Steering wheels?

Question

Hi, I’ve noticed some care have a type of steering wheel that “readjusts” itself. For example, you turn the wheel all the way to the left and instead of manually readjusting the wheels to the center, the steering wheel turns to that position by itself. What type of wheel is it called and what cars have it? 

Thank you 

Answer 1

The steering wheel has nothing to do with it. It's called 'caster action'. It's due to the design and setup of the steering gear. All cars have it. Some greater than others.

Answer 2

The vast majority of cars and commercial vehicles operate that way as long as the vehicle continues to move forwards. It’s caused by the steering castor angle.

It’s so fundamental and totally expected that any vehicle without self centring (my UK spelling) steering would need a prominent warning notice.

Citroën went even further on some of their cars many decades ago. They had a system called DIRAVI, and that was a power steering system which would self-centre even when the car was stationary. I found that it was a bit odd and sometimes downright irritating if waiting to pull out of a parallel parking spot.

If your car doesn’t have self-centring and unless you know for certain that’s how your car is designed, then I suggest you urgently get your car to a workshop to inspect the front suspension and steering systems. Or maybe your front tyres are seriously under-inflated.

Answer 3

All cars tend to do this  (but some more that others).  It is the result of the alignment of the front wheels.