2016 Kia Rio Steering Problems

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Complete engine lockup during operation at speed which caused steering and braking to be greatly hampered. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The engine failed on a 4-lane highway in traffic which could have easily caused a high-speed accident since the car extremely decelerated and lost power steering and braking in order to get out of traffic. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes confirmed by an independent service center which told me it was either a cylinder rod or a lower engine bearing failure. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, the manufacture KIA has a recall on other models in this year range but not the RIO. The other models have a similar engine failure caused by a faulty cylinder rod bearing. The RIO has never been added to this recall list, but it should be because it looks like the engine issues are also on this model in the same time frame. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, they only came on when the engine failed. Then every warning light appeared.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia RIO LX . The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the contact could not see and it was difficult to steer the wheel causing the vehicle to slide into a ditch. The contact stated the Tire Pressure Monitoring System and Anti-lock Brake light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive the vehicle out of the ditch to the residence and later to the dealer. There was no physical injuries, however the contact sustain emotional trauma. The police was not called. The dealer stated the Steering Angle Sensor had a dtc1259 code . The vehicle was repaired, replacing the subframe and the control driver front lower control arm. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue yet. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.

THE ISSUE HAS OCCURRED FOUR TIMES SINCE PURCHASING THE CAR AT THE END OF DECEMBER 2017 (LESS THAN 6 MONTHS AGO). THE DASHBOARD WILL LIGHT UP WITH A NUMBER OF ICONS AFTER THE CAR IS TURNED ON (SEE PHOTO FROM DECEMBER). THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED, IT WAS A BITTERLY COLD DAY AND THE ICONS POPPED UP AS I WAS DRIVING. I FELT THE STEERING BECOME TIGHT, BUT LUCKILY I WAS TURNING INTO A PARKING LOT TO SAFETY. THE ICONS WENT AWAY AFTER RUNNING THE CAR FOR A LONG TIME (I WAS TOLD IT WAS JUST THE COLD WEATHER). BUT WHEN I CHECKED ON MY CAR LATER BEFORE DRIVING, THE ICONS RETURNED. I HAD TO GET THE VEHICLE TOWED LATER THAT DAY BECAUSE THE ICONS DID NOT GO AWAY AND THE POWER STEERING DID NOT RETURN. THE ISSUE STOPPED AS SOON AS IT REACHED THE DEALERSHIP, SO THEY SENT ME ON MY WAY. I TURNED THE CAR ON THE FOLLOWING MORNING (STATIONARY, DID NOT MOVE IT YET) AND THE ICONS RETURNED, THE POWER STEERING WAS GONE. I GOT IT TOWED AGAIN. AFTER DAYS OF TESTING, THEY DETERMINED IT WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE AND SOMETHING WAS FIXED WITH WIRING. NOW IT IS JUNE 2018, AND THE ISSUE HAPPENED AGAIN (ON A WARM DAY - SO IT IS NOT COLD RELATED AS I WAS ORIGINALLY TOLD). I COULD NOT STEER AFTER TURNING THE VEHICLE ON IN THE EARLY MORNING ONCE AGAIN. I GOT IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THE ISSUE IS BEING INVESTIGATED. I BELIEVE THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS THE STEERING IS AFFECTED, AND WITH HOW MANY ICONS LIGHT UP RELATED TO THE AIR BAGS AND BRAKES, I AM NOT SURE WHAT ELSE COULD BE AFFECTED BY THIS ISSUE.