Check ESC error when starting

[LisaLisa]

Please help! my 2021 Telly S model won’t start, I get an error “Check ESC“. Has anyone had this problem? I will say that for the past few days I got a warning that “battery discharge due to external electrical devices”. At the time I didn’t know what that meant but I think it’s because I had a GPS plugged into the cigarette lighter. It was unplugged a couple of days ago so why still a problem? I did try to turn ESC off per instructions from owners manual but system was unresponsive.
I feel like the battery isn’t dead but….could it be? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Will be calling roadside assistance in the morning, don’t know what else to do. So glad I’m home and Telly is in the garage.

 

[Kari Leigh]

I guess you can add my name to the list of vehicles who have the ESC issue. 2023 Telluride EX... When It happened the first time, I blamed my kids for leaving the light on and caused the battery to die. Once I jumpstarted the battery it ran great. 6 days later I went to try to start it and got the dreaded ESC code again, with flashing lights and a clicking sound...then the car completely died. I jumpstarted it again to drive to the dealership. I should've have waited for Kia Roadside assistance but it was a 2.5 hour wait for a tow. Since I jumpstarted it and the battery shows it's fine, the dealership is unable to replicate the issue. My car has been at the dealership for 3 days and they are unable to repair, so they just gave me my broken car back to wait for it to break down again. UGH! I'm going to park my car in my driveway all week to make sure it dies, then call for a tow truck. Sad that I make payments on a car that I am unable to use (well I can technically use it but with the fear that it will leave me and my kids stranded, so no thanks). So many people seem to have different fixes for this same problem.... loose battery connection, loose wire, IBU module/assembly, new battery..etc? Did anyone drive it to the dealership and they fixed it without seeing the error code? I have it on video but the dealership said they need to see the error in person before they can do something. Which is ridiculous! I reported this issue to the NHTSA so if you have this problem, please report it also. If enough owners reports this issue, they are forced to do a recall.

 

[Kari Leigh]

I am in agreement with you guys. For the most part. When I first experienced my issue, I was so confident that it was the battery, I didn't even check it, I went out and bought a new one. That's because it's almost always the battery. Unfortunately my problem persisted. Long story short, 8 months later, after getting the California Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR), the BBB and the NHTSB involved, along with, the lead engineer for the Telluride from Korea, it ended up being the IBU assembly unit. It was keeping the car "awake". It was by far one of the most insane, horrible experiences I've ever had with a vehicle the dealership and with a car manufacturer. If I hadn't lived it, I wouldn't believe it.

I am having the same issue and the dealership is unable to repair. I filed a complaint with NHTSB, BAR, KIA Consumer. How did you get a lead engineer from KIA involved? Do you still have their contact information? I mentioned the IBU part to the dealership and they told me they can't just replace a part based on another owner having the same issue? So frustrating!

 

[2020tellUridee]

I am having the same issue and the dealership is unable to repair. I filed a complaint with NHTSB, BAR, KIA Consumer. How did you get a lead engineer from KIA involved? Do you still have their contact information? I mentioned the IBU part to the dealership and they told me they can't just replace a part based on another owner having the same issue? So frustrating!

The only reason that I know the lead engineer was involved was because I was given the transcripts of the conversation between the technician and Kia in Korea. The tech was describing the issue to one engineer who couldn't figure it out. That engineer got the lead engineer involved and it was him that said it was the IBU unit.

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[2020tellUridee]

The only reason that I know the lead engineer was involved was because I was given the transcripts of the conversation between the technician and Kia in Korea. The tech was describing the issue to one engineer who couldn't figure it out. That engineer got the lead engineer involved and it was him that said it was the IBU unit.

Also, they can figure that therevis a parasitic drain. They're just bring lazy assholes. I know this issue all to well. It took me 6 months of fighting with them to get it fixed. The last month was spent with the car in the shop the whole time. And I still have a broke ass sunroof.

 

[2020tellUridee]

My 2020 telluride ex just started doing this after I had some body work completed last week. Sunday it did it but after waiting a bit was able to get it to start. Today I can't get it to start at all. If it was a dead battery the electronics wouldn't work at all right? Like lights, ac, infotainment, etc. work if I just press start button three times without actually trying to start the engine. Trying to start makes everything go crazy and you hear the clicking of the starter.

In addition to that on three occasions now one of my rear windows will randomly crack itself and I have to follow the reset procedure from a tsb to clear it.

Like what the actual hell? Calling Kia roadside to either try a jump start or get it towed to a Kia dealership. I'm so frustrated with this right now.

I remember when that would happen to me. The window thing.

 

[Kari Leigh]

The only reason that I know the lead engineer was involved was because I was given the transcripts of the conversation between the technician and Kia in Korea. The tech was describing the issue to one engineer who couldn't figure it out. That engineer got the lead engineer involved and it was him that said it was the IBU unit.

Was your vehicle towed to the dealership? What dealership was this? I’m just trying to do my own research since my local dealership refuses to repair it? Thank you

 

[2020tellUridee]

Was your vehicle towed to the dealership? What dealership was this? I’m just trying to do my own research since my local dealership refuses to repair it? Thank you

No I drove it. I also basically figured out the problem for them. I narrowed it down but they didn't listen to me. By hooking up an amp meter I pulled each fuse until the reading dropped. The fuse I pulled went to the infotainment system. Apparently the fuse box under the dash is pigtailed into the IBU. The infotainment and another part that I can't remember pigtail off the IBU unit, its a regulator. The dealership I went to is in Modesto CA. and they are a joke. Don't take it there. They refused me a few times bit I stayed persistent. That's when I got CARB involved. That was at the end of the day what forced their hand. The NHTSB won't do nothing until a recall is triggered. That's when X amount of cars experience a problem out Y amount of cars sold. That's how they explained to me. But my story is far more complicated than that. Having towed in, I'm sorry, won't do shit for you. They will probably charge you $450-$500 for a battery. It's just an interstate battery nothing special about it at all. You're going to have to tell them that it has a parasitic drain and that they're going to keep it snd figure it out. Followed with, where's my rental. Good luck.

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[Kari Leigh]

No I drove it. I also basically figured out the problem for them. I narrowed it down but they didn't listen to me. By hooking up an amp meter I pulled each fuse until the reading dropped. The fuse I pulled went to the infotainment system. Apparently the fuse box under the dash is pigtailed into the IBU. The infotainment and another part that I can't remember pigtail off the IBU unit, its a regulator. The dealership I went to is in Modesto CA. and they are a joke. Don't take it there. They refused me a few times bit I stayed persistent. That's when I got CARB involved. That was at the end of the day what forced their hand. The NHTSB won't do nothing until a recall is triggered. That's when X amount of cars experience a problem out Y amount of cars sold. That's how they explained to me. But my story is far more complicated than that. Having towed in, I'm sorry, won't do shit for you. They will probably charge you $450-$500 for a battery. It's just an interstate battery nothing special about it at all. You're going to have to tell them that it has a parasitic drain and that they're going to keep it snd figure it out. Followed with, where's my rental. Good luck.

The dealership is saying because I jumpstarted it and drove it to them, that the code disappeared. Since they are unable to replicate in their presence they are unable to do anything else. They basically said just wait until it breaks down again, do not jumpstart it and have it towed to the dealership. So right now, it's backed in on my drive way to make it easy on the tow company and waiting until it slowly drains the battery. I'm afraid to drive it so I'm going to let it sit for a week to see what happens. I just got a call from Kia Consumer regarding my complaint and they said there is nothing they can do but I am welcome to take it to another dealership to see if they can diagnosis & repair it. Like what kind of resolution is that? UGH! I will have my husband try to replicate your fuse/amp method to see if he gets the same reading. Thanks

 

[2020tellUridee]

The dealership is saying because I jumpstarted it and drove it to them, that the code disappeared. Since they are unable to replicate in their presence they are unable to do anything else. They basically said just wait until it breaks down again, do not jumpstart it and have it towed to the dealership. So right now, it's backed in on my drive way to make it easy on the tow company and waiting until it slowly drains the battery. I'm afraid to drive it so I'm going to let it sit for a week to see what happens. I just got a call from Kia Consumer regarding my complaint and they said there is nothing they can do but I am welcome to take it to another dealership to see if they can diagnosis & repair it. Like what kind of resolution is that? UGH! I will have my husband try to replicate your fuse/amp method to see if he gets the same reading. Thanks

They're full of shit. Those codes don't reset until it's driven 75-100 miles. Unless you drove it that far before taking it in, the code is still there. At one point the dealership here had it for 5 days and told me that they can't find a problem. When I got in it to leave, non of my settings were in place and other things told me, because I've been dealing with this issue for months at this point, that my vehicles battery was drained. I went back in cussing them out and so on. Police were called, it was a mess. Point is that they lied straight to my face. So be careful of that. Trust your gut, you know your vehicle a lot better than you think you do. It's also an example of how frustrating it can get.

 

[bdavenport32]

No I drove it. I also basically figured out the problem for them. I narrowed it down but they didn't listen to me. By hooking up an amp meter I pulled each fuse until the reading dropped. The fuse I pulled went to the infotainment system. Apparently the fuse box under the dash is pigtailed into the IBU. The infotainment and another part that I can't remember pigtail off the IBU unit, its a regulator. The dealership I went to is in Modesto CA. and they are a joke. Don't take it there. They refused me a few times bit I stayed persistent. That's when I got CARB involved. That was at the end of the day what forced their hand. The NHTSB won't do nothing until a recall is triggered. That's when X amount of cars experience a problem out Y amount of cars sold. That's how they explained to me. But my story is far more complicated than that. Having towed in, I'm sorry, won't do shit for you. They will probably charge you $450-$500 for a battery. It's just an interstate battery nothing special about it at all. You're going to have to tell them that it has a parasitic drain and that they're going to keep it snd figure it out. Followed with, where's my rental. Good luck.

having the same issue on a 2020 with 70K miles. So does removing that fuse temporarily fix this issue?

 

[2020tellUridee]

having the same issue on a 2020 with 70K miles. So does removing that fuse temporarily fix this issue?

No it doesn't. What I was doing was chasing down the draw. When removing the fuse, and the draw amps drop down, whatever device(s) are on that circuit is the problem. Before this, I had no idea what an IBU unit was. But essentially the infotainment system and another part that I can't remember pigtail off the IBU unit and the wiring from the fuse box leads into the IBU unit. But to answer your question no, not really. I tried it but you loose everything from the infotainment system and there was still a parasitic drain somehow. I didn't look further because I was on the verge of having it fixed. Which I did. At 70K miles I assume you are out of warranty. Mine happened at 60,247 miles. I don't think I'll ever forget that. Or maybe thats when my sunroof broke. Dammit! I can't remember, I'm getting old. Anyway I had to engage in some shenanigans and jump through some hoops to get Kia to pay for it. I hope that you reported this to the NHTSB. A recall is going to be the only way that people can get this fixed. My car was in their shop for a month at $115 an hour, plus parts, you do the math. So good luck you're gonna need it, you're going to have a really shity experience. I hope I'm wrong.

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[Saratelle]

This sounds very discouraging! I had this happen 2 weeks ago when I was out of town. Thought it was a fluke. Today, I go to to leave for family on Christmas and my car won’t start. After numerous attempts it finally started but kept getting the click noise as it was doing the system check with my lights flashing and an esc error message. Sounds like the same thing…. Calling the dealer tomorrow. My telluride is a 2021 EX with 34,000 miles and my 3 year warranty expires next month so I’m still covered if they can figure out what the heck is wrong.

 

[G-210853]

yall can add me to the list is been a bad trip with my 2021 kia telluride ex sun roof broke and now esc code popped up theres just no solution for me at the momment very disappointed with this kias smh if anyone knows anything i would like to know just sucks that you pay something you cant use.

 

[2020tellUridee]

yall can add me to the list is been a bad trip with my 2021 kia telluride ex sun roof broke and now esc code popped up theres just no solution for me at the momment very disappointed with this kias smh if anyone knows anything i would like to know just sucks that you pay something you cant use.

Be sure to report it to the NHTSB so maybe it will eventually trigger a recall.

 

[Fewturetellyowner]

My wife’s Telluride was having the intermittent no start issue. The dash lights would flicker, and check ESC would be on the dash and wouldn’t start. After trying multiple times, it would eventually start. Ended up taking it to the dealer and they found a bad cell in the battery, and the low voltage was causing the issue. Had the battery replaced under warranty (2021 with 34k miles) luckily just before the battery warranty expired! If you’re having this issue, I would first consider checking the battery. Hope this helps!

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[2020tellUridee]

My wife’s Telluride was having the intermittent no start issue. The dash lights would flicker, and check ESC would be on the dash and wouldn’t start. After trying multiple times, it would eventually start. Ended up taking it to the dealer and they found a bad cell in the battery, and the low voltage was causing the issue. Had the battery replaced under warranty (2021 with 34k miles) luckily just before the battery warranty expired! If you’re having this issue, I would first consider checking the battery. Hope this helps!

Solid advice, like I mentioned before, that was the first thing I did. I immediately went and bought a new battery. That wasn't the problem. I'm glad that was your experience and I hope you don't ever have mine.

 

[Fewturetellyowner]

Solid advice, like I mentioned before, that was the first thing I did. I immediately went and bought a new battery. That wasn't the problem. I'm glad that was your experience and I hope you don't ever have mine.

I will update my post if this issue arises again. Hoping it doesn’t, but time will tell. Sorry about your bad experience, but thanks for sharing and trying to help other forum members out!

 

[jadair]

This sounds very discouraging! I had this happen 2 weeks ago when I was out of town. Thought it was a fluke. Today, I go to to leave for family on Christmas and my car won’t start. After numerous attempts it finally started but kept getting the click noise as it was doing the system check with my lights flashing and an esc error message. Sounds like the same thing…. Calling the dealer tomorrow. My telluride is a 2021 EX with 34,000 miles and my 3 year warranty expires next month so I’m still covered if they can figure out what the heck is wrong.

I'm glad I found this thread. I have a 2024 - leased 4 months ago, and 2600 miles on it, battery died after a couple of months of random messages about an external discharge warning. I didn't think much of it. I had nothing plugged in. Then when shutting my vehicle off I would get random warnings that some of the windows were open. different windows at times, sometimes all windows. It's winter and I had no windows open for weeks. I had to finally buy a portable unit to jump start my vehicle every time I wanted to use it. I could park for 30 minutes at the store and come out to a dead battery. Finally had it towed. They replaced the battery (because it was drained) and "reset" the windows. Didn't find any problems evidently. I got home from the dealership and my window wouldn't auto-roll up. Found the fix on here to make it work again but after a couple more times driving it, the window thing happened again. Brand new vehicle, 2 year lease. I'm scared to drive it now, hearing about all the window issues. I can't wait to just drop off the keys in 2 years and move on. Really sad because I have wanted this vehicle for 2 years and finally was able to get one and I love it!! Hoping that they issue a recall soon. I don't know if I can do this for the next 2 years and I certainly don't feel safe driving it.

 

[sf77-2020Telly]

Count me also with this issue - 2020 Kia Telluride.

 

[JDCTelluride]

Joining the gang too. 2021 SXP with 62k. Got the clicking when starting, etc Saturday and again today. I have an oil change and service scheduled for next Friday. I’m supposed to drive from VA to Alabama after the service but now I’m scared I’ll get stranded somewhere!