Kia class action lawsuit overview:
- Who: Plaintiff Marc Brenman filed a class action lawsuit against Kia America Inc.
- Why: Brenman claims Kia manufactured and sold Telluride SUVs with a defect that causes the battery to drain while the car is turned off.
- Where: The class action lawsuit was filed in California federal court.
A new class action lawsuit alleges Kia Telluride vehicles contain a defect that can cause the battery to drain while the vehicle is turned off, resulting in various electrical malfunctions and safety hazards.
Plaintiff Marc Brenman claims the defect affects Telluride models from model years 2020 through 2026 and can leave drivers stranded with an inoperable vehicle.
Brenman argues the defect, which he refers to as the “Parasitic Drain Defect,” is caused by a failure in the vehicle’s electronic control module, which regulates the flow of electricity between the battery and other components.
Brenman claims the defect causes the battery to drain excessively while the vehicle is turned off and creates power surges or uneven power supplies while driving.
The class action lawsuit alleges the defect can lead to stalled engines, failure of essential safety components like the speedometer and power steering, and costly battery replacements.
Kia accused of hiding Telluride battery defect
Brenman claims Kia has been aware of the defect since at least 2021 through consumer complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and its own pre-release testing.
Despite this knowledge, Brenman claims Kia has not issued a recall or informed consumers about the defect, which can manifest quickly after purchase and is detectable through common pre-sale tests, the Kia class action lawsuit alleges.
Brenman claims he began experiencing battery issues with his 2021 Kia Telluride in the fall of 2025, including dashboard messages indicating the battery was discharging to an external device.
He says the problem persisted even after he replaced the battery, and he was eventually forced to jump-start the vehicle with an external power source. He also claims he took the vehicle to a Kia dealership, but the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the battery drain and charged him for the service.
Brenman wants to represent a nationwide class of consumers who purchased or leased a Kia Telluride from model years 2020 through 2026.
He is suing for violations of the Maryland Consumer Protection Act, fraud, fraudulent omission, breach of express warranty, breach of implied warranty and unjust enrichment and is seeking certification of the Kia class action, damages, fees, costs and a jury trial.
In 2024, two consumers filed a class action lawsuit alleging the same Telluride SUV models from 2020-2024 have a life-threatening brake defect and that the company has not issued a recall for or released a reliable fix.
What do you think of the claims made in this Kia class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Tina Wolfson, Robert R. Ahdoot, Christopher E. Stiner and Lisa Cintron of Ahdoot & Wolfson P.C. and Carter E. Greenbaum of Greenbaum Olbrantz LLP.
The Kia Telluride class action lawsuit is Brenman v. Kia America Inc., Case No. 8:26-cv-01428, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California.
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9 thoughts onKia class action alleges Telluride SUVs have severe battery drain defect
I have a KIA Telluride 2020 and had to replace the battery. I took it in to the Dealership and was told the battery was too small and that I needed to replace it. I did so and still had the same problem. I had to jump start the vehicle everywhere I went. And let me not forget about the oil situation. When I purchased my vehicle it had zero oil in it. It started to drive really crappy. Had a friend check the oil dipstick. Nada not a single drop. I like my vehicle however it is questionable.
I wondering this is also true of the Sportage. I have seen some type of battery warning on mine. Have gad a year. Also, will have to buy new tires soon. I know many brands have inexpensive factory tires but should be better for price. Don’t need the stop and start button. Dealership in my area is not great on customer service. Not sure if I,would even get the recall notices from them. Cruise malfunctions sometimes also. But other than all those thongs, still getting me down the road. For now.
We have a 2020 Telluride we bought in 2022. We have gone through 4 batteries and 2 alternators. The dealership still refused to accept responsibility.
I had a 2024 Kia Telluride and d few months later had a very alarming thing happen. As I was backing out of a parking spot I went to put on the brake and the car wouldn’t stop snd I luckily crashed into some beautiful flowerbeds and bushes at our golf club. The same thing happened at least 3 other times. I nearly missed hitting my friends close by. I wasn’t sure if it was me or the brake and then I just ended my lease and didn’t want to say snything. that would affect my turn in value.
We purchased a 2027 telluride in February and our car has been back at the dealer for three weeks now with no recent update except for the same reasons in this class action. Battery drain defect.
I purchased the 2027 Kia Telluride in February and I have not noticed this issue yet. I experienced the defect where the car phone randomly won’t unlock when you walk up to the vehicle and randomly won’t lock when you touch to lock.
I have a 2022 kia telluride s and my battery was fine last visit and outta nowhere it started hesitating to start after a few stops in one day I have to use a jump box to start it
Got my Kia Nero 03/2025 and its had a recall on it and now my car does the same thing as the telluride 2x this year it as let me strained because the battery drain while off get back to my car and it won’t start the electric window won’t roll up or down stop in the middle and have to roll all the way down to roll all the way back up so I want to start a class action on the 22 niro
Just got a new battery for my wife care two weeks ago because it was dead smh. The people tested it and said it just needed to be charged but I don’t want to chance it.