Trailer Hitch

[stbentoak]

It LOOKS like the stamping is set up for a 7 PIN round receptacle.... Is there ANYONE that has a Telly with a from the factory with a factory hitch installed? Have any been built so far?

It makes no real sense that you get a 2" sq receiver mounted,{ Kinda heavy duty...} and the wiring setup for a 1 1/4 sq receiver type hitch. We may still not know the full story here... Anything in the manual that alludes to one thing or another? Does anyone know the class of the hitch?

 

[westcoastTelly]

Anyone interested in a trade with payment? I'm looking for the Tow Hitch and Harness (not the tow package). I would be willing to send payment, shipping and my bumper cover insert off my S in exchange for the tow hitch and harness and the bumper molding piece. Maybe you got it with your Telluride and don't plan to use it?

Looks like the top pic has a nasty scratch ???

 

[Tunes4us]

It LOOKS like the stamping is set up for a 7 PIN round receptacle.... Is there ANYONE that has a Telly with a from the factory with a factory hitch installed? Have any been built so far?

It makes no real sense that you get a 2" sq receiver mounted,{ Kinda heavy duty...} and the wiring setup for a 1 1/4 sq receiver type hitch. We may still not know the full story here... Anything in the manual that alludes to one thing or another? Does anyone know the class of the hitch?

Mine came from the factory, hitch is a 2” class 3, the ball required for the hitch is 1” thread

 

[stbentoak]

If you can... show a pic of the electrical connection....!

______________________________

 

[monkeyman]

Delete

 

[monkeyman]

Mine came from the factory, hitch is a 2” class 3, the ball required for the hitch is 1” thread

Is it a 7pin round or 4 pin flat connector?

 

[Tunes4us]

4 pin flat

 

[stbentoak]

4 pin flatView attachment 533

If that is true and from the factory, that’s pretty sad....Definitely a downer if you have a 2 in. Sq. hitch that is class III.... Not sure if it’s worth 795.00 now.....

______________________________

 

[monkeyman]

If that is true and from the factory, that’s pretty sad....Definitely a downer if you have a 2 in. Sq. hitch that is class III.... Not sure if it’s worth 795.00 now.....

Agreed. That is a real bummer. I'm sure there will be an after market 7 pin, but wiring for a brake controller without prewiring sucks. Guess they may have, buy I can't see why they would with a 4 pin.

 

[Tunes4us]

If that is true and from the factory, that’s pretty sad....Definitely a downer if you have a 2 in. Sq. hitch that is class III.... Not sure if it’s worth 795.00 now.....

Yes I was disappointed but you still get the auto leveling with factory hitch and easy enough to change this out to 7 pin round. I also doubt if it is prewired for brake controller and I don’t trust the dealer to know at this time. Weather been to cold to dig into it, maybe this weekend.

 

[monkeyman]

Yes I was disappointed but you still get the auto leveling with factory hitch and easy enough to change this out to 7 pin round. I also doubt if it is prewired for brake controller and I don’t trust the dealer to know at this time. Weather been to cold to dig into it, maybe this weekend.

The airbags are worth it. Let us know of you happen to see a brake controller hookup hanging under the dash. Probably hard to find until we have a service manual or something to help with location.

 

[Gwyn]

Yes I was disappointed but you still get the auto leveling with factory hitch and easy enough to change this out to 7 pin round. I also doubt if it is prewired for brake controller and I don’t trust the dealer to know at this time. Weather been to cold to dig into it, maybe this weekend.

Is yours dealer installed or factory installed with self leveling?

______________________________

 

[Tunes4us]

Factory installed

 

[monkeyman]

Just found another dealer that has an EX with a factory tow package. It's 4 pin there as well.

 

[Garydotka]

I need regular towing capability for my Telluride, in order for me to pull the trigger and buy one. That means a factory installed class 3 or class 4 hitch receiver with a full harness installed to the rear, and a 7 pin connector. It is more common for any mid-to-large SUV these days to also include an integrated, factory installed trailer brake controller as an option. But if not, then at a minimum the vehicle should include a pre-engineered location in the fuse box for the additional relay required, and a female connector to the trailer wiring harness under the dash on the driver’s side. I’ve installed many trailer brake controllers on my new SUVs and trucks... and if they have a factory ‘towing package’, they have ALL had the set-up described above (not to mention beefed-up cooling, battery, etc). It is nice that Kia includes the load-leveling rear shocks - but it is absolutely an engineering error and ‘miss’ in design to have a so-called 5k ‘towing package’ without a 7 pin harness and connector and accommodations for a trailer brake controller. ...and there is no way I’m going to butcher-up a brand new $47,000 vehicle cutting into its dash wiring and making my own zip-tied wiring to the rear. Sure, the dealer or UHaul can do it too... but you are still likely to get a butcher job. I have several 3000 and 4000 lb trailers that have electric brakes ( by code). I’m not about to go buy new camping trailers just because Kia screwed-up on their trailer package. Boat trailers usually have surge brakes (which work almost as good as electric trailer brakes) but camping trailers almost all have electric brakes and they need a trailer brake contoller to operate safely. Remember, it’s not about the towing capability, it’s about safe braking capability.

 

[Tunes4us]

I need regular towing capability for my Telluride, in order for me to pull the trigger and buy one. That means a factory installed class 3 or class 4 hitch receiver with a full harness installed to the rear, and a 7 pin connector. It is more common for any mid-to-large SUV these days to also include an integrated, factory installed trailer brake controller as an option. But if not, then at a minimum the vehicle should include a pre-engineered location in the fuse box for the additional relay required, and a female connector to the trailer wiring harness under the dash on the driver’s side. I’ve installed many trailer brake controllers on my new SUVs and trucks... and if they have a factory ‘towing package’, they have ALL had the set-up described above (not to mention beefed-up cooling, battery, etc). It is nice that Kia includes the load-leveling rear shocks - but it is absolutely an engineering error and ‘miss’ in design to have a so-called 5k ‘towing package’ without a 7 pin harness and connector and accommodations for a trailer brake controller. ...and there is no way I’m going to butcher-up a brand new $47,000 vehicle cutting into its dash wiring and making my own zip-tied wiring to the rear. Sure, the dealer or UHaul can do it too... but you are still likely to get a butcher job. I have several 3000 and 4000 lb trailers that have electric brakes ( by code). I’m not about to go buy new camping trailers just because Kia screwed-up on their trailer package. Boat trailers usually have surge brakes (which work almost as good as electric trailer brakes) but camping trailers almost all have electric brakes and they need a trailer brake contoller to operate safely. Remember, it’s not about the towing capability, it’s about safe braking capability.

Guess you won’t be buying a Telluride then. Maybe look at the Palisade perhaps Hyundai will get it right on that version.

______________________________

 

[2020Telly]

Guess you won’t be buying a Telluride then. Maybe look at the Palisade perhaps Hyundai will get it right on that version.

Am I missing something? It sounds like this is an easy fix. UHaul or any trailer place will install a brake controller and 7pin harness adapter for a couple hundred bucks at most. The more important thing is that the vehicle can pull with a class III 2” hitch receiver. I’m just confused why one seemingly simple fix would be cause to spend thousands more on another comparable vehicle.

 

[westcoastTelly]

we need some dealer feedback on what the system is capable of can someone reply with some facts .

 

[Garydotka]

Guess you won’t be buying a Telluride then. Maybe look at the Palisade perhaps Hyundai will get it right on that version.

I may just do an ‘old-school’ 2019 or 2020 Durango GT Plus. Basically the same 3.6 V-6 engine (without Atkinson) same size 3-row vehicle, but it doesn’t have quite as many driving safety features or a center diff lock like the Tellie. The interior is near as nice either. But it does have the same mpg, better ground clearance, a stronger stamping with rear-biased drive, a nicer tranny (Mercedes derived) and it has a proper towing package, with the same load leveling shocks that Kia uses (they are not ‘bags’ as someone in this thread alluded to) and starting in 2019 the Durango trailer tow package automatically includes an installed trailer brake controller. I like more things about the Kia Tellie, I’d really like to buy one - but somehow some Korean engineers snuck onto the ‘US’ design team and the flubbed-up the trailer tow package - perhaps by just copying the ill-engineered Pilot or Highlander systems. They should have reverse engineered a real American medium or full sized SUV.

 

[Garydotka]

Am I missing something? It sounds like this is an easy fix. UHaul or any trailer place will install a brake controller and 7pin harness adapter for a couple hundred bucks at most. The more important thing is that the vehicle can pull with a class III 2” hitch receiver. I’m just confused why one seemingly simple fix would be cause to spend thousands more on another comparable vehicle.

You are dead wrong. The most important things about towing are cooling (for towing up hill), load leveling (for headlight and steering safety) and most importantly: braking. Bad trailer braking characteristics is the #1 cause of trailer related accidents... and the Tellie is not designed for proper towing braking. Almost any vehicle can ‘tow’ (on the flat). That is the easy part.