PA-46 pilot reported a runway excursion upon landing occurred when the rudder pedals did not respond to input. Pilot stated that during landings prior to the event the aircraft's brake and rudder system appeared to not be functioning normally and questioned if maintenance had been properly done.

Narrative

On Day 0 I sent the aircraft to an FAA licensed reputable aircraft maintenance facility to attend to various service items; including checking if the tires were filled with nitrogen and if not; to fill the tires with nitrogen and check that the air pressures were correct. It was confirmed on Day 1 that the tires had been filled with nitrogen as requested and the emergency exit cover had been secured with new Velcro and that something on the nosewheel had been safety wired. I flew the aircraft several times after that; and everything appeared to be fine. On Day 6 I flew at 23;000 ft. to ZZZ1 and back. The landing at ZZZ1 had a significant crosswind (wind from 110 to 190 at 12 gusting 22. landing on Runway XX). The return was flown at 22;000 ft and I encountered about a 6-knot crosswind component on landing. I felt it took a bit more work to hold the center line than it should have. Knowing that this airplane is relatively new to me I assumed I would get used to it. Later that afternoon I flew to ZZZ2 at 20;000 ft. - landed Runway XXR with winds 150@7 gusting to 19 - not much crosswind; but again it seemed like more work than expected to hold the centerline.The taxi out of ZZZ2 was very long and very hot - the whole length of XXR requiring me to adjust the throttle constantly to keep the Ng alert and slow propellor warning from registering. I was taxiing behind a large commercial airliner that was taxiing extremely slowly; and I was using the brakes more than normal. I used the parking brake to wait behind him while he was waiting for takeoff clearance; and then again when I went to the hold short line to wait for my clearance. I was given a 'line up and wait' clearance; went through my final checklist; then released the parking brake to enter the runway to line up. The brakes felt a little odd when I stopped to hold. Once again; I put it down to my unfamiliarity with the aircraft and took off. We returned to ZZZ3 at 20;000 ft. landing on [Runway] XY with wind 190 at 11 - virtually no crosswind and again it felt like the aircraft did not want to hold the center line. Although differential braking was not needed to hold the centerline during rollout; I felt that something might be wrong in the braking system. I contacted the maintenance facility and asked them to check the brakes thoroughly and he indicated he would and would also bleed them as maybe some air had gotten into the system. I told him I planned to travel on Day 9; and he said he would get to it Day 8. Day 8 afternoon I called to check the status and find out what they had found; and I was told that they had not gotten to it. Not wanting to fly without the mechanics checking out the brakes I postponed my flight and convinced the mechanic to check the system out first thing in the morning.At XA:00 Day 9 he called me to say they checked the system; all was in order and that they had bled the brakes. We discussed the excessive wear on the left tire; and I asked him to buy 2 new tires for me. We were unsure why the inner side of the left tire was wearing out so quickly. I suspected maybe something was off with the alignment or camber and resolved to call Piper after the weekend to find out if this is normal. I also made a mental note to watch that tire wear very carefully. I flew to ZZZ1 and back at 24/25;000 ft. and everything seemed fine on both landings. I called the shop to let him know that the brakes felt much better and to confirm that the new tires had been ordered. On Day 10 I flew to ZZZ4 at 20;000 ft.; had to take delay vectors for about 20 minutes due to a storm over the airport and then landed with a challenging crosswind wind (360 @16 gusting to 25) landing on Runway XZ. The landing roll was fine; and the aircraft behaved normally. The one thing I did notice when arriving at ZZZ4 is that the left tire appeared even more worn. I made the decision to delay our return to ZZZ3 until the weather had cleared so that I would have a dry runway to land on. I also decided to have the new tires put on before further flights. Upon takeoff from ZZZ4 on Day 13; the aircraft felt very difficult to handle and once again I put it down to my lack of experience (only about 50 hours) with the aircraft. The flight was uneventful other than I encountered some icing at FL210 and requested lower from ATC. We were in icing for about 3 minutes and then it took another 5 minutes or so for the ice to melt on all the surfaces. The approach back into ZZZ was normal. Some delay vectors for traffic; my pre landing checklist was completed except for gear; flaps and landing lights before ATC cleared me for the approach and transferred me to tower. My speed was in line with Malibu/Mirage Owners & Pilots Association (MMOPA) guidelines for landing and well within landing gear and flaps limits.After I was cleared for the approach; I lowered the landing gear and first setting for flaps prior to entering left base and I put the landing light on when cleared to land by the tower. I lowered landing flaps midway on base and was fully configured before turning final. As a rule; I always set up and activate an approach to ensure correct runway landing and in this case; I had both the glideslope and the PAPI guiding me to touchdown. I crossed the threshold somewhere between 80-85 knots very stabilized and touched down normally. However; when I lowered the nose; the aircraft pulled to the left. I lightly pressed the right rudder to straighten it out; and the aircraft suddenly veered sharply to the right. As I continued the rollout the rudder pedals felt very unusual and the rudder was not responding to my inputs. Just as the aircraft was approaching the runway right edge; the rudder became more responsive; but not in time to prevent the right main from dropping off the runway. Trying to get the right wheel back on the runway; the left rudder took full effect; and the wheel returned to the runway surface. However; I was unable to get the aircraft stabilized on the centerline; and it crossed to the left side. The left wheel dropped off the edge; and the aircraft did a slow 180; settling in the mud. I shut everything down and had to assist with opening the lower door as it was stuck in the mud. Everyone exited safely and there were no injuries.General observations: First and foremost; I believe I may have overlooked warning signs about a brake/rudder/nose gear (maybe even landing gear due to excessive inside left tire wear) problem due to my low amount of experience in this aircraft. I received more than standard training from multiple excellent instructors; paying special attention to crosswind and takeoff/landing rollout techniques. However; perhaps in the future I should not be so quick to discount warning signs and attribute them to my inexperience in type. Instead; I intend to follow up on my airmanship instincts. Also; was the correct pressure used when nitrogen was put in the tires? I assumed the maintenance shop did it correctly. I have subsequently been told that incorrect tire pressure might have been the cause of several runway excursions in this model. Additionally; I wonder if too much pressure in the tire might have been the reason the left tire was wearing on the inside; accounting for the accelerated rate of wear.Since the landing gear (wheels and brakes) received maintenance just before the incident; is it possible something was overlooked or done improperly to the gear; or one of its components? Oddly enough; it appears that whenever I fly at higher altitudes; if there is a strong crosswind that requires lots of rudder work my landings are what I would expect. But when I fly high and there are benign wind conditions the aircraft is more difficult to control on landing rollout. Is it possible that something happens to the steering/rudder system at high altitudes and low temperatures (note that the last flight had some time in icing conditions) that somehow gets resolved by rudder inputs required for the crosswind landings; but in benign conditions whatever is 'broken' stays broken and makes the aircraft difficult to handle on the rollout?