By Kang Seung-woo
The U.S. Federal safety regulator has launched an investigation into the 2010 Kia Soul for potential loss of steering control while driving the vehicle.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said Tuesday morning (KST) that it had begun a preliminary probe into the small, stylish, boxy street-cruiser after receiving a complaint about a steering problem.
The investigation, the first stage in a process to decide whether it will be recalled or not, will check more than 50,000 vehicles.
The safety watchdog said that an owner of the boxy vehicle had complained that the steering shaft fell off from the steering wheel, resulting in a complete loss of control.
Additionally, the shaft fell into a position that interfered with the driver’s ability to brake.
Although it is rare that the NHTSA launches an investigation on the basis of one complaint, the government agency sees it as a larger possible threat to safety.
It said that it is very concerned about this failure in that it occurred without warning on a new vehicle at low mileage and resulted in a complete loss of steering as well as compromised the brake system.
According to the owner, the vehicle involved had 4,300 miles (7,000 kilometers) of use after two months of use before the steering failure.
Kia Motors America said in a statement that the company was cooperating with the federal investigators and trying to uncover the manufacturing cause to the problem.
Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor, the parent company of Kia, said that Korean drivers don’t have to worry about safety of the model because they use a different steering system here.
“The model sold in Korea uses a Motor Driving Power Steering (MDPS) system, while the U.S. counterpart adopts an oil-pressure steering system,” an official of Hyundai Motor told The Korea Times.
“The steering system will not trouble local owners.”
The Kia Soul, which made its U.S. debut in March 2009, made an impact in the competitive box car area, with robust sales of around 32,000 vehicles, increasing to approximately 37,000 as of July, according to Hyundai Motor.