Certain 2023-2025 Kia Telluride SUVs Plagued by Digital Display Defect, Class Action Lawsuit Says

New to ClassAction.org? Read our Newswire Disclaimer

A proposed class action lawsuit alleges that certain 2023-2025 Kia Telluride SUVs are plagued by a dangerous defect that can cause a vehicle’s panoramic digital instrument cluster display to suddenly go blank during normal operation.

Want to stay in the loop on class action lawsuits that matter to you? Sign up for ClassAction.org’s free weekly newsletter.

The 41-page lawsuit alleges that Kia has “actively concealed” a latent defect that can cause the fully digital, 12.3-inch panoramic LCD instrument cluster display in the Telluride models at issue to “spontaneously” and/or intermittently go blank. When the problem manifests, the suit says, drivers are deprived of critical safety information, such as vehicle speed, fuel level and range, gear selection, tire pressure monitoring system status, warning and malfunction indicators, collision avoidance, Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) alerts, and more.

The complaint alleges that Kia has “actively concealed” the instrument cluster defect from consumers and has failed to repair affected Telluride SUVs when the problem manifests, leaving drivers to pay for costly repairs on their own.

According to the filing, the Telluride digital instrument display is a replacement for traditional analog gauges that display real-time safety information. The suit emphasizes that when the Telluride display defect manifests, the total loss of visual access to safety-critical information increases the risk of a crash, given that a driver is unable to, for instance, confirm vehicle speed and adjust relative to speed limits and/or driving conditions.

Moreover, the case says that a blank digital instrument cluster display prevents a driver from knowing if their tires become dangerously underinflated, if their engine overheats, if an airbag or braking system fault occurs, or if the vehicle’s battery or alternator fails.

To make matters worse, when the Telluride digital display goes blank, “each and every” ADAS safety feature touted by Kia—such as lane keep assistance, blind-spot collision warnings, smart cruise control, and others—is simultaneously rendered unable to alert the driver, apart from audible beeps or chimes. However, the case says some consumers have reported that when the cluster display has gone blank, audible chimes also stopped functioning, “compounding” the safety risks.

“There is no independent display, no redundant screen, and no analog or mechanical fallback,” the lawsuit emphasizes.

Despite being aware of the digital display defect through information received by dealerships, complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and internal records, including pre-release testing, Kia has not issued a recall of the defective Telluride SUVs or offered consumers an adequate repair, the complaint says.

The lawsuit adds that Kia, which touts its five-year/60,000-mile limited basic warranty, has “systematically failed” to provide consumers with a no-cost fix for the digital display defect as required by the warranty. Instead, Kia has either declined to repair the defect or directed consumers to pay additional out-of-pocket costs, the suit says. 

The Kia America class action lawsuit seeks to cover all individuals who purchased or leased, and currently possess, a 2023-2025 Kia Telluride vehicle equipped with a12.3-inch panoramic digital instrument cluster display 
in New York or Pennsylvania.

Looking for current class action lawsuits to join? Check out ClassAction.org’s class action lawsuit list.