| Issue ID | 1149801 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10676266 |
| Manufacurer | Kia Motors America |
| Brand | KIA |
| Model | OPTIMA |
| Model Year | 2012 |
| File date | 02/07/12 |
| Component | STEERING |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | Unable to steer the vehicle in a straight line at highway speeds. Car consistently drifts from left to right and right to left. Steering wheels feels as though it becomes locked in position. As you attempt to correct the steering, the steering wheel randomly breaks free causing over correcting which could very easily result in a crash. Has been taken to the dealers and they say the car is within specs and you don't have any warning lights on so therefore there is no problem with it. This is going to result in someone losing their life. |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 3000 |
| Number of Occurences | 1 |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | BOISE, ID |
| VIN pattern | XXXXXX |
| Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
| Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
| Was incedent reported to police? | N |
| Was medical attention required? | N |
| Was part original equipment? | |
| No. of injured persons | 0 |
| No. of fatalities | 0 |
| Date of purchase | 07/08/26 |
| Was original owner? | N |
| Anti-lock brakes | N |
| Cruise control | N |
| Number of cylinders | |
| Drive train type | |
| Transmission type | |
| Vehicle speed | 75 |
| DoT tire identifier | |
| Tire size | |
| Location of tire code | |
| Type of tire failure code | |
| Was defective tire repaired? | |
| Date of manufacture | |
| Type of child seat code | |
| Type of restraint | |
| Dealer's name | |
| Dealer's telephone number | |
| Dealer's city | |
| Dealer's state code | |
| Dealer's ZIP code |