The 2025 Kia Telluride has been a smashing success in the United States, selling over 123,000 units last year, but for 85,448 buyers, it's just become a safety risk. According to a new recall filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the seat back frames for both front-row perches "fail to properly restrain an occupant during a crash," increasing the risk of injury. Vehicles produced from November 1, 2024, to August 8, 2025, and equipped with power front seats, suffer from a manufacturing defect that could prove hazardous in the event of certain rear-impact collisions.
Audible Noise and/or Loose Seatbacks in 2025 Kia Telluride SUVs
Kia
The NHTSA recall report notes that occupants may discern a loose front seatback and/or hear a grinding noise when reclining, but while the report lays the blame at the feet of OEM supplier DAS North America, it does not provide details on what exactly went wrong in the manufacturing process, nor does it explain how the remedy part improves on the original design. What we do know from the chronology report is that this problem was first brought to the attention of Kia North America's Safety Office in August 2025, thanks to Kia Georgia. This was on the seventh, and over the course of the following month and a half, Kia collected and shipped faulty parts to the supplier. Throughout the first half of October, the supplier tested the faulty components and confirmed that the seats met the applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, but Kia was not satisfied. Following rear-impact sled testing, Kia HQ determined that the tested parts "did not satisfy Kia's internal performance standard." Earlier this month, the automaker's safety office found 76 unique VINs with loose front seatbacks potentially tied to the issue, though no accident, injuries, or fatalities were reported, and Kia decided to issue the recall.
2025 Kia Telluride Has Suffered from Several Recalls
This is not the first time the 2025 Telluride has shown problems. In November last year, Kia recalled the immensely popular SUV for incorrect spare tires, an issue that, again, was discovered in Georgia. Before that, an August recall was issued to fix trim pieces that were falling off the Telluride. Fortunately, this new recall should be easy to address, though customers may be waiting a while; dealer notifications have already been sent, but the planned remedy owner notification date is only April 24. That's nearly two months away, so in the meantime, try not to get rear-ended, okay? Hopefully, the new Telluride will be less problematic.
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