Irvine, CA – April 9, 2024 – Kia (OTCMKTS:KIMTF) has issued a recall for 35,031 2020 Telluride SUVs equipped with “inoperative” high beams. The defect ups the risk of a crash and comes on the back of thousands of customer complaints, alleged deer strikes and a U.S. government investigation.
Recall summary
Halogen headlights have a high beam shield gear mechanism that allows drivers to switch between low beam and high beam modes. In the affected vehicles, the heat generated by the halogen bulb could damage the shield gear mechanism, disabling the high beam mode.
Recall risks
For the risks associated with this defect, please refer to this article about a similar Jaguar recall.
Background of the recall
The U.S. government auto safety regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), opened an investigation into the issue in January 2023. Kia initially refused to recall the cars – offering an extended warranty instead – but eventually relented after meeting with NHTSA.
The recall comes on the heels of nearly 5,000 warranty claims, 839 “techline cases,” 543 customer complaints and “three unconfirmed deer strikes.” No injuries have been reported.
Other Kia recalls
In February 2023, Kia issued a Telluride SUV recall due to airbags that would not deploy, as reported.
More recently, the automaker recalled Kia K900 and Stinger cars that could catch fire due to an oil leak. The recall was the latest in the long string of Kia fire-related recalls, some of which are also subject to an ongoing U.S. government investigation, also as reported.
The repair
Dealers will fix the issue by either attaching a clip to hold the shield gear in place or replacing the headlight assembly. The repairs will be free of charge. Kia will reimburse owners who paid for their own repairs before the recall was announced.
Owners will receive letters with more information on April 25, 2024.
Is your vehicle a part of this recall?
More than 35,000 SUVs are affected by this Kia headlight recall. To do a Kia recall check and see if yours is one of them, please use MotorSafety’s free vehicle lookup tool.
