2021 Kia Telluride

My 2021 Kia Telluride has exhibited a brake vacuum leak. Initially, the leak prevents the vehicle to be started because the brake pedal becomes "hard" after the vehicle sits overnight, and thus the pedal position switch can not signal the vehicle's starting system that the pedal has been pushed (before using the start/stop button) unless MUCH pressure is generated on the pedal. I took mine to the dealership and it took DAYS to diagnose because they didn't accept my description. They DID find a component that was leaking and have SAID it is resolved. This is actually a "known issue" within the Telluride community. ANY leak in a brake system is a safety issue as small leaks can become large, and that could lead to accidents. In my case, it became apparent after about a year of ownership and I finally took it to a dealership to be addressed.

The alternator fails causing the battery to drain and die while driving and permanently kills the battery. When this occurs all power is lost to the vehicle and in rapid succession multiple warning lights illuminate and a cascading series of messages related to the vehicle saftey features appear one after another. While the engine remains on power steering, headlights, and all other saftey features shut off in rapid succession causing unsafe driving conditions and leaves the vehicle inoperable. The vehicle was towed to a local kia dealer that refused to diagnose the alternator problem until I agreed to pay $350 for a new battery and a $150 diagnostic fee. Once I agreed (would require paying more to two to another local mechanic and two back to have Kia cover the alternator) they immediately diagnosed the alternator problem, but again refused to cover the battery which was less than two years old, but was 3,000 out of warranty.

Windshield was hit by a TINY piece of gravel or road debris - so small we didn’t even see it. It left a ding in the windshield about the size of a pencil point - maybe a couple of millimeters in diameter. Before we could even pull off the road, the grass has cracked about three inches. Within about ten minutes the crack spread another three inches. Within a couple of hours, the crack had traveled both up towards the roof and down towards the hood - approximately two inches in both directions. This is a known problem with Kia windshields since the debut of the 2020.

While driving, the fuel door body panel detached from the vehicle. Uncertain when or how it occurred. The component was there when the journey started, but upon arriving at the destination it was missing(12/08/2022). At the previous fuel stop almost 1 week prior(12/02/2022), there was no indication that the body panel attachment was compromised. This component failing and detaching at highway speeds could put the safety of others at risk. The panel was unable to be recovered after it fell off of the vehicle. No damage to the remaining components were found by the dealership. They claim it was stolen and not covered under warranty. Attached image does show a residue on the swing arm. Uncertain if that was an adhesive that failed.

Driving on the highway on 11/20/22, at approximately 65-70 mph, when there was a loud bang above the driver’s head causing the driver to become startled and swerve. The wind noise became louder and there was also a noise like something was moving on top of the sunshade. Exited the highway and pulled into a parking lot. Got out and the front sunroof had exploded and shards of glass were on top of the closed sunshade. The glass that remained was blown outward as if something inside the vehicle caused it to explode. Luckily the sunshade was closed and contained the glass or it would have come into the vehicle cabin and potential caused an accident or injuries to the occupants, and one could have been my one year old daughter. There were no cars around, no debris in the road, and not near an overpass.

While applying the brake at an approaching Stop sign the brake pedal was completely depress and the vehicle continued to roll forward into the intersection. This happened twice in a week. Kia dealer assessed the vehicle on two occasions and was unable to find a fault. This could very well cause a major crash and impact the Safety of myself, my family and others on the roadway.

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Telluride. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH there was a loud rattling sound that came from under the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact then pulled over safety. The contact stated there were parts of the vehicle that fell onto the highway. When the contact was on the side of the vehicle they checked under the hood, and located smoke and fire from the engine. The contact exhausted the flames with liquid from a nearby driver. The CHP and fire arrived on the scene; however, the fire was extinguished by the time of their arrival. There was no CHP report filed that the contact was aware of. There were no injuries or medical treatments needed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and diagnosed two pistons came from the engine, and it was a catalytic failure. The vehicle currently was being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 15,000.