The 2020 Kia Telluride is on display at the 2019 Pittsburgh International Auto Show on February 14, 2019. Kia America is recalling nearly 463,000 Telluride SUVs and is urging affected owners to park their vehicles outdoors away from other buildings until a problem occurs.
Gene J. Puska/AP
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Gene J. Puska/AP
NEW YORK — Kia America is recalling nearly 463,000 Telluride SUVs and urging owners to park their cars outside and away from other buildings until the problem that caused the fires is fixed.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the front power seat motor on affected 2020-2024 Tellurides may overheat due to a stuck sliding knob. This could cause a fire to occur while the car is parked or driven.
Documents released by NHTSA on Friday show that Kia decided to issue the recall on May 29 after receiving reports of one under-seat fire and six incidents of partial melting of the seat tilt motor between August 2022 and March 2024. these vehicles.
The recall report states that strong external impact to the recalled Tellurides front power seat side covers or seat sliding knobs may cause internal misalignment, and continued operation may cause overheating. People who drive the affected vehicle may find that they are unable to adjust the power seats, may notice a burning or melting smell, or see smoke coming from under the seats.
To resolve this issue, dealers will install a bracket for the power seat switch rear cover and replace the seat slide knob free of charge. Owners are instructed to park outside and away from buildings until the vehicle can be repaired.
Owner notification letters will begin being mailed out on July 30, with dealers being notified several days in advance. Kia America, based in Irvine, Calif., did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press about why it took until late next month to start sending out the notices.
Drivers can also confirm whether their specific vehicle is included in this recall and find more information using the NHTSA website and/or Kia’s Recall Finder platform.
The recall involves 462,869 2020-2024 Tellurides models manufactured between January 9, 2019, and May 29, 2024.
This isn’t the only recall affecting Kia Telluride owners. In March, Kia America said it would recall more than 427,000 2020-2024 Telluride SUVs due to a defect that could cause the cars to slide while parking.
Just last fall, Kia and Hyundai announced “parking” recalls of 3.4 million other sedans and SUVs due to the risk of engine compartment fires. Long delays in repair work have left many vehicles on the road months later, causing serious concern among drivers and consumer safety advocates.
Hyundai owns part of Kia, although the two companies operate independently.
