is a tire pull issue:


If an incident tire was identified and replaced, go to step 3.



If an incident tire was not identified, diagnostics were not done correctly. Go back to Diagnostic Flow
Chart on page 4 and start over.

3. After replacing a tire, road test the vehicle.


You may have completely corrected the pull or you may have only reduced the pull.

4. Return to Diagnostic Flow Chart on page 4 for the next step.

PROCEDURE C (Check/adjust wheel alignment)
1. Check the vehicle’s four-wheel alignment using accurate and properly calibrated computerized alignment
equipment.


A copy of the yearly alignment machine calibration certification must be held on file in the Service Dept.



Reference the appropriate Electronic Service Manual for alignment specification.

2. If any of the alignment measurements are out of specification, inspect the suspension and chassis for any
damage. Repair the damaged components before continuing.
3. Adjust any front and/or rear adjustable alignment components that are out of specification.


Always perform rear adjustment first.



Reference the appropriate Electronic Service Manual for information regarding the proper steps to
adjust the alignment.



Make sure the steering wheel is straight when adjusting the front wheel toe.
HINT: The Steering Wheel Offset Gauge/Centering Tape (or masking tape) can be used to center the
steering wheel while standing outside of the car during the alignment process.

4. If necessary, use CONSULT-III plus (C-III plus) to adjust the Steering Angle Sensor.


Refer to the appropriated Electronic Service Manual to determine if this adjustment is necessary.

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ITB08-046J

Steering Wheel Off-Center

Description/Definition of Steering Wheel “Off-center” Condition
The steering wheel spokes are tilted to the left or right more than allowable (see example in Figure 4) when
driving straight ahead on a straight flat road at 30 MPH.
Allowable specification for steering wheel off-center


All Infiniti: 2 mm or less.

When driving straight on a highly crowned road, the steering wheel may be turned (off-center) to counteract the
effect of the road crown. When road testing for an off-center condition, the vehicle should be driven on a
straight flat road at 30 MPH.
Although the vehicle does not pull in either direction, the client may perceive that the vehicle pulls because it
will respond if he or she tries to bring the steering wheel back to center.


This condition can occur if the tie rod length is uneven (not adjusted correctly) from side to side.

Figure 4

HINT: Install the following measuring tools onto the vehicle.


Steering Wheel Offset Gauge (Centering Tape).



Road Crown Gauge (Tilt Indicator).
o See pages 13 and 14 for a description of these tools and an explanation of their use.

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Adjust/Correct Steering Wheel Off-Center
1. Check the vehicle’s front toe alignment using accurate and properly calibrated computerized alignment
equipment.


A copy of the yearly alignment machine calibration certification must be held on file in the Service Dept.



Reference the appropriate Electronic Service Manual for alignment specification.

2. If alignment measurements are out of specification, inspect the suspension and chassis for any damage.
Repair the damaged components before continuing.
3. Adjust alignment to correct the off-center condition.


Reference the appropriate Electronic Service Manual for information regarding the proper steps to
adjust the alignment.

