@Kia2020TB welcome to the forum and congrats on your order. To clarify, as
@bogie pointed out there was an update that went to the early 2020 buyers with a sticker to correct the table in the owner's manual. This changed the max tongue weight from 351 to 500. That cleared up the first major concern, but there are still a number that don't make sense that Kia hasn't fully explained.
The Tow Option for the US was changed for 2021. The only thing that changed in 2021 from 2020 (other than the price of the tow option and tow package) was that the 4-pin trailer connection was change to a 7-pin. That just means that Kia included a couple extra wires in the vehicle's wiring behind the left rear quarter panel and a round 7-pin connector at the hitch over the 4-pin flat connection. Those extra wires are included in a 12-pin molex style connector that the OEM trailer harness connects to. The 2020 Telluride has more empty spots than the 2021. Then Kia added an optional connector to install a wired brake controller in the cabin. This is a convenience but 2020 owners can't use this 2021 7-pin harness because those extra wires aren't there. There are after market installations to get a 7-pin on a 2020 and some that don't require major surgery. The bigger point of interest is that by offering a 7-pin harness from Kia, this could be another admission that yes in fact the Telluride's engine, frame and suspension are serious enough to actually achieve close to 500 TW / 5,000 max.
The Towing Package for the US remained unchanged for 2021. The self-leveling shocks and springs are still part of the "towing package."
Here are some of the outstanding issues that have been discussed on this forum in various threads:
- A unibody frame on a CUV, minivan or mid-size SUV has always been a point of contention for serious towing above 3,500lbs. Since most people who tow stick to a truck based frame to distribute the load, in the past it was an uncommon thing to see a unibody mid-sized SUV rated for 5,000 lbs. This can be confusing to trailer dealers when they find a 3 row larger unibody frame SUV like Jeep Cherokee, Subaru Ascent, Palisade or Telluride advertising up to 5,000lbs. Kia did some ads with the Telluride pulling a dual axle enclosed horse trailer, which one could presume was more than 3,500lbs, but they had in the fine print that aftermarket parts were used and didn't tell us what parts. Of course most Kia dealers are ill equipped at giving towing guidance because they haven't had to worry about this before since the lineup was mostly cars, small SUVs and minivans. But nonetheless, the manual says to talk to your "authorized Kia dealer" for more information. Truck based SUVs are typically larger and built on a body on frame architecture that make them stronger and built for hauling and towing, but not as much for fuel efficiency and comfort. Early unibody frames were lighter and bolted together making them great for cars but less functional for cargo and towing. Newer steel and methods of bonding could mean the Telluride unibody frame is up to the task for towing over the early days when CUVs and SUVs were built on car frames. We can assume that the Telluride was engineered differently but there are no clear details from Kia specs. More discussion on this topic in this same thread above. Take for example Jeep/Dodge. For a long time the Durango was a body on frame design with higher towing capacity. For a few years they switched the Durango to share the same unibody frame as the Jeep Cherokee but for the 2021 Durango they are switching back to a Body on Frame design. I'm sure that was in part because the Dodge had the towing called into question for the people who thought they were buying something that could tow more than 5,000.
- The self-leveling suspension upgrade Telluride outside of the US and on the Palisade (US and global) are NOT part of a towing package. This is only marketed as a towing "benefit" in the US. Outside of the US the shocks are marketed as a convenience and comfort feature when hauling cargo over the rear axle and not offered as a towing benefit. There is a lot of confusion and debate on whether these shocks actually help when towing or if they lower or hide cargo weight distribution issues thereby lowering your cargo capacity. Some truck and SUV makers (examples: GMC, Dodge Ram, Land Rover) recommend disabling auto leveling suspensions when towing, but the upgraded package OEM rear shocks on the Telluride and Palisade do not have that option. Configuring your weight distribution when towing can be more complicated especially for a novice person to towing. Kia offers little guidance on how to do this, but calling it a suspension towing upgrade is sort of misleading depending on what you plan to do with your Telluride, it could be a downgrade if you plan to do serious towing. The Durango and Cherokee also offer a self leveling suspension as part of their tow packages and it has led to the same type of confusion.
- Tow mode does not exist. There is a recall to fix the brake lights for the trailer when on smart cruise control, but there is no clear guidance from Kia on what the preferred drive options and settings should be. I took a guess here, but it would be nice to hear from Kia engineers on what they think.
- Tow package does not include a brake controller. The buyer is left on their own to pick an electronic brake controller. This could be a good thing as you can pick something better than what Kia might offer, but this is also confusing for those new to towing and bought the tow package assuming they could go right to a boat or travel trailer dealer and drive home. You don't need a brake controller if you have surge or hydraulic brakes, but the Kia manual does not distinguish between the two types of brakes, electric or non-electric. It adds to the confusion when they switched from the 4-pin to 7-pin because there are some folks that think the 7-pin wiring also includes the brake controller and no additional investment is required. In fact if you have a 4-pin flat trailer connection you still have to buy the adapter on the 2021. So no matter what you can't tow with the towing package without purchasing something extra sold aftermarket.
- Oil or Transmission cooler. There is a box behind the radiator that is near the battery on the Telluride and from posts from Palisade owners on this forum the same part exists on the Palisade. This appears to be a fluid cooler. The same part is standard on all trims regardless of options or packages. This could be the transmission cooler component that allows for the Telluride to handle the spec. What's most confusing is that the Palisade specs list an oil cooler where the Telluride specs make no mention of this.
- Weight Distribution System guidance is lacking. The manual talks about brakes on the trailer (hydraulic/surge or electric) and talks about distributing weight, but it makes no mention of using a weight distribution system. Doing the math, it's hard to figure out how the Telluride could even come close to towing, carrying cargo and passengers without shifting some of the weight off the rear axle over the front axle. (Self leveling shocks just raise the back end and do not distribute weight). Historically smaller unibody crossovers are warned against using a WDS but that could be because a WDS is usually recommended when towing more than 2,500-3,500+ lbs regularly. I can't imagine pulling a 4,000lb trailer with a Telluride and not using a WDS. Since most people don't go boating or camping by themselves, figuring out how to safely tow a trailer and still remain well under the limits of the vehicle should be a priority.
- Anti-sway or not? If you decide to go with a WDS there are two WDS options, ones with added anti-sway and WDS without anti-sway. With the WDS they are anti-sway controls for the trailer as opposed to sway in the vehicle. However, the Kia Telluride has a feature in the specs called Trailer Stability Assist (it is also in the Palisade as Trailer Sway Control). Does this feature mean anti-sway on the towing vehicle? Does having this feature mean that you should buy a WDS without anti-sway controls so they don't counteract each other? Or should you get anti-sway with your WDS for the trailer? But the manual tells you to "ask a hitch dealer" about sway control.
- Tire traction. The OEM tire options are all season average tires on both the FWD and AWD. Traction when towing for acceleration, braking and handling could be improved with better traction tires and properly adjusting the air pressure in both the vehicle and the trailer, but Kia offers no guidance on this. This is more of a concern as the tires age. You might be looking at having to replace tires more frequently if you do serious towing.
All the stuff above can't replace common sense but Kia could offer some additional guidance for safer driving. When towing it can't be stressed enough that you must drive differently for the conditions. Even with no rain nor snow, on a clear and windy day, you just can't tow a trailer at 65+ MPH and expect to change lanes easily on the highway with an imbalanced load and no weight distribution. The smaller tires on the trailer are going to heat up and burst or you are going to risk the trailer swaying and tipping over or hitting someone in another lane.
I don't think Kia is purposefully trying to misrepresent anything, but I do think they are trying to minimize their liability by avoiding certain topics. How exactly the self-leveling suspension benefits towing, sway control, WDS, aftermarket parts required are some of them. This is their largest vehicle being marketed to buyers that may have purchased it primarily because it was advertised to be able to tow a boat or travel trailer when going on a family vacation. That carries some level of responsibility to educate their owners (and dealers) on what needs to be purchased aftermarket to reach something close to their spec and remain safe. Whenever you buy any aftermarket towing component it usually says consult the owners manual. But when you go to the manual these topics don't exist, that's where I think the liability comes into play. I think about the early microwave ovens warning people not to microwave metal objects or living things. Not zapping a living thing with rays meant to heat food is obvious to most people, but the manufacturers still had to warn people who were using the microwave for the first time. The earliest microwaves never cost upwards of $35-50K. In this case it's a matter of standing behind the marketing that the Telluride has a decent towing capacity to give people better guidance on how to get there. Today you might go to a trailer or boat dealer to hook up your new toy to a Telluride and be told to consult the manual, then you consult the manual and it says to consult the dealer, then you approach the dealer and they give you inconsistent guidance based on little to no experience and tell you to contact Kia to better understand their recommendations. I just think Kia can do a little better.
We are trying to figure out if we can tow our 4900 lb boat w trailer. We would definitely have to get some kind of 7 pin adaptor because thats what our trailer uses
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