NHTSA Complaint #11321094 — 2017 KIA SORENTO

STEERING BECOMES NOTCHY WHEN GOING STRAIGHT. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND AROUND TOWN. PROBLEM IS OCCASIONAL, MAYBE ONCE A WEEK, BUT IS VERY DISTRESSING WHEN IT HAPPENS. THE CAR STARTS TO WANDER TO ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER AND WHEN I TRY TO SMOOTHLY CORRECT, THE STEERING WHEEL FEELS 'STUCK'. WITH A LITTLE EFFORT, IT RELEASES AND OVER CORRECTS. NOW I'M HEADING OFF THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD. EFFORT - OVER CORRECT - EFFORT - OVERCORRECT AND SO ON. NOT SURE IF THIS IS RELATED, BUT WHEN TURNING CORNERS IN TOWN, THE FRONT END SEEMS TO JUMP SEVERAL TIMES WHEN GASSING OUT OF THE TURN - MOST NOTABLE WHEN GOING UPHILL AND ON RIGHT TURNS. SOMETIMES CAN FEEL THE JUMP ( OR MAYBE A SLIP ) WHEN ACCELERATING STRAIGHT FROM A STOP. FEELS LIKE SOMETHING BINDING IN THE FRONT - LIKE IF YOU DRIVE A 4WD TRUCK ON DRY PAVEMENT WITH THE FRONT AXLE ENGAGED. CAR ONLY HAS 41,000 MI ON IT AND HAS BEEN DOING BOTH FOR OVER A YEAR. HAVE APPT TOMORROW AT KIA DEALER, BUT NOT TOO CONFIDENT THEY WILL BE ABLE TO REPLICATE THE NOTCHY STEERING, BUT SHOULD BE ABLE TO FEEL THE FRONT END JUMP. *TR