Kia Recalls Telluride for Rollaway While in Park, 427K Vehicles Affected

Whereas platform sibling Hyundai Palisade comes from the Ulsan plant in South Korea, the Kia Telluride is produced locally at KMMG in Georgia. The reason for the aforementioned recall is a rollaway while in park, a condition resulting from the intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft not being fully engaged.

The report for safety recall 24V-214 published on the NHTSA's website states the following: improper assembly by the supplier. Care to guess the name of the supplier? Of course, that would be Mobis Alabama, a subsidiary of Hyundai Mobis, which is one of three parts divisions owned by Hyundai.

No fewer than four part numbers for the bearing bracket and shaft assemblies are listed in the document attached below, split between 2WD and 4WD assemblies for 2020 through 2022 models and 2023 through 2024 models. Kia Telluride vehicles assembled beginning on October 20, 2023 are equipped with driveshaft assemblies inspected more thoroughly to ensure 100 percent engagement.

The chronology that Kia filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that Kia America identified customer-submitted complaints of transmissions not holding in park and unintended vehicle movement on April 12, 2022. Owners further described noise when hitting a bump or turning, grinding noise, vibration, and the inability to move the gear lever in drive or reverse.

Engineers and safety boffins looked into these complaints and collected parts for evaluation. However, through November 2023, the South Korean automaker couldn't identify a common failure pattern. Come December 2023, the mothership in South Korea identified spline wear on certain intermediate shafts collected from the field.

The abnormal wear is consistent with partial engagement of the intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft. Three months later, Kia America ultimately decided to recall the Telluride due to the increased risk of a crash or injury. Prior to filing the recall documentation with the federal agency, Kia America looked over the warranty and field data one more time. The grand total is 16 unique VINs that had experienced unintended movement in park between November 27, 2019 and December 15, 2023.

The incidents are split between 10 warranty claims, 4 customer complaints, and 3 techline cases. On May 13, 2024, Kia dealers nationwide will be instructed to update the electronic parking brake software to automatically engage the e-brake when the gear lever is moved in the park position and the engine is turned off. The remedy software also engages the electronic parking brake when the driver's door opens while the vehicle is stationary.

That's not all, though, because partial engagement is a mechanical defect rather than a software defect. In case any damage to the intermediate shaft is found, Kia America will gladly replace it at no cost to affected owners. Mailed notifications will be sent in the period between May 15 and May 17, 2024.