Kia’s wildly popular Telluride SUV now comes with a warning no one wants on the window sticker: park it outside, and keep it away from your house. The company, along with federal safety regulators, is urging owners of nearly 463,000 Tellurides to keep the vehicles out of garages and away from buildings because a defect in the front power seat can cause the seat motor to overheat and, in rare cases, catch fire. The recall covers 462,869 Telluride SUVs from model years 2020 through 2024, and Kia says dealers will handle the repair at no cost to owners.
Until that fix is done, owners are being told not to park these SUVs near homes or other structures.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the issue starts when the front power seat slide cover or adjustment knob is struck or knocked loose. That can misalign the internal switch, letting the seat motor run nonstop until it overheats. In a July 9 consumer alert, NHTSA said Kia will begin notifying affected owners on August 13, and that VIN and license plate lookups for this recall will be available on NHTSA.gov starting July 17.
Boston 25 News reports that Kia told regulators it knows of seven seat fires and 11 cases where seat motors melted. The station adds that this recall replaces an earlier 2024 campaign for the same problem.
What’s causing the fires?
The defect traces back to a small plastic cover and slide knob on the front power seat. If those pieces get dislodged in a bump or during a bad repair job, they can knock micro switches out of alignment and let the motor run continuously.
As reported by The Associated Press, drivers might notice the power seat suddenly will not adjust, catch a whiff of melting plastic, or even see smoke wafting up from under the seat before a failure.
How Kia will fix it
Dealers will install an electronic fuse assembly designed to cut power if the seat motor starts running without stopping, which is meant to prevent it from overheating. The repair will be free, and vehicles that already received the earlier 2024 recall fix may still need this updated remedy, according to NHTSA.
Once the VIN and license plate search tools go live on July 17, owners can use NHTSA.gov to see whether their Telluride is covered. For questions, Kia customer service can be reached at 800-333-4542, as noted by Boston 25 News.
In the meantime, the advice is simple, if inconvenient: park the SUV outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures. If you notice burning smells, smoke, or strange seat behavior, get everyone out of the vehicle and call emergency services.
This recall is the latest in a string of high-profile “park outside” warnings affecting Hyundai and Kia models in recent years, a reminder that even tiny electrical glitches can create outsized fire risks. For Telluride owners, the playbook is straightforward: check your VIN, follow the park-outside guidance, and book the dealer repair as soon as that notice hits your mailbox.
