NHTSA Complaint #10748167 — 2009 KIA RONDO

IN OCTOBER 2014, MY CAR LOST POWER STEERING WHEN GOING THROUGH PUDDLES. I GOT THE ALTERNATOR BELT REPLACED AND IT SEEMED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. IN JUNE 2015, IT OCCURRED AGAIN. I TOOK IT TO LOKEY KIA IN CLEARWATER, FL TO FIX THE PROBLEM (ALONG WITH AN AIR BAG ISSUE PROBLEM) AND THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS AN AC COMPRESSOR PROBLEM (THEY DID NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM) AND THE AIR BAG ISSUE WAS DUE TO THE CLOCK SPRING. I DID NOT HAVE IT REPAIRED THAT DAY AND CAME HOME AND REPORTED IT ON THIS WEBSITE. I GOT A CALL FROM KIA CORP. OFFICE OF PRODUCT LIABILITY SAYING THAT THEY CALLED BECAUSE OF MY COMPLAINT HERE. (I ONLY REPORTED THE POWER STEERING PROBLEM HERE, NOT THE AIR BAG ISSUE.) IN THE END, KIA PAID TO HAVE THE AIR BAG PROBLEM FIXED AND NOT THE POWER STEERING CLAIMING THAT THE AIRBAG ISSUE WAS A "SAFETY" ISSUE AND THEY WERE REPAIRING IT FOR FREE IN "GOODWILL." THEY WOULD NOT REPAIR FOR FREE OR REDUCE THE COST OF THE POWER STEERING PROBLEM BECAUSE IT WAS NOT A "SAFETY" ISSUE AND THE PROBLEM I ORIGINALLY REPORTED HERE!! HOW IS LOSING MY POWER STEERING NOT A "SAFETY" ISSUE? I AM TERRIFIED TO DRIVE MY CAR IN THE RAIN, ESPECIALLY WITH MY GRANDKIDS IN THE CAR.