water pump belt was missing?

2024 KIA SORENTO
10,000 MILES • 6 CYL • 4WD • AUTOMATIC
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MIKEHOPKINS
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We rented the vehicle listed above. Drove the car 700+ highway miles from Glacier NP to Rapid City SD and then returned it the next day to the car rental at the airport from hotel in Rapid City. Three weeks later the car rental sent us a claim that the water pump belt was missing when they rented it the next day. The new renter drove it for an hour and the vehicle overheated. Their mechanic says this was due to mud being thrown up into the drive belts and de-railing the water pump. Is that even possible?
We rented the car from August 29th to September 8th and put about 2,600 miles on it. We never drove it through mud. There was only one day that had a rain shower. The weather was in the 80s and 90's.
Oct 29, 2024 at 1:21 PM
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STRAILER
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Yep, this sounds like an internal issue with the rental company employees. If the belt was off when you had it, you would know immediately because the engine would overheat. Check out the images (below). Let us know if you need anything else.
Oct 29, 2024 at 5:50 PM
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MIKEHOPKINS
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The same belt drives the alternator? There would be a light on showing that the battery wasn't charging?
Oct 29, 2024 at 6:00 PM
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STRAILER
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No, the water pump belt is all by itself.
Oct 30, 2024 at 9:50 AM