NHTSA Complaint #10461719 — 2007 KIA RONDO

ON 5-9-2012, IT WAS RAINING HEAVILY. MY RONDO, WHICH DROVE FINE THE DAY BEFORE AND THE DAY AFTER, STARTED MAKING A LOUD SCREECHING NOISE AND THE STEERING BECAME VERY "TIGHT" FEELING. I PULLED OFF ROAD INTO A PARKING LOT, AND WHEN I DID EXPERIENCED TOTAL LOSS OF STEERING CONTROL. I CAME VERY CLOSE TO CRASHING INTO THE PARKED CAR BESIDE ME AS A RESULT. I WAITED A FEW MINUTES, RESTARTED THE CAR. PULLING OUT OF THE PARKING SPACE, MY VEHICLE BRAKES ENGAGED SUDDENLY WITHOUT NOTICE, AND MY SON AND I WERE GRABBED BY OUR SEAT BELTS AS OUR BODIES WERE THROWN FORWARD SO HARD. I WAS BLOCKING TRAFFIC SO I RESTARTED THE CAR, AND IT DROVE OK ON A STRAIGHT ROAD, BUT WHEN I TURNED, AGAIN LOST STEERING. WHEN I SAY LOSS OF POWER STEERING, I MEAN WITH ALL MY MIGHT I COULDN'T GET THE CAR TO GO WHERE I WANTED. THE RAIN STOPPED AND I HAD NO FURTHER PROBLEMS UNTIL YESTERDAY, 6-13-12, WHEN IT HAD BEEN RAINING AGAIN. THIS TIME, PULLING ONTO A BUSY ROAD, MOVING QUICKLY DUE TO THE APPROACHING TRAFFIC, AND AGAIN LOST ALL ABILITY TO STEER. FORTUNATELY I WAS ABLE TO SLAM ON MY BRAKES AND GO IN REVERSE TO GET OUT OF THE PATH OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC, BUT HAD THE CIRCUMSTANCES BEEN DIFFERENT, MY YOUNG CHILDREN AND I COULD HAVE SUFFERED A CATASTROPHE. NHTSA HAD TWO SIMILAR REPORTS WITH THE 2007 RONDO: INTERNAL SEQUENCE NUMBER #736XXX DATED 8-23-09 AND #749XXX DATED 12/2/2009. I HOPE NHTSA AND/OR KIA ADDRESSES THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED OR KILLED. "PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (FOIA), 5 U.S.C.552 (B)(6). *JB