A woman says her brand-new 2025 Kia Telluride developed brake problems within weeks of purchase, but the dealership where she bought it has ignored her calls for help. Now, after multiple failed service attempts and an escalation to corporate, she says she's dealing with yet another mechanical failure. It’s making some people question why anyone would buy a Kia in the first place. Trouble for Kia Customer In a video with more than 22,000 views, mom Harlie Bender (@livingwithhar) describes a series of problems with her 2025 Kia Telluride that she says began almost immediately after she purchased it. "This is for Kia and if you're not Kia, keep scrolling," Bender says, adding in the caption. "I’ve had nothing but issues and dealership’s refusing to contact [me]." Bender says she bought the SUV on May 13, and within the first month noticed brake issues. She contacted the service manager at the local Kia dealership where she purchased the vehicle, but says they refused to call her back. "Still has not given me a callback to this day," she says in the TikTok, which she posted nearly four months after buying the vehicle. OWNERSHIP STORIES Viral stories from across the web Our team of experts tracks what owners are saying about car-shopping, repairs, the daily driving experience and more on social media. After weeks without a response, Bender says she contacted Kia's corporate customer service. While she says the first representative was helpful, she escalated the issue further due to the dealership's continued silence. In the meantime, she took the vehicle to a different Kia dealership nearby. That second dealership kept her car for three hours before diagnosing the issue as the ABS brake system activating normally, suggesting she simply wasn't accustomed to it because her vehicle has off-road tires. Bender wasn't satisfied with that explanation. "I learned how to drive in an F-350. Please don't try to mansplain something to me," she says in the video. When Kia's escalation department contacted her, Bender says the representative asked what she wanted them to do about the situation. "I don't know. You tell me," Bender says. She went on to say they told her she would need to drop off the vehicle without being provided a loaner car, which she found impractical. Gallery: 2027 Kia Telluride teasers Yet Another Issue The brake problem wasn’t Bender's only issue. She says that on the day she recorded the video, her back passenger door wouldn't close properly. After checking for obstructions, she discovered the locking mechanism appeared to be stuck and out of place. "Now I can't leave. I can't even bring it to a dealership to get looked at and fixed. Like, this is a brand new [car]," she continues. In the video's caption, Bender tags Kia Motors directly, writing that she's "had nothing but issues" and describing the brake problems as "a huge safety issue." She says that her husband was able to get the door to close when he came home, but notes she can't return the vehicle to a different brand due to Kia's policies. What Are Your Rights With a Defective New Car? If you've purchased a new vehicle with serious mechanical issues, both federal and state lemon laws exist to protect you. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), most states have lemon laws that require manufacturers to fix problems at no cost if issues occur shortly after purchase, or give buyers the option to get their money back if the product fails to meet quality and performance standards. These protections vary significantly by state. The Center for Auto Safety ranks all 50 states on their lemon law protections, noting that states differ greatly in what qualifies a vehicle as a lemon and what steps consumers must take. Generally, a lemon is defined as a vehicle with manufacturing or design defects that impact its safety or value and cannot reasonably be repaired by the manufacturer. Most state lemon laws require a certain number of unsuccessful repair attempts (typically three to four) or a specific amount of time the vehicle is out of service (usually 30 days) within the warranty period before the vehicle qualifies for replacement or refund. Some states offer stronger protections for serious safety defects, such as brake or steering failures, requiring fewer repair attempts before the consumer is entitled to relief. The CFPB notes that lemon laws generally only cover used cars if they're still under warranty when the problem occurred, or if the defect couldn't be fixed after a reasonable number of repairs. Consumers experiencing these issues can contact their state attorney general or the Federal Trade Commission for more specific information. A Mix of Sympathy and Victim Blaming While people were sympathetic to Bender’s purported Kia nightmare, many of them blamed her for buying a Kia in the first place. "One day y’all will learn it’s either Toyota or Honda or NOTHINGGGGGG," one wrote. "Kia sucks, that’s your first problem…been there, done that. Now I own a Honda and ZERO PROBLEMS," another wrote. Some did offer helpful advice, however. "I would contact an attorney and see if you can have it towed to the original place you bought it at and void out the contract if they’re not going to do anything, this would be considered a lemon," one suggested. Motor1 reached out to Bender via email and Instagram direct message. We’ll update this if she responds. We want your opinion! What would you like to see on Motor1.com? Take our 3 minute survey. - The Motor1.com Team