It has been mentioned on here, and it's interesting, because some people say their cars don't do it, and others do. I'm in the DO category.

Some have mentioned that it's the grooves in the highway, and it's normal for cars to move back and forth a little.

Well, my area doesn't have grooved roads, and it still happens to me. I have noticed that I do have to focus a bit more when driving my Corolla. I have an S+ model. I mean it's not super bad to where I don't like driving the car, I do, it's just a slight annoyance.

Unfortunately, I don't have a suggestion for a fix, but I'll be following this.

 

I noticed the same tendency to "wander" after I bought the car, but now that I've had it a while it's not noticeable. I guess I've adapted.

My (all?) Corolla seems to be highly sensitive to cross winds. I drove across the country in January, and fought heavy crosswinds for almost the entire day driving through Utah.

When I get new tires and have an alignment check, I'll have the tech adjust toe-in to it's max (within the specified range) to improve straight line stability.

 

Thanks. I didn't know if there were any minor adds/changes I could make to help it out. I know nothing about suspensions and such. I had a Jetta prior to this, and aside from gas mileage it was a way better handling car all around. I'll either get used to it...find a fix...or go back to my much loved, but more expensive, VW brand

 

I got used to it, but its probably the car sits quite a bit high IMO. Plus from what I seen and experience, the stock tires ain't that good also. Planning on dropping it a few on coilover and getting a better tires when I have extra $$$, so that should help a bit, but YMMV.

 

It's likely a combination of a few factors. First is that it's electric power steering (EPS). Any EPS car will seem to wander more on-center than a hydraulic car (in good repair)...that just seems to be the nature of the beast. I'm hoping they find a way to truly correct it as time goes on. They're getting better, but not there yet.

Then there are your local roads. As mentioned grooved roads, which are hardly ever cut properly straight, will cause your wheels to wander in the direction of the grooves. Even without grooves you'll notice more wandering on any concrete roadway or on asphalt that has begun to sink in a bit from poor road beds and excessive semi traffic.

Next are your tires. You mentioned that you had an LE, which comes with low rolling resistance 'eco' tires (think hard rubber). The harder the rubber used for the tires the more they'll tend to follow imperfections in the road. Even my 2005 Corolla with the terrible 'eco' Michelin Defenders on the front and hydraulic power steering wandered a bit, something it didn't do with normal tires.

Lastly there's your alignment. As mentioned before the toe-in can help compensate for wandering. I don't know what the allowed range is on these cars, but if it can be adjusted in a bit more it should help. If you have hardly any toe-in your car is guaranteed to wander no matter what.

 

while i prefer the steering feel before the electric power steering came along, this car feels the same as every small car ive had with electric power steering. i have no issues with it. interstate at 80 mph for long distances havent been an issue.

 

It took me a long time to get used to the electric steering but now i like the instant responsiveness of it. Lowering the car a but helps with the wandering but if you through a strut bar and sway bar on the car it seems to help the most as far as stabilizing things.

 

I just bought a 2015 Corolla S Premium, and I do NOT have any "wandering" issues. I'm really quite happy with the ride and handling and smoothness and quietness on the freeway.

In contrast, "I absolutely know what you're talking about" with the wandering and such: About two weeks before I bought the Corolla, I had the opportunity to drive a loaner car from the same dealership for most of a day -- a 2015 Camry LE with about 1,200 miles on it. And that thing wandered ALL OVER THE PLACE on the freeway.

I traded a 2008 Camry SE V6 in on my Corolla, and I would say that the Corolla is actually a bit straighter down the freeway than my old Camry was -- the Camry ALWAYS pulled to the right at least a little bit, no matter what I did in terms of alignments and tires and such.

I would say, though, that the Corolla is a bit more susceptible to strong winds on the freeway than my old Camry was, but not by all that much.

In the end, I'm really very impressed with the on-road behavior of my new Corolla. I'm used to expecting utter garbage for OEM tires, but I just can't complain too much about the OEM Firestones. Sure, I expect to get "much better" tires when I replace them, and I'll go for "touring" tires that should ride smoother and be quieter, but I'm just not complaining about the OEM tires one bit.

At any rate, the Corolla S certainly has different tires and at least some different suspension tuning than the LE does -- perhaps it does make a difference in this case.

 

This was a big issue when the 10th gen came out too and many blamed the EPS since it was the first time the Corolla had it. Many found new and better tires to solve the issue. Improving the suspension was a big positive factor in eliminating the wandering. The TRD RSB was also a huge help. I've never had any issues with it but with my better tires, springs and bars my Corolla it so solid with absolutely zero wandering and a nice center dead zone on the steering wheel. >

 

This was a big issue when the 10th gen came out too and many blamed the EPS since it was the first time the Corolla had it.

yeah, comparing the 10th gen to this car, in 3 years of owning it I never felt like it ever wanted to be on center without constant tiny corrections, even through a variety of changes.

 

A front strut tower brace and a rear anti sway bar helps a lot. I have the XRS strut brace on my ninth generation, along with a TRD anti sway bar on the rear axle beam. It helps a bunch! I also run 215 (or 225) tires, I can't remember, however, just those three themselves have a huge impact on how my car handles when a tractor trailer passes me, or when it's windy outside.

 

C&D commented on the steering in their 2014 Corolla review:

There are, however, some sacrifices, and you might notice we’ve chosen now as the time to discuss driving dynamics. The 2014 Corolla’s electrically boosted steering and hard tires conspire to make tracking in a straight line a chore. The setup lacks valley feel, so the car has a diminished sense of straight-ahead, requiring constant back and forth corrections while cruising down seemingly arrow-straight stretches of highway. Effort is on the light side, and the ratio is compact-car appropriate, but road feel is virtually nonexistent, and the sawing makes for tired arms on a long trip. Crosswinds and longitudinal road grooves make things worse.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...om/reviews/2014-toyota-corolla-le-eco-test-review-as-spicy-as-applesauce-page-2

Starting to think I'll just keep my 2001 Corolla until the wheels fall off, then go back to a VW, although it's drive-by-wire as well, don't think they're having centering issues. Also, I think I'd rather have DSG than CVT.

 

As others and myself have said, not everyone has this issue and there are a lot of ways to eliminate it. Poor OEM tires seem to be the biggest culprit.

 

20,000 miles on my LE Eco and no steering tracking problems here. Tracks straight, just about perfect power steering boost imo. My other car is a 2014 subaru STI hatch and talk about overboosted steering! Horribly scary in high speed sweeps! And then there was my wifes 2007 BMW 328xi...omg u need a hand wrestlers forearms to turn that car in a parking lot. But on the highway it felt solid.

 

Meh, I find the Corolla tiring on long trips. But I came from a Mercedes E-class that ate miles at high speeds like nothing else I've been in, before or since.

 

I've spent a lot of long days in my Corolla & find it very comfortable. I'll be doing it again in 3 months when I travel 8k miles in 17 days. :grin:

The road noise can be tiresome compared to a larger sedan but its tomb quiet compared to the subaru.

I don't hear road noise, only my music! :wink: :lol:

 

The road noise can be tiresome compared to a larger sedan but its tomb quiet compared to the subaru.

 

bigger and wider rims took care of that problem for me. Straight as an arrow now at high speeds.

 

Like others have said,

Get the TRD sway bar and TRD front strut.

I had the same problem as the OP and I swear it felt like I was driving a boat sometimes. And my car never really felt planted.

Those 2 bars plus some Eibach springs helped TREMENDOUSLY and are worth every penny spent.
I'm taking turns faster and highway crosswinds - I can't feel anymore. The car feels a lot more "on rails" and I feel MUCH more confident on highways and on the twistys.
I'm sure better tires would be even better.