NEW YORK — Kia is recalling more than 427,000 of its Telluride SUVs due to a defect that may cause the cars to roll away while they’re parked.
According to documents from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, some 2020-2024 Tellurides may have a problem with the intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft not being fully engaged. This could lead to the cars moving unintentionally while in park, which increases the risk of crashes.
Kia America has decided to recall all 2020-2023 model year and select 2024 model year Tellurides because of this issue. There have been no reports of injuries or crashes related to this problem so far.
The problem with the shaft engagement is believed to be due to improper assembly. The recall includes 2020-2024 Tellurides produced between Jan. 9, 2019 and Oct. 19, 2023, and Kia America thinks around 1% of them may have this issue.
To fix this, dealers will update the electronic parking brake software of the affected cars and replace any damaged intermediate shafts at no cost. Owners who have already paid for repairs will be reimbursed.
In the meantime, drivers of the affected Tellurides should manually apply the emergency brake before leaving the vehicle. They can also check if their specific vehicle is part of this recall and get more information on the NHTSA site or Kia’s recall lookup platform.
Notification letters will be sent to owners on May 15, and dealers will be notified a few days before.
The Associated Press contacted Kia America in Irvine, California, for further comment on Sunday.
Get more business news by signing up for our Economy Now newsletter.
