# When driving over puddles, car loses power steering and "check battery" light turns on **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** accord, honda\ **Created:** [July 31, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829 "2012-07-31T00:27:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LaserMan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/laserman/32/5158_2.png) [@LaserMan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/LaserMan)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829/1 "2012-07-31T00:27:59Z")
Once this happens, simply turning the ignition off and then on again seems solves the problem. We’ve taken the car to two mechanics, one who said the belt was slipping and one who said the belt was fine! ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829/2 "2012-07-31T00:36:47Z")
Sounds to me like the belt is slipping. If a belt is old and gets glazed…when it gets wet it’ll slip. When was the last time the drive belts were replaced??? ---
**Author:** ![jesmed1](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/jesmed1/32/2097_2.png) [@jesmed1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jesmed1)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829/3 "2012-07-31T00:59:58Z")
Your car may be missing the plastic splash guard on the underside of the engine that’s designed to prevent proglems like this. Sometimes owners or mechanics take the splash guard off in order to do repairs, and sometimes the guard falls off or gets ripped off by driving over an obstacle. You might want to look into getting a replacement splash guard from a junk yard. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 2:06am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829/4 "2012-07-31T02:06:45Z")
I agree with Jesmed, but the OP should not ignore the reality that the symptoms are those of a slipping belt, as mentioned by Mike. ---
**Author:** ![WesternRoadtripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@WesternRoadtripper](https://community.cartalk.com/u/WesternRoadtripper)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829/5 "2012-07-31T02:37:29Z")
> turning the ignition off and then on again seems solves the problem. Question: **BEFORE** you turn off the ignition, is the engine stalled, or still running? ---
**Author:** ![LaserMan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/laserman/32/5158_2.png) [@LaserMan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/LaserMan)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 8:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829/6 "2012-09-18T08:24:34Z")
Hi everyone, just wanted to let you know that after taking the car in to another mechanic, they ended up replacing the belt, and that did the trick! Hopefully this is helpful to others. By the way, we learned that 2003 Honda Accords do not have splash guards. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829/7 "2012-09-18T16:56:15Z")
> By the way, we learned that 2003 Honda Accords do not have splash guards. That’s weird…they had them in 97. Wonder why they would remove them. ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Marc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@Big\_Marc](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Big_Marc)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829/8 "2012-09-18T19:05:49Z")
belts and water don’t mix maybe time for a new belt and/or belt tenisior ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829/9 "2012-09-18T19:07:39Z")
> belts and water don't mix maybe time for a new belt and/or belt tenisior Belt Tensioner??? Never needed to replace a tensioner before. They usually don’t wear out. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 7:28pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829/10 "2012-09-18T19:28:46Z")
You’ve told us almost nothing about your car, but if you have the V6 you’d better start thinking about getting the timing belt checked. All techs automatically replace the serpentine belt when doing the timing belt, so if your serp belt was stretched it’s a safe bet your timing belt is overdue. If you have the I4 engine, you have a chain. You need not worry. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829/11 "2012-09-18T23:14:51Z")
Marc–The OP already updated us with the following: **“after taking the car to another mechanic, they ended up replacing the belt, and that did the trick!”** ---
**Author:** ![Big\_Marc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@Big\_Marc](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Big_Marc)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2012, 12:02am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829/12 "2012-09-19T00:02:48Z")
ok you got me ---
**Author:** ![Kiadriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e79b87/32.png) [@Kiadriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Kiadriver)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 9:04pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829/13 "2018-08-08T21:04:44Z")
Hey all! I drive a 2010 Kia and I’m having the same problem as the previous user above, when I drive over a puddle I lose my power steering and the check battery light comes on. I’ve had it into the mechanic twice and they said the splash guard is in place, and the second time they replaced the serpentine belt. I’m still having the same trouble. Any suggestions? They seem to be at a loss as to what the trouble is. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2018, 9:08pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/when-driving-over-puddles-car-loses-power-steering-and-check-battery-light-turns-on/73829/14 "2018-08-08T21:08:15Z")
> [@Kiadriver](#): > > Any suggestions? They seem to be at a loss as to what the trouble is. Most likely the belt tensioner needs to be replaced.