Towing tongue weight only 350 pounds?

[Lou Panozzo]

Ok

 

[Lou Panozzo]

I called KIA a while back and was told the same thing... I had, PREVIOUSLY Called KIA in Washington DC as well as wrote to their HQ in Irvine, CA. Since then, on the phone, I have been assured the 351# tongue weight IS a mistake... 500# sticker to cover the number in our manuals is coming... LOL I also told them that since so many of us wanted TOWING and they put the LAME 4 pin connector on the vehicle...I thought those who ordered it should have a 7 pin (brake connector) installed at NO ADDITIONAL COST!!! Met with silence LOL but nothing ventured, nothing gained... I was also told that the Dealers should be able to install the 7 pin system to alleviate any issues with Warranties...although aftermarket installations should have their own warranties should any other failure be attributed to them and not KIA. I would NOT have bitched but...in my state you need to have a Brake Connector if you tow more than 1650#. Just saying to them...give us something we can actually use than to have a place to intall a Bicycle or Little Rascal to our rears.

I really wish Kia would come out with a factory fix for the 7 pin wiring harness. Then the vehicle would be “perfect”... that is the only issue I am having. I look at all the 3 row vehicles on the road. Don’t understand way they only went with the 4 pin.

 

[Steve in Denver]

TBH I wouldn't worry that much about the hitch / tongue weight. I'm not sure why people on the board are so obsessed by that.

Because if you tow a trailer while exceeding the manufacturers rating, you are creating a legal liability for yourself.

I have always seen tongue weight recommendations of “10-15%”, so it’s surprising that they say tongue weight should be a maximum of 10%. At less than 10% tongue weight, trailer sway becomes a real possibility.

I almost think it’s a mistake. Maybe they meant 351kg, which would correspond to ~15% tongue weight at 5000 lb trailer weight. Wishful thinking, probably.

I’m one of those people who is in a holding pattern because of the towing confusion. Telluride seems like a fantastic value for such a well done vehicle, but towing is a must have for me, so I need to figure that out before I could pull the trigger.

Another significant annoyance is that the cargo capacity (weight) is significantly less for 7 seat configurations for some reason. It looks like all 7 seat configurations also have the 20” wheels, so I assumed the max weight difference was due to the tire load rating (a common limiting factor), but I checked the tires, and the 20” ties have plenty of capacity...so that doesn’t seem like the issue. Does anyone know what is going on with the different load ratings (GVWR) for the 7 vs 8 passenger configurations?

Steve

 

[Steve in Denver]

I just saw the recent posts saying the 351 lb tongue weight is a typo. That’s good news.

The 7 pin connector is an obvious problem, too. If I can fit a 7 pin round connector in the space provided, I don’t mind doing a bit of fabrication to get that to work. Running extra wiring for the brakes is a bit of a hassle, but it wouldn’t be the first time...so not a deal breaker for me.

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[Lou Panozzo]

Because if you tow a trailer while exceeding the manufacturers rating, you are creating a legal liability for yourself.

I have always seen tongue weight recommendations of “10-15%”, so it’s surprising that they say tongue weight should be a maximum of 10%. At less than 10% tongue weight, trailer sway becomes a real possibility.

I almost think it’s a mistake. Maybe they meant 351kg, which would correspond to ~15% tongue weight at 5000 lb trailer weight. Wishful thinking, probably.

I’m one of those people who is in a holding pattern because of the towing confusion. Telluride seems like a fantastic value for such a well done vehicle, but towing is a must have for me, so I need to figure that out before I could pull the trigger.

Another significant annoyance is that the cargo capacity (weight) is significantly less for 7 seat configurations for some reason. It looks like all 7 seat configurations also have the 20” wheels, so I assumed the max weight difference was due to the tire load rating (a common limiting factor), but I checked the tires, and the 20” ties have plenty of capacity...so that doesn’t seem like the issue. Does anyone know what is going on with the different load ratings (GVWR) for the 7 vs 8 passenger configurations?

Steve

 

[jeffo65]

I just saw the recent posts saying the 351 lb tongue weight is a typo. That’s good news.

The 7 pin connector is an obvious problem, too. If I can fit a 7 pin round connector in the space provided, I don’t mind doing a bit of fabrication to get that to work. Running extra wiring for the brakes is a bit of a hassle, but it wouldn’t be the first time...so not a deal breaker for me.

If you remove the 4 pin connector the metal holder/tab on the Telluride has the cutout for the round 7 pin connector. So the connector/plug is made for the round plug.

 

[SusxMedic]

Hi all,
Lucked into a SXP that someone had backed out of that same morning I called to check stock. Love the vehicle, but now have concerns about towing.
I have a boat, 4000lb, trailer has surge brakes and a 5 pin straight. If what I know is true, the 5th pin is to deactivate the reverse lock of the surge brakes so you can back up the trailer.
I'm happy with the updated 500lb pin weight, but concerned with the bulletin that says 1650 tow without brakes, 5000 with brakes.

How do I get my brakes to work properly on my boat trailer if all Kia supplies is a 4 pin harness? I have found adapters for 4 straight to 5 straight, but do we really need to do workarounds like that (pulling interior trim and panels to tap into reverse light wires) to have a modern brake system? Thanks for the input...

 

[Steve in Denver]

Hi all,
Lucked into a SXP that someone had backed out of that same morning I called to check stock. Love the vehicle, but now have concerns about towing.
I have a boat, 4000lb, trailer has surge brakes and a 5 pin straight. If what I know is true, the 5th pin is to deactivate the reverse lock of the surge brakes so you can back up the trailer.
I'm happy with the updated 500lb pin weight, but concerned with the bulletin that says 1650 tow without brakes, 5000 with brakes.

How do I get my brakes to work properly on my boat trailer if all Kia supplies is a 4 pin harness? I have found adapters for 4 straight to 5 straight, but do we really need to do workarounds like that (pulling interior trim and panels to tap into reverse light wires) to have a modern brake system? Thanks for the input...

Yes, you will have to do something custom in order to make it work for your situation. You aren't limited to 1650 lbs, since you *do* have brakes...you just need the reverse signal to lock out the brakes, as you described.

If you don't want to mess with it yourself, take it to a competent trailer shop and have them add what you need. Unfortunately Kia doesn't really have much experience in the tow vehicle arena, so they don't really have a complete package. At least they did provide a dedicated connection to get the brake/running/turn lights, along with power. That's a lot better than what my Sienna provided.

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[Heather]

Depends on what you are trying to tow. The 2020 explorer only has 600lbs more towing capacity @ 5,600. If you search some of the more recent posts there are Kias towing small travel trailers and boats. I myself am towing a 4,100 lb travel trailer without issues on my Palisade, the same chassis as the telluride. Can both the explorer and telluride tow at max capacity? Probably. But the rule of thumb with ANY towing scenario is try to keep yourself in the 80% rule of actual towing capacity so you give yourself a margin of safety.

What brake contoller did you install?

 

[Heather]

Kia motors incorrectly had tongue weight in manual at 350 lbs. The correct tongue weight capacity is 500 lbs. maximum trailer weight w/o brakes system is 1650 lbs. with brakes system 5000lbs. See attached

So what brand of brake controller did you add?

 

[Garydotka]

So what brand of brake controller did you add?

Quite simply, the Tellie tow package should have come with a proper 5/7 pin trailer connector at the rear, a fully wired harness to that connector, a connector under the dash for an aftermarket trailer brake controller to be plugged-in, and an open spot in the fuse panel for a trailer brake relay to be plugged-in. Better yet, their towing package (or an additional option) could have included a factory installed brake controller... as most real tow packages do these days ( e.g. the Durango, as just one example). Kia needs to hire a couple engineers with vehicle tow design experience - so it doesn’t all fall on their Customers or U-Haul hackers. For certain, the dealers had no clue when the vehicle first came out. There are a lot of safety issues involved, not to mention electrical considerations for wiring current, fuses, etc. Its too easy to screw it up if you don’t know what you are doing. I badly wanted to buy a Tellie, but passed it up due to its towing shortcomings. A new Ram 1500 did the trick for me - with even more interior luxuries and a quieter and smoother ride ( the ‘S Class’ of pick-ups) - albeit at 1/2 the mpg’s of a Telluride.

 

[bogie]

So what brand of brake controller did you add?

Have you looked at this:

Echo: A Wireless Brake Controller for Your Smartphone

Echo is a first-of-its-kind Bluetooth® brake controller that wirelessly syncs with your smartphone. Its compact, portable design allows for easy, app-enabled access and easy transfer from one vehicle to another. This wireless trailer brake controller is also convenient to store when not in use.

www.curtmfg.com

Less wiring to the front of the vehicle. I do not have this yet - but looks interesting.

FWIW

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[Steve in Denver]

I have used a Tekonsha Prodigy (P3, I think?) brake controller on a different vehicle and plan to install it on the telluride (maybe tomorrow?)....I have found it to be good for my needs. It’s proportional (applies more or less trailer brake depending on how fast you are decelerating) and has adjustable boost levels (initial boost to the trailer braking when you first apply the brakes) etc. The display is also nice to have (some controllers have a much simpler screen/ UI)

 

[mshabana]

Wow, I forgot that I made that post, it was so long ago! Thanks for replying back with that info, I ended up purchasing the Palisade and that trailer. My loaded weight is at the most about 4,100 pounds, and it tows beautifully now with an Andersen weight distribution hitch, which at 58 pounds works perfect with the tongue hitch weight. No need now for a Durango, Cherokee or pathfinder!

Does the Palisade have the trailer brake controller or did you install it yourself?
I'm very new to towing and I am very very confused with the Telluride towing package ?
I do not plan to tow a lot.Only a flatbed utility trailer or one of those U-Haul Cargo trailers that we will have to use to haul all of our belongings when me and my family move to a new home.
So my questions are:
1) Do most flat bed trailers and cargo trailers come with a 4 pin connector?
2) How to go about installing or adding a Trailer brake controller if towing more than 1650 lbs,since it is not safe to haul more than that weight without the brake controller?
Also,is the 1650 weight limit the gross or just the trailer weight?


Any help is appreciated.

 

[Kwork]

We ordered our telluride sx awd with a towing package. We ordered it in July and just got it last week (January). We are completely novices when it comes to towing anything, but figured we rather have the option than not have it. I’m going to look through the paperwork and manual and see what it actually says... lol hope this helps.

 

[jw_tx21]

Does the Palisade have the trailer brake controller or did you install it yourself?
I'm very new to towing and I am very very confused with the Telluride towing package ?
I do not plan to tow a lot.Only a flatbed utility trailer or one of those U-Haul Cargo trailers that we will have to use to haul all of our belongings when me and my family move to a new home.
So my questions are:
1) Do most flat bed trailers and cargo trailers come with a 4 pin connector?
2) How to go about installing or adding a Trailer brake controller if towing more than 1650 lbs,since it is not safe to haul more than that weight without the brake controller?
Also,is the 1650 weight limit the gross or just the trailer weight?


Any help is appreciated.

There is a whole thread or threads on these issues. Search around - "trailer brake", "towing weight". The trailer brake controller is not installed on either the Palisade or Telluride. It can be installed by a professional, or you can do it yourself.

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[mshabana]

There is a whole thread or threads on these issues. Search around - "trailer brake", "towing weight". The trailer brake controller is not installed on either the Palisade or Telluride. It can be installed by a professional, or you can do it yourself.

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[Vietvet]

I got a letter from KIA today... It had the tag to officially put in the manual..."corrected to 500#" and another safety tag to put on for a safety issue with the 2nd row seats.

 

[Kwork]

What our manual states:

 

[bogie]

You must have gotten the revised manual... from my PDF of the manual

This is why they are sending the stickers referred to by @Vietvet