2025 Telluride EX-XLine Transmission Cooler?

[WOWKIA]

I am new to this site looking forward to following on the Telluride.
I cant get this straight even from the dealer. it is a 2025 KIA Telluride EX-XLine. It has the Tow Mode to select the weight of the trailer and also the back end suspension adjust to the weight on the tongue by raising the rear end.
It does not have the hitch it self installed because they wanted $1,600 to install one. I am doing it myself as I have put on many in the past and bought the factory hitch for $300.
MY question dos this have a Transmission Cooler ????????
Cant find anything that tells me and the dealer has no clue.
Please Help.
Bob

 

[KMiles]

I can't find it in writing, but I previously had read that only the EX X-Pro and SX Prestige X-Pro have a heavy-duty transmission cooler and that is also why it is listed as having a 5,500 lbs. towing capacity, whereas the others are listed at 5,000 lbs. I believe that all Telluride's have a transmission cooler. I found one site that says that all Telluride's with the Tow Package have a heavy duty cooler.

https://www.edwardskia.net/manufacturer-information/2025-kia-telluride-towing-capacity/

 

[G-32868]

Okay, thanks.I guess I'll keep looking appreciate it

 

[MrMCar]

Best way is to get to a (genuine, not aftermarket) parts catalog online. Punch in the two different variants and see if two different transmission coolers are returned?
Then view the two different parts

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[KMiles]

Thanks - it looks like all variants use the same part and that is both a cooler and a warmer for the transmission oil.

Automatic Transmission Oil Cooler - Kia (25620-1U500)​

2015-2024 Kia - 256201u500
Genuine Kia Parts

• Other Names:
  

  Oil Cooler, Trans Cooler, Warmer Atf​

 

[RonDel]

I am new to this site looking forward to following on the Telluride.
I cant get this straight even from the dealer. it is a 2025 KIA Telluride EX-XLine. It has the Tow Mode to select the weight of the trailer and also the back end suspension adjust to the weight on the tongue by raising the rear end.
It does not have the hitch it self installed because they wanted $1,600 to install one. I am doing it myself as I have put on many in the past and bought the factory hitch for $300.
MY question dos this have a Transmission Cooler ????????
Cant find anything that tells me and the dealer has no clue.
Please Help.
Bob

When I was looking at the 2025 models with towing in mind, the dealer explained that the only way to get a factory optional "heavy duty" trans cooler integrated into the radiator was with the option that is listed specifically as the factory "Tow Package" (emphasis on the word "Package"). If the Telluride has the factory installed tow package, it would be listed on the window sticker under the "ADDITIONAL INSTALLED EQUIPMENT" section for $795, It is not the same as the factory "Tow Hitch" option listed in that window sticker section for $575, or the dealer installed trailer hitch.

The standard equipment trans cooler actually functions as a warmer and cooler. It's a heat exchanger for engine coolant and trans fluid, fastened to the front side of the transmission. On a cold start, the engine coolant helps warms up the trans fluid quickly, and as the transmission heats up further, the engine coolant helps keep the trans fluid at a safe operating temp.

This is a pic from my '25 SX-P I purchased that does not have any towing equipment. Standing in front of the vehicle looking down into the engine bay to the left side of the air intake tube. the standard trans cooler is the silver colored rectangular device on the front of the transmission, with the ribbed top surface. Do you see this on your Telluride?

 

[Venbone]

can you add the cooler after?
i had the Kia hitch installed at the dealer and would love the extra cooling power

 

[RonDel]

can you add the cooler after?
i had the Kia hitch installed at the dealer and would love the extra cooling power

Your Telluride should already have the standard trans cooler shown in my post above. If you're interested in adding a heavy duty cooler, you would have to research an after market - 3rd party generic cooler that could be adapted to the Telluride. The OEM heavy duty cooler is only available installed at the factory.

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[KMiles]

When I was looking at the 2025 models with towing in mind, the dealer explained that the only way to get a factory optional "heavy duty" trans cooler integrated into the radiator was with the option that is listed specifically as the factory "Tow Package" (emphasis on the word "Package"). If the Telluride has the factory installed tow package, it would be listed on the window sticker under the "ADDITIONAL INSTALLED EQUIPMENT" section for $795, It is not the same as the factory "Tow Hitch" option listed in that window sticker section for $575, or the dealer installed trailer hitch.

The standard equipment trans cooler actually functions as a warmer and cooler. It's a heat exchanger for engine coolant and trans fluid, fastened to the front side of the transmission. On a cold start, the engine coolant helps warms up the trans fluid quickly, and as the transmission heats up further, the engine coolant helps keep the trans fluid at a safe operating temp.

This is a pic from my '25 SX-P I purchased that does not have any towing equipment. Standing in front of the vehicle looking down into the engine bay to the left side of the air intake tube. the standard trans cooler is the silver colored rectangular device on the front of the transmission, with the ribbed top surface. Do you see this on your Telluride?

View attachment 33445

Thanks - I can see why there is so much confusion and your reply somewhat helps. Mine came with the "$575 [TO] Tow Hitch W/Harness". Under mechanical it lists "Rear Auto-Leveling Suspension, Trailer Wiring Harness and Towing Equipment -inc: Trailer Sway Control". I have assumed all along that I do not have the heavy duty transmission cooler, but some of what is on dealer's web sites is confusing as it says that they all include it. Mine also has a "tow mode" button up front. I looked at the window stickers of a few 2025 SX-Prestige X-Pros and none of them have the Towing Package, but they all have an item called "increased towing capacity". I also find references to heavy duty transmission cooler on the X-Pros and in other places it refers to heavy duty engine cooling.

This all is "clear as mud"!

 

[RonDel]

Thanks - I can see why there is so much confusion and your reply somewhat helps. Mine came with the "$575 [TO] Tow Hitch W/Harness". Under mechanical it lists "Rear Auto-Leveling Suspension, Trailer Wiring Harness and Towing Equipment -inc: Trailer Sway Control". I have assumed all along that I do not have the heavy duty transmission cooler, but some of what is on dealer's web sites is confusing as it says that they all include it. Mine also has a "tow mode" button up front. I looked at the window stickers of a few 2025 SX-Prestige X-Pros and none of them have the Towing Package, but they all have an item called "increased towing capacity". I also find references to heavy duty transmission cooler on the X-Pros and in other places it refers to heavy duty engine cooling.

This all is "clear as mud"!

I've had the "clear as mud" experience as well..... I did also see the towing package reference to heavy duty engine cooling rather than transmission cooling. As you also mentioned, I do believe that all Tellurides have the transmission warmer/cooler mounted on the front of the transmission as standard equipment.

One dealer I visited when I first started looking insisted that the "Tow Mode" is the option you need to get the self-leveling shocks and heavy duty cooler included, and that pressing the tow mode button would activate the shocks to level the vehicle. As you probably know, the leveling feature of those shocks is independently self contained, and height is adjusted automatically by internal fluid distribution according to load on the vehicle. Pressing the Tow Mode button will adjust the power output, transmission shift points, braking, and ESC, but has nothing to do with the shocks or a cooler option. Another dealer said those were air assisted shocks operated by an onboard air compressor. (I think that was the same dealer that also told me the 3.8 liter engine was turbocharged).

The 2025 SX-P I purchased (without any towing package, towing equipment, or tow mode button) lists the Self-Leveling Rear Suspension as standard equipment...

 

[MrMCar]

Having worked in this business most of my life, I will ALWAYS remain skeptical of what comes out of any auto salespersons mouth. I've even had ones that I thought were straight arrows... Nope, they're all professional thieves and liars.
Example: There were hundreds of salespeople that would tell you that a GMC Yukon XL and the Chevy Suburban were built on TWO DIFFERENT assembly lines. (just one of hundreds I've heard, working at the dealers)

Furthermore having tried for 40 minutes in vain, (KIA parts catalogs, I.E. a real diagram) the online choices to NAIL down the different trims to view the possible different cooler numbers, just about impossible. Mind you I've had decades of navigating parts diagrams...

I do know this, from Kia's website;
The towing rating on all Tellurides is 5,000 pounds.
With the exception of; EX X-PRO & SX Prestige X-Pro. Both of those showing a towing capacity of 5,500 pounds.

If such a larger cooler exists, I cannot find any concrete evidence anywhere.
If indeed it does, looks as if the above two with increased capacity (rather small increase) are the only ones capable of being fitted with the "mythical" larger cooler?

BTW, yes just about EVERY newer passenger vehicle has a transmission cooler. Almost always an intercooler of oil/water (ATF/Coolant in this case) to both warm up the ATF more quickly (longer life, reduction of capacity and better emissions) and once warm, to keep the ceiling of the temperature in check. By shedding the excess heat into the engine cooling system.

 

[KMiles]

I can't find any evidence of a separate transmission cooler that gets mounted in front of the radiator. What I did find is there is a different part number for the cooling fan for the X-Pro. I don't know how it is different, as they look the same, but that is the only cooling part that I can find that is different from all the other versions and the X-Pro. The part number is: Kia 25380S9300 BLOWER ASSY. All other Telluride's use the 25380S9000.

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[WOWKIA]

Thanks everyone I really appreciate it.
At this moment, it's having the 3M. The paint protective film applied to it.So I can't even look at it till the end of the week. I have called like four dealers and got four completely different answers whether it hasn't or doesn't have it.
I don't think unless it's in the brochure, they really know they have no clue whatsoever. I do know some of the trims do have a 5500 pound towing capacity, and i'm not sure what makes that increased. For sure I know I do have the tow mode that I can adjust the weight of the trailer as well.I do have the suspension that adjusts on its own.
I am putting the hitch and wiring harness on myself to save myself 1200 dollors.That's ridiculous, you just bolt on like an erector set. I also have worked on cars my entire life just for fun, so i'm not gonna have any issue. If anybody ever finds this out for sure, let me know again here is my model, EX-XLine.
Also I think my cargo trailer with my hobby stuff in it probably weighs 3000 pounds or less. I don't even think i'm going to really have an issue plus i'm not going to beat on it in acceleration or speed on the highway.
Also, I'm not sure if I should check the tongue weight I think it's gonna to be way less than half of what they allow, and probably most people don't even check that I don't know?????
Thanks to everyone I appreciate your time.

 

[RonDel]

I can't find any evidence of a separate transmission cooler that gets mounted in front of the radiator. What I did find is there is a different part number for the cooling fan for the X-Pro. I don't know how it is different, as they look the same, but that is the only cooling part that I can find that is different from all the other versions and the X-Pro. The part number is: Kia 25380S9300 BLOWER ASSY. All other Telluride's use the 25380S9000.

Good catch on the different fans, you may be on to something there.

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I looked at my '25 SX-P fan and it clearly has the part number for "all other Tellurides" that ends in 9000. Also, I looked very closely at that warmer/cooler attached to the front of the transmission. This is a drawing of that warmer/cooler from the Telluride service manual that shows the direction of the fluid flow.......



Both coolant lines go to ports on the engine block, not to the radiator. There are 2 trans fluid lines coming off the top of the transmission. One of those lines coming out of the transmission goes directly to a fitting at the bottom of the radiator (just above the bottom coolant hose connection). There is a connection at the top of that same side of the radiator that has a line going back to the "ATF In" port on the warmer/cooler. The "ATF Out" port on the warmer/cooler then goes back into the top of the transmission. So the trans fluid going through the warmer/cooler on the front of the transmission is also circulating in line with the transmission cooler in the radiator. It appears that even non-towing, and non "X" equipped Tellurides also have the integrated trans cooler in the radiator as standard equipment. There doesn't appear to be any differences in part numbers for the radiators among Telluride trim levels. And as others have mentioned above, I also couldn't find any parts or service references to any additional "heavy duty" external transmission cooling device.

A logical assumption would be that the other fan with the part number ending in 9300 that's labeled for the "Telluride. With towing pkg. With x-pro." would have a higher RPM and/or CFM rating for better (heavy duty) cooling in towing situations. If that's the case, and since the Telluride radiators already have an integrated trans fluid cooler, that could explain why some sources say the towing package includes heavy duty engine cooling, and some say it includes heavy duty transmission cooling.... the 9300 fan would provide better cooling performance for both of those systems.

So it may be just as simple as looking at the part number label on the fan...... if it ends in 9300, the fan by itself could be the actual "heavy duty" cooling option.

This is a drawing of the Telluride fan/radiator looking from the engine side, with my notes added showing where the part number label is on the right side of the fan... note also the trans fluid cooling lines on the left side of the radiator....


Following along those lines of thought, could an owner just replace the standard 9000 fan with the 9300 fan to upgrade the cooling on their Telluride to "heavy duty" specs? According to the service manual the fan speed commands from the ECM/TCM are pulse width modulated (PWM), so I suppose it would depend on whether or not commands to the fan would be programmed differently depending on which fan was factory installed, or if programming would be the same for either fan. The service manual makes no mention of any difference.


.

 

[Dbegno1]

That is a great write up, I've been searching for any data on the transmission cooler and that is good news.
We bought a 2025 EX X Pro to occasionally pull our small fiberglass travel trailer, I don't believe in pushing towing and cargo capacities to the limit and I want to make sure I'm not stressing the transmission if I take it to Colorado. (trailer weight is approx 3200lbs)

Several friends tow the same trailer with the Hyundai Palisade and have no problems whatsoever including a trip to Alaska.

My first steps were to install a Redarc Liberty brake controller that was a smooth project since the Telluride had the harness and pigtail under the dash and the vehicle has the 7-way rv plug including a 12 volt feed to the trailer.

Next was a couple of trips to the truck scales to get some data, then I set up an Andersen weight distribution hitch.
We made a quick trip to Texas of about 700 miles round trip and it performed incredible averaging 16mpg running 65-70, no swaying or bucking and you can see all around with the factory mirrors.

In the back of my mind I still wonder about the transmission temps and may install a ScanGauge2 like I have in my Tundra since it does so many other functions in addition to the temps.

 

[MrMCar]

On/Off thresholds are solely dependent upon two things:
Temperature of the coolant at the sensors.
Pressure of the A/C system.

The larger fan (more watts) will bring temperature thresholds back in line sooner.

The only two things I don't know about is; the main feed lines (power ground) that feed the DC motor for the fan. Are they larger to handle the extra power (read: heat/resistance) load?
I doubt it but you never know.

Is the size/capacity of the radiators the same?

Good sleuthing.

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[Vincenzo]

Good catch on the different fans, you may be on to something there.

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View attachment 33448

_______________________________________________________________

I looked at my '25 SX-P fan and it clearly has the part number for "all other Tellurides" that ends in 9000. Also, I looked very closely at that warmer/cooler attached to the front of the transmission. This is a drawing of that warmer/cooler from the Telluride service manual that shows the direction of the fluid flow.......

View attachment 33449

Both coolant lines go to ports on the engine block, not to the radiator. There are 2 trans fluid lines coming off the top of the transmission. One of those lines coming out of the transmission goes directly to a fitting at the bottom of the radiator (just above the bottom coolant hose connection). There is a connection at the top of that same side of the radiator that has a line going back to the "ATF In" port on the warmer/cooler. The "ATF Out" port on the warmer/cooler then goes back into the top of the transmission. So the trans fluid going through the warmer/cooler on the front of the transmission is also circulating in line with the transmission cooler in the radiator. It appears that even non-towing, and non "X" equipped Tellurides also have the integrated trans cooler in the radiator as standard equipment. There doesn't appear to be any differences in part numbers for the radiators among Telluride trim levels. And as others have mentioned above, I also couldn't find any parts or service references to any additional "heavy duty" external transmission cooling device.

A logical assumption would be that the other fan with the part number ending in 9300 that's labeled for the "Telluride. With towing pkg. With x-pro." would have a higher RPM and/or CFM rating for better (heavy duty) cooling in towing situations. If that's the case, and since the Telluride radiators already have an integrated trans fluid cooler, that could explain why some sources say the towing package includes heavy duty engine cooling, and some say it includes heavy duty transmission cooling.... the 9300 fan would provide better cooling performance for both of those systems.

So it may be just as simple as looking at the part number label on the fan...... if it ends in 9300, the fan by itself could be the actual "heavy duty" cooling option.

This is a drawing of the Telluride fan/radiator looking from the engine side, with my notes added showing where the part number label is on the right side of the fan... note also the trans fluid cooling lines on the left side of the radiator....

View attachment 33450
Following along those lines of thought, could an owner just replace the standard 9000 fan with the 9300 fan to upgrade the cooling on their Telluride to "heavy duty" specs? According to the service manual the fan speed commands from the ECM/TCM are pulse width modulated (PWM), so I suppose it would depend on whether or not commands to the fan would be programmed differently depending on which fan was factory installed, or if programming would be the same for either fan. The service manual makes no mention of any difference.


.

I didn’t like how hot my tranny gets. You don’t have many options for mounting a transmission cooler. You diagram is not entirely to spec. The “ATF in” goes to the radiator. From the radiator back to the transmission. I put this two pass cooler in but it made basically no difference. I measured a 20 degree drop with little effect. By the way, my fluid was low from the factory.

 

[RonDel]

You diagram is not entirely to spec. The “ATF in” goes to the radiator. From the radiator back to the transmission.

That diagram, along with the direction of flow indications, is from the Telluride service manual. I suppose they could be showing it incorrectly.