Kia America is recalling almost 463,000 Telluride SUVs and advising owners to park them outside and away from buildings until a problem that could cause fires is fixed.
The issue is with the front power seat motor in Tellurides from 2020 to 2024. The motor may overheat if a slide knob gets stuck, which could lead to a fire, either when the car is parked or while driving.
The decision to recall the vehicles was made on May 29 after reports of one fire under the seat and six instances of melting in the seat tilt motor between August 2022 and March 2024. Luckily, there were no injuries, accidents, or deaths reported.
The problem happens when there’s a strong impact on the front power seat side cover or seat slide knob, which can cause internal misalignment and overheating over time. Signs of the issue include being unable to adjust the power seat, smelling burning or melting, or seeing smoke under the seat.
To fix it, dealers will add a bracket for the power seat switch back covers and replace the seat slide knobs for free. Until then, owners are told to park their cars outside and away from buildings.
Notification letters will be sent to owners starting July 30, with dealers being informed a few days before. Kia America from Irvine, California, didn’t respond to the Associated Press’s request for comment on why the notifications are starting at the end of next month.
In the meantime, drivers can check if their car is included in the recall and get more information from the NHTSA website or Kia’s recall lookup platform.
The recall affects 462,869 Tellurides made between January 9, 2019, and May 29, 2024. Kia America estimates that 1% of them have the issue.
This isn’t the only recall for Kia Telluride owners. In March, Kia America said over 427,000 Telluride SUVs from 2020 to 2024 would be recalled due to a problem that could make the cars roll away when parked.
Last fall, Kia and Hyundai recalled 3.4 million other car and SUV models due to the risk of engine compartment fires, advising owners to park them outside. Many of those vehicles remained on the road for months without repairs, raising concerns from drivers and safety advocates.
