Chosen Solution

Hello! There are several things you can do in this situation.

  1. Take a file and gently file down where the plastic is rubbing together to give it a bit more space to move freely. This is not difficult and if you already have the controller apart should be super easy to see the excess plastic to file it down.
  2. Add some Electronics Lubricant i.e. CRC 3-36 or Max Professionals 4125 to the area(After filing it down a bit) This should allow the plastic to move freely even if it still rubs slightly. With this however be extremely careful with the amount you use and your placement of it. Also should you get any on the board wipe it up and make sure the board is nice and dry before starting up the controller.
  3. Exchange the controller you have now for a new one at the place where you bought it. However I believe that when you opened it voided the warranty so this may not be an option. I hope this helps you or anyone else suffering from this problem.

I have the same problem… except it’s the right analog stick. I can’t be bothered sending it back to JB Hi Fi so they can send it back to Nintendo to get a replacement… yawn…

Hello! I have the same issue! Did you find any solution? Any tip? I used WD-40 but nothing happened. Do I have to open it? Thanks!

I got two controllers with left sticks that don’t return to center. The same piece of plastic is broken on both, the brown part that follows the stick in up/down motion.

so i got a new pro controller out of the box and the left stick would get stuck when i moved it down and i tried rubbing alcohol and all that stuff until i got frustrated and just started twisting the stick and it fixed the issue… yknow how if you pull on it the stick it raises up a bit? yeah i twisted it clockwise and when i clicked it back into place it rotated back to its normal postition and the resistance was way lower and it wouldnt get stuck so i twisted it counter clockwise and when it clicked back in place there was almost no resistance and it flicks back to neutral position now hope that helps (obviously dont twist it too hard. try like 90 degrees to the left or right) hope this helps

Unfortunately there may not be a solution. I opened my controller up and when I compared the two joysticks I saw that the broken one seemed to be broken at the base of the stick which held it down. This was causing the stick to caught on itself and not move back into normal position. There may not be anything you can do without very particular tools. This is a normal joystick.

This is a damaged joystick.

It’s more than likely a faulty potentiometer.