Binding or "biting" when turning from a stop

[tpgh]

I’m taking my wife’s in tomorrow. Her tires are just about shot with only 19k on them, going to try to work the coupler as being the cause of excessive wear.

They identified a leak from the coupler and need to get approval from the district manager. He’s in Vegas on a boondoggle… Once his approval goes through, they’ll order the part and provide a loaner. They agreed the coupler is causing excessive tire wear (because it’s been going on for some time and the tires have been rotated). They’re going to provide some relief for new tires. We’ll see…

 

[20Telly20SX]

2020 SX Prestige. My issue began around 38,000 (52,000 now) though was hardly noticeable at first. Last oil change I had a tech road test it, mine normally only acts up after the rear end is warm. Tech wasn’t able to reproduce. Today brought the vehicle back to dealer after a long drive. Tech rode along and agreed the binding is abnormal. Dealer has the AWD coupler on the shelf and they were quick to honor the warranty even though their warranty system was down. Big shoutout to Logan and Mike at Prestige Kia in Eau Claire. This dealer is hands down one of the best I’ve ever had to deal with. Will update when the vehicle is done. All in all from walking in off the street diagnosing and replacing the coupler I was at the dealer for less than 1.5 hrs with a packed waiting room and no appointment, simply stellar service! This was an hour ago so not much drive time just the 15 miles home from the dealership but I haven’t had any binding or bucking which is nice since it’s been months of feeling like I’m off roading on glass smooth asphalt!

 

[20Telly20SX]

I have just begun feeling this problem a few weeks ago in my 21 awd telluride with 42000 miles. Got an appointment scheduled for 2 months from now. Long time to wait. Still driving on it, since they didn't mention anything about not driving it. Drove it 8 hours and back for a family vacation and it made me kind of nervous. Hope this isn't a big problem.

I was a military and dealership trained technician for years. The issue involves a clutch pak wearing out prematurely. The job of the clutch park is to lock the rear axle to the driveshaft. When it fails it only partially locks to send power to the rear of the vehicle. While it may damage the already damaged part that will be replaced anyways, it should not damage the driveshaft, transmission, or rear differential. The AWD uses its own fluid so it can’t contaminate the rear Differential fluid if driven when in a failed state. Mine began failing around 38,000 miles last year and was just finally replaced at 53,000. There was no damage done to the vehicle and it drives like a dream now. Hope this helps to ease your worries!

 

[Penetronn]

I was a military and dealership trained technician for years. The issue involves a clutch pak wearing out prematurely. The job of the clutch park is to lock the rear axle to the driveshaft. When it fails it only partially locks to send power to the rear of the vehicle. While it may damage the already damaged part that will be replaced anyways, it should not damage the driveshaft, transmission, or rear differential. The AWD uses its own fluid so it can’t contaminate the rear Differential fluid if driven when in a failed state. Mine began failing around 38,000 miles last year and was just finally replaced at 53,000. There was no damage done to the vehicle and it drives like a dream now. Hope this helps to ease your worries!

Great info! Would this be affected by towing at all? I tow a travel trailer, about 3500 fully loaded, 475 hitch weight. Both are within spec according to the manual. But if towing at all could impact this, I may trade it in for a Ranger.

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[tpgh]

Update… They replaced the coupler without issue. It had leaked causing it essentially to fuse together. The car actually feel a good bit more powerful now which means it was like that for some time. They’re being difficult with the tires saying to contact Michelin, so I did and explained and of course the rep said it’s not their issue if there was a defective part. He was pretty knowledgeable and asked some questions which are actually helping me with my case. For example, the rear tires have worn faster than the front which should never be the case on a front heavy, primarily front drive vehicle. My dad who does all of the maintenance even mentioned that to me but I didn’t think much of it. So… it’s escalated within Kia. Will continue to update.

 

[ronniebell]

2020 AWD With 38k miles. Last several months and getting worse there is a very noticeable binding or biting when turning left or right from a stop. A nice easy turn either direction and you can feel it. First I thought it was from the rear but the worse it gets it seems like it's from front and back. Going straight from a stop you don't feel it. I haven't found this issue anywhere online yet and of course the first time the dealer couldn't replicate it because they just did a few circles in their parking lot. I returned with it the next week and made a tech ride with me. He felt it and said yep there's an issue and he would call tech specialist at kia. It is scheduled to go in next week and I called ahead of time and of course Kia hasn't got back to them yet. Only thing that I seen was a close issue was a tsb with the Stingers where they were changing diff fluid and adding friction modifiers. To me it does seem like it could be a fluid issue. Anyone have similar problem?

I'm not an automotive technician, but the issue you're describing might be related to the drivetrain, specifically the differentials, given that you're experiencing the binding or biting feeling when turning left or right from a stop. In all-wheel-drive vehicles, differentials distribute power to the front and rear wheels, allowing them to turn at different speeds during turns. If there's a problem with the differential fluid or the mechanical parts, it can lead to the issues you're experiencing.

Friction modifiers in the differential fluid are designed to reduce the friction between the gears, so a lack of or degraded friction modifiers could potentially cause problems. That being said, a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) for a different model might not be directly applicable to your situation, but it might provide some clues as to what could be wrong.

Here are some possibilities:

1. Differential Fluid: If it's been a while since the differential fluid has been changed, or if the vehicle is using improper or degraded fluid, that could lead to binding.

2. Transfer Case: Since it's an AWD vehicle, the transfer case is another component that might cause issues when turning.

3. CV Joints: The Constant Velocity (CV) joints allow the front wheels to receive power and steer at the same time. Worn or damaged CV joints can also cause a similar issue.

4. Wheel Bearings: Though less likely, worn wheel bearings could cause binding or grinding noises and sensations during turns.

Given that the technician felt the issue and agreed there is a problem, it's good that you have an appointment to get this looked into. They will likely run a series of diagnostic tests to isolate the problem and determine the appropriate solution. Make sure to share any insights or observations you've made, as they might help with the diagnosis.

 

[tpgh]

They’re not that skilled, or technical. In my case, it was the tech basically doing donuts in the parking lot so I went over to him and asked him if he felt it. His response was, “yeah, that’s effed up”. Most likely all of these are the viscous couplers that are proving to be defective.

 

[chowfun27]

2022 with 23k miles here. Started noticing these symptoms a couple weeks ago and brought it into the dealership. Did a road test with the technician and they agreed something wasn't right. They did some digging and claim the transfer case needs to be replaced as it sounds noisier than it should. They did look at the transfer case fluid and said it looked okay though.

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[Penetronn]

Got my warranty work done yesterday. Smooth as butter now during acceleration following replacement of the Viscous Coupler. Let's just hope it holds on for the rest of the vehicle's life.

 

[jkbenzene]

Update… They replaced the coupler without issue. It had leaked causing it essentially to fuse together. The car actually feel a good bit more powerful now which means it was like that for some time. They’re being difficult with the tires saying to contact Michelin, so I did and explained and of course the rep said it’s not their issue if there was a defective part. He was pretty knowledgeable and asked some questions which are actually helping me with my case. For example, the rear tires have worn faster than the front which should never be the case on a front heavy, primarily front drive vehicle. My dad who does all of the maintenance even mentioned that to me but I didn’t think much of it. So… it’s escalated within Kia. Will continue to update.

I am not surprised that Michelin will not help with the tires. Looks like they stopped covering original equipment tires after 2017, plus the excessive wear was caused by a defective part on the vehicle directly related to the drivetrain. I would look closely at the warranty terms with Kia and then press them hard.

 

[G-53396]

Same issue, mine was in the shop for 78 days with many disputes over tires. The rear diff was eventually replaced under warranty. It helped but I still experience the same issue. I have entered a claim for arbitration.

 

[JF22GGTelly]

Same issue, mine was in the shop for 78 days with many disputes over tires. The rear diff was eventually replaced under warranty. It helped but I still experience the same issue. I have entered a claim for arbitration.

Isn't the rear differential not the same part as the AWD viscous coupler??? The Kia Part Number for the AWD Viscous Coupler is 47800-4G500. Is that the Part Number shown as being replaced on your warranty repair work order? If this is not the part the dealer replaced, maybe that's why you still experience the same issue. BTW, all four of my factory OEM Michelin Primacy Touring tires were totally worn out in less that 30,000 miles even though the dealer rotated them every 7,500 miles.

So I got about half the Michelin treadwear warranty for the tires which is 55,000 miles (but Michelin warranty doesn't apply because these were the factory OEM tires). I replaced the OEM tires with Michelin CrossClimate2 tires totally out of my pocket ($1,000) and had the dealer do an alignment. The dealer Tech printed out the before-and-after alignment numbers and determined that it was almost perfect as-is with only one wheel requiring a tiny tweak on the camber. I just took it to the dealer for the second time with this problem but it has been so cold here in upstate NY that they weren't able to reproduce the issue and, in fairness, I wasn't able to either so, they said for me take it back it if/when the problem is actually occurring and they'll have a Tech ride with me to verify.

So, I'm going to wait for warmer weather and hopefully get it addressed sooner rather than later. I mentioned my concern about hearing in this forum that the AWD coupler is not included in the 10 year/100,000 mile Powertrain warranty and only covered by the 5 Year/60,000 mile Bumper-to-Bumper warranty since I have about 36,000 miles on it for the 2 years I've had it (1,500 mi/month). He assured me it was covered by the Powertrain warranty so I may ask him to put that in writing.

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[boomerg]

Isn't the rear differential not the same part as the AWD viscous coupler??? The Kia Part Number for the AWD Viscous Coupler is 47800-4G500. Is that the Part Number shown as being replaced on your warranty repair work order? If this is not the part the dealer replaced, maybe that's why you still experience the same issue. BTW, all four of my factory OEM Michelin Primacy Touring tires were totally worn out in less that 30,000 miles even though the dealer rotated them every 7,500 miles.

So I got about half the Michelin treadwear warranty for the tires which is 55,000 miles (but Michelin warranty doesn't apply because these were the factory OEM tires). I replaced the OEM tires with Michelin CrossClimate2 tires totally out of my pocket ($1,000) and had the dealer do an alignment. The dealer Tech printed out the before-and-after alignment numbers and determined that it was almost perfect as-is with only one wheel requiring a tiny tweak on the camber. I just took it to the dealer for the second time with this problem but it has been so cold here in upstate NY that they weren't able to reproduce the issue and, in fairness, I wasn't able to either so, they said for me take it back it if/when the problem is actually occurring and they'll have a Tech ride with me to verify.

So, I'm going to wait for warmer weather and hopefully get it addressed sooner rather than later. I mentioned my concern about hearing in this forum that the AWD coupler is not included in the 10 year/100,000 mile Powertrain warranty and only covered by the 5 Year/60,000 mile Bumper-to-Bumper warranty since I have about 36,000 miles on it for the 2 years I've had it (1,500 mi/month). He assured me it was covered by the Powertrain warranty so I may ask him to put that in writing.

 

[G-612817]

Wow I can't believe no one else has come across this issue.

2020 Telluride; same issues. Kia service rep could not replicate. Blamed tires.. bought new same issue.

 

[Tommerdoo]

We recently purchased a 2020 SX-P Telluride sight unseen (I know, we're idiots) from Oregon (we love up in Washington) taking ownership of it a few months ago. I had felt extreme confidence that I was buying a car that was practically brand new (looking) but with 90k miles on the drivetrain. We were assured if we bought it sight unseen we would have 30 days "just in case" something were to happen. After taking possession of the car , we quickly discovered a shudder going uphills between 2nd and 3rd gear. Turns out we had a failed torque converter on our hands and the transmission was needing to be replaced. Since KIA dealerships do not honor the 100,000 mile warranty to the 2nd owner, (who only gets up to 60k warranty) even if you just took ownership of the vehicle so we were in a fix (we also didn't buy any warranty for the car thinking it was so "new", and all the online videos and reviews made Tellurides seem incredible. By some miracle, the dealership that sold us the car agreed to replace the transmission as the shaking was very noticeable. My wife then starts telling me about the vibrations of the car while driving and I try to dismiss it as "road vibrations". She keeps yakking on and on about the vibrations however then does her own research (because husbands don't listen to their wives) and come to find out (from turning and accelerating from a stop) that we now probably also have a failed torque converter too. And KIA wants hundreds and hundreds of dollars to put the car throught their "TSB" related to the shaking and won't pay a penny to replace their KNOWN DEFECTIVE COUPLER. So, while I love love love this car in so many ways, my wife is totally soured to it and doesn't even really want to keep it anymore because the reliability of it has been shown to not even make it to 100k without all these problems showing up. Luckily we have a family mechanic and I'm pretty handy but from what I've read online, these couplers WILL fail because of the design of them and KIA doesn't have a class action lawsuit against them (yet).

 

[Tommerdoo]

2020 Telluride; same issues. Kia service rep could not replicate. Blamed tires.. bought new same issue.

Have you tried listening for a banging sound in the rear when at a stop and turning (uphill) to put stress on the AWD coupler? My wife started getting my attention when she kept asking me if I heard a noise when she was turning corners from a stop. Eventually when my kids stopped talking I could hear/feel it. The vibrations I think are so subtle to those that are not sensitive to feeling the car but I definitely felt something when she showed me that. There is a TSB on the issue online. I'm going to remove the prop shaft off of our telluride today to see if that changes the vibration. I suspect that it will have no vibration or rear banging after it's off.

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[G-565621]

My 2021 Telluride has 104,000 Miles on it. This started happening after my husband worked on my brakes. Would that have anything to do with it of course I am out of warranty now.

 

[G-823406]

Just turned my 2020 telluride in today bc of this jolting issue. They quickly determined it was a coupler in the differential.

I have a 2021 with 33k on it and it is starting to do this. I thought it was the tires at first but they’re brand new. I hope it’s not something super crazy or something that causes me to be without it for very long.

Have you figured yours out yet?

 

[dtburgh]

yep, just took mine in yesterday. awd coupler is bad. just under 12,000 miles. booo

 

[RayApparatus]

2021 SX and its started happening right before 50k miles. Taking it in next week. The service advisor said hes never heard about any of these issues. I wonder if I should try the bigger dealership not too much further away.

It was worse to the left but now I notice it in right turns from stop signs. Is there a surefire way to make this happen so service can feel it the first time? They are 1 hour away and I don't want to come back.