Power Steering Failure in wet conditions on Kia Rondo 2.4L

[saltwater]

hi
My wife took her 2008 Kia Rondo into the dealer and had an oil change and possibly something else done.
The next time it rained (a few days later) and the warranty had about 100km remaining (99900km), she hit a puddle on a really wet day and the power steering light on the dash came on and another light. It happened for a couple of seconds and then it was fine. It has only happened to me when I took right handed turns and hit a puddle. When the lights do come on the power steering locks up for a few seconds and there is a screeching noise under the hood although hard to hear with the wipers going. The dealer looked at it and said everything was fine and they had never heard of this before, since then my wife has had it happen multiple times on wet days (usually really wet days).
I have done extensive research online and there are a couple of instances of this happening in the US. KIA Rondo Steering - 2007 KIA RONDO Problems With Steering

KIA Rondo Steering - 2007 KIA RONDO Problems With Steering

The car was fine until the dealer in Nova Scotia did that final checkup on the car before the warranty was completed. Maybe the idler tensioner got hit or something however there is no way to know or maybe the belt was going and it just seemed to go when the warranty was up :-). The dealer has been very good in this situation and they are very good to deal with compared to other dealers in the past with different brands.
I don't think it is the fuel pump because it only happens in wet weather. Possibly the idler tensioner and/or the belt slipping. Maybe the alternator?

We are very afraid of highway driving and when we have our children in the car. The air conditioner bearings seem to be getting noisy (possibly the bearings) could that be putting pressure on the belts or is it the idler tensioner?
The dealer is willing to do one repair but I don't know whether we should replace the idler tensioner and the belt or replace the power steering pump. I took a video of it happening but the dealer said if they cannot duplicate the problem they cannot fix it or diagnose the problem.
I am hoping to take the car in sometime in mid December to replace the idler tensioner and the belt but I want to ensure I do some driving in the rain to ensure this is still happening before I get it fixed. i will update

[mkloor]

I have a 2009 with the 4cyl and the same problem started just before the warranty ran out earlier this year. I haven't taken it in yet, but it's been sort of a dry season and I don't drive the car everyday so i forget about the problem. Here we are in November and it rains more often now. Even the slightest puddle will wet the belts enough to loose pwr steering, A/C and alternator. I imagine the water pumps not turning either. What I have to do to get the damn belt to get traction is work the steering wheel back and forth until the water evacuates. I've been changing the oil and other routine maintenance myself since I bought the car. Each time I check all the splash guards to make sure they are secure and in place. Still looks like the day I bought it. I can't understand why this is suddenly a problem. If you take yours to the shop and they figure it out let me know please. I'll do the same. I hope to get it in the shop before Christmas.

[conwelpic]

almost sounds like the ESC kicking in if its wet weather and possible loosing traction briefly (aquaplaning), if you can try similar conditions and with it off and see if does anything differently.
How's the condition of your tires, do you have lots of tread?

I owned a '08 Rondo for four years and had it in very heavy wet weather many times and never had any problems.

[mkloor]

It's not the ESC and I'm not hydroplaning. The power steering, A/C and alternator stop working when I go through any puddle. In other words their is no longer any power assist to the steering, the A/C stops blowing cold air and all the warning lights come on the console like the engine shut off, but it's still running. It doesn't matter if I drive through a shallow puddle at a slow/fast pace or a deep puddle at slow/fast pace. I have tires that are less than a year old with like new tread. They are 60K mile tires with 6K miles on them. I've owned my '09 for almost four years and this problem only started 10 months ago.

I've been doing alot of searching on the internet and I found a handfull of people complaining about the same thing. They also say it starts after they take it to the shop for service or sometime after they have owned it for a while. Typically they take it to the shop and the shop can't find anything wrong.

I have a theory that it might have something to do with the tires. In my case the timming is almost perfect. Right about the time I bought new tires is when my problem developed. Consider this: a new car with OEM tires doesnt seem to have a problem. However, many months later when it's time for new tires the old ones are typically replaced with non-OEM tires. The tread is likey different making the characteristics of tire different too. So, the way the non-OEM tires evacuate water is probably different. I wonder if there is a difference in spray pattern that the splash guards can't protect against which causes the serpentine belt to get wet and slip. This might explain why the shop can't find anything wrong. I can tell you that I've been under my car many times looking for something out of place, missing etc and everything looks like the day I bought it. There's nothing loose, cracked or broken.

My other theory is that new cars aren't affected simply due to of the lack of use. Maybe after more time is put on the engine the tensioner loosens or the belt becomes less tacky and it just doesn't take much water to make the belt slip.

[conwelpic]

okay if its not what I suggested, then belts sounds like the way to go particularly when it effects all items that need belts to operate.
Is all belts at the correct tension or perhaps a belt is getting worn/cracked and slipping, check the condition of them and replace if in doubt, it wouldn't be a high expense to do that. When did you replace them last.
You theory about tires, doesn't make much sense, I wouldn't think that has any substance.

[tessitori]

Hi there, I am a total noob here. I just my wife's Rondo with just over 70,000 miles and all at once the brake light and battery light came on at the same time just after I went over a small speedbump that was surrounded by water. Any thoughts since the symptoms are similar to those in the replies above?

[leli007]

hello

i have a kia carens 2008 model and i have exactaly the same problem in wet conditions. has anyone solved this problem please? please please help

regards

emanuel

[saltwater]

hi
thanks for the responses. My wife informed me on Thursday that the power steering locked up again on her. This time though it wasn't raining, it was when she had to make a sharp turn and the steering wheel was as far as it would go in one direction. So there goes the theory, I am going to try to duplicate that as well this week.
I was going to get the belt and idler tensioner replaced this week but I am not so sure now. Could it be the power steering pump?

I will post if those repairs fix it though.

[mkloor]

Maybe try replacing the drive belt everyone. I changed mine out and noticed that despite the belt looking fine on the outside, the underside was sticky with grease and gum. So was the entire side of my engine block. I think someone spilled a lot of oil and managed to get some on the belt causing it to degrade rapidly. Once I changed the belt, a funny little noise I used to hear when the A/C was on is now gone. Another funny little noise I used to hear when I would give throttle from a dead stop is gone. I've driven through some puddles lately and so far so good. That used to be a problem. Even the slightest bit of water would cause me to loose steering, A/C and alternator.