| Issue ID | 1200311 |
| Internal NHTSA # | 10734650 |
| Manufacurer | Kia Motors America |
| Brand | KIA |
| Model | OPTIMA |
| Model Year | 2012 |
| File date | 16/07/15 |
| Component | STEERING |
| Product type code | VEHICLE |
| Description of the problem | I have noticed a lot of play in the steering of my 2012 optima in the last few months. I took the car into the dealer for new tires,alignment and balance while the mechanic was putting on the tires ,i asked him about the play in the steering wheel and he said it was because of a fiber gear in the steering motor that is on the steering column and that it was a warrenty problem and would be repaired free of charge there is a small fiber gear about the size of a quarter that the teeth break off of and will cause a clicking that i had herd and could cause the steering to lockup. When the unit was taken apart, the gear had a lot of teeth broken off and after it was replace the steering wheel was fine again with no play in the wheel i saw no recall or warnings but it seems that this happens at about 25000 mile give or take. Thought i would share this with other owners it can be repaired at no cost on a warrenty bases |
| Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 26030 |
| Number of Occurences | |
| Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
| City and State | MIAMI, FL |
| 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 | 35 |
| 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 |