Kia Telluride Recall Fiasco: 460,000 SUVs Deemed Unsafe, Parked Outside!
Kia has issued a new recall for nearly half a million 2020-2024 Telluride SUVs, as a previous repair for a power seat slide switch fire risk proved insufficient. Owners are advised to park their vehicles outside until the new electronic fuse assembly fix is implemented to prevent potential overheating and fires.
Kia is facing a significant challenge as a prior recall repair for its Telluride SUV models has proven insufficient, leading to a new recall affecting approximately 460,000 vehicles. The original fix aimed at addressing a fire risk stemming from the power seat slide switch, but the issue persists, even when the vehicle is parked. Consequently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Kia are strongly advising owners of these three-row SUVs to park their vehicles outside until the new repair can be completed.
This new recall, identified as 26V430, is directly related to the previous recall, 24V407, both concerning the slide knob and cover for the front power seats. The affected units include 462,869 Kia Tellurides manufactured between January 9, 2019, and May 29, 2024. Importantly, any Telluride produced on or after May 30, 2024, is not subject to this recall, as these newer vehicles were built with a reinforced power seat switch mechanism designed to prevent the issue.
The underlying cause of the potential fires is that the seat's power slide switch can force the seat sliding motor into continuous operation. This can occur if the switch cover is impacted, dislodged, misaligned, or if the switch itself is damaged. Such continuous operation causes the motor to overheat, significantly increasing the risk of a fire, even when the Telluride is parked and turned off. The initial repair under recall 24V407 involved installing a reinforcing bracket to prevent the covers from interfering with the switch and replacing the seat slide knob with an improved version, which has now been deemed inadequate.
The new repair strategy under recall 26V430 involves installing an electronic fuse assembly. However, specific details regarding where this fuse assembly will be installed, or the full repair procedure, are not yet available in the Part 573 report or on NHTSA’s website. It also remains unclear whether components from the previous recall will still be incorporated into the new repair for vehicles that might not have received the initial fix.
Based on current speculation, it is likely that the fuse assembly will be installed between the harness and the seat slider motor, possibly utilizing a subharness that connects to each motor under the front seat lower track. While the fuse assembly harness itself is expected to be relatively simple to produce, accessing the seat slider motor will require a more involved process. Technicians will need to remove the entire seat after disconnecting the battery and allowing the airbag system to depower, typically for 15 to 30 minutes, due to the lower side-impact airbags integrated into the seat backs. This procedure, including the removal and reinstallation of both front seats, is estimated to take approximately one to two hours to complete.