We’ve come to the point of late stage capitalism where your door handles now need a software update.
You’d think something as simple as a door handle on a vehicle would offer a lifetime of trouble-free operation because it’s largely just a hinge that locks. Also, door handles have been a thing since the dawn of cars.
Not so for 2023 Kia Telluride owners.
A TSB for 2023-2024 Tellurides built between Feb 2023 – June 2023 was issued earlier last year, informing owners that their door handles would need to come in for a software update.
Apparently, owners were reporting that, despite being in proximity to their Tellurides, their doors would not open.
Turns out a little tweaking of the software of the capacitive touch function in the door is all that’s needed to bring a potentially faulty door handle back to 100 percent functioning order.
Since these new Kias don’t have over-the-air updates (yet), a trip to your local dealership is in order.
Here’s the TSB for you to look over, a technician must take off each door handle and use a special piece of update kit hardware to re-write the code for the door handle.
According to one Kia Telluride owner On TellurideForum.org, the whole process takes up to two hours and, after the update, seems to improve the functionality of the capacitive touch function.
“Had the update done. Took the dealer about two hours. So far… the doors lock and unlock,” user Amutti commented earlier this January.
“I think it does work better now. I use to have to hold the handle a bit longer than what felt natural to unlock the door. Now it is instantaneous.”
Kia Technian /u/Tw0n0 shared a photo of a Telluride door handle being update to the /r/JustRolledIntoTheShop subreddit.
“Just doing an update on a door handle,” their caption reads.
Just doing a software update on a door handle.
byu/Tw0n0 inJustrolledintotheshop
Thankfully, removing these door handles is apparently easy according to the tech, so it’s a relatively stress-free type of update, just inefficient and an arguable waste of a tech’s (valuable) time.
If you own a Telluride built between the dates above, carve out a couple of hours to stop by a dealership, unless you don’t mind wonky working door handles.
Lucky me – Mine was the first my dealership had last year with this problem (built MAY 2023). I also had a defective driver’s side door handle. They replaced the door handle, did the update, and it’s worked fine since then. The passenger door handle never failed, just the driver’s side.