The 2023 Telluride Towing Saga - Adding some data and pictures, and it's not great news

[Tucker Dawg]

Must say this is typical of poor response from KIA. I have contacted KIA customer service 3 times - latest just 2 days ago - and they said NOTHING about a letter. They just said "don't know when it will be available" or "No ETA at this time" or, my favorite, "Contact your dealer about options" which is just nuts. The dealer can't do anything.

I really like my 2023 Telluride, but had I known about this - had KIA been honest instead of dealer telling me "It already comes with a hitch" - I would have bought a Honda Pilot or Toyota Highlander. I'm going to have to cancel a vacation trip I've had planned since last August if I can't pull my camper trailer. KIA continues to advertise the great towing abilities and even continues to show picture of a Telluride pulling a trailer!? This is just false advertising, no other way to put it?

 

[bctmst]

Yes, I was not happy with what he told me.

We're in central PA, an hour north of Harrisburg. No large dealers until you get to Philly or Pittsburgh? We aren't in a rush. We have a 2013 Outback with 218k miles that still runs well. We just want a reliable replacement before the Outback fails. We put $500 down for a vehicle in February.

The hitch and harness can't be purchased yet, that's what he says was holding up my order. We thought we had a SX-Xline 'ordered'.

He checked with his manager and called me back. He says we are 3rd on their list for a Telluride.

He says how it works is when it's their turn, Kia will request an order for a Telluride from their dealership and they will provide order info for the next customer/vehicle in line. So our vehicle won't be ordered from Kia until we're 1st in line.

Do I believe him. Not so much... Not until they tell me the vehicle's on it's way.

There is a Kia dealer in Lancaster, OH, Coughlin Kia ... when I went there, they had 69 Tellurides in stock. They seem to get more each week and sell about 10 a week. I went there from Fort Wayne, IN because I couldn't find any to even test drive. I went to Battle Creek, MI to see a blue and jungle green one. Got there the next day and the Blue one was gone already. This dealer is even selling them for $500 below MSRP and you can reserve any on order and they won't charge you more (Battle Creek, MI wanted $1500 over MSRP to hold it, but if you wait till it hits their lot and not sold would let you have it for MSRP). I was on a business trip in Wichita, Kansas and went to a dealer there, they only had one, but it was being delivered the next day so no test drive. He told me that they won't accept CASH, you have to take out a minimum $10,000 loan with Kia so that they can get more cars from Kia. Didn't have that problem with this dealer in Ohio.

 

[bctmst]

So out of curiosity, what do people think Kia will actually do regarding harness/hitches?
1. Provide them at a later date at no charge to have them installed at a Kia Dealer?
2. Provide them at a later date at no charge but you have to pay to have them installed?
3. Offer them for purchase, you buy it and pay someone to install it or diy.
4. Tough luck, your on your own.

From the 2023 window sticker, it specifically fails to mention a tow hitch.
-Tow Mode & Self Leveling do not imply it comes with a hitch.



View attachment 29237

All those things are included, but the Hitch and wiring harness don't say they are included. The vehicle does have a tow mode, and self-leveling rear suspension. I asked what a hitch and harness install cost at the dealer, they said they didn't have prices for the 2023, so I asked about the 2022, and they said about $800.

 

[Sharky]

There is a Kia dealer in Lancaster, OH, Coughlin Kia ... when I went there, they had 69 Tellurides in stock. They seem to get more each week and sell about 10 a week. I went there from Fort Wayne, IN because I couldn't find any to even test drive. I went to Battle Creek, MI to see a blue and jungle green one. Got there the next day and the Blue one was gone already. This dealer is even selling them for $500 below MSRP and you can reserve any on order and they won't charge you more (Battle Creek, MI wanted $1500 over MSRP to hold it, but if you wait till it hits their lot and not sold would let you have it for MSRP). I was on a business trip in Wichita, Kansas and went to a dealer there, they only had one, but it was being delivered the next day so no test drive. He told me that they won't accept CASH, you have to take out a minimum $10,000 loan with Kia so that they can get more cars from Kia. Didn't have that problem with this dealer in Ohio.

Wow... There's a dealer here, in Austin, TX, that tacks on $10,000 above MSRP - and apparently gets it...

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[tyger23]

Wow... There's a dealer here, in Austin, TX, that tacks on $10,000 above MSRP - and apparently gets it...

I can confirm that statement was true as late as November last year.

 

[tyger23]

For anyone who's following along - the Canadian dealer is telling me "at lest 3 more weeks" on the wiring harness. This has been the same line since December. I'm losing hope.

 

[edlagace]

I'm about to purchase the 2023 on Saturday and was wondering if there's any updates on the wiring harness.

 

[edlagace]

For anyone who's following along - the Canadian dealer is telling me "at lest 3 more weeks" on the wiring harness. This has been the same line since December. I'm losing hope.

great, this really puts a damper on things. They better hurry up

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[tyger23]

I'm about to purchase the 2023 on Saturday and was wondering if there's any updates on the wiring harness.

If you have an immediate need to tow anything that requires more than a 4-pin flat harness, then I'd honestly look elsewhere. If you're good with a 4-pin flat harness, then there are aftermarket solutions that should work. (The Tekonsha 118881 product in connection with any 2022 compatible trailer hitch).

 

[joespara]

For anyone who's following along - the Canadian dealer is telling me "at lest 3 more weeks" on the wiring harness. This has been the same line since December. I'm losing hope.

that sucks - we are all waiting to see if this part works as expected. I am happily using my truck to tow and have no issues but I want to get the aftermarket harness removed eventually.

 

[John Jacobsen]

For anyone who's following along - the Canadian dealer is telling me "at lest 3 more weeks" on the wiring harness. This has been the same line since December. I'm losing hope.

Well I heard 6 then 5 then 4 and now you’re hearing 3. Is that from Hyundai Parts Pro in Ontario? Last I heard from them was 4 so the optimist in me thinks that could be positive news. I can afford to wait another 4 weeks before deciding on aftermarket. Long range forecast for our area is not favourable for April boating!

 

[Tell-your-ride]

Same issue on my 2023 SX. I will be following along.

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[G-942571]

I just spoke with my Sales guy again, his dealership has received ZERO information about tow hitch availability...unreal...

 

[surferd15]

So the Tekonsha 118881 apparently is discontinued or not being manufactured. You can't get one anywhere and the problem is they do say it is compatible for a Kia Telluride however the wire connectors are not the same. This is confirmed, and the correct kit is 118882 (which isn't made yet) This harness plugs into the rear factory wiring for the lights to get a signal. The Kia uses a specific Ket 6 (Korean Electronics Terminal), which is apparently different from the Palisade. I tried a Genesis harness but that wire connector is to small. In an attempt to get things done without splicing into the car. I ordered a set of Ket 6 connectors. I am going to attempt to use a kit from Curt or Tekonsha and rewire the kits connectors to the match the Kias so I can plug and play. I'll start this project soon. Wish me luck. (I already ordered one from Canada and I am waiting) like everyone else.

 

[surferd15]

After reading through all 11 pages of this thread can anyone clean this up? We have ppl posting about 21 and 22 years, ppl talking about ordering hitches and dealers selling at such n such prices. Should be tow hitch/ harness stuff only.

 

[2020Telly]

After reading through all 11 pages of this thread can anyone clean this up? We have ppl posting about 21 and 22 years, ppl talking about ordering hitches and dealers selling at such n such prices. Should be tow hitch/ harness stuff only.

Basically nothing is known to work plug and play yet for a 2023. Kia is allegedly sending out a letter on May 16 to 23 owners to explain stuff. The only thing that works for a tow harness is splicing into the vehicle wiring. In terms of the actual hitch, the previous model year hitch but no one has seen what the new 23 bumper insert/cover will look like. Some owners have installed the old hitch and cut the blanking panel nicely to fit.

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[surferd15]

Basically nothing is known to work plug and play yet for a 2023. Kia is allegedly sending out a letter on May 16 to 23 owners to explain stuff. The only thing that works for a tow harness is splicing into the vehicle wiring. In terms of the actual hitch, the previous model year hitch but no one has seen what the new 23 bumper insert/cover will look like. Some owners have installed the old hitch and cut the blanking panel nicely to fit.

Yes I know this.. I was trying to make a solution and reading through non essential info took forever..
However the stock connectors I can not locate. Why Kia used those is beyond me. It is only 4 wires and could be a simple pin connector instead they use a specific version of a Ket 6 / Ket 3 connector. That is prob the issue with companies trying to make a t type connector that attach to the taillights (which I was trying to do). I needed it next week so I gave up trying to make a connector. I was going to repin the tailights with a simpler more common connector but was just easier to splice one in. I used a Tekonsha 118786 ( $64 on amazon) cut the connectors off. This is essentially now an universal fit type harness. )Same specs for fuse ratings, wire system etc, as the intended 118882).This is cheaper than buying the marketed universal one. I than just wired it into the taillights. Two on driver side, one on passenger. I removed the tailights and wired it in behind it. No need to pull panels inside the car. Grounded the converter box on a pre-existing stud, and mounted it in the factory location of the 22s. Ran power wire under the car and tucked behind the trim that runs along the side underneath. Attached to fuse box with the included fuse. Today I will wire in the 4 pin to 7 pin adapter. Done. Tired of waiting. In all spent under a $100. I'll still take the Hyundai palisade harness that we all are waiting for. I wonder if it actually does anything different than this like automatically activating trailer mode or doing anything with the sensors, if not than I'm not wasting money on it. I like the Tekonsha kits they are far superior to Curt. If this was a 23 Palisade the connectors on the tailights are more common. If anyone knows how to get the connectors I'll be glad to make a harness. I'll post pictures if anyone is interested.

 

[surferd15]

And done

 

[Swimfast]

First time writer long time follower (especially the posts regarding this issue). I have (after waiting 2 days short of 14 months) a beautiful 2023 Telly SX prestige X line. I recently purchased a Stealth Hitch Rack and Tow Combo (2023 model “not wired for towing”). Retail cost is high $867 (before shipping and tax) but their solution works.

If you go to Stealth Hitch website, you will see they now have a very comprehensive installation instruction with clear pictures. The tow kit I used was their Rack + Tow Combo - 2023 models not pre-wired for towing with the SHT25060 wire kit (even though my dealer said the vehicle was prewired which it was not). The tow rack fits well with no issues during install and no bumper trimming required. Note: I plan on compensating for the low hitch position for my 18.5 fish and ski by adding a 2” ball that rises a total of 4" when winter is done, if the self-leveling feature on the Telly does not work well.

On the electrical side, taking the taillight assembly off for the turn signals (page 7, step 11) was scary, as there are 4 distinct plastic snaps (but nothing broke for me). Also, the light assembly pulls off very hard (page 7, step 12) but after the three bolts are removed it's just two rubber grommets and the wire assembly that holds the lights in place.

Running the separate wire to the battery was just OK. Where their instructions say to ‘lift up’ (page 8, step 16), it seemed more complicated than that. What I ended up doing was to loosen the top two panel bolts around the front head light first, get the tab out from under the light assembly and then push the panel towards the engine and then "lift up". Even with all that I broke one plastic clip, but super glue fixed that.

One other detail - Pay close attention to the clamp-on connectors Page 10. There is an orientation for the connectors based on wire insulation thickness. Even knowing this, they might not really pierce the wire insulation, so I just stripped my wire harness down to the wires (after my electrical check failed the first time) and now it works great.

Two last thoughts. As can be seen on Stealth Hitch’s itemized description list Page 6, they provide a 7 pole to 4 pole adapter for their passive wiring kit. I had a 7 pole to 7 pole adapter from my last vehicle so this was not a problem for me. Also (MY BIG FAT DISCLAIMER HERE) please review the instructions first (a couple of times) even before ordering. I sincerely hope this helps everyone, but obviously you take responsibility for your own use of this product and any of my details written above are not an official guideline or assembly instruction.

 

[Capt Nemo]

My local dealer says that Kia plans to ship them hitch assembly & wiring harness to resolve this issue in August….hopefully he is accurate.