Telluride is leaning

[jasperatl]

I bought an S trim from Atlanta Kia West a couple of months ago. After a week or so walking up to it in my parking garage, I swore that the car was leaning slightly to the left. So I measured and sure enough the left side of the car is an inch lower than the right side. I call the dealership. They thought I might be mistaken and had me bring it in. When they measured, they were surprised that it was in fact leaning to the left albeit a little less than what I had measured.

And that is where the trouble began. The service mgr sends the info off to KIA and are supposedly waiting for a response. The customer service people are treating me like a pariah because God forbid someone else finds out that their cash cow isn't perfect. Weeks later I've been on the phone with KIA support who haven't been able to do anything because the dealership is privately owned and the dealership has gone radio silent.

Just because the car is driveable doesn't mean that the coming wear and tear plus imbalance (which is getting worse btw) is somehow acceptable in a vehicle that I already paid over sticker.

So my question: has anyone else had this problem? If not, any suggestions on how to get KIA to deal with this? I'm going to post this in all Telluride forums because now they've turned a huge Telluride fanboy into a pissed off customer who's starting to really regret buying from KIA.

 

[alexdrums]

I have heard of Tellys sagging in the back when parked because of the towing package, but never heard of them leaning over to one side.

 

[MarcinTexas]

I have heard of Tellys sagging in the back when parked because of the towing package, but never heard of them leaning over to one side.

And if you have the self leveling shocks...the sag is normal while parked. They activate once the vehicle is moving. Leaning is something all together a different issue.

 

[Sportshot2]

You might want to start checking into your lemon laws. KIA might have to buy it back. Wonder if KIA would have to pay the additional over sticker price you paid.

If you want out of the car you’ll be best served in getting a lawyer who specializes in fighting car manufacturers.

I was very reluctant to order a car because of my personal perception of past KIA quality. I took the plunge and am still second guessing that decision And I haven’t even been given a delivery date. Especially now that there are discounts on Acadia which put their top of the line models with HUD considerably cheaper than a T. Not as premium or as big as a T but about 6K cheaper.

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[jw_tx21]

I bought an S trim from Atlanta Kia West a couple of months ago. After a week or so walking up to it in my parking garage, I swore that the car was leaning slightly to the left. So I measured and sure enough the left side of the car is an inch lower than the right side. I call the dealership. They thought I might be mistaken and had me bring it in. When they measured, they were surprised that it was in fact leaning to the left albeit a little less than what I had measured.

And that is where the trouble began. The service mgr sends the info off to KIA and are supposedly waiting for a response. The customer service people are treating me like a pariah because God forbid someone else finds out that their cash cow isn't perfect. Weeks later I've been on the phone with KIA support who haven't been able to do anything because the dealership is privately owned and the dealership has gone radio silent.

Just because the car is driveable doesn't mean that the coming wear and tear plus imbalance (which is getting worse btw) is somehow acceptable in a vehicle that I already paid over sticker.

So my question: has anyone else had this problem? If not, any suggestions on how to get KIA to deal with this? I'm going to post this in all Telluride forums because now they've turned a huge Telluride fanboy into a pissed off customer who's starting to really regret buying from KIA.

Troll away everywhere you can. That will certainly help! There was no reason to pay markup for an S to begin with... should have come here before you bought the car. Buyer's remorse doesn't help solve your issue. Keep contacting Kia customer service, and you can always work with another dealership. There are tons in the Atlanta area. First step is to diagnose the problem. Which you haven't done. My Telluride has been outstanding. There will always be issues with some.

 

[jasperatl]

Troll away everywhere you can. That will certainly help! There was no reason to pay markup for an S to begin with... should have come here before you bought the car. Buyer's remorse doesn't help solve your issue. Keep contacting Kia customer service, and you can always work with another dealership. There are tons in the Atlanta area. First step is to diagnose the problem. Which you haven't done. My Telluride has been outstanding. There will always be issues with some.

I understand that armchair demeaning is part of these forums whether the person has the facts or not. Good thing I'm interested in a solution here I suppose. With that said, the part of your response that I don't know much about was where you said I could work with other dealerships. I get that I can go to another KIA service dept, but have been reluctant in case the vehicle would need to be replaced (if it came to that). Because dealerships are individually owned and buy their inventory from the OEM, would another dealership be able to replace the vehicle if it were a OEM defect? My gut says no, but I have no experience with it.

 

[mjeffv]

I can't imagine having another KIA service team or another mechanic that you trust try and diagnose the problem would be an issue. If they can't find something with suspension or whatever is causing the lean, you can always go back to the original dealer service department. But if they can find something, you are one step closer to correcting the problem.

 

[mrmac]

You should also be prepared for the possibility that your vehicle hit a curb or pothole, causing damage to one of your strut(s) or strut mounts. If that is the case, it won't be a warrantable item.

Please get a thorough assessment from another dealer, or an indy you trust, to determine the exact cause of your issue. Then you can seek the correct resolution.

This is the only incident of this type I've seen anywhere about the Telluride.

Good luck.

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[markjenn]

Where you bought your Kia has no bearing on where it can be serviced - you can take it to any Kia dealer in the nation for warranty repairs. Getting a “2nd opinion” at a different dealer is often a good strategy where a dealer isn’t being responsive or doesn’t seem able to address a problem.

What I suspect is happening here is that you have an issue where your vehicle has a minor defect but it is unclear if the defect is significant enough to warrant a repair - the question is whether the car is within normal tolerance for ride height variation side to side. (And it may not be as simple to check as you might think as sometimes the vehicle has to be loaded a certain way to check spec. You also need an absolutely flat surface. It’s even possible Kia specs for the car to be slightly out of level to account for road camber.). The dealer is probably trying to get clarification from the factor as they may not have formal specs and have never encountered this before. Support from the factory may be slow and sporadic, perhaps due to the pandemic. A rep may need to come out and see your car which can often take several weeks. All that being said, they should be responsive in keeping you updated on the status. And they should get the car up on a lift for a careful suspension visual inspection - if the variation is significant, I’d bet a dollar to a donut something in the suspension is bent, loose, improperly installed, or broken and that it should be fairly obvious. A problem in the unibody would be very rare.

Since the car is driveable, I’d just be patient, inquire often about status, and let the process unfold for a bit. What you are after right now is clear diagnosis of the problem and whether it represents a defect that can be repaired under warranty.

You’re a million miles from lemon law territory. It’s remotely possible it might come to that, but a bunch of things have to happen before you’d have a claim, including vehicle down time and multiple attempts at repair. Do keep good documentation of every interaction you have with the dealer and any other Kia rep.

As I stated initially, another dealer’s take on this could be valuable if you geographically have this option. You’re not precluding any options by getting another dealer involved. But I would give your current dealer some slack to try and resolve this before going ballistic.

Good luck,

- Mark

 

[mjeffv]

I know you said you measured and the left side is an inch lower to the ground. Is it the entire left side? Curious if the unibody wasn't trimmed on the left and that while it hangs lower on the left, it is otherwise level. Maybe try to put a level in the cargo area and across the seats to see if its level inside?

 

[TheNip73]

A

You might want to start checking into your lemon laws. KIA might have to buy it back. Wonder if KIA would have to pay the additional over sticker price you paid.

If you want out of the car you’ll be best served in getting a lawyer who specializes in fighting car manufacturers.

I was very reluctant to order a car because of my personal perception of past KIA quality. I took the plunge and am still second guessing that decision And I haven’t even been given a delivery date. Especially now that there are discounts on Acadia which put their top of the line models with HUD considerably cheaper than a T. Not as premium or as big as a T but about 6K cheaper.

Good luck if you get an Acadia. Your worried about Kia quality?

 

[Kirbo]

The only person I personally know who needed to have her car bought back with as a lemon had the Acadia.

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[jasperatl]

Where you bought your Kia has no bearing on where it can be serviced - you can take it to any Kia dealer in the nation for warranty repairs. Getting a “2nd opinion” at a different dealer is often a good strategy where a dealer isn’t being responsive or doesn’t seem able to address a problem.

What I suspect is happening here is that you have an issue where your vehicle has a minor defect but it is unclear if the defect is significant enough to warrant a repair - the question is whether the car is within normal tolerance for ride height variation side to side. (And it may not be as simple to check as you might think as sometimes the vehicle has to be loaded a certain way to check spec. You also need an absolutely flat surface. It’s even possible Kia specs for the car to be slightly out of level to account for road camber.). The dealer is probably trying to get clarification from the factor as they may not have formal specs and have never encountered this before. Support from the factory may be slow and sporadic, perhaps due to the pandemic. A rep may need to come out and see your car which can often take several weeks. All that being said, they should be responsive in keeping you updated on the status. And they should get the car up on a lift for a careful suspension visual inspection - if the variation is significant, I’d bet a dollar to a donut something in the suspension is bent, loose, improperly installed, or broken and that it should be fairly obvious. A problem in the unibody would be very rare.

Since the car is driveable, I’d just be patient, inquire often about status, and let the process unfold for a bit. What you are after right now is clear diagnosis of the problem and whether it represents a defect that can be repaired under warranty.

You’re a million miles from lemon law territory. It’s remotely possible it might come to that, but a bunch of things have to happen before you’d have a claim, including vehicle down time and multiple attempts at repair. Do keep good documentation of every interaction you have with the dealer and any other Kia rep.

As I stated initially, another dealer’s take on this could be valuable if you geographically have this option. You’re not precluding any options by getting another dealer involved. But I would give your current dealer some slack to try and resolve this before going ballistic.

Good luck,

- Mark

Thanks Mark for a very thoughtful response! You are absolutely correct that the dealership isn't quite sure what to do. KIA asked them to have me bring the car back out and they put it on the lift and took pictures and provided some information back to KIA. This is just as much an issue about the dealership's lack of customer service as it is the issue itself. I showed up, they took the car, didn't tell me anything. No place to sit. No info on if I was supposed to wait, how long it would be...nothin. They wouldn't give me any information about what KIA had asked them, were kinda surly, handed me back the keys, said they're going to wait for KIA. That was 3 weeks ago (no returned phone calls). They had enough people to sell me an expensive SUV during COVID, so they should be able to keep me in the loop as well. With that said, I will definitely get a second opinion from another dealership. It was helpful to hear in these forums that so far no one else has experienced this issue which means that it's not a platform issue that would take a lot longer to get resolved! Thanks again.

 

[mrmac]

Thanks Mark for a very thoughtful response! You are absolutely correct that the dealership isn't quite sure what to do. KIA asked them to have me bring the car back out and they put it on the lift and took pictures and provided some information back to KIA. This is just as much an issue about the dealership's lack of customer service as it is the issue itself. I showed up, they took the car, didn't tell me anything. No place to sit. No info on if I was supposed to wait, how long it would be...nothin. They wouldn't give me any information about what KIA had asked them, were kinda surly, handed me back the keys, said they're going to wait for KIA. That was 3 weeks ago (no returned phone calls). They had enough people to sell me an expensive SUV during COVID, so they should be able to keep me in the loop as well. With that said, I will definitely get a second opinion from another dealership. It was helpful to hear in these forums that so far no one else has experienced this issue which means that it's not a platform issue that would take a lot longer to get resolved! Thanks again.

This may sound silly, so please forgive me if it does.

When I purchased my Stinger GT2, the delivery team didn't fully do their job. My wife reminded me of this when I was sharing your story.

The pre-delivery guy working the driver side adjusted the tires to spec, while the guy working the passenger side forgot. My ride was strange, and when I oogled my car from behind after parking it in the garage, it looked uneven. So, I pulled it out onto the driveway pad and it still looked odd; lower on the driver side. I was ticked!

Then I found the passenger side tires were at 55 psi while the driver side were at 38 front and 41 rear psi! Adjusted the pressure after the tires cooled to spec and voila, no more tilt.

I never measured, and it probably wasn't an inch, but to my carpenter eyes, it was not level before settling the tires correctly.

Have you checked your psi on all 4 corners?

 

[jasperatl]

This may sound silly, so please forgive me if it does.

When I purchased my Stinger GT2, the delivery team didn't fully do their job. My wife reminded me of this when I was sharing your story.

The pre-delivery guy working the driver side adjusted the tires to spec, while the guy working the passenger side forgot. My ride was strange, and when I oogled my car from behind after parking it in the garage, it looked uneven. So, I pulled it out onto the driveway pad and it still looked odd; lower on the driver side. I was ticked!

Then I found the passenger side tires were at 55 psi while the driver side were at 38 front and 41 rear psi! Adjusted the pressure after the tires cooled to spec and voila, no more tilt.

I never measured, and it probably wasn't an inch, but to my carpenter eyes, it was not level before settling the tires correctly.

Have you checked your psi on all 4 corners?

A totally legit question. I checked several possiblities like that before trekking out to the dealership which isn't exactly around the corner. The dealership at least told me that they took the wheels off and checked each individually. This feels like it should be a quick fix instead of some saga for sure! As an aside....a Stinger G2? I'm jealous

 

[Kwim]

I bought an S trim from Atlanta Kia West a couple of months ago. After a week or so walking up to it in my parking garage, I swore that the car was leaning slightly to the left. So I measured and sure enough the left side of the car is an inch lower than the right side. I call the dealership. They thought I might be mistaken and had me bring it in. When they measured, they were surprised that it was in fact leaning to the left albeit a little less than what I had measured.

And that is where the trouble began. The service mgr sends the info off to KIA and are supposedly waiting for a response. The customer service people are treating me like a pariah because God forbid someone else finds out that their cash cow isn't perfect. Weeks later I've been on the phone with KIA support who haven't been able to do anything because the dealership is privately owned and the dealership has gone radio silent.

Just because the car is driveable doesn't mean that the coming wear and tear plus imbalance (which is getting worse btw) is somehow acceptable in a vehicle that I already paid over sticker.

So my question: has anyone else had this problem? If not, any suggestions on how to get KIA to deal with this? I'm going to post this in all Telluride forums because now they've turned a huge Telluride fanboy into a pissed off customer who's starting to really regret buying from KIA.

1 - As an aircraft engine engineer with 20+ years of experience, I can say the following: There are no qualified mechanics in Canada (I think the situation is similar in the USA). Many can only change the oil, swap wheels, change filters, brake pads, and this is where their knowledge ends.

Where did you measure? It was right to do it between the garage floor and the threshold of the car.
This problem can occur due to incorrect tire pressure. Try to swap the wheels, check the pressure and measure again.

2 - In Canada and probably in the USA, the system is to blame for everything.
As you wrote above correctly, a dealer is an independent business that is open to profit.
How it works: A customer contacts a dealer with a problem. The dealer can make an independent decision, or the dealer can open a high-tech case in the Kia warranty department:
an independent decision - the dealer in this case risks, because after his decision he sends the defective parts to KIA, and that, in turn, decides to pay money (the right decision) or not pay (the wrong decision), and then the dealer incurs losses.
open a high tech case - the dealer does not always bother with this, and some simply do not know how to do it (yes, yes, I have such experience). It's easier for them to send the client far away and say that this is not a guarantee.

If point 1 does not help, contact 2-3 different dealers, get a work order from them with a report and ask to open a high tech case. Call Kia and ask them if this one was open. If the case does not progress, write a claim:

KIA Consumer Assistance Center

ksupport.kiausa.com

If this does not help, as a person filing for the H\K court, I can say that it works. It is not expensive and very simple. I figured out without a lawyer and with bad English.
You will need to make an inspection not at a simple licensed automobile mechanic, but necessarily at an expert witness.
If you have an extra 500 bucks (in canada it cost around 500), you can immediately make such a report. If a defect is indicated in it, already with this report, ask Kia to repair / replace the car.

How would I do in this situation:
1 - contact 2 dealers, received a work order.
2 - turn to Kia with a demand to correct the situation and eliminate the defect.
If that doesn't help.
3 - Contact an expert witness, pay, get a report.
4 - If the report supports your position, contact Kia with a demand to correct the situation and pay your costs.
5 - Go to court.

And writing on the forums does not help in any way, since Kia does not really care.
in Russia, Kia gives a !!!!!!! 1000 km guarantee on the catalyst / converter. There is really bad gasoline, the catalyst / converter stops working and the engine flies. Kia refuses warranty repairs.
And the fact that GDI engines are shit, bullies are formed in the cylinders.
All automobile forums write and nothing, sales of Koreans are only growing.

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[DNeal]

Did you get your issue resolved? I didn’t hear too many things about kia west. They remind me too much of kia of union city which which was just an overall terrible dealership. I have had great success working with the service depart in the kia in McDonough as well as kia south in morrow. This is my 3rd new kia vehicle and I never had problems going to McDonough. Even when my Sorento was out of the bumber to bumber warranty they would check if something was wrong without charging me first.
But I hope you have some resolution on your issue man.