The steering selection or the Hyundai 
Can you confirm it was a 2018? The 16’ and 17’ were soft just like my older 15’ model. If it in fact was a 2018, you didn’t feel it annoying when pulling in/out of spots in parking lot speeds? Also, find my hands slipping off the wheel all the time.
That’s amazing, I would love an option like that. I’m surprised they do not offer that on all cars, it would be awesome to customize to person’s personal preference. First time I’ve ever seen that.
I thought the same…are there any active Nissan forums? I posted on two random ones, and it’s like crickets on there.
everyone moved to Facebook a while ago.
Yep it was a 2018. I didn’t find it annoying but I didn’t do long term driving so it’s hard to say. My hands definitely werent slipping around though.
Just Facebook in general, or are there groups/pages?
Damn. It’s like night and day compared to my previous Altima. Just seems so stiff.
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You were right. Joined a group on FB and got a reply within 3 minutes. The Nissan forum was like 3 weeks…
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curious on resolution. I would think you either pay the dealer to reprogram the steering or complain enough for them to take care of you.
That’s actually possible? I’d pay in a second to have it match my previous 2015 Altima (same gen) steering. Are there shops that do this?
I’ll probably do my first oil change in a month and ask them about it more.
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Hi Altimah,
I found this thread while researching cars with easy steering. I have a nerve sensory disorder that I’ve had nearly my whole life. It didn’t strike my hands and arms til I was about 17, and the first thing that had to go was my Dodge Stealth R/T because it became too painful to drive. It was my dream car, it broke my heart to see it go.
I was recently in a bad accident that totaled my 2011 Honda Civic. Without really thinking too much, I bought a brand new 2018 Civic. I have always adored my Civics, and I didn’t think the 2018 model would drive much differently since it’s still just an entry level sedan. I was wrong. It’s a LOT harder to steer. They also have the driver’s seat much lower and the steering wheel is positioned much more like a sports car’s steering. It was like being 17 all over again: having a beautiful new car that hurts too much to drive. I bought the Touring model, which has an 8 way power seat, but no adjustment helped the pain.
I’ve been doing a lot of research but so far I haven’t found much. I actually had an Altima as a rental for a little while and I loved it. Im not sure which year it was, but it still had a new car smell, so I assume it was a 2018 or 2017, but I wouldn’t guess lower than that. I honestly should have just bought that car from the rental place, as they tried to get me to buy it. I was so in love with Honda though that, now I am in a very similar situation as you.
I’d be happy to post here if I find a car that has good, light steering. I’m very sorry you’re in the situation that you’re in. I’m there with you, and my God, lesson learned. Needless to say I won’t be keeping the Civic Touring, and I will probably take a huge hit money wise. But, as a digital artist, I have to protect my arms and hands from pain, and a difficult steering car negatively impacts that. Best of luck and please feel free to contact me if you’d like. 
Do you drive with one or two hands? A year or two ago I decided to switch to two hand driving and that significantly helped the pain in my arms. I have a feeling it’s more about an angle you hold your hands than the steering being stiff. There is only so many turns you have to take, but the hands are being held at the same position for much longer.
I personally drive both two and one handed. You’re right in that the angle that you hold your arms/hands at can impact the feel. I noticed in the new Civic that it forces you to hold your arms and hands at awkward positions. I even told my husband about it because I wanted him to try it out. He thought I was being overly sensitive, but upon actually driving it, he was able to see what I meant. It’s not comfortable for him either, though it doesn’t cause him pain.
I do wish car companies would be a bit more mindful that not all of us are gearheads who want to “feel the road”. As much fun as that can be, quite a few people aren’t looking for road feedback in the cars. We just want them to be comfortable on our long commutes. As cities grow and sprawl gets worse, more and more people are having to drive long distances to our places of work. Stiff “sport” handling can get burdensome when you’re behind it in stop and go traffic. But, that’s all just my opinion, I know many like that feel. I just wish it was optional. With everything computerized, I don’t see what it isn’t a feature to customize the feel.
I seems to me the manufacturers decided that those who want a comfortable but boring ride, will get an SUV. The enthusiastic minority will want a sporty sedan, which includes a stiff steering and suspension.
BTW, our base Kia Soul has custom steering you’re talking about. I can go from awful soft to incredibly stiff to our preferred medium. All with a press of a button. If only other things worked that way.
“I seems to me the manufacturers decided that those who want a comfortable but boring ride”
It’s disappointing to see so many responses like this when searching for answers about comfortable steering. I don’t mean to point any fingers or get upset, but using disparaging language like this can be a downer. Nearly every forum I’ve looked at in regards to stiff vs easy steering has been accompanied by people making fun of someone or saying things like “Do you even lift, bro?”.
For myself, I’d love nothing more than to keep my sporty, awesome 2018 Civic Touring. It’s essentially a dream car for me, I love it to death. I even got the color combo of my first car, which WAS my actual dream car. Alas, my health means I’m limited. 
Altimah up there may or may not have a similar problem. Each person’s comfort and desire is unique. It’s not that we want to be “boring”.
Just a friendly heads up, that’s all. I appreciate your info about the Kia! I had been reluctant to try them out due to the depreciation factor, but truthfully, if I like a car I will drive it til it explodes. I’d still have my 2007 Civic had someone not plowed into me. Same with my 2011 Civic. I’ll pop over to Kia and see what they’ve got.
Thank you to anyone and everyone for your input!
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Not sure what you found disparaging, I sure didn’t mean anything by it. It just the unfortunate future of sedans, they either get sporty across all makes and models, or get eliminated completely. You can have a “sport” car with numb, soft steering, it’s just not done.
Hi, I know that this is an old post that you made but I just now found it. I’m just now having issues with my Ford Escape. The steering on that is like driving a truck! It’s so hard to steer that I now have wrist issues because I do a lot of driving. I’m going to have to find a car that has better steering, I’m assuming I’m going to have to go back a few years and get a used one. Disappointingly, the car companies seem to think that that kind of steering is good. It’s not good for someone who drives more than an hour a day. And I drive on a lot of windy roads to so just a bad idea for them.
I totally get what you’re saying. For the same reason I need to find a car that has softer steering. I do not like the hard steering of my wheel. It took me a year to figure it out.
I have a Ford Escape, and the steering on that is awful! It’s hard to steer very stiff it’s like driving a truck! I wouldn’t call that boring I call it annoying. Just saying. Now I’m going to need to get probably a used car with soft steering because all the new cars are hard I guess. Thank you for your advice on the Kia Soul
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