Park It Outside: Kia Recalls Nearly Half a Million Tellurides Over Seat Fire Risk

Kia is telling owners of roughly 462,000 Telluride SUVs to park them outdoors and away from structures due to a manufacturing defect that could cause the front seats to catch fire. The recall affects model years 2020 through 2024, and the automaker says the problem lies with a misaligned seat motor part that can overheat even when the vehicle is off.

According to documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the issue involves a small bracket inside the power seat assembly. If the seat is adjusted in a certain way, the part can jam and create friction, generating enough heat to melt plastic or ignite a fire.

S. and Canada, though no injuries or crashes have been linked to the defect so far.

Owners will be notified starting late November, and dealers will install a reinforced bracket and a new seat-back cover at no cost. Until then, Kia strongly recommends parking the SUV outside, away from your home or garage. If you drive a 2020-2024 Telluride, you can check your vehicle identification number on the NHTSA recall site or Kia's owner portal to see if your specific SUV is included.