It feels like, at this point, modern automotive technology should have advanced to the point where fault codes could be recorded and translated into non-gearhead language on an instrument panel. But that is still very much not the case, as shown in a recent Facebook Reel that shows a Kia Telluride’s panel unnecessarily lit up like a Christmas tree. The clip from Adrien Smith, a Kia technician at Northtown Automotive Companies in Amherst, New York, has received more than 800 likes since it was posted in February. It shows the 2020 Telluride flashing every warning light possible, suggesting there’s something almost catastrophic about to happen to its communications system. Quite the opposite, in fact. With the unflappable demeanor of someone who’s seen it all, Smith heads to the vehicle’s rear camera to quickly disconnect it. Turns out the old power-down/reboot trick works in cars as well as in computer equipment. "Everything’s back to normal," he said after seeing the instrument panel looking much less alarming. Communication Breakdown The scan tool readout in the clip points to the real issue: "No C-CAN communication," which in modern vehicles doesn't necessarily mean that a single system has failed. It usually means the car's internal Controller Area Network (CAN) has stopped passing signals between the modules. When that happens, unrelated systems can all start complaining at once. In the Telluride’s case, the instrument cluster flashes warnings for lane departure, stability control, braking systems, and more. To anyone sitting in the driver's seat, the SUV looks like it's on the verge of a total electrical failure. But as Smith explains in the video's comments, the source of the problem turned out to be much smaller. "The camera ended up having water in it shorting the high and low lines together that run inside the camera," he wrote. In other words, the rear backup camera mounted in the tailgate had developed internal moisture, shorting the CAN communication wires running through it. Because the camera is one of the devices connected to the network, that short effectively disrupted communication among multiple control modules. Once the camera was unplugged, the network came back online, and the warning lights disappeared. Technicians watching the video quickly chimed in, saying they had experienced similar situations. "Had the same thing on a Santa Fe," one viewer wrote. "Shorted rear view camera, CAN lines go to it." Another commenter described a nearly identical diagnosis after days of troubleshooting. "Internal CAN short on the backup camera… unplugged it, back to normal, new camera fixed it," they wrote. Translating Fault Codes Into English For mechanics, the tricky part is that communication faults don't necessarily point to the component actually causing the failure. Smith noted in the comments section that the first time he encountered the issue, it took him nearly six hours to isolate and solve. Some viewers suggested the fix might already be documented in a technical service bulletin that could save technicians valuable time. "There’s a TSB on this issue. Scroll your TSBs before diag and it’ll save you a ton of time," one helpful commenter offered. But Smith said the situation isn't always that straightforward. "No TSB on the Kia side maybe for Hyundai," he said, referring to the fact that Hyundai and Kia, while closely related automakers, often maintain separate service information systems even when vehicles share similar hardware. Whatever the documentation situation may be, the video illustrates a reality of modern vehicles: dozens of electronic modules constantly communicate with one another over a shared network. When one component develops an internal short, the entire system can start throwing fault codes. In this Telluride, the sore spot wasn't very deep in the dashboard or hidden in a complex control module. It was simply sitting quietly in the tailgate inside a backup camera that had filled with water, taking the rest of the network down with it. For technicians, cases like this are a reminder that even the most advanced diagnostic tools don't always point directly to the part that's actually causing trouble. The scan tool can tell you that the communication network has gone down, but it can't always tell you which component originated the problem. Sometimes the hunt takes hours. Other times, experience and know-how, like that shown by Smith, make the issue identifiable fairly quickly. And as the comments section made clear, he's far from the only mechanic who's chased a problem like this. Modern vehicles may run on increasingly sophisticated electronics, but when something goes wrong, the solution can still come down to patience, experience, and a willingness to start unplugging things until the car finally decides to talk and cooperate again. Motor1 reached out to Smith via phone and direct message. We’ll update this if they respond. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team
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