Kia America recently announced that it was recalling around 463,000 of its Telluride SUVs with the model year 2020-2024 due to an overheat issue. 

The Associated Press reported that the Tellurides affected by the recall were those manufactured between Jan. 9, 2019 and May 29, 2024. 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) ordered the recall due to a stuck slide knob causing overheat in the front power seat motor, which could lead to a fire hazard.

The AP added that over 427,000 other 2020-2024 Tellurides were also recalled due to a defect that might cause the cars to move while parked.

Hyundai also made "park outside" recalls to 3.4 million of its vehicle owners due to danger of engine compartment fires.

Cause of the Recall

NHTSA documents published in a recall report Friday (June 7) reveal that the automotive company made the decision to recall the vehicles on May 29 after it received reports of an under-seat fire and six other incidents of localized melting in the seat tilt motor between August 2022 and March 2024. 

No accidents, fatalities, or injuries were reported at the time. 

The issue with the overheating motor impacting a recalled Telluride's front power seat side cover or seat slide knob could potentially lead to internal misalignment, users not being able to adjust the power seat, or electrical fire.

Owner notification letters are expected to be sent beginning July 30, with dealers scheduled to be notified days prior. 

Kia America did not elaborate on why the notifications would not begin until the end of July, but eventually said in a statement late Friday that Telluride owners could still continue driving their vehicles, but still recommended to park them outside, Car and Driver reported.

READ NEXT: NICB Says Kia, Hyundai Among Most Stolen Cars-Here are Other Brands in the List

Actions Impacted Users Must Take

In order to fix the issue, users would have to bring the impacted vehicles to a Kia dealership so that a bracket for the power seat switch back covers could be installed and replace the seat slide knobs at no cost. 

Until it could be fixed NHTSA recommended owners to park their affected Tellurides outside and away from buildings as much as possible.

Drivers could also confirm if their specific vehicle is impacted by the recall by going to the NHTSA website and Kia's recall lookup tool.

READ MORE: Hyundai, Kia Unit Allegedly Repossessed Cars From Military Personnel Illegally; Financial Arm to Settle Charges