Kia Canada warns some drivers to ‘park their vehicle outside’ after recall issued for 20K SUVs

The front grill on a 2020 Kia Telluride is on display at the 2019 Pittsburgh International Auto Show on Feb. 14, 2019. (Gene J. Puskar / AP Photo)

Kia is recalling thousands of vehicles in Canada and the United States due to concerns that the power seat motors could catch fire if the affected SUVs are parked, even if the vehicle is turned off.

In a statement to CTVNews.ca on Monday, Kia Canada says owners of Telluride models from 2020 to 2024 should “park their vehicle outside and away from structures” until they get repairs for seat motors, which could overheat.

“All owners of the subject vehicles will be notified by mail with instructions to bring their vehicles to a Kia dealer,” Kia Canada said in the email. “Dealers will install an electronic fuse assembly to prevent continuous operation of a seat motor if the seat switch becomes dislodged, internally misaligned or otherwise damaged.”

The recall, which was posted by Transport Canada on Tuesday, affects both the driver- and passenger front-power seat motors for 20,563 vehicles in Canada. A recall for the same models, issued by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last week, affects 463,000 vehicles.

According to the Canadian recall, repairs that were previously completed by Kia dealers with the recall no. 2024-323 “may not have been done correctly and/or may not be effective.”

Kia Canada didn’t provide an answer to CTVNews.ca’s question on if there were any incidents reported in Canada. However, the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said there were seven known seat fires and 11 melted seat motors.

Customers can call 1-877-542-2886 for more information, or visit the Kia website to check if the recall affects their vehicles.

With files from CTV News’ Kendra Mangione and Reuters