Kia has issued a recall for more than 427,000 of its Telluride SUVs after discovering a defect that could lead to the vehicles rolling away while parked. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has revealed that certain 2020-2024 Tellurides may have issues with the intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft not being fully engaged, which could result in unintended vehicle movement even when the cars are in park.
The recall, initiated by Kia America, covers all 2020-2023 model year Tellurides and select 2024 model year vehicles. The company took this step as a precautionary measure, as no injuries or accidents related to this defect have been reported so far. The suspected cause of the problem is improper assembly, affecting Tellurides manufactured between January 9, 2019, and October 19, 2023, with an estimated 1% of these vehicles potentially impacted.
To address the issue, Kia dealers will update the electronic parking brake software on the affected vehicles and replace any damaged intermediate shafts at no cost to the owners. Those who have already incurred expenses for repairs will also be reimbursed. In the interim, owners of the affected Tellurides are advised to manually engage the emergency brake before exiting the vehicle to prevent any potential incidents.
Owners can check if their vehicle is part of the recall by visiting the NHTSA website or using Kia's recall lookup platform. Notification letters for owners are scheduled to be sent out on May 15, with dealers being informed a few days earlier to begin the recall process. Kia America, based in Irvine, California, has been contacted for additional comments on the matter.
