The Passenger Seat on her Kia Telluride is Caught within the Again Place, however the Seller says Nothing is Incorrect. The Proprietor isn’t Capable of 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 does not work both. The vendor mentioned nothing was fallacious, and Kia would not repair it until it could possibly be recreated whereas on the dealership. I can not attain the pedals to drive it there when the seat isn’t working since that’s what I used to be advised 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 might 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 might result in circumstances of overheating or potential hearth, thereby endangering passengers. Failure to handle the issue can 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 attainable 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 unfastened wires and beneficial a job costing over $2,500. Seat malfunctioning isn’t remoted to Telluride, although. A Kia Stinger proprietor reported that their passenger seat had change into caught after being moved ahead for cleansing functions. Regardless of numerous makes an attempt to unravel the issue, together with utilizing a rubber mallet or lubricating the rail, the seat remained in place. 

Dealership and Producer Obligations

Whereas the producer provides the framework for dealing with defects, the dealerships are the primary choice for customer support and general upkeep. So, the dealership shouldn’t dismiss buyer complaints, as was the case this time. They’re additionally not allowed to impose enormous diagnostic charges for issues linked to a recognized defect. In conditions the place the defect must be recreated earlier than guarantee protection applies, the technicians on the dealership must make affordable efforts to diagnose the issue versus leaving the burden on the consumer. The duty can be on the producer. 

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

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

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

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