Image Credit: Kia.New York and Pennsylvania plaintiffs have filed a class action lawsuit against Kia in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California because of an alleged defect with the instrument cluster on their Telluride.The plaintiffs allege that the instrument cluster, which displays crucial driver information, keeps going blank, and strangely, the problem seems to vanish when they take their vehicle to the dealership for a fix.As a result, the Kia dealerships have not been able to fix the issue because they were unable to replicate it, meaning the instrument clusters on the Telluride just worked fine.AdvertisementAdvertisementTelluride owners pursuing legal action allege that Kia knew about the defect even before the vehicles were sold, but failed to inform customers.LCD Display That Shows 35 Driver Warnings Goes BustImage Credit: Kia.According to a report by Carcomplaints.com, the 2023-2025 Kia Telluride panoramic digital instrument cluster, a digital LCD display that displays crucial driver information, goes black, rendering it useless.That means the driver is unable to view the "tachometer, turn signal indicators, temperature gauge, speedometer, indicator and warning lights, gear shift position indicator, odometer, trip computer, fuel gauge and driver assistance features."The issue could prevent engine and other critical warnings from reaching the driver. Fed up with the repeated problems and with no resolution in sight, the New York and Pennsylvania plaintiffs, who "purchased or leased, and currently possess" the Telluride, filed a lawsuit. Issue Fails to Occur at the DealershipsMegan O’Neil, the Pennsylvania plaintiff, purchased a pre-owned 2024 Kia Telluride with the instrument cluster failing repeatedly. However, the Kia dealer said it must first see the issue to fix it, meaning the problem did not occur at the dealership.AdvertisementAdvertisementNew York plaintiff Michael Roden, who bought a 2025 Kia Telluride, experienced a failed instrument panel multiple times. However, the issue did not appear when the vehicle was taken to the dealership.Renee Sevor, another plaintiff from New York, faced something similar. Her 2024 Kia Telluride was struck with the instrument cluster problem, but the service department "was unable to replicate the problem, and the defect has not been resolved."The instrument panel cluster on a new 2025 Kia Telluride, belonging to New York plaintiff David Smollett, failed multiple times. The Kia dealership, however, was unable to find a problem with the vehicle.A new 2023 Kia Telluride, belonging to New York plaintiff Chris O’Connell, failed multiple times. He has taken the vehicle to the dealership three times already.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe plaintiffs allege that the Kia sales representatives who sold them the Telluride did not warn them that the instrument cluster was prone to malfunctioning.The class action alleges that Kia was aware that the Telluride instrument cluster was prone to malfunctioning. The report states that a working instrument panel on any vehicle is mandated by law. Its failure in the Kia SUV puts occupants at risk.Some drivers complained that the display screen went black on the day they bought the Telluride. The lawsuit also adds that there is no backup analog cluster that can be used by the driver if the digital cluster fails.In addition, the lawsuit alleges that Kia dealerships have not been able to solve the instrument cluster problems despite the affected vehicles being covered under warranty.
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