My honda accord has a stiff steering wheel which is tilted at an angle. what could be the problem?

Question

It is also very stiff while turning and I have to make an extra effort when turning. Its a fully loaded model and its have power steering too.

Answer 1

the reason that the steering wheel is tilted at an angle is that the toe-in adjustment of the front end alignment is out of specification. Depending on how far out it is, it could cause you to have hard steering but it is probably unrelated.

The hard steering is usually related to a low fluid level. that's the first thing to check. The fluid level is checked at the power steering reservoir; it has a red cap and is located behind the power steering pump on the front driver's side of the engine compartment. There are marks on the side of the reservoir for minimum and maximum and the fluid level should be between those marks when the engine is warm.

if the fluid level is correct, the drive belt may be loose. If the belt is tight, then suspect there is damage to the suspension that is causing the alignment problem.

My suggestion is to take it to a shop that can do a 4-wheel alignment. they can tell you if the two items are related after they do the alignment checks. They can also do the minor adjustments to the belt and adding fluid if required. If the alignment cannot be set to specifications, they'll tell you why it's out of range and what they recommend be done or replaced to reset the car so that it drives normally

hope that helps