The Passenger Seat on her Kia Telluride is Caught within the Again Place, however the Vendor says Nothing is Unsuitable. The Proprietor shouldn’t be In a position to Attain the Pedals within the Seat’s Present Place

Nicole Jones contacted different Kia Telluride Complaints Fb Group members, asking if anybody else had skilled the driving force’s seat getting caught within the again place. Not solely is the seat not transferring again to its beforehand saved settings, however the programmed button additionally doesn’t reply. In her put up, she states, 

“Is Anybody having points with the seat getting caught within the again place, Which means it doesn’t transfer again as much as your saved settings? The programmed button on the door would not work both. The seller mentioned nothing was improper, and Kia would not repair it until it could possibly be recreated whereas on the dealership. I can’t attain the pedals to drive it there when the seat shouldn’t be working since that’s what I used to be instructed to do.” She additionally took a video, hoping it proved she was not mendacity. Nicole additionally talked about it was a 2023 SX X-line with 21,000 miles, so this is able to be effectively inside any guarantee obligations. 

Except for the impracticality of being unable to drive as a result of they can not attain the pedals, there are additionally security dangers. These embrace driver management. The lack to regulate their seating can forestall the driving force from sustaining applicable automobile management, growing the chance of an accident. It additionally poses a hearth hazard. Steady motor operations due to misaligned switches could result in circumstances of overheating or potential hearth, thereby endangering passengers. Failure to deal with the issue might also additional exacerbate the potential for accidents.

Reported circumstances of Energy Seat Malfunctioning

Many Telluride homeowners have beforehand reported circumstances the place the driving force’s seat turned caught in a again or reclined place. A Kia Telluride proprietor shared an expertise in a discussion board the place their driver’s seat couldn’t be moved again or ahead. Nonetheless, it was doable to make vertical changes. His automobile had solely coated 60,000 miles, and the dealership quoted $190 to diagnose the issue. In one other case involving a 2024 Telluride, the proprietor reported erratic seat actions the place the seat randomly pinned them towards the steering wheel. 

Their dealership claimed it was due to free wires and advisable a job costing over $2,500. Seat malfunctioning shouldn’t be remoted to Telluride, although. A Kia Stinger proprietor reported that their passenger seat had turn out to be caught after being moved ahead for cleansing functions. Regardless of numerous makes an attempt to resolve the issue, together with utilizing a rubber mallet or lubricating the rail, the seat remained in place. 

Dealership and Producer Tasks

Whereas the producer affords the framework for dealing with defects, the dealerships are the primary possibility for customer support and total upkeep. So, the dealership mustn’t dismiss buyer complaints, as was the case this time. They’re additionally not allowed to impose big diagnostic charges for issues linked to a identified defect. In conditions the place the defect needs to be recreated earlier than guarantee protection applies, the technicians on the dealership need to make cheap efforts to diagnose the issue versus leaving the burden on the shopper. The duty can also be on the producer. 

Like all producers, Kia has an obligation to make, design, and promote automobiles that meet efficiency requirements. They have to additionally examine a problem if a number of people have reported an issue. They have to examine the defect to find out the basis trigger and assess if it’s a security hazard. If it’s a legitimate problem, they could cowl the restore price or problem a recall whereas offering a substitute.  There have been earlier circumstances the place Kia, following investigations, needed to recall their automobiles. The latest case was in 2022, the place they recalled 462,000 Tellurides as a result of hearth threat. 

Nicole’s considerations in regards to the seat positioning are legitimate primarily based on the video and photographic proof supplied. Therefore, Kia and its dealership have an moral and authorized obligation to deal with the difficulty. That is enforced by the NHTSA and state client safety legal guidelines, which even supply recourse for patrons with unaddressed malfunctions. 

Picture supply: KIA Telluride Complaints Fb Group and Kia.com Stock

Nicholas Muhoro is an automotive journalist protecting automotive information and has a decade of expertise sharing working at HotCars and TopSpeed. You possibly can comply with Nicholas on X and on LinkedIn to remain in contact and comply with his information protection at Torque Information.