This recall impacts nearly the entire Kia Telluride production run.

Over its five years on the market, Kia’s popular three-row Telluride has seen a few minor recalls, but this latest campaign covers some 427,407 units for a possible rollaway risk. In other words, virtually every Telluride on the road is under this new recall, with Kia telling the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) affected units were built between January 9, 2019 and October 19, 2023.

Specifically, Kia says the intermediate shaft and front right driveshaft may not fully engage due to improper assembly by the supplier. Mobis Alabama, LLC, a third-party manufacturer close to Kia’s West Point, Georgia assembly plant, may have incorrectly assembled the bearing bracket and shaft assembly where the two pieces come together. Over time, partial disengagement of the front right driveshaft could cause damage the intermediate shaft splines, causing the car to rollaway while in park if the parking break is not engaged.

Kia says 1% of the total recall population actually has an imminent problem. Out of 16 cases the automaker received of unintended vehicle movement, six of them were linked to spline damage consistent with the right front driveshaft being partially disengaged. One major sign of a problem could be grinding noise from the front end or reduced motive power. As we’re talking about one of the front driveshafts, this issue does affect both front- and all-wheel-drive models.

The company stresses owners should always manually engage the electronic parking brake prior to leaving the vehicle. Dealers will inspect the intermediate shafts and the bearing and bracket assembly, replacing parts where necessary free of charge. They will also update the parking brake software to automatically engage when the shifter is in Park and the engine is turned off to prevent unintended movement.

Letters to owners will go out by May 15, but there are other available channels for information in the meantime. If you own a Telluride, you can call Kia’s customer service hotline at (800)-333-4542 for more information, referencing the recall number SC303. You can also visit Kia’s recall website or the NHTSA website. The NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline is another option, at 1-(888)-327-4236 (TTY 1-(800)-424-9153). The NHTSA’s recall number for this campaign is 24V-214.