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.

 

[NJturtlePower]

So found this thread searching Google for the "Check ESC" issue on my wifes 2021 Telluride SX-P with just over 50k miles and figured I would register to report our findings and solution.

ISSUES/SYMPTOMS: Couple excessive clicking starts weeks prior to an actual no-start cold morning. Eventually it did start for her after she turned off all accessories & HVAC and several tries.

The following Monday it was at the dealer for a routine Oil/Filter change and they checked the battery and said it had 14% charge level and quoted $350 for new battery and labor.

SOLUTION: Swapped in a new 94R AGM battery (850 CCA) from our local Costco Tire Center for $169.99 did the trick! (*See attached details).

$15 Core Fee charged and refunded next day on the OEM return. No vehicle settings lost during the <5min swap, no "Memory Safer" used/needed.

Video I used for the battery swap below.

 

[NJturtlePower]

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!

So what was your outcome?

 

[psanti]

Everyone on this thread that replaced their battery: are you checking to see if your new/replacement battery is also getting drained?

Just went through that everyone else here was experiencing at around 40k+ miles with no start in cold temps, lights flickering, ESC warning, etc. Dealership here said "it might be the battery..." and said it needs to be replaced before they can do further checks, then quoted me $380 for a replacement. Went and got an H7-AGM 850 CCA replacement at a local AutoZone early last month and the problem seems to have gone away... they did say the battery (OEM) I turned in for the core credit was "still good" and could go longer with a recharge...

So far, so good... but I am noticing that the Idle Stop and Go (ISG) system also started working again after installing a new battery but not all the time. A dealer tech did tell me that ISG won't kick in if the battery is at a certain low level, which was the case on the OEM battery... so this may be my one indicator to check the battery again soon...

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[Fewturetellyowner]

Everyone on this thread that replaced their battery: are you checking to see if your new/replacement battery is also getting drained?

Just went through that everyone else here was experiencing at around 40k+ miles with no start in cold temps, lights flickering, ESC warning, etc. Dealership here said "it might be the battery..." and said it needs to be replaced before they can do further checks, then quoted me $380 for a replacement. Went and got an H7-AGM 850 CCA replacement at a local AutoZone early last month and the problem seems to have gone away... they did say the battery (OEM) I turned in for the core credit was "still good" and could go longer with a recharge...

So far, so good... but I am noticing that the Idle Stop and Go (ISG) system also started working again after installing a new battery but not all the time. A dealer tech did tell me that ISG won't kick in if the battery is at a certain low level, which was the case on the OEM battery... so this may be my one indicator to check the battery again soon...

I have not checked the battery since it was replaced by the dealer under warranty a few months ago. You make a good point though to monitor it to see if there might be an underlying issue that’s causing our batteries to fail. Watching this thread to see how many more have this issue! As of now though, our Telluride is good to go, and are happy with the vehicle thus far!

 

[Gorillamac]

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.

I'm guessing repeatedly starting it and turning it off at the dealership may draw it down enough to trigger it. Haven't tried it myself

 

[TellyBill]

January 2023, I just got the same issue. Bad battery

Thanks for posting (all of you). Same issue, solution: new battery.

 

[G-741488]

They said mine was a bad battery too. One thing I noticed after the fact, is that the auto shutoff was not functioning due to the decreased state of the battery. So could be used as an indicator if you notice it.

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[G-399328]

After reading about this issue here, I took my Telly to AutoZone to get a new battery. Before replacing the battery, they tested the system to be sure and it turns out that my alternator was bad. The earliest that my local Kia Service Dept can get me in is a week and a half... I post any updates

 

[NJturtlePower]

After reading about this issue here, I took my Telly to AutoZone to get a new battery. Before replacing the battery, they tested the system to be sure and it turns out that my alternator was bad. The earliest that my local Kia Service Dept can get me in is a week and a half... I post any updates

Outcome?

Never seen this issue related to a bad alternator yet.

UPDATE: Since our 12v replacement in February 2024 (posted above ) we have had zero starting or similar issues to date.

 

[IG90]

Whenever any car of mine wouldn't start - and had the dreaded clicking noise of the starter - first thing I would do is check the battery - I would check the battery terminals for corrosion and looseness. And it always needed at least jump to get going. I would then go for a 1/2 drive to charge the battery. If that failed, I would either have a dead battery or perhaps a faulty alternator.

Thanks for post - this topic needs to be discussed often as too many never even lift the hood.

What can be used to eliminate the auto-stop function other than manually switching it off every time in the vehicle? I feel like this is the problem with most of these newer vehicles

 

[2020tellUridee]

After reading about this issue here, I took my Telly to AutoZone to get a new battery. Before replacing the battery, they tested the system to be sure and it turns out that my alternator was bad. The earliest that my local Kia Service Dept can get me in is a week and a half... I post any updates

When I was going through my issues (about 6 months) Autozone had also diagnosed a bad alternator. I have yet to replace it and that was almost 2 years ago. Sometimes I think the machine they use is just a toy that beeps and shows random numbers. I'm only talking about my experience, as we all can see, it really could be anything or a combination of things causing the problem.

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[KMiles]

What can be used to eliminate the auto-stop function other than manually switching it off every time in the vehicle? I feel like this is the problem with most of these newer vehicles

Just buy one of these: LINK

I installed one 4 months ago and it works flawlessly. You can still turn auto-stop back on by pressing the button, but by default it is turned off forever. I hate the auto-stop feature.

 

[LGF]

Kia Telluride is becoming a TRUE LEMON!
ALL of the problems I am reading i also have...
The high oil consumption
The ECS control Error
The Coolant Temperature Sensor failure
The dealer stating it's "Normal to consume 1quart per 1k miles yet dipstick is completely dry after 3k miles...
Kia honoring a Oil Consumption test for only 1k miles after the oil change..
I have had these issues since I have reached 60kmiles. I am now at 80k miles..
Issues continue!!
Dealer says...Call Consumer Affairs

TELLURIDE !....True Failure !!

 

[LGF]

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.

So unfortunately the ESC failure caused me to tow my Telluride to the dealer. Final outcome?
$380 for a new battery installed!

 

[LGF]

The new battery corrected the ESC Failure. But not happy with $380 price tag.

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[MrMCar]

A little clarification (yeah I know folks are disappointed) here. Modern vehicles have battery State of Charge (SOC) as a very important monitoring parameter. SOC when it falls below a certain percentage the vehicle will turn off some things such as ESC and others.

Reason: Vehicle control systems/ABS braking use large pumps that draw a significant amount of amperage (juice) to run them, as they build pressure and apply/remove brake fluid pressure to brake calipers. If the battery is weak (it's just a large capacitor) and we let the ESC run, there's a chance that the battery voltage can drop below 10.6V. Then there's the very real possibility that the engine will no longer run. Owing to the computer not having enough juice.
Just imagine the lawsuit if your car stopped running on an interstate, because the voltage dropped out as a "safety system" suddenly started functioning... The attorneys have as much to do with how a car is sold today as much as any other automotive designer or engineer. (SIGH)

So the ESC light being on is because the battery SOC is too low. Not an ESC failure.
Each brand of vehicle has it's nuances when the battery SOC falls low at times. For the BMW's (my former profession) things like the clock would keep loosing time and need to be reset. DSC light would come on, then off for no apparent reason. Pay attention to these type of "heads up" warnings your vehicle is trying to clue you in on!

Stop/Start is another big consumer. BIG. The largest consumer on the vehicle is the starter. By a large margin. Again if the SOC is low, it will likely be just about the first feature to drop out.
Personally I NEVER use it. Just why in the world would one want to have a car with 50,000 miles and a starter with 250,000 miles of usage? Do we save a little bit of fuel, well yes.
Tell me how much you saved when the dealer presents you with the repair bill for a new starter? There's a finite number of starts in that puppy. I personally prefer not to use them up prematurely.

The public is calling for more and more features to be "expected" things on any newer car. Most (soon to be all) run on electricity. Batteries, SOC, alternators, and the demands placed upon the electric system anymore are just tremendous.

At the first sign of trouble, go and get the battery tested. Those MidTronics battery testers are pretty good. Accurate about 80% of the time. As long as the operator uses it properly?
Furthermore batteries are much better now than they have been, EVER. Modern AGM batteries and computer controlled charging strategies keep them going for a long time. Then they unfortunately just quit very quickly anymore, once having given up their life.
Unlike when I was in school and needed to be jumped most mornings. That could seemingly go on for months. Not anymore, owing the the large electric demands of modern vehicles.

HTH?

 

[drizzt]

Same ESC error and KT won't start (hear ticking noise but no turning over). Jump start got the car started again, got interstate battery from Costco and no more ESC error or starting issue. Mine is 2020 model bought in 2019, so I knew it was any time given auto-stop no longer functioned.

 

[psanti]

So unfortunately the ESC failure caused me to tow my Telluride to the dealer. Final outcome?
$380 for a new battery installed!

How old was the battery in your vehicle?

 

[drizzt]

Reporting back on the Costco interstate battery replacement. KT now starts just fine, however, auto start is still not working. I was considering somehow disabling the autostart feature, and it's good that I don't have to, but makes me wonder if this interstate battery does not have the same level of current the original OEM battery had when purchased new. Anyone else with same observation on the Costco battery? This Interstate battery has 850 CCA.

 

[SpencerSch]

Update; I was able to figure out on my '20 SX that the draw is coming from the modular 9 fuse, inside under the steering wheel. It leads to several things but through a process of elimination, it's the LDC (not LCD) assembly unit behind the glove box. This is strange because I'm unable to find very much information on this part and what it does. What I do find is, all about EV's. I don't believe Telluride's have an all electric option but, this part clearly powers other things like the radio and the seats. If you can, hook up a volt meter in series to the battery (if you don't know how, look it up on YouTube it's very easy) and see if it has a draw. Then pull the modular 9 fuse. It's on the top row 3rd from the right and see if the draw drops. If so, there's your problem. Good luck all.

Did you ever figure out what the final problem was? I’m having a draw as well. When I pull that fuse the draw stops. Any tips?