Owners of nearly 463,000 Kia Tellurides are being told to park outside and away from buildings until dealers complete a second repair for a front-seat motor that can overheat and catch fire.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration campaign 26V430 covers 462,869 vehicles from model years 2020 through 2024. The same vehicles were recalled in 2024 under campaign 24V407, but Kia’s defect chronology says investigators later found both sporadic repair-workmanship problems and another way the seat switch could be damaged.
Kia plans to begin notifying owners Aug. 13. Until the new remedy is completed, NHTSA says affected vehicles should be parked outdoors, away from structures and other vehicles, whether or not the first recall repair was performed.
A struck switch can keep the motor running
The problem sits in the front power-seat controls. If the slide cover or knob is hit, the switch can become dislodged, internally misaligned or damaged. That can command the seat motor to run continuously, generating enough heat to melt components or start a fire while the SUV is parked or moving.
Under the 2024 campaign, dealers were instructed to reinforce the switch or replace it when necessary. Kia later inspected repaired vehicles and found sporadic workmanship issues, including cases where a switch may have been reinforced when replacement was required.
The company also investigated whether a person entering the vehicle could strike the seat slide knob with enough twisting force to misalign the switch even when the back cover remained in place.
Seven fires and 11 melted motors in the chronology
Kia’s filing says its safety office identified 18 unique incidents received from October 2024 through April 2026: seven localized seat or under-seat fires and 11 cases of localized seat-motor melting. The chronology reports no injuries, crashes or fatalities.
Those counts describe reports known to the company during its investigation; they are not an estimate of the probability that any one vehicle will catch fire. The safety action is broad because an overheating motor can ignite while the vehicle is unattended.
The new repair adds an electronic fuse
Dealers will install an electronic fuse assembly designed to interrupt power if the seat motor operates continuously. The repair is free under the safety-recall process.
Owners can search NHTSA.gov by the vehicle identification number or license plate and should look specifically for campaign 26V430. A vehicle previously marked complete under 24V407 may still need the new remedy.
NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline is 888-327-4236. Kia customer service is 800-333-4542. Owners who smell burning, see smoke or observe heat damage should stop using the vehicle and contact emergency services if there is an active fire.