Faulty Fuel Sensor - 23 SX XPro

[greenbottletelly]

I just experienced the same problem as Krause above (in a 2023 Telluride with 700 miles on it). First the car wouldn’t start, with a clicking sound and flashing dash. That problem was the battery. But now the fuel gauge says empty despite being topped off. Something is killing my battery and I don't know if the faulty fuel gauge is the cause or the effect.

Hi, I'm curious if you replaced your battery or not. If so, did the same issue reoccur? I had the flashing lights and dead battery after driving 1500 miles with no issues whatsoever. Now I have the battery issue and the fuel gauge reading zero issue.

 

[alingis]

Having the same issue on a 2023 Telluride SX Prestige X-Line. This morning is the second time it happened. The first time we got to “0”, we thought it must be us. This morning it happened after driving approx. 80 miles last night (initial estimated mileage to empty before leaving was approx. 250). When starting the vehicle this morning, est. mileage remaining is “0” again. We will begin documenting better for proof, but it is definitely difficult due to only being an intermittent issue.

 

[alingis]

Took photos of what was happening to prove the issue to the dealership. Bringing up the “Since Refueling” screen is key to understanding the issue. Then, only needed to add 6.1 gallons to fill the vehicle from what the dash was saying was critically low on fuel. Clearly is either a software issue or sensor issue. Will post response from the dealership as it is in for service today in an attempt to diagnose the issue.

 

[alingis]

Just got back from Kia dealership regarding the faulty fuel level readings. They discovered that “The Number 1 Fuel Level Sensor is the point of concern“ and “is out of specifications.” The part has been ordered and we will have it installed in a month or so.

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[TellmeyourWHAT?]

Just got back form Kia dealership regarding the faulty fuel level readings. They discovered that “The Number 1 Fuel Level Sensor is the point of concern“ and “is out of specifications.” The part has been ordered and we will have it installed in a month or so.

Glad they were able to isolate the cause.

 

[mentiote]

Just got back form Kia dealership regarding the faulty fuel level readings. They discovered that “The Number 1 Fuel Level Sensor is the point of concern“ and “is out of specifications.” The part has been ordered and we will have it installed in a month or so.

Thanks for following up with the proposed solution. Hopefully it works. I got my Telluride serviced earlier this week and they told me that they could not diagnose and replicate the issue. Will ask they look into that next time.

 

[Supaglitch]

I had this same problem the day I picked up my 2023 X-Line in February! I stopped and called the dealership on the way home and they said they had no idea and to go get gas. They were very unhelpful. I went to the gas station and filled the tank up a few gallons and it righted itself. I figured it was just a software glitch, so I didn't worry about it.

Then today, while on a long road trip through Oregon it happened again after I pulled into a rest stop. I started the car up to leave and it warned me my tank was empty. I was a little freaked out because I had not been paying attention, even though I knew I had more than enough for the entire trip. I went and filled up the tank, turns out I had 7+ gallons left. I documented it all. I'll be talking to my dealership about it when I get home. I'll let you know what they say.

 

[Clayman2]

I would guess it is a software issue (I am a FW engineer to give a little weight). It happened to mine 1 week after purchase after a refill the day before. Unplugged battery and plugged it back in and has been working fine since.
Software is complicated...

Thanks @NewKiaGuy !

My car only had 1600 miles (2023 SX-P X-Line) when I got the no fuel reading. I unplugged the battery for about 30 min and this fixed the issue next power up. Hopefully the issue doesn't return.

For those not very mechanical, I attached a pic. You only need to detach the positive (red side). Use a 10mm socket wrench to remove nut closest the front (careful not to drop it). Then pull it up and detach it from the battery terminal. Hope this helps.




Update: This didn't permanently fix the issue. I knew I posted too soon... I will contact the dealer and post any updates.

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[sagarmehta8]

Just got back from Kia dealership regarding the faulty fuel level readings. They discovered that “The Number 1 Fuel Level Sensor is the point of concern“ and “is out of specifications.” The part has been ordered and we will have it installed in a month or so.

What dealership is this? Which city and state?

 

[sagarmehta8]

Just got back from Kia dealership regarding the faulty fuel level readings. They discovered that “The Number 1 Fuel Level Sensor is the point of concern“ and “is out of specifications.” The part has been ordered and we will have it installed in a month or so.

What dealership is this? City, State?

 

[rarndt]

I have had the same issue twice with my brand new 2023 Telluride SX Prestige X Pro. My car is currently at the dealership I purchased it from but they are saying that they can't duplicate the issue either. I bought my car in March and in April when I turned my car on, it show no fuel in the gauge and -- for the miles, even though I had 40+ miles the night before. I went to the gas station and filled up and it corrected itself once I turned my car back on. I called the dealership that same day and they acted like I didn't know what I was talking. I didn't have the issue again until June when the gauge showed it was empty but my mileage said I still had 262 miles left. I went to the gas station and put gas in again (not much) and when I turned my car back on, it had once again corrected. I called the dealership that day and scheduled to have my oil changed and that looked at the same day. They could not replicate the issue and sent my pictures to Kia, who said they needed to take apart the fuel tank. It is currently getting looked at now but I don't think they did what Kia said to do. They are currently saying they can't replicate the issue so they aren't sure what to do about it.

 

[Atlas]

So I started the car a few mornings ago and the fuel gauge showed zero miles and low fuel, which was weird since just the last night there were around 80 miles of range left. I filled it up with about 1.7 gallons from a gas can and the next day I started the car I got 107 miles of range. So basically the missing miles came back. Just putting this out there in case anyone else has this issue.

Did you ever get a resolution to this issue? My car with the exact same problem sat at the service center for 3 weeks, escalated to national consumer affairs. Then the tech line told the service manager it was “normal operation”.

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[Clayman2]

Did you ever get a resolution to this issue? My car with the exact same problem sat at the service center for 3 weeks, escalated to national consumer affairs. Then the tech line told the service manager it was “normal operation”.

I apologize for not following up on my post back in July!

The dealership was able to fix my car.
Similar thing where it took them 1.5 weeks going back and forth with the Kia technical team. They ended up replacing my dual screen cluster and that fixed the issue. The bad cluster was draining or doing something weird with the battery so I got a new battery as well. All was covered under warranty (even the rental car).

Here is the direct quote from the dealership description of service. Hope this helps:
"ELRPR: ELECTRICAL REPAIR
Customer states that the fuel level gauge is inop. Gauge did work for a few days after last service but on Sunday it stopped working and has not worked since. Customer states the cluster fuel reading is not working again"
Tech: (name)
Installed 94061 S9000: CLUSTER ASSY-INSTRUM
Checked the cluster connector. Checked ohms readings on the fuel sender, all within specs. Tech line case started. Followed tech lines advice and they reviewed the findings. Power, grounds and proper resistance to the fuel sending unit within specs. Tested resistance at the cluster connector pin 14 and 16. Improper resistance was found. Tech line was given the information and tech line recommended replacing the instrument cluster and holding it for 30 days for engineering if they want.
Cluster installed 7/24/23"

Unfortunately, it looks like the new dual screen clusters can have some electrical issues. Hopefully anyone who reads this has a car still under warranty. Dealership said in total it was about a $6000 fix.

 

[alingis]

What dealership is this? City, State?

South Hills Kia - McMurray, PA

 

[sagarmehta8]

South Hills Kia - McMurray, PA

Thanks!

Did they install the new fuel level sensor, and did it fix your issue permanently?

 

[alingis]

Thanks!

Did they install the new fuel level sensor, and did it fix your issue permanently?

Yes. And so far….no issues since the repair.

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[sagarmehta8]

Yes. And so far….no issues since the repair.

Do you have the part number(s)?

 

[G-992130]

I have a 2024 SX Prestige that is less than 1000 miles and this has happened twice. My first time owning a Kia...I'm not impressed. Anyone with 2024 having this issue?

 

[DAW]

I have a 2024 SX Prestige that is less than 1000 miles and this has happened twice. My first time owning a Kia...I'm not impressed. Anyone with 2024 having this issue?

YES! just happened yesterday as i came out of the gym. gauge read empty! i thought maybe someone had siphoned the tank. ok, I'm paranoid. (but it was very cool that the screen came up immediately with nearby gas station recos!) i put in 10 gals (~1/2 tank) and the gauge read "full". This occurred with <2000 miles on the car.

 

[Dottenmoira]

Thanks for letting me know. I have a service scheduled for next week and will let them know it's not just me. I also noticed the range estimate is not accurate. The estimate was that I had 15 miles left, so I figured I would fuel up after work, which is about 12 miles away, but driving there it went to --- but I was still able to drive a few more miles. Anyway, when I topped up I only added 17.8 gallons, and the capacity is supposed to be 18.8. So there was over a gallon left when the estimate went to zero.

A possible simple solution: Disconnect the battery (remove the + connector), wait a few minutes to allow the system to completely shut down, then reconnect the battery. It solved the stuck fuel gauge problem on my 2020 Kia Telluride.

Today's car electronics are much like computers - first line of troubleshooting is to shut down system and then power it back up.