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 labeled it under its title as.
" Hazardous safety concerns and misrepresentation "

So the issue that I have as well as a lot of other members on the Telluride Forum have is that there are no recovery hooks or spots to use for tie downs or if someone gets stuck going to the snow or other places.

In fact is one of the main reasons why we purchased our Kia Telluride is because we live in the Pacific Northwest and we have not only mountains we can go to but we also get the snow that we go to every year as well.

Your commercials boasted that this is a great vehicle to tackle all elements without any issues but without recovery points to put hooks on or what not and we need to be heaven forbid recovered from being stuck there's no way possible for a bystander to come and help us.

I understand this is an ongoing issue with this vehicle and it's very disappointing it's very disappointing though we know Saudi Arabia and that part of the world do have this option we do not I would like to think that the US market is a much bigger selling selling area but can't for the life of us figure out why we got missed on this.


Truly hope to hear back from you soon so that I can report your response on our Telluride Forum on how Kia plans to address this or even if they care about this issue.
My user name on the.
Telluride Forum is "Bohen" so that you can lookup me and other fourm members that have the same concern and complain about this crucial safety issue.
I sincerely thank you for your time on addressing this matter so that all of us as a group can understand why this has happened and hope that there is a solution that Kia is willing to do and not just leave us all stranded.

Since we purchase this fable not only as a luxury SUV but under the understanding that understanding that we could do almost anything and go anywhere and have the piece of mind that we can help ourselves out of a stuck situation and not turn into a hazardous situation because of no recovery points.


On a side note I have been a valued Kia customer since I purchased my very 1st 2007 Kia Optima and currently we own a 2015 Kia Optima SXL

2020 Kia Telluride SX Prestige

We believe in your brand since our very 1st one and are impressed on how far the underdog has come and look forward to being a continued customer but very disappointed on this one aspect especially when some pays $50,000 on uo to $65,000 on a new FULLY LOADED Telluride and for its to be missing this one fundamental necessity we were so excited to get it that we overlook the recovery point issue .


Sincerely

Thank you



I truly hope this helps them to give us a reasonable option or spot that allows us to tap into yeah it's been too since this should have already been a but I've already been available for ALL markets .

I really recommend as many members as possible contacting them about this issue and making our voices heard.

 

[Bohen]

Bump

 

[PittPa]

Nothing is done without a reason in designing a new car from the ground up. We don't know the reasons but kia is perfectly aware. It could be as simple as the reinforcement needed to pull an entire vehicle from the bumper compared to the actual number of times its done wasn't cost effective. If this wasn't done at many points along the line, the $50-65k car would be $75-90k.

 

[Bohen]

Nothing is done without a reason in designing a new car from the ground up. We don't know the reasons but kia is perfectly aware. It could be as simple as the reinforcement needed to pull an entire vehicle from the bumper compared to the actual number of times its done wasn't cost effective. If this wasn't done at many points along the line, the $50-65k car would be $75-90k.

I do agree that they know what they're doing but sometimes things do get over looked just like recalls happen things get overlooked. Plus If it's an option that is already readily available in another part of the world it just frustrates me that it would not be offered especially with all the outdoor enthusiasts yes and the commercials and advertisement they did boast on this vehicle I'm not saying that I am going to trade my vehicle in cause that's not it I'm sure I'm going to trade my vehicle in because that's not it .
Like my dad use to say
" a closed mouth won't get feed. "

______________________________

 

[Dslvolks]

It did label under its title as.
" Hazardous safety concerns and misrepresentation "

So the issue that I have as well as a lot of other members on the Telluride Forum have is that there are no recovery hooks or spots to use for tie downs or if someone gets stuck going to the snow or other places.

In fact is one of the main reasons why we purchased our Kia Telluride is because we live in the Pacific Northwest and we have not only mountains we can go to but we also get the snow that we go to every year as well.

Your commercials boasted that this is a great vehicle to tackle all elements without any issues but without recovery points to put hooks on or what not and we need to be heaven forbid recovered from being stuck there's no way possible for a bystander to come and help us.

I understand this is an ongoing issue with this vehicle and it's very disappointing it's very disappointing though we know Saudi Arabia and that part of the world do have this option we do not I would like to think that the US market is a much bigger selling selling area but can't for the life of us figure out why we got missed on this.


Truly hope to hear back from you soon so that I can report your response on our Telluride Forum on how Kia plans to address this or even if they care about this issue.
My user name on the.
Telluride Forum is "Bohen" so that you can lookup me and other fourm members that have the same concern and complain about this crucial safety issue.
I sincerely thank you for your time on addressing this matter so that all of us as a group can understand why this has happened and hope that there is a solution that Kia is willing to do and not just leave us all stranded.

Since we purchase this fable not only as a luxury SUV but under the understanding that understanding that we could do almost anything and go anywhere and have the piece of mind that we can help ourselves out of a stuck situation and not turn into a hazardous situation because of no recovery points.


On a side note I have been a valued Kia customer since I purchased my very 1st 2007 Kia Optima and currently we own a 2015 Kia Optima SXL

2020 Kia Telluride SX Prestige

We believe in your brand since our very 1st one and are impressed on how far the underdog has come and look forward to being a continued customer but very disappointed on this one aspect especially when some pays $50,000 on uo to $65,000 on a new FULLY LOADED Telluride and for its to be missing this one fundamental necessity we were so excited to get it that we overlook the recovery point issue .


Sincerely

Thank you



I truly hope this helps them to give us a reasonable option or spot that allows us to tap into yeah it's been too since this should have already been a but I've already been available for ALL markets .

I really recommend as many members as possible contacting them about this issue and making our voices heard.

It did label under its title as.
" Hazardous safety concerns and misrepresentation "

So the issue that I have as well as a lot of other members on the Telluride Forum have is that there are no recovery hooks or spots to use for tie downs or if someone gets stuck going to the snow or other places.

In fact is one of the main reasons why we purchased our Kia Telluride is because we live in the Pacific Northwest and we have not only mountains we can go to but we also get the snow that we go to every year as well.

Your commercials boasted that this is a great vehicle to tackle all elements without any issues but without recovery points to put hooks on or what not and we need to be heaven forbid recovered from being stuck there's no way possible for a bystander to come and help us.

I understand this is an ongoing issue with this vehicle and it's very disappointing it's very disappointing though we know Saudi Arabia and that part of the world do have this option we do not I would like to think that the US market is a much bigger selling selling area but can't for the life of us figure out why we got missed on this.


Truly hope to hear back from you soon so that I can report your response on our Telluride Forum on how Kia plans to address this or even if they care about this issue.
My user name on the.
Telluride Forum is "Bohen" so that you can lookup me and other fourm members that have the same concern and complain about this crucial safety issue.
I sincerely thank you for your time on addressing this matter so that all of us as a group can understand why this has happened and hope that there is a solution that Kia is willing to do and not just leave us all stranded.

Since we purchase this fable not only as a luxury SUV but under the understanding that understanding that we could do almost anything and go anywhere and have the piece of mind that we can help ourselves out of a stuck situation and not turn into a hazardous situation because of no recovery points.


On a side note I have been a valued Kia customer since I purchased my very 1st 2007 Kia Optima and currently we own a 2015 Kia Optima SXL

2020 Kia Telluride SX Prestige

We believe in your brand since our very 1st one and are impressed on how far the underdog has come and look forward to being a continued customer but very disappointed on this one aspect especially when some pays $50,000 on uo to $65,000 on a new FULLY LOADED Telluride and for its to be missing this one fundamental necessity we were so excited to get it that we overlook the recovery point issue .


Sincerely

Thank you



I truly hope this helps them to give us a reasonable option or spot that allows us to tap into yeah it's been too since this should have already been a but I've already been available for ALL markets .

I really recommend as many members as possible contacting them about this issue and making our voices heard.

I completely agree with the frustration of not having a tow point on the Telluride. Last winter I got stuck in the snow and ice on our very steep driveway which goes up through the woods. Imagine my surprise and disappointment when I came back down with my big tractor to find that there was no place to hook on to tow the Telluride back up the hill. It still boggles my mind that an SUV of this size and caliber has no provisions for recovery from dicey situations.

 

[Dslvolks]

I completely agree with the frustration of not having a tow point on the Telluride. Last winter I got stuck in the snow and ice on our very steep driveway which goes up through the woods. Imagine my surprise and disappointment when I came back down with my big tractor to find that there was no place to hook on to tow the Telluride back up the hill. It still boggles my mind that an SUV of this size and caliber has no provisions for recovery from dicey situations.

 

[Bohen]

I honestly don't believe that it is a structural situation especially since KIA allows this option at other locations.
I do believe that as many members as possible should contact Kia about this situation and inform them on how we feel.
Worst case scenario nothing changes but we will never know unless we try

 

[PittPa]

I honestly don't believe that it is a structural situation especially since KIA allows this option at other locations.
I do believe that as many members as possible should contact Kia about this situation and inform them on how we feel.
Worst case scenario nothing changes but we will never know unless we try B

Bmw and Audi just give you an eye hook in your emergency package that you thread into the bumper. It is such a simple means in these cars to use a towing point, I can't imagine why, especially since apparently they make cars for other countries that provide this feature. In my prior post, I'm not defending KIA, but I do think this car is a family hauler with some ground clearance, rugged looks, and not an advanced 4 wheel drive system. Perhaps they think if you are getting yourself in positions of needing winched or pulled, your buying a Jeep, Range Rover, or Toyota.

______________________________

 

[NCBill]

Nothing is done without a reason in designing a new car from the ground up. We don't know the reasons but kia is perfectly aware. It could be as simple as the reinforcement needed to pull an entire vehicle from the bumper compared to the actual number of times its done wasn't cost effective. If this wasn't done at many points along the line, the $50-65k car would be $75-90k.

Sometimes designers just don't realize it. Consider the omissions from the 2020, like a 5,000 pound tow rating with just a 4 wire trailer plug, or no remote start on the key fob. KIA has made incremental improvements since. Now there may be some serious engineering reason for the lack of tow hooks, but I cannot think of any serious engineering reasons for the two omissions I mentioned above. So I am not ready to give them credit for thinking it through.

And apparently they have this feature in other countries, I doubt it is some major frame change.

Overall, the team that designed the Telluride hit it out of the park. But like any design, there is always room to improve. Savvy companies continually improve their product, addressing the minor omissions while keeping the major successes.

Odd to me they can design the Telluride and the Palisade, extremely similar but so different.

 

[Dslvolks]

I completely agree with the frustration of not having a tow point on the Telluride. Last winter I got stuck in the snow and ice on our very steep driveway which goes up through the woods. Imagine my surprise and disappointment when I came back down with my big tractor to find that there was no place to hook on to tow the Telluride back up the hill. It still boggles my mind that an SUV of this size and caliber has no provisions for recovery from dicey situations.

 

[Dslvolks]

As a comparison, even the 2014 Subaru Outback we traded for this Telluride had knockout covers in the front and rear bumper covers you could pop out and screw a large looped threaded rod into for recovery purposes. This makes it even more unforgivable that the larger Telluride has no provisions at all for any kind of connection for recovery.

 

[busterdesigns]

Following is my note I sent though the Kia Customer Assistance Center complaint form:

One of the staples of the Telluride marketing has been its rough and rugged capabilities, with Tellurides shown slithering through mud and traversing rough terrain, etc.

But, no tow hooks?? This seems like an inexcusable omission.

So you're in northern Minnesota and it's snowing like crazy. You engage the Snow Mode, but visibility is poor, snow is drifting, and it's getting dark and despite the Tellurides awesome capabilities you end up in a ditch (it happens -- a lot). A friendly neighbor offers to pull you out with their tractor ... but NO TOW HOOKS?!

My old Honda Element had recovery points, my friend's Audi has them also.

So what's going on and is there any plan to address this?? Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Kirk

I'll update if/when I get a response.

______________________________

 

[tpgh]

Following is my note I sent though the Kia Customer Assistance Center complaint form:



I'll update if/when I get a response.

I understand your concern but if it’s that concerning to you, why didn’t you choose another vehicle? Kia may address it in future model years but that won’t be of any help to you.

Also, they’re not really designed to be used frequently and often cause damage to the bumper. Mfgs probably don’t consider frequent use with the thought most likely you have damage elsewhere.

 

[Bohen]

I understand your concern but if it’s that concerning to you, why didn’t you choose another vehicle? Kia may address it in future model years but that won’t be of any help to you.

Also, they’re not really designed to be used frequently and often cause damage to the bumper. Mfgs probably don’t consider frequent use with the thought most likely you have damage elsewhere.

As for myself we were excited to get our SX PRESTIGE at $44k and assumed that it would be there due to the marketing they used .
Yes it's not an everyday use item but should be an item that is there just as there is a space tire for the just in case.
If they have a snow mode they should have allowed the what is case if you are going to there.
They have a mud and sand mode that have the recovery points is my issue.
My goal is some hindsight into the issue and maybe a fix or option.
I do admit I'm not going rock crawling , 4x4 or beyond the Tellurides ability but they should have allowed it by how they pumped it up to be .
My 05 Subaru Outback XT has them and it maybe a Subaru but the Telluride is marketed as a outdoor vehicle.

That's my rant

 

[tpgh]

As for myself we were excited to get our SX PRESTIGE at $44k and assumed that it would be there due to the marketing they used .
Yes it's not an everyday use item but should be an item that is there just as there is a space tire for the just in case.
If they have a snow mode they should have allowed the what is case if you are going to there.
They have a mud and sand mode that have the recovery points is my issue.
My goal is some hindsight into the issue and maybe a fix or option.
I do admit I'm not going rock crawling , 4x4 or beyond the Tellurides ability but they should have allowed it by how they pumped it up to be .
My 05 Subaru Outback XT has them and it maybe a Subaru but the Telluride is marketed as a outdoor vehicle.

That's my rant

I still don’t get your point. You could have easily investigated this prior to purchasing. This is like buying a used car and then complaining the tires have less tread than what you thought, even though you should have checked beforehand.

 

[SC300ES]

Companies make baseless claims all the time. I haven't seen a review of this vehicle where it was mentioned as anything more than a mall crawler.

______________________________

 

[Tellmeride]

OP, you are wrong in thinking and expecting it can go anywhere.

 

[2020Telly]

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:

Because 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

 

[Bohen]

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. 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. I can’t even find a hidden hook under the vehicle which might creat a need for something like this: Shop | Apex Overland | Off-Road Part Accessories

Thank you !
This is my point .

 

[2020Telly]

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.