Hundreds of thousands of Tellurides are being recalled because of possible spline wear that could result in unintended vehicle movement
- Park Brake Panic: Kia Tellurides from 2020-2024 models face a safety recall due to a potential roll-away risk if the parking brake isn’t engaged.
- Assembly Glitch Suspected: The culprit behind this roll-away risk is suspected to be an assembly problem causing the intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft to not fully engage with each other.
- Software Fix and Part Replacements: Kia will install software to automatically engage the parking brake and replace any damaged intermediate shafts.
The Kia Telluride has been a runaway success, but now it’s being recalled over a roll away risk. This isn’t a small recall either as it impacts 427,407 vehicles including all 2020-2023 Tellurides as well as some from the 2024 model year.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Kia’s North American Safety Office came across complaints such as unintended vehicle movement and vehicles not remaining in park. There were also mentions of a grinding noise, vibrations, and the inability to shift into drive or reverse.
That’s a smorgasbord of symptoms, so Kia decided to continue monitoring the situation. The automaker eventually launched an investigation, but “no common failure pattern” was identified. Kia didn’t give up and continued collecting parts for a closer examination. This eventually led them to discover spline wear that was “consistent with partial engagement of [the] intermediate shaft and right-hand front axle.”
This was verified by testing, so Kia now knew what to look for. With this information in hand, they discovered ten warranty claims, three techline cases, and four complaints – across 16 vehicles – describing issues potentially associated with spline wear. Kia was able to confirm this in six cases and the company decided to conduct a recall.
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The automaker isn’t aware of any crashes or injuries related to the issue, but the safety recall report says the “intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft may not be fully engaged due to suspected improper assembly by the supplier.” It goes on to say this partial engagement can damage the intermediate shaft splines and this can eventually result in “unintended vehicle movement while in park, if the parking brake is not engaged.”
Owners will be notified by mail and they’ll be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealership, where technicians will install software that automatically activates the parking brake when the vehicle is placed in park and the engine is shut off or when the vehicle is stopped and the driver’s door opens. Furthermore, if the intermediate shaft is damaged, it’ll be replaced. In the meantime, owners are being advised to manually engage the parking brake.
