NHTSA Complaint #11011995 — 2014 KIA SORENTO

1ST OCCURRENCE: ON JULY 10, 2017, AT ABOUT 11:30 A.M., I MADE A LEFT TURN ON A CITY STREET IN LAS CRUCES, NM, WHICH TOOK ME THROUGH AN UNDERPASS. IT WAS A 'WIDE' TURN AND I WAS PROBABLY MOVING AT ABOUT 25 MPH. ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH THE TURN I LOST POWER STEERING AND BY BRUTE FORCE, WAS ABLE TO TURN MY CAR AND AVOID THE WALL OF THE UNDERPASS. HAD THERE BEEN ANOTHER CAR TO MY RIGHT, I WOULD MOST LIKELY HAVE HIT IT ON THE DRIVER SIDE. I BROUGHT MY SORENTO TO A STOP AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. I AM UNSURE WHICH CAME FIRST, THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING OR THE ENGINE STOPPING. LATER THAT DAY, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE LOCAL KIA SERVICE FACILITY WHERE NO PROBLEM(S) COULD BE FOUND. I WAS THE SOLE OCCUPANT OF MY SORENTO AT THE TIME OF THIS FIRST INCIDENT. 2ND OCCURRENCE: ON JULY 27, 2017, AT ABOUT 2:00 P.M., I MADE A RIGHT TURN ON A CITY STREET IN LAS CRUCES, NM. IMMEDIATELY AFTER COMPLETING THE TURN AND JUST BEGINNING TO MOVE STRAIGHT AHEAD AT ABOUT 30 MPH, I ONCE AGAIN LOST MY POWER STEERING. FORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY AND I WAS ABLE TO COAST INTO A PARKING LOT, ONCE AGAIN USING BRUTE FORCE TO STEER. THE ENGINE WAS NOT RUNNING WHEN I BROUGH MY SORENTO TO A STOP, BUT I WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND DROVE DIRECTLY TO THE SAME KIA SERVICE FACILITY. NO PROBLEMS COULD BE FOUND THIS TIME EITHER. THOUGH I AM NOT 100 PERCENT CERTAIN, I BELIEVE THE LOSS OF ENGINE POWER PRECEDED THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING. MY WIFE WAS WITH ME WHEN THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED.