2022 Kia Telluride

My 2022 Kia Telluride is experiencing several serious safety-related defects. The backup camera does not work, the second-row bucket seats fold up on their own while driving, and the electronic parking brake becomes stuck on and will not disengage. The transmission hesitates and shifts harshly, creating a risk during acceleration and lane changes. The engine is consuming oil between changes. The heating and air conditioning stop working when the vehicle is idling at stoplights, and electrical components including the front phone charger and heated passenger seat have failed. The exterior window trim is deteriorating. These issues are ongoing and have not been resolved by Kia. Several of these failures match known defect and recall categories. These create a significant crash and safety risk for my family. I am requesting investigation and manufacturer action.

My daughter was trying to get into the backseat of our Kia Telluride. She had one leg raised with her knee resting on the stepping area inside the rear passenger door. While in this position, she pressed the handle to fold the rear seat. The lower portion of the seat suddenly swung forward and closed with fast, strong force onto her folded knee joint, pinning it between the moving seat and the vehicle floor. She screamed immediately in pain and could not free her leg. I had to run around to the opposite side of the vehicle (the rear passenger side) and physically lift the seat off her knee to release her. The impact left a noticeable bruise just above her left knee. The folding seat mechanism appeared to move too quickly and with excessive force, and it did not stop or slow down once it encountered her knee. This presents a potential safety hazard, especially for children or passengers entering the vehicle who may accidentally activate the seat handle.

The vehicle intermittently fails to shift gears and loses acceleration without warning, creating a serious safety hazard. The problem began in October 2024 when the check-engine light first appeared and has continued since. Despite multiple repair attempts by the Kia dealership—including replacement of the fuel pump, fuel pressure sensors, and ECU—the root cause remains undiagnosed, and the defect persists. When the vehicle was brought back in August 2025, the dealer’s latest recommendation on 9/30/25 was to replace the injector harnesses and front wire assembly, but they cannot guarantee this will resolve the issue.

The passenger side headlight randomly goes off. An alert comes on on the dashboard to check the headlight. The headlight comes back on randomly. I made several appointments to get it checked, but would be back on again when at the appointment. Diagnostic check showed no issues. The dealer replaced the bulb (not under warranty) and it worked for 1 year. The issue started again, another diagnostic was done, and a found no issues because the headlight came back on. A few weeks later it was out again and the whole lamp assembly was replaced. Not covered by warranty.

Borescope inspection of the engine shows multiple signs of internal mechanical failure involving oil control, piston ring integrity, coolant intrusion, and cylinder wall damage. Excessive oil buildup is visible above the oil control ring, far beyond what is expected at 59k miles. Cylinder walls show heavy polishing where cross-hatching should be visible, indicating loss of lubrication and abnormal wear. Carbon deposits are extremely thick; in several areas carbon has flaked off and been pulled downward into the cylinder, creating scoring. Straight vertical scoring marks cut through the normal diagonal honing pattern, confirming blow-by and damage to the cylinder sleeves. Evidence of coolant intrusion is present, including orange discoloration consistent with rust/coolant contamination, excessive moisture, and steam-cleaned areas of the combustion chamber. The intake valve and combustion surfaces appear abnormally clean, consistent with coolant steam-washing. This suggests head-gasket failure, a block or head casting defect, or ring damage (possible cracked scraper ring). Coolant in the cylinders can wash away oil from the bore, leading to rusted pistons and accelerated scoring. Multiple pictures show severe scoring and loss of lubrication. This compromises the ability of new pistons or rings to seal, meaning the cylinder walls would continue to allow blow-by, oil burning, coolant intrusion, and friction. Even attempting to polish or recondition these bores would enlarge them, causing piston flutter, noise, and long-term failure. Based on the level of damage, the engine is no longer safe or reliable. A seized piston could cause sudden loss of power at highway speeds, creating a safety risk. The observed defects indicate a potential manufacturing or casting issue that may affect other engines. The dealership and KIA Consumer Affairs have been notified but there has been no replacement or resolution after 3 months of ongoing issues, and 8 weeks of holding my vehicle.

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the infotainment system and instrument panel displayed black screens. A dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the middle rear passenger’s seat independently folded with or without a passenger seated in the seat. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the instrument panel and infotainment system needed to be replaced. The instrument panel and infotainment system were replaced on several occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that no additional assistance would be provided. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.