Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||||
| TSB-019 | 10/01/2008 | 10027724 | Kia: increased steering effort. in areas where heavy road salt use occurs, increased steering effort and noise (from steering intermediate shaft) for some sedona. *pe | 02/02/2009 | |
Investigations
| NHTSA ID | Manufacturer | Date open | Date close | Subject | Recall campaign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | ||||||
| PE08033 | HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC | 04/28/2008 | 08/28/2008 | STEERING BINDING | ||
| On april 28, 2008, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened preliminary evaluation pe08-033 to investigate complaints alleging steering binding in model year 2002 through 2004 kia sedona minivans.kia's response to odi's request for information in pe08-033 indicated that concerns with binding of the steering intermediate shaft were first identified and investigated in august 2002, in vehicles sold in indonesia.this investigation resulted in the addition of a stiffening rib to the bearing cap seal.in june 2003, kia again investigated owner complaints of steering noise and higher than normal steering resistance and in october and november of 2003 design changes to the shaft universal joint bearings were made to improve lubricant retention and eliminate water intrusion that could lead to early bearing failure.according to kia, the alleged defect results in a progressive change in steering effort that should be apparent to the driver through noise and gradual changes in steering stiffness long before the condition could become dangerous. odi's analyses of complaint and warranty data relating to the alleged defect show that the condition is occurring at significantly higher rates in salt-belt states (note:for purposes of this investigation the salt belt includes connecticut, delaware, the district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia and wisconsin).the warranty rate for replacement of the steering intermediate shaft is 5.5% for vehicles sold in the salt belt and 0.5% for the rest of the united states.the complaint rate for the alleged defect is 186.8 per 100,000 vehicles in the salt belt and 29.4 per 1000,000 vehicles for the rest of the united states.there is one allegation of a crash related to the alleged defect.a subject vehicle struck two parked cars while attempting to make a left turn, allegedly resulting in minor injuries to the driver. odi has upgraded this investigation to an engineering analysis (ea08-017) covering my 2002 through 2004 kia sedona vehicles sold or currently registered in salt belt states to assess the frequency and trend of the alleged defect and its effect on steering effort. | ||||||
| EA08017 | HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER INC | 08/28/2008 | 07/01/2009 | STEERING INTERMEDIATE SHAFT BINDING | ||
| Odis analysis of warranty data shows that the alleged defect has occurred at a relatively high frequency in salt-belt states (5.9 percent).however, the tests conducted by odi and kia have shown that the alleged defect has a minimal effect on steering efforts.in addition, odi interviews of owners who experienced the alleged defect showed that in most cases the problem was preceded by months or years of noise or a gradual increase in steering efforts and was more of a nuisance concern. there has been one allegation of a minor crash related to the alleged defect, involving a my 2003 kia sedona with 59,900 miles.the vehicle had been checked twice in the previous nine months by a dealer for complaints of stiff steering and that the vehicle felt like it was intermittently losing power assist.the crash occurred as the driver was attempting to make a left turn while traveling at approximately 20 miles per hour and struck a vehicle parked on the right side of the street that the vehicle was turning into. the crash resulted in minor injuries to the driver. after the crash, it was determined that the intermediate shaft was exhibiting some binding of the steering intermediate shaft bearings.while the absence of additional crashes or injuries does not mean that there is not a safety-related defect, there have been no reported additional crashes caused by the alleged defect in the past three years. the release of the technical service bulletin should assist service personal in diagnosing this potential problem long before it becomes potentially dangerous.accordingly, this investigation is closed. the closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by nhtsa that a safety-related defect does not exist. the agency will continue to monitor complaints and other information relating to the alleged defect in the subject vehicles and take further action in the future if warranted.for additional information regarding this engineering analysis refer to the ea08-017 closing report. | ||||||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 03/04/2013 | 139582 | ||
| I took the van to the mechanic about a month ago. they told me it needed a steering coupler and a flange. the steering wheel was very loose when driving and would make a creaking sound. | |||
| 08/14/2010 | 75004 | ||
| 2002 kia sedona had steering problems very tough to steer making it feel real dangerous, i took to dealer to ck out said i need intermediate steering shaft/ujoint at the price of $544.16... what a ripoff i can get the part for $100 and feel that kia should cover these costs too many people are having this problem | |||
| 05/27/2008 | 99000 | 1 | |
| There was no events leading up to the failure, i was pull on to the road and lost complete control of my steering, my steering wheel just kept going around and around, complete steering failure. i have not done anything yet to fix... *tr | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 55000 | 2 | |
| 2002 kia sedona with steering failure. consumer states that mechanic told her that a bolt fell out and could not be replaced unless the entire steering shaft was replaced. consumer states that wasn't the first time the steering has had problems. *kb the consumer stated during the first year of owning the vehicle, the transmission failed ,the drivers seat motor had to be replaced several times and the fuse that controlled the dashboard lights malfunctioned on a continuous basis. *jb | |||
| 04/10/2004 | 10000 | 02/15/2002 | |
| One more time kia sedona 2002 failed to brake car lost control front passenger seat belt snapped out, looks like power steering failed and brakes also, not the first time brakes failed in kia sedona. prior to this accident the consumer complained to the dealer about vibrations while braking. car accelerate by itself (throttle stuck). *bf | |||
| 11/17/2002 | 19604 | 3 | 03/15/2002 |
| 2002 kia sedona at 19,604 miles took it to the dealership for the floorboard buckles on the driver side when the steering wheel is turned to a full rotation, no problem found at that time , they said they could feel nothing. at 25,000 miles returned to the dealership with the same problem, test drove they could feel the floorboard buckle and was told it is normal. now at 41,000 miles i have the same problem but the insides of the front tires wore down to the cords and i had to have the tires replaced. *la | |||
| 02/06/2002 | 1 | 08/13/2001 | |
| Consumer complains of a loud grinding noise especially when making left hand turns, moderate noises on right hand turns and light on straight driving. the power steering was flushed and the grinding returned with an added whistle. the cause was a hose that was leaking. consumer feels the power steering pump should have been replaced. *jg | |||
| STEERING - HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST - PUMP | |||
| 01/02/2002 | |||
| Power steering belt had to be replaced due to pulley breaking while consumer was driving. contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to do anything.*ak | |||