2022 Kia Telluride - Trim is degrading

2022 Telluride moldings around the windows on both sides is faded, one and a half years old and Rick Case KIA advised me the molding warranty is for 12 months. Amazing they will not fix this problem on a new vehicle that is a irregularity from KIA. Dominick Weston, Florida

Your dealer lied to you. Find another or hire a lawyer…

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Unless the manufacturer’s 5 yr/60k miles Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty specifically excludes–in writing–trim pieces and moldings, then your problem should be covered. Wear & tear items–like brake pads and wiper blades–are not covered, but–normally–everything else on the car is covered… unless the problem is the result of owner negligence or a collision.

I suggest that you first read the exact details of the warranty (it should be sitting in your glove box, in a special booklet), and if it doesn’t exclude trim pieces and moldings, your next step should be to contact the Kia folks at the corporate level. Contact info can be found in your Owner’s Manual.

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Thank you. I appreciate the feedback.

They may balk at aesthetic issues and/or try to blame it on how you cared for the vehicle or other environmental conditions. One option you could explore is to visit an auto detailing company and get their advice. It may be something easy for them to address. If not, perhaps they can provide a professional assessment of the trim- indicating the coating is degrading prematurely that will help bolster your case with the manufacturer.

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Great advice & Thank you…

Color fade on a plastic part at year 2? I expect the best course to document the situation, and otherwise just live w/it. Also, try to avoid parking in direct sunlight.

This time I disagree with you, George. The OP bought a new car in Florida, where Kia is happy to sell as many as they can, he used it in Florida and it’s deteriorating much faster than it should. Maybe the loss is small, maybe it doesn’t diminish the usefulness of the car, but when you spend quite a lot of money on a new vehicle you have good reason to expect it will stay quite complete and not start to rot away within 2 years. In 6 or 8 years, maybe, but 2? Nope.

The person you talked to at the dealership is full of hot air. If it’s bothering you, go over him to the next level of management, or complain to the Kia company as is laid out in your warranty.

Thank you!

The Kia dealer is probably trying to hide behind this exclusion in the warranty, page 9:

“Changes to vehicle appearance caused by normal
use and exposure, corrosion to underlying metal
when paint integrity is not consistently maintained”

I’d argue 2 years is too soon, you may need to elevate this, but Kia/Hyundai have a reputation of not being cooperative.

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You are correct They are hiding something trying to say a car wash may have done this. I’ve owned several vehicles in my life and never had an issue like this. Poor quality to say the least!
Thank you