ewill, or anyone else - the steering wheel on my 2006 DTS does not point straight ahead when I am going straight. I had a 4 wheel alignment a few months back, and the wheel still came back crooked. The car does not pull or wander, but it bugs me that the steering wheel is not straight. Is this something the dealer can address? Is it typically a warranty item or a customer pay item?

this is invariably an alignment issue from my own experience. The dealer might argue that it is due to wear and tear from driving and it may not be covered under warranty, just like the nail in the tire I picked up last week. On the otherhand, if has been like this since day one when you took delivery when new, I would pursue with the dealer.

I was in a 2007 DTS loaner when my 2008 CTS was in for warranty recently and it had the same problem. If the alignment and suspension bits are in spec, possibly the rack and pinion steering gear input shaft was not set up correctly byt the supplier. Not sure if there is a way to loosen the linkage between the steering wheel and then rotate it until straight. The components have splines on them, you might just be one or two teeth off.

The question quickly becomes, how much is it off? Are the front tires showing feathered edges and other signs of unusual wear? It should point correctly and you should insist it be fixed.

On an '06 you'll probably be on your own. GM won't let us do warranty alignments after time/mileage limitations.
There are a few things you can try.

1. Swap the front tires, see if the steering wheel is off the other way, if it is still the same the alignment needs to be checked.
2. Take it back where you got it aligned before (or call them and ask what their policy is). Some places are better about standing behind their work than others. If it is within a certain timeframe they should do it at no charge. Some are even guaranteed.
3. Pay to have it done again, no sense it worrying about the money if it bugs you that much, if the place you had it done before won't deal with you, I'd look somewhere else.
4. Get used to it... the most unattractive option.

It can be tricky to get everything perfect, the alignment may be spot on but if the toe is off a bit, or the wheel wasn't perfectly centered when they did the final toe set it will never be right.
I always road test the ones I do to make sure they track straight and the wheel is centered.
Don't forget "road crown" can play an issue in wheel centering. Most people never think of it but it can be a big factor.
Be sure the tires are all inflated properly.

Thanks, everyone for the feedback and ideas. Since I will likely end up at the dealer in the next few months for the heated washer fluid recall, I will probably just have another alignment done.

Ewill, thanks for the detailed comments - the tires are all at 34 lbs, and the crooked wheel persisted even after a tire rotation. I know that NYC roads sometimes mask or amplify the amount that the wheel is crooked so living with it might also work - the lease is up in June of next year.

I just wanted to mention road crown, I have seen a lot of people forget that the roads are not flat, they always drive in the same lane and complain that the wheel is crooked, when you move them to the other side of the road the wheel is off the other way and they just don't seem to get it.