This month, Kia recalled more than 460,000 Telluride SUVs due to fire hazard – second such reminder for the automaker over the past 2 years. Both recalls affect model year 2020-2024 vehicles, and for the same defect.
The cause is overheating of the seat motors. done and according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)The trim panel on the edge of the front seat base may cause the switch covers to become loose, potentially causing the seat motor to run continuously and overheat. In extreme cases, overheating of the motors can lead to electrical fires.
In an early improvement for 2024, Kia replaced the seat control knobs and switch covers, and added a brace to strengthen everything. Unfortunately, it appears that some repairs may not have been done correctly, and now this recall is rearing its ugly head once again. Kia and NHTSA are asking owners to park their Tellurides out of the way and away from any structures.
kia second recall
It seems like this time around the fix is the same as before, but you know, done correctly. If you have a 2020-2024 Telluride and are wondering if your vehicle is affected, you can Find your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Starting July 17 on the NHTSA website. Affected owners will begin receiving notices by mail on August 13.
This is not the first time that an automaker has had to recall vehicles multiple times for the same thing. But for a manufacturer that has had as many fire-risk recalls as Kia over the years, it’s not a good look.
It’s important to schedule repairs as soon as you receive notice and take the order out of the park seriously. While the risk of your car catching fire is very low (NHTSA and Kia estimate 1% of the 462,869 recalled vehicles have the defect), it’s not zero. This recall, like all vehicle manufacturer recalls, will be performed by a Kia dealer at no cost, so there is no reason not to have it done.
GearJunkie contacted Kia for a statement, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
