Heat not staying hot at idle

[Senator20]

We purchased a used 2021 Teluride mid December. Had the car 4 days and it's been back in the shop since for the blowing cold air at an idle. Doing some testing on.my own and with the dealer riding along we determined that the water pump cannot move the antifreeze through the heater core at an idle, the water pump is improperly sized. Reving the engine, even just 300 rpm it instantly throws heat. KIA engineers must be realy stupid to not be able to figure this out. I do HVAC for a living, simple calculations on flow and head pressure to figure out what a pump can do at various speeds. Tha car the dealer wants to trade us into tests out ok, temperature still drops about 20 degrees at idle but is holding 119.

If the water pump was undersized, wouldn‘t there be a problem in all Telluride’s? It doesn’t happen in all Telluride’s. Is the dealership able to raise the idle rpm?

 

[lwiemo]

I traded mine in! We live I'm MN and it's a safety hazard during winter months.

Hi - What did you trade it in for? I am picking mine up and hesitate to drive it out of the dealership without heat. I am in Minnesota, too.

 

[Sicon]

For what it's worth, I have a 2022 SX (got it in late July 2022), and thankfully do not have this problem. I do notice that the side air vents (those nearest the doors in the front) sometimes seem to blow cold air for no apparent reason, when they should be blowing warm air like the center vents, but this happens at any engine speed. Maybe it has to do with the auto dehumidifier function? I'll have to try turning that off and see if it still happens.

 

[ceenote]

Ours does the same thing. We live in mn and I am worried about the wife getting stuck and freezing cuz the car won’t heat while waiting for help. The dealer tried to remove any air bubbles in the coolant and that didn’t work.
Also the auto engine shut off has nothing to do with it since it shuts off when it gets to cold out

Hope they come out with a fix soon.

Mines just started doing that this winter.. getting cold air at stop light n stuff..when idle..i bought mines new in 2021 but its a 2022...thte first winter was fine but now nope. Im gonna call the dealership tomorrow and see whatever...

______________________________

 

[G-15638]

I have noticed that when the car is idling the heat is warm at best. We have had the car since March but didn’t notice this issue until recently. Anybody else having this issue? We live in Massachusetts and it really Hasn't been that cold yet.

Yes. I am experiencing the same thing. I'm in Los Angeles, Ca and I have a New 2023 Kia telluride for only 3 months and it's been the worse purchase ever. I'm also experiencing a fuel sensor problem. When I have a full tank it says empty and should navigation search for near gas stations

 

[TellmeyourWHAT?]

Yes. I am experiencing the same thing. I'm in Los Angeles, Ca and I have a New 2023 Kia telluride for only 3 months and it's been the worse purchase ever. I'm also experiencing a fuel sensor problem. When I have a full tank it says empty and should navigation search for near gas stations

Have you taken this back to the dealer?

 

[GPG]

I have a 22 Telluride and the issue according to the dealership is the water pump. They have ordered a replacement and we’ll see if it is fixed.

 

[G-836108]

I have a 2022 S and am also experiencing the heat blowing out significantly cooler air when idle.

My dealer just bled the coolant and replaced it to ensure no air bubbles... Didn't fix the issue. They then replaced the ambient temperature sensor... Didn't fix the issues. They then contacted Kia Corporate who said it is considered normal operation if (on "this model and year") the temperature coming out of the vents when the car is idle stays above 80 degrees. They measured mine at 86 degrees at idle, and thus the car is considered operating normally. Going into my first winter in Michigan with this car... dreading what this experience is going to be like :-( My 13 year old car that I just upgraded from has better heat -- This is a absurd!

HAS ANYONE actually gotten this FIXED? If so please enlighten us all!!

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[GrimRaider]

Has anyone tried pulling up to a stop, and then take note if the heat suddenly starts blowing cold, then shifted to neutral, and rev the engine up to 2000 and hold it there to see if that changes the blown air warm again?
If I get a chance tomorrow I'll take my wife's car out and see if hers does the same thing. I hadn't noticed it any time I've driven it this winter so far. She hasn't complained about it, so it probably isn't dong it.

I kept having this issue but then realized the heater doesn't like being above 2 and I have to basically make sure to "bypass" the air conditioner by forcing it to use what's in the vehicle. I get heat when idling now. So I rather do that then not have hear. I have a 2003 Kia Sorento EX.

 

[Senator20]

I have a 22 Telluride and the issue according to the dealership is the water pump. They have ordered a replacement and we’ll see if it is fixed.

Any updates for us?

 

[G-221620]

I have a 22 Telluride and the issue according to the dealership is the water pump. They have ordered a replacement and we’ll see if it is fixed.

Did it get fixed with the water pump?

 

[G-302084]

Right now, It's negative 36 degrees with windchill above negative 40. Ffs I've already ran the car for a 30 minutes in full. High heat and its still very fkn cold. I'm very angry. Fuel sensor saying I don't have gas, I just had a full tank yesterday.

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[G-971575]

I have the same issue living in the Midwest! -34 My window don’t even defrost! Brand new car with 14,000 miles and can’t even drive it! So angry!

 

[Michigan2022S]

Dear Telluride Friends, I have amazing news. I had this exact issue of the heat blowing warmish but NOT HOT air at idle on my Telluride 2022 S AWD. Remote start was useless as it could not defrost my windshield in frigid Michigan, even after multiple remote start sessions! It also had extreme amounts of exhaust steam coming out of the tailpipe which I now understand was caused the same problem as the heating issue. After a long ordeal, I'm thrilled to report and share with you that this is now fixed!

The first dealer service center I brought the car to found that the coolant had an air pocket. They bled the coolant, gave it back to me and still had the same problem. They took it back and found the thermostat was stuck halfway open. They replaced the thermostat along with the gasket-coolant inlet, then admitted that this didn't solve the problem. They then told me that the manufacturer's official techline engineers told them that this was "normal operation for this model and year", and that they would not authorize any more work on it under warranty.

I then opened a Lemon Law case with Lemon Law Group Partners at lemonlawgrouppartners.com. These guys were awesome, and completely free to open a case. They only collect if you win a cash settlement. Keep in mind that even if for any reason you may be exempt from Lemon Law rights (e.g. not the first owner, etc.) there are other laws at play here. These guys told me that manufacturers claiming a clear defect is now considered "normal operation" is something manufacturers do all the time, and that it's nonsense. They went after Kia America for breach of their manufacturer's warranty and sent a harsh letter demanding a fix for the car or a replacement vehicle.

In the meantime while this was pending, I then brought the car to a different Kia dealer/service center nearby. They additionally found that my radiator cap was only holding 12psi instead of of the 16psi that it should. This could have been one cause of air bubbles in the coolant that the other place found. They replaced the cap and told me it was fixed. It was still not fixed!! They then took it back in... and finally they replaced the heater core which they found to be clogged. This is apparently a big (~$2K) job involving removing the entire dashboard, but it was covered under the manufacturer's warranty. They had it for over 1 week to get this done, but I just got the car back today and the issue is completely resolved! I have good strong heat when idle again!

So just to sum this up, if this is a perpetual problem make sure to have them validate the proper functioning of the following:
1. No air pockets in coolant
2. Thermostat door is not stuck open
3. Radiator cap is holding the proper pressure (16psi)
4. Heater core is not clogged
5. Also note: IF none of those above pan out, a mechanic friend of mine told me to make sure they validate that the water pump (that moves the coolant) is operating properly.

Finally, I'm not sure if opening a legal case against Kia America helped, but it didn't cost anything and I knew that if they couldn't fix the issue I had some other potential recourse.

Best of luck to you all. Please reply if you need any info from my service shop to make sure that your vehicle gets the proper fix as well!

 

[Slojo_Sunny]

I read somewhere that usually a software update fixes it.

 

[ahinman1]

Dear Telluride Friends, I have amazing news. I had this exact issue of the heat blowing warmish but NOT HOT air at idle on my Telluride 2022 S AWD. Remote start was useless as it could not defrost my windshield in frigid Michigan, even after multiple remote start sessions! It also had extreme amounts of exhaust steam coming out of the tailpipe which I now understand was caused the same problem as the heating issue. After a long ordeal, I'm thrilled to report and share with you that this is now fixed!

The first dealer service center I brought the car to found that the coolant had an air pocket. They bled the coolant, gave it back to me and still had the same problem. They took it back and found the thermostat was stuck halfway open. They replaced the thermostat along with the gasket-coolant inlet, then admitted that this didn't solve the problem. They then told me that the manufacturer's official techline engineers told them that this was "normal operation for this model and year", and that they would not authorize any more work on it under warranty.

I then opened a Lemon Law case with Lemon Law Group Partners at lemonlawgrouppartners.com. These guys were awesome, and completely free to open a case. They only collect if you win a cash settlement. Keep in mind that even if for any reason you may be exempt from Lemon Law rights (e.g. not the first owner, etc.) there are other laws at play here. These guys told me that manufacturers claiming a clear defect is now considered "normal operation" is something manufacturers do all the time, and that it's nonsense. They went after Kia America for breach of their manufacturer's warranty and sent a harsh letter demanding a fix for the car or a replacement vehicle.

In the meantime while this was pending, I then brought the car to a different Kia dealer/service center nearby. They additionally found that my radiator cap was only holding 12psi instead of of the 16psi that it should. This could have been one cause of air bubbles in the coolant that the other place found. They replaced the cap and told me it was fixed. It was still not fixed!! They then took it back in... and finally they replaced the heater core which they found to be clogged. This is apparently a big (~$2K) job involving removing the entire dashboard, but it was covered under the manufacturer's warranty. They had it for over 1 week to get this done, but I just got the car back today and the issue is completely resolved! I have good strong heat when idle again!

So just to sum this up, if this is a perpetual problem make sure to have them validate the proper functioning of the following:
1. No air pockets in coolant
2. Thermostat door is not stuck open
3. Radiator cap is holding the proper pressure (16psi)
4. Heater core is not clogged
5. Also note: IF none of those above pan out, a mechanic friend of mine told me to make sure they validate that the water pump (that moves the coolant) is operating properly.

Finally, I'm not sure if opening a legal case against Kia America helped, but it didn't cost anything and I knew that if they couldn't fix the issue I had some other potential recourse.

Best of luck to you all. Please reply if you need any info from my service shop to make sure that your vehicle gets the proper fix as well!

Did you not have them try this TSB that just came out? Or maybe they didn't know about it yet?

______________________________

 

[PittPa]

Dear Telluride Friends, I have amazing news. I had this exact issue of the heat blowing warmish but NOT HOT air at idle on my Telluride 2022 S AWD. Remote start was useless as it could not defrost my windshield in frigid Michigan, even after multiple remote start sessions! It also had extreme amounts of exhaust steam coming out of the tailpipe which I now understand was caused the same problem as the heating issue. After a long ordeal, I'm thrilled to report and share with you that this is now fixed!

The first dealer service center I brought the car to found that the coolant had an air pocket. They bled the coolant, gave it back to me and still had the same problem. They took it back and found the thermostat was stuck halfway open. They replaced the thermostat along with the gasket-coolant inlet, then admitted that this didn't solve the problem. They then told me that the manufacturer's official techline engineers told them that this was "normal operation for this model and year", and that they would not authorize any more work on it under warranty.

I then opened a Lemon Law case with Lemon Law Group Partners at lemonlawgrouppartners.com. These guys were awesome, and completely free to open a case. They only collect if you win a cash settlement. Keep in mind that even if for any reason you may be exempt from Lemon Law rights (e.g. not the first owner, etc.) there are other laws at play here. These guys told me that manufacturers claiming a clear defect is now considered "normal operation" is something manufacturers do all the time, and that it's nonsense. They went after Kia America for breach of their manufacturer's warranty and sent a harsh letter demanding a fix for the car or a replacement vehicle.

In the meantime while this was pending, I then brought the car to a different Kia dealer/service center nearby. They additionally found that my radiator cap was only holding 12psi instead of of the 16psi that it should. This could have been one cause of air bubbles in the coolant that the other place found. They replaced the cap and told me it was fixed. It was still not fixed!! They then took it back in... and finally they replaced the heater core which they found to be clogged. This is apparently a big (~$2K) job involving removing the entire dashboard, but it was covered under the manufacturer's warranty. They had it for over 1 week to get this done, but I just got the car back today and the issue is completely resolved! I have good strong heat when idle again!

So just to sum this up, if this is a perpetual problem make sure to have them validate the proper functioning of the following:
1. No air pockets in coolant
2. Thermostat door is not stuck open
3. Radiator cap is holding the proper pressure (16psi)
4. Heater core is not clogged
5. Also note: IF none of those above pan out, a mechanic friend of mine told me to make sure they validate that the water pump (that moves the coolant) is operating properly.

Finally, I'm not sure if opening a legal case against Kia America helped, but it didn't cost anything and I knew that if they couldn't fix the issue I had some other potential recourse.

Best of luck to you all. Please reply if you need any info from my service shop to make sure that your vehicle gets the proper fix as well!

Wow, simple that isn't but I'm glad it worked for you.

 

[Michigan2022S]

Did you not have them try this TSB that just came out? Or maybe they didn't know about it yet?

Holy moly. Where/how did you find that?!? These official Kia dealer service centers absolutely did not know about this! Looks like it just came out this month.... I wonder if my legal claim had anything to do with this. After all, it's seemingly gone completely unaddressed since they started producing the vehicle!! Thanks for sharing. Everyone here should have a look at that!

 

[WhiteSX]

Did you not have them try this TSB that just came out? Or maybe they didn't know about it yet?

Calling @bogie to the courtesy phone. This one is hot off the press (pun intended) Any chance you have access to post this TSB in the forum TSB section? Definately a fix we've all been waiting for.

Thanks in advance!

 

[ahinman1]

Calling @bogie to the courtesy phone. This one is hot off the press (pun intended) Any chance you have access to post this TSB in the forum TSB section? Definately a fix we've all been waiting for.

Thanks in advance!

I would love to get my hands on a copy also. I just found this screenshot on the Facebook Telluride owners group. Can anyone get access to this?