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Kia Telluride Trailer Brake Lights Fail With Smart Cruise

NHTSA campaign 20V436000 · Reported 2020-07-28 · Kia Motors America

medium How serious is it? About this label

Moderate — the vehicle drives and brakes normally, but the missing trailer brake lights raise the chance of being hit from behind while towing, so be careful using Smart Cruise Control with a trailer until it is fixed.

What's wrong, in plain English

When you tow a trailer with your Telluride and use Smart Cruise Control, the system can slow the vehicle down on its own. On these vehicles, the trailer's brake lights do not come on when that happens. Drivers behind you get no signal that you are slowing down, so they may not brake in time. Federal lighting rules require those lights to work. The dealer will add a wire to the main fuse box so the trailer lights come on.

What you should do

1. Look up your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if your 2020 Telluride is included. 2. Contact a Kia dealer to have the extra wire harness installed, Kia recall number SC194. 3. The repair is free. Kia customer service: 1-800-333-4542.

Affected vehicles (1)

2020 Kia Telluride

Who to contact

Kia — official Kia recall lookup

Customer service: 1-800-333-4542

Any franchised dealer for the brand can do the repair. Phone numbers are taken from manufacturer sites and recent NHTSA notices; if one has changed, the number in your own recall letter is the one to use.

The bigger picture

Kia electrical recalls: fire, lost power and dead lights explained · all 19 Kia recalls in this area

Official notice

Component: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING
Summary: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020 Telluride vehicles equipped with Smart Cruise Control (SCC). When a trailer is connected to the vehicle, the trailer brake lights will not illuminate when the SCC applies the brakes. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Safety risk: Inoperative trailer brake lights can fail to warn other drivers that the vehicle is slowing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional wire harness to the main fuse box to signal the trailer brake lights, free of charge. The recall began September 10, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC194.

Verify your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov. Recall repairs are free of charge by law.