Issue ID | 664303 |
Internal NHTSA # | 10218976 |
Manufacurer | HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC |
Brand | KIA |
Model | SORENTO |
Model Year | 2007 |
File date | 16/02/08 |
Component | POWER TRAIN |
Product type code | VEHICLE |
Description of the problem | I was driving my 2 month old 2007 kia optima ex 6 cyc with 4,000 miles on feb 16 about 10:45 pm when it lost power steering and other car functions. I had just exit an expressway (ih 35) to reach my home when i heard a large clunk and warning lights appeared re: loss of electrical power from to the battery. I was unable to initial steer the vehicle b/c the power steering was not working with significant difficultly i gained control for the short mile distance to my home. This car is being used under normal driving conditions. I looked under the hood and saw that the main engine belt had come off and a large round metal circular gear was laying against the engine block. The engine belt had come off all the pulleys which runs many major engine functions. I had the kia towed it the following monday (2/18/08) at 8am to kia in georgetown, tx . Kia service mgr., matt, around 5pm said that the harmonic balancer "broke and it wasn't supposed to do that". When asked how this could happen with a brand new car, he said it just happens. Kia customer service rep, eddy, told me this was a major part and repair. Both kia reps remained very vague on explaining if this part was a result of an optima defect that caused the harmonic balancer to fail early and easily. This was a serious safety hazard that may/could have ruin my crankshaft, engine, and caused serious injury to many drivers present. I realized that i was very lucky this did not happen while on the expressway at 70 mph else you would never hear this story. This reason and kia |
Vehicle Mileage at Failure | 4400 |
Number of Occurences | 1 |
Source of the issue | NHTSA WEB SITE |
City and State | GEORGETOWN, TX |
VIN pattern | KNAGE124375XXXXXX |
Was vehicle invloved in a crash? | N |
Was vehicle involved in a fire? | N |
Was incedent reported to police? | N |
Was medical attention required? | |
Was part original equipment? | |
No. of injured persons | 0 |
No. of fatalities | 0 |
Date of purchase | 17/11/07 |
Was original owner? | Y |
Anti-lock brakes | N |
Cruise control | Y |
Number of cylinders | 6 |
Drive train type | FWD |
Transmission type | AUTO |
Vehicle speed | 30 |
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 | HEWLETT KIA |
Dealer's telephone number | 512-681-3100 |
Dealer's city | GEORGETOWN |
Dealer's state code | 00 |
Dealer's ZIP code | 78626 |