Kia's largest internal combustion-engined crossover has been hit with a safety recall for a problem that increases the risk of a fire. According to Kia America, the V6 engine's valve springs may have been damaged during manufacturing by a supplier from South Korea by the name of Daewonkangup.
Fatigue cracking ultimately results in the valve springs breaking while driving, leading to a loss of motive power. The South Korean automaker couldn't rule out the possibility of a connecting rod punching a hole in the block, thus explaining the increased risk of a fire. Kia started investigating this condition in November 2023, following a techline case regarding a pop noise while driving followed by smoke coming from the engine compartment.
The dealer that submitted the case to Kia America identified a hole in the block. The safety boffins then inspected the vehicle (a 2024 model year Telluride), identifying localized melting on the underbody shield. Come December 2023, the North American division performed a filed data analysis.
Lo and behold, Kia America identified no fewer than 47 techline cases involving engine replacements for 2024 model year Telluride vehicles with relatively low mileage. Collected parts were sent to the mothership in South Korea for further analysis. Electron microscope analysis of the broken valve springs confirmed fatigue cracking.
Kia Korea promptly informed Kia America that the aforementioned supplier damaged the broken valve springs during the manufacturing process. Kia Korea further determined that all of the evaluated valve springs were manufactured on the same day.
Photo: Kia
Prior to the NHTSA publishing this recall on the federal watchdog's website, Kia America was aware of 83 vehicles potentially related to the subject conditions. The techline, warranty, and owner complaints were submitted between October 25 last year and January 26 this year. According to the report for NHTSA recall 24V-077, an estimated 2,872 vehicles need to be repaired by dealers.
Said crossovers were produced in the period from October 1, 2023 to December 6, 2023 in the United States. As opposed to the technically similar Hyundai Palisade, which is manufactured in South Korea, the Telluride is assembled in West Point, Georgia at Kia Motor Manufacturing Georgia.
Rather than inspecting the direct-injected V6 engines, dealer technicians are required to replace the so-called engine sub-assembly. By sub-assembly, Kia America most likely refers to the long block, which includes the heads and valvetrain. Short blocks usually include the engine block, the crankshaft, connecting rods, and the pistons.
Owner notifications will be mailed via first-class mail on or about April 5. In the meantime, owners can easily determine if their 2024 Kia Telluride vehicles are included in this recall or not by entering the 17-character vehicle identification number on Kia's website or on the NHTSA's website.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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