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Clock spring issue

Tiny
MR-MILANO
  • MEMBER
  • 2010 KIA CADENZA
  • 2.7L
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 146,643 MILES
I took my car into a garage for changing the light hand switcher which is located near the wheel steering. The mechanic put the steering wheel to the center then he took off the wheel and he took off the clock spring, after he finished his work he returned back the clock spring and he returned everything back in its place again and I went home and everything was fine.
I drove the car 3 different times in a different days after the mechanic repair, but in the third time when I was driving my car suddenly I turned the wheel full to the right and when I want to turned back again I broke the airbag wire inside the clock spring and the airbag light showed up on the panel.

Note : this broken clock spring I bought it new from one year ago and I used it only for 40,000 km of driving.

My question is, is this a mistake from the mechanic or not? And should he buy me an new clock spring?
Because some people said that if it is the mechanic mistake the clock spring would broke up from the first time of driving not in the third time of driving.
So I need your answer please as soon as possible.
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Sunday, April 19th, 2020 AT 4:13 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
Yes. This is possible. The only way to know if it was aligned when it was put back on is to take it apart and check when the steering wheel is straight. Here is a guide that covers the process. Basically when installing the new clock-spring or the old one, it needs to be aligned.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/steering-wheel-clock-spring-removal

Clearly it is hard to say what caused it for sure because it could have been a coincidence but clearly you are asking the question because of how the this looks as the mechanic just took it off.

From what it sounds like it is related however, we need to see if it is not aligned to have definitive proof.

Hope this helps. Thanks
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Sunday, April 19th, 2020 AT 4:28 PM
Tiny
MR-MILANO
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Thank you very much for answering me, but actually I wasn’t there with mechanic when he repaired my car, he is saying that it’s not his mistake, and I heard many opinions about my question.
I just want to know by your experience please how do you think?
Its was just coincidentally that the clock spring broke up after the third driving time?
And if it was the mechanic mistake, the clock spring will be broken up only from the first driving time?

Note : this broken clock spring I bought it new from one year ago and I used it only for 40,000 km of driving.
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Sunday, April 19th, 2020 AT 5:14 PM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
Clearly there is a chance that this is coincidence because I have seen some crazy coincidences. However, your suspicions of this are not wrong. Clearly this mechanic removed the component and put it back on and now it broke.

At this point, the only way to confirm he did something wrong is to remove the clock-spring and see if it was not aligned when it was installed. Basically these components operate by allowing the wheel to turn without twisting the wires around the steering column. So when they break it is because they are put on with the steering wheel not centered or the wheels not pointing straight ahead. So when the clock spring is installed it can be one rotation off one way or the other. This means it will operate fine except when you turn the steering wheel to the full lock position in the opposite direction. At that point the clock-spring can break due to turning too far.

Again, I am not in a position to say definitively that this was caused by him but I would be skeptical at best. Hope that was helpful.
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Sunday, April 19th, 2020 AT 7:43 PM

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