Kia recalls over 427,000 Telluride SUVs because they might roll away while parked

NEW YORK — Kia is recalling more than 427,000 Telluride SUVs due to a defect that could cause the cars to roll away while parked.

According to documents published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the countershaft and right front driveshaft on certain 2020-2024 Tellurides may not be fully engaged. Over time, this can lead to ‘unintentional vehicle movements’ while the cars are parked, increasing the potential crash risk.

Kia America decided earlier this month to recall the entire 2020-2023 model year and select the 2024 model year Tellurides earlier this month, NHTSA documents show. There were no injuries or accidents reported at the time.

Improper installation is suspected to be the cause of the axle linkage issue – with the recall affecting 2020-2024 Tellurides manufactured between January 9, 2019 and October 19, 2023. Kia America estimates that 1% have the defect.

To correct the problem, recall documents show, dealers will update the electronic parking brake software on affected cars and replace any damaged intermediate shafts for free. Owners who have already incurred repair costs will also be reimbursed.

In the meantime, drivers in affected Tellurides are instructed to manually engage emergency braking before exiting the vehicle. Drivers can also confirm if their specific vehicle is part of this recall and find more information via the NHTSA site and/or Kia’s recall platform.

Owner notification letters will otherwise be sent out on May 15, with dealer notification beginning a few days earlier.

The Associated Press contacted Irvine, California-based Kia America on Sunday for further comment.