Kia is issuing a significant new recall for nearly half a million Telluride crossover SUVs due to a fire risk in the front power seat motors, with the company warning owners to park their vehicles outside until repairs are completed.
The recall affects 462,869 Kia Telluride vehicles from the 2020 through 2024 model years. The front power seat motor may overheat due to a stuck power seat slide knob or an improper repair from a previous recall, creating a potential fire hazard while vehicles are being driven or parked.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is advising all affected owners to immediately park their vehicles outdoors and away from other vehicles and structures until the recall repair has been completed. This marks one of Kia’s most serious warnings in recent years, with the “park outside” advisory signaling the severity of the safety concern.
Kia identified 18 unique incidents related to this problem through June 2026, including seven localized seat fires and eleven cases involving localized melting of the seat motor. Reports began coming in after the company received complaints of fires beneath the seats in Telluride vehicles that had already been repaired under an earlier 2024 recall for the same issue. Despite no injuries, crashes or fatalities having been reported, the fire risk is serious enough to warrant this expansive new safety action.
The underlying cause involves the front power seat slide cover or knob. If struck or accidentally hit, the switch can become dislodged, misaligned or damaged, leading to continuous operation of the seat motor and eventually causing it to overheat. A struck seat slide knob while entering the vehicle, for example, can create twisting forces that damage the switch. Equally concerning, some cases stem from improper repairs performed under the earlier recall campaign, where dealers did not correctly install the original fix.
This is not the first time Kia has grappled with this particular defect. In June 2024, Kia issued a recall under campaign 24V407 for the same vehicles and the same fire risk. That initial response involved dealers installing a bracket to reinforce the power seat switch back cover and replacing seat slide knobs. However, that remedy proved insufficient, and subsequent fires in supposedly repaired vehicles forced Kia to develop a more comprehensive solution.
The new fix addresses the problem differently than the 2024 approach. Rather than relying on mechanical solutions designed to prevent the switch from jamming, dealers will now install an electronic fuse assembly at no charge. This fuse cuts power to the seat motor the instant abnormal electrical current is detected, providing an additional layer of electrical protection regardless of what is happening with the switch itself.
Owners may notice warning signs before a fire occurs. These include a sticking seat slide knob, a burning or melting smell coming from beneath the seat, or smoke emerging from underneath the front seat. The issue only affects vehicles with power-adjustable front seats, meaning lower trim levels with manual seats are not included in the recall.
Kia will begin notifying affected owners by mail on August 13, 2026. Owners of recalled vehicles can search the NHTSA website beginning July 17 to determine whether their specific vehicle is affected by entering their vehicle identification number. Dealers will perform the repair free of charge. Those who have already had the 2024 repair completed will still need to return to their dealer for the new fix.
Notably, vehicles produced beginning on May 30, 2024, feature a reinforced power seat switch mechanism and are not included in this recall. Owners with questions can contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542 for more information.
This is at least the third major “park outside” recall Kia has issued in recent years, contributing to ongoing concerns about the automaker’s quality assurance and recall management processes.
