I sent email this morning to Kia consumer assistance center about no recovery points/hooks ect . Heres a copy of my email to them .

[Bohen]

I agree each year will have a feature that possibly the prior one did not and it would have been nice to have the remote start on the key fob and yes we are locked in if we want that feature to pay for the service that isn't really a huge issue or a deal breaker at all .
Just as you and I have both pointed out and I'm sure others feel the same way and should be considered a big deal is there are no recovery points but other parts of the world do for our vehicle.
This issue will not cause me to go running and trade my vehicle in but it's going to cause me to look elsewhere and pay additional money on something that should have came standard .
So that I will have peace of mind knowing if my wife or myself or even my boys take our vehicle out to the snow or what not that it is capable of receiving help in a stuck situation.
Again I'm not talking about them going rock crawling or 4x4 but to enjoy an adventure in the Pacific Northwest or elsewhere.
I should be able to feel as comfortable as taking my Telluride to these areas as I do with my much smaller Subaru Outback XT .

 

[2020Telly]

This Road & Track author wrote very highly of his loaner Telluride but spent a good amount of time warning about the lack of a tow hook or recovery point. The 2020 Kia Telluride Is a Nearly Flawless Three-Row SUV

"When I got the Telluride buried up to its rockers in mud, I had to crawl on my belly and dig out a path for the tow strap to loop around the lower control arm once help arrived. I was covered in wet silt for the next hour as the sun went down. I’m still digging the dried clay out of the pockets of my jacket nearly two months later. Really. A single removable panel on the Telluride's front or rear bumper, and a threaded hole to attach a tow eyelet, would have done the trick.​

​

Would any other midsize CUV have done better to dig out of the silt? Maybe not. I suppose the lesson was cautionary: If you head off-road in one of these things, either bring better tires, a better driver, or a tow company on speed dial. Maybe all three, if you can. Because the Telluride’s locking center differential did nothing to help free me from the mud. It simply allowed one-tire fire from both ends of the vehicle. Neither did the Kia's tires help. They tiptoed through a couple inches of wet snow in Livingston, Montana, but otherwise seem aimed at a life lived entirely on pavement. I'll always remember those tires whizzing against the North Dakota mud: the sound of disappointment."​

One last point, it was important enough to add to the Palisade: https://www.hpalisadelx.com/hyundai_palisade_removable_towing_hook-338.html

 

[Bohen]

That's very interesting I had no idea about that article or that Hyundai had address that situation.

 

[busterdesigns]

Here’s a question, in the commercial where the Telluride is drifting through a muddy field, if they got stuck what would be the connection point for a 4x4 vehicle to pull it out?

It was marketed as a very capable off-road vehicle but the manual instructs that a tow truck should pick up by the wheels to avoid damaging the AWD system. Have we forgotten the “Give it Everything” campaign already?

The Tellurides getting shipped to the Middle East appear to have proper recovery points and I have seen them on the Kia Forte, Soul, and Sorrento.

Kia Sorento: Towing - General Information - Kia Sorento XM 2011-2021 Service Manual

and Kia Soul: Emergency towing - Towing - What to do in an emergency

I guess the thinking is hook it up to anywhere on the front and order a new front end and have the vehicle sit at a shop for months waiting for parts. In the back I would just use the tow hitch, but on the front there’s nothing to latch to other than plastic. It would be great if there’s no front detachable recovery point to just have a little piece of metal that a hook can go on and safely give a little pull. Anyone who has driven in snow and slid into a snow bank knows how helpful this can be over waiting for a wrecker or burning through the rubber on your tires. This is what it looks like on an older Camry: View attachment 24408Because of all the plastic underneath the Telluride there isn’t even a way to weld or bolt a j hook on the frame easily. Pulling on the suspension could result in turning a minor problem into a major repair.

We can dismiss concerns and features that would make the vehicle more functional and not talk about them, but then Kia would be off the hook (see what I did there?) to add small improvements for the next model year. It is interesting to me that some of the very early complaints on this forum were addressed either through TSB, manual corrections, recalls, or simply new features on the next model year.

This is also where creative aftermarket niche products can become very popular. Since I can’t even find a hidden hook under the vehicle it might create a demand/need for something like this: Shop | Apex Overland | Off-Road Part Accessories

Well stated.

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[tpgh]

Most of us are on this forum because we like the vehicle. I think when you like something enough you want more of it or you look to make it even better. When you don’t like something you are more likely to complain, toss it away, and move on. Every major vehicle purchase has compromises and sometimes that means aftermarket improvements. But @tpgh to suggest that you should not have bought a vehicle because it didn’t have something you think would be nice is dismissing the idea that everything could be improved upon. The 2021/2022 owners have features that the 2020 owners don’t for this very reason. I’m glad to see that Kia is listening and continuously improving because that will help me when shopping for my next vehicle.

You missed my point. The OP’s letter isn’t about future models. His letter is about being surprised it’s not on the vehicle and asking what they’re going to do about it. It’s more of a complaint than a suggestion to incorporate into future models. I agree with that but that’s not what the letter says.

 

[2020Telly]

You missed my point. The OP’s letter isn’t about future models. His letter is about being surprised it’s not on the vehicle and asking what they’re going to do about it. It’s more of a complaint than a suggestion to incorporate into future models. I agree with that but that’s not what the letter says.

I see what you are saying. Consider that a number of people complained that the owner's manual misrepresented towing capacity and tongue weight and that was corrected. A number of people complained that the rear AC memory was bad and that was fixed on a TSB. (Later the rear heat was upgraded on AWD newer models). People complained that when towing the trailer lights would not go on when on cruise control and that was fixed under an NHTSA safety recall and corrected for newer models.

There are some misses that couldn't be fixed but noted by 2020 owners. When we complained that their "Remote Start" capability advertisement was false since the just had it in the app that required a subscription, now it's on the newer models. No brake controller connection and no 7-pin, that was corrected. I'm probably missing a few that created a demand for different packages and options. I have a Customer Satisfaction Initiative letter dated 9 months after I took delivery stating that they were monitoring an ongoing performance problem with the windshield chipping and even though it is not covered under warranty, Kia was offering to pay for repairs or reimburse out-of-pocket expenses.

There are non-voluntary recalls and if Kia issued one with a tow hook that I could cut out a notch on that plastic brush guard, I'd be calling to make an appointment to get it even if it isn't as clean as something integrated into the bumper with a threaded tow eyelet. A recovery hook is something you don't know you need until you are stuck with no cell service on the side of the road with no tow truck for miles, but people with more capable vehicles passing by offering to help with a winch or tow rope. Heck if Kia just acknowledged it was a miss because they didn't think about it in the Kia Design Center in Irvine, CA or the HATCI in Michigan, but they worked with an aftermarket partner to develop something, I'd probably spend a couple hundred bucks equivalent to some towing fees. If you care enough about customer service, there's always some way to offer a solution. Clearly someone thought it was worthwhile to include on other Kia models and Hyundai thought to include it on the Palisade.

 

[PittPa]

Other than move a remote start onto a key fob and upgrade to a 7 pin connection, what actually is new for the top of the line SX Prestige 2022 model since the 2020? The car is basically how it was built from the beginning and any "new" idea or improvements won't be known until a mid model refresh.

 

[NCBill]

Like most of the AWD mid sized SUVs out there, I don’t consider them off road capable. I wouldn’t take a Honda Pilot or a Toyota Highlander off road either. Mall crawler is a good term for any of them.

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[2020Telly]

Other than move a remote start onto a key fob and upgrade to a 7 pin connection, what actually is new for the top of the line SX Prestige 2022 model since the 2020? The car is basically how it was built from the beginning and any "new" idea or improvements won't be known until a mid model refresh.

Off the top of my head better rear heating and improved arm rests on the captains chairs are what I remember. But I would say the changes on the SX are less than the other trims. It seems the SX value is diminished some by comparison because some of the 2020 features that were previously only on the SX have been added to the lower trims for 2022. Upgraded infotainment and LED headlights for example.

 

[2020Telly]

Like most of the AWD mid sized SUVs out there, I don’t consider them off road capable. I wouldn’t take a Honda Pilot or a Toyota Highlander off road either. Mall crawler is a good term for any of them.

Funny you should mention the Pilot and Highlander. Guess what both have that the Telluride doesn't?

Front recovery point instructions for Honda Pilot: http://www.hosuv.com/honot-733.html

Front recovery point locations on a 2022 Toyota Highlander Platinum:



This is what it looks like on the Honda Ridgeline and Passport just in front of the driver:

This not an off-road feature. This is a safety when towing in an emergency option that prevents further vehicle damage to get you out of a bad situation and is available on most modern passenger cars with large amounts of plastic on the front fascia.

Consider that someone who bought their Telluride to be a "mall crawler" happens to be driving in a rural area on vacation and gets caught in a snow drift on a highway then gets pushed into a snow bank to avoid a collision causing their wheels to be embedded in snow. Perhaps an area that is prone to road flooding in a heavy rain storm and finds themselves sliding and stuck in mud. Maybe they are just driving in wet conditions on a road without a sewer system and instead has culverts and ditches then someone driving in the other direction swerves from texting and to avoid an accident the Telluride driver veers and gets stuck in some mud. They can't get ahold of a tow truck and a friendly passerby in a pickup stops with a tow rope or winch to help. That friendly person can't find a tow hook and there are no recovery points with eyelets to attach to so they connect to the front suspension or some other metal structure that is not connected with the frame and unknowingly causes damage. The Telluride owner goes driving along their way only to have a catastrophic accident because the vehicle becomes unstable and unbalanced at a higher speed. I'm not going to blame that consumer for not crawling under the Telluride before they took delivery to look for a common metal loop found on most other vehicles and suggest they should have bought a truck with 4x4.

@NCBill - Speaking of malls and NC, have you ever been to Crabtree Valley Mall? Given the flooding they experience after a major rain storm it seems like the most unlikely place to put a Cheesecake Factory. A valley seems like a bad place to put a large mall and parking deck structure next to roads that are prone to flooding in an area that can get tropical storms but it’s there. That point could me made in many parts of Florida if you swap valley with wetlands.

 

[2020Telly]

For all the anti-front recovery point folks, I'm simply suggesting that maybe there is more to it and we shouldn't blame the consumer for wanting and expecting more. When a company comes up with a campaign and calls it "Give it Everything" that sets the expectations pretty high for the basic equipment found on other vehicles. I see a company that responds to their customer feedback positively as a sign that they consider that in the design and continuous improvement processes. Not everyone is trying to be a Karen and this is the cheapest form of collecting valuable feedback and building brand loyalty if you can solve a problem for existing customers. This is one of the benefits of a free market in our economy being driven by competition vs a free market under more regulation. Companies can choose to do something about it and differentiate by offering better products direct to consumers to influence demand. Not to mention it becomes great brand advertising probably for less than the cost of a Super Bowl commercial.

 

[slayer72]

I haven't been able to sleep since I found out there isn't a tow hook point in the front bumper, what will we do???????

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[2020Telly]

I haven't been able to sleep since I found out there isn't a tow hook point in the front bumper, what will we do???????

Aftermarket upgrade and sleep like a baby: https://www.warn.com/blog-warnequiped-kia-telluride-overlander

 

[Bohen]

Aftermarket upgrade and sleep like a baby: https://www.warn.com/blog-warnequiped-kia-telluride-overlander

It was not the SX Prestige ,I believe it was the EX.
Which would not include myself as well as others who paid for the top trim line but did not have the safety feature as you've pointed out that other "non" 4 wheel drives have .

 

[Bohen]

Aftermarket upgrade and sleep like a baby: https://www.warn.com/blog-warnequiped-kia-telluride-overlander

 

[Senator20]

Did not read this entire thread, but what is your end goal with this email to Kia?

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[2020Telly]

Did not read this entire thread, but what is your end goal with this email to Kia?

Some thoughts:
1. A response.
2. Acknowledgement that they didn’t “give it everything”.
3. Guidance on how to avoid damage when trying to get a front tow on a flatbed. IOW what guidance should be given to the person operating a winch in order to prevent further damage.
4. A solution that would help avoid problems when you need a simple tug from a tow rope that won’t damage the vehicle causing expensive damages. Provide this in an update to the manual.
5. Guidance on a rear recovery point for those not equipped with a hitch receiver.

Ideally a retrofit kit issued through a voluntary recall to bolt on a metal loop similar to the Honda Ridgeline or Passport in post 30 above that and does not void the warranty would be great. Maybe even just a partnership and coupon with an aftermarket company that offers something approved for use by Kia Engineering at the ideal frame location that won’t void a warranty if you get it recovered and towed to a dealer or repair shop. In theory you could end up needing a simple recovery and voiding your warranty if Kia proved that the tow/pull damaged your vehicle then you would be out of pocket and fighting Insurance, Kia and a tow company.

 

[PittPa]

I'm just not as optimistic about consumer demands and manufacturers products. I can understand the frustration of this point but I personally have had a faulty window replaced which I would consider much much more important. No real acknowledgment other than a vague letter floating around that may or may not apply to your situation. Likely replaced with the same inferior glass. If they are not going to "fix" this inferior windshield issue, why would they address a tow hook.

 

[2020Telly]

I'm just not as optimistic about consumer demands and manufacturers products. I can understand the frustration of this point but I personally have had a faulty window replaced which I would consider much much more important. No real acknowledgment other than a vague letter floating around that may or may not apply to your situation. Likely replaced with the same inferior glass. If they are not going to "fix" this inferior windshield issue, why would they address a tow hook.

So a Road & Track article featuring the omission carries no weight? I would think Kia addressing it and then notifying R&T for a possible follow up article linking to the original would be excellent publicity for how Kia responded. I know Kia advertised the acoustic dampening windshield some but nowhere near how they touted the off-road prowess.

 

[Bohen]

I'm just not as optimistic about consumer demands and manufacturers products. I can understand the frustration of this point but I personally have had a faulty window replaced which I would consider much much more important. No real acknowledgment other than a vague letter floating around that may or may not apply to your situation. Likely replaced with the same inferior glass. If they are not going to "fix" this inferior windshield issue, why would they address a tow hook.

My windshield was replaced through the recall.
No questions asked at all , just a copy of the letter and photos of my windshield .