Bad news for you Kia Telluride fans out there. The company just announced a massive recall involving over 400,000 of their famous family SUVs due to an issue that could cause them to roll away unexpectedly. Yes, you read that right – these things might start rolling down the street alone!
The Parking Brake is Busted?
According to the safety folks over at NHTSA, it all comes down to a problem with how a crucial part of the steering system was assembled at the factory. Over time, this defect can lead to damage that causes the parking brake mechanism to fail. And when that parking brake craps out, well, the Telluride becomes a runaway SUV if you’re not careful.
The first sign of trouble? When you turn the wheel, you might hear some weird grinding or creaking noises coming from the steering column area. That’s your cue that something is seriously wrong with the parking brake system.
Use That Emergency Brake, Folks!
Until you can get your Telluride into the dealership for repairs, Kia is telling owners to use the manual emergency brake every time they park – just to be extra safe. Can you imagine forgetting to pull that thing, and then your 4,000+ pound family hauler starts rolling away while the kids grab their stuff out of the back? Scary stuff.
Kia says they’ll do a software update for free to get the parking brake working correctly again on all affected Tellurides from the 2020-2024 model years. However, getting that repair done could take months with so many vehicles involved.
In the meantime, keep pulling that emergency brake, say a prayer, and maybe consider borrowing your neighbor’s car for a while if the idea of an unbreakable Telluride rolling around gives you cold sweats. This is a recall Kia can’t afford to drag their feet on addressing!
