Binding or "biting" when turning from a stop

[wcarlson40]

So, my car has been "biting" or clunking when turning at a slow speed for about a year now. I'm assuming it's the viscous coupler as well. It hasn't affected my gas mileage at all (still getting about 27 mpg on the interstate)

Maybe a dumb question that follows......

What would happen if I just "let it go?" It sounds like it's prone to re-occur if it gets fixed. Right now it's just a "cosmetic/sound" issue.
What BAD can ensue if I just let it go until it fails completely?

 

[jkbenzene]

So, my car has been "biting" or clunking when turning at a slow speed for about a year now. I'm assuming it's the viscous coupler as well. It hasn't affected my gas mileage at all (still getting about 27 mpg on the interstate)

Maybe a dumb question that follows......

What would happen if I just "let it go?" It sounds like it's prone to re-occur if it gets fixed. Right now it's just a "cosmetic/sound" issue.
What BAD can ensue if I just let it go until it fails completely?

Based on my knowledge (disclaimer: not a mechanic, just have read a lot on this issue, have had my own replaced on my Telluride, and based on what I was told my my service department), a few immediate things I could think of:

• If the coupler continues to bind and not fully engage when the drivetrain tries to engage rear axle, you will likely start to get excess tire wear on both rear tires, thus necessitating the replacement of tires earlier
• The partial engagement of the rear axle could cause more unexpected handling in hazardous conditions like snow, especially while turning
• Continued partial engagement of the coupler may cause excessive wear on other components in the drivetrain over longer times. Don't know enough to say for sure or which ones however.
• If the coupler fails completely, you will just have an essentially front wheel drive vehicle. You could thus lose some acceleration performance, especially from or stop or when the wheels do not have full traction.

Not sure why anyone would completely let it go based on these factors since Kia will fix it under warranty. And as I have also said in a previous post, it does seem that Kia did modify the design of the coupler and using this modified part in any of the replacements they have done recently (based on what I was told directly by the service rep at my dealership).

If you truly don't intent to every get it replaced, you should likely just figure out where the control cable is connected on the coupler, which is what controls the electronic clutch mechanism within the viscous coupler. That way, you won't be causing excess wear on the rear tires, and potentially any other parts of the drivetrain, going forward.