Kia Telluride Complaints (2020)

777 consumer complaints on file.

#11703029December 4, 2025
ENGINE
I purchased this vehicle with 109,000 miles on it. After driving for about a month, I noticed a noise and took it in for an inspection. I was told there was no oil in the vehicle and to take it to Kia. Kia told me that was a known issue the the oil consumption and wanted to start testing. I have an extended warranty but I am having to come out of pocket $5000 before a claim can even be started and I have only owned it for 5 months.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11702605December 2, 2025
ENGINE
I was driving down the road and the engine started suddenly making a loud knocking noise. The car was immediately pulled over and put in park and towed to mechanic shop. Mechanic shop stated there was no oil on the engine dipstick and the engine was ruined due to lack of oil. No oil leaks were found. The car is kept in the garage and there is no oil on garage floor that would indicate a leak. The car was maintained with full synthetic oil changes every 6,000 miles. There was no indicator light on dash to alert to an oil problem. I called Kia to report concern, as there is a class action lawsuit for this engine issue in other models, but was told there was no lawsuit or recall with the specific model of engine in my car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11702138November 30, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
The brakes are very spongy all of the sudden, making it very difficult to stop quickly. This is a major concern considering how many people are having this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701473November 25, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
Large chunks of paint are coming off of my vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701330November 24, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Oil consumption problem and oil filter housing needing replacement.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700938November 22, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STRUCTURE:BODY
The 2020 Kia Telluride has an issue with the metal window trim pieces. It was purchased as a Certified Pre-Owned vehicle and we have had to have the trim piece replaced at least three times by the Kia Dealer. The piece keep becoming loose and falling off. Some of the pieces on my vehicle have jus fallen off. At interstate speeds of 70 MPH it would be very dangerous. Fortunately, no incident has happened that has hurt anyone, yet. The 2023-2025 models have been recalled for this exact same issue, and it needs to happen for ALL Kia Telluride models including the 2020-2023 models. It is dangerous and Ken Ganley Kia of New Port Richey is no longer assisting with any sort of warranty or repair unless I do the work. I am having to reach out to Kia and open a case number every time and the dealership is no longer being helpful. This is our primary vehicle used for getting children to school, leisure travel, and daily commuting. Attached are three different incidents of the exact same issue happening. 8/24/2025, 8/11/2025, and 11/21/2025. The dealership also repair some when we initially purchased the vehicle. All work orders can be provided via Ken Ganley Kia of New Port Richey.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700208November 18, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My son was driving home from work and the vehicle shut off. He got it to come back on and it stopped while he was at a red light and a by standard yelled for him to get out of the vehicle as it caught fire underneath the car from unknown reasons.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11699853November 17, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
The original Telluride muffler developed a hole in the rear wall, hidden by the exhaust pipes. Within a week of the noise being noticeable I visited a car wash, afterwards someone asked me what I'd done to my rear bumper? I hadn't hit anything. When I looked, I was shocked. About 15" of the silver trimwork was torn off, still attached. Today I had the muffler replaced at Midas here in Toledo( (at a considerable cost) I asked the manager to look at the damage and told him it wasn't there until after the carwash. He said that the heat from the hole in the muffler had melted the bumper enough so that the brushes in the carwash were able to catch the edge and pull it off. Why is the muffler positioned SO CLOSE to the bumper? Tomorrow(11/18) I will visit the Taylor Kia Dealership(where I purchased the Telluride in 2020. Can there be a recall? Can future Tellurides be equiped with heat shield/different muffler placement?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11699056November 12, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
After 8 months of trips to the shop telling them the engine was bad, and spending thousands to do things it didn’t need trying to get warranty to cover engine, kia finally agreed it had issues. Tore it down and piston rings are bad. There was carbon build up despite regular maintenance and they are telling me warranty won’t replace
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11698772November 11, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
After a few months from purchasing (9/2022), I noticed some weird electrical issues occurring. The first thing I noticed was that sometimes the rear wiper blades would turn on automatically when shifting in reverse when the wiper blades were off. I would turn the rear wiper blades on then off repeated times until they finally stayed in off mode. As time went on, then the drivers side window would roll down automatically after starting the vehicle, and it would not shut all the way after pressing the button. I would have to hold the up button when turning the engine off, just so the window would remain completely closed when parked. Sometimes, this would continue for a week or more...then it would go back to normal for a few months. These issues would continue and others started to arise such as the check engine lights, low battery etc. appearing while starting the vehicle. Sometimes it would say that the engine is on, when it wasn't...so I would hear a warning signal when trying to leave the vehicle with my key fob. I would have to press the stop engine button and wait for it to say that the engine is off. This evolved into the car struggling to start...with a repeated clicking noise being heard. All warning and hazard notifications appear on the main screen and the driver's side window rolls down by itself and it takes 5-7 minutes for it to start, but eventually does. This has been going on now for since March of 2024...so it's not a battery issue, or a starter issue...but based on the nature of these malfunctions...it is electrical issues...which can pose a serious safety threat...especially with a potential electrical fire. What are our options for a potential manufacturer recall? As of this writing, it took roughly 20 minutes to start my vehicle, as it is very cold in Rochester, NY. I recently had my vehicle fully serviced (8/25) and it wasn’t acting up at the time so they couldn’t pinpoint any electrical issues. I took videos of the incidents.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11698328November 8, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Oil consumption, I use full synthetic restore and protect . I change oil every 3500 miles .. after every 500 I have to check it and it’s been low have to add 2-3 quarts . Today started acting sluggish checked oil and my oil was low yet again low this is ridiculous. I’ll never own another kia telluride
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11698343November 8, 2025
ENGINE
My 2020 Telluride started burning excessive oil at 65,000 miles. When the car runs out of oil, it stalls electrical systems such as the ABS and power steering. My car has run out of oil, including during dealer initiated oil consumption tests, 4 times. One of these times I was stopped on a hill. I rolled into traffic, unable to brake or steer! Kia will not admit to this defect in their engines in spite of the thousands of people who have had issues. The Telluride has the same engine as the Hyundai Palisade. Hyundai produced a service bulletin related to oil consumption issues with this engine. Kia has not. My personal car, most recently, burned through 7 quarts of oil in 2,800 miles!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11697830November 6, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Failed windshield Available for inspection Unexpectedly Cracked across full length of windshield Blocking view of road causes glare There is a 2020 model class action suit and many complaints
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11697851November 6, 2025
ENGINE
My 2020 Kia Telluride has undergone three separate oil consumption tests through an authorized Kia dealership. Each test confirmed abnormal oil consumption, yet Kia declined to take corrective action beyond temporary monitoring. The issue has continued to worsen. The engine is now burning oil on the piston, and I am required to check my oil level daily and add oil weekly, even after a fresh oil change. This is not routine maintenance — it is a direct result of a defective engine design that is unable to properly retain or burn oil within acceptable limits. Because the oil burns so quickly, the oil light can appear unexpectedly while driving, creating a dangerous situation if the oil level drops too low. This poses a serious risk of engine seizure or power loss, which could lead to a crash or leave the driver stranded on the road. Manufacturer Response: Kia has acknowledged that the vehicle has a confirmed oil consumption issue but has refused to replace the engine because it is outside of warranty coverage. Instead, the dealership advised me to trade in the vehicle and purchase a new Kia, which is not an acceptable solution. When I questioned this suggestion, I was told that Kia could not guarantee the new vehicle would be free of oil consumption problems because the issue is related to the engine design itself. In other words, Kia is aware of a recurring engine defect but is not providing a remedy for affected vehicles. This is a manufacturer defect that should not be dismissed due to warranty expiration. The repeated documentation of abnormal oil use demonstrates that this problem began long before the warranty period ended. This defect represents a serious safety issue for the following reasons: 1.Risk of engine failure: The Telluride can lose oil rapidly, causing the engine to seize or stall while in motion. 2.Fire hazard: Burning oil within the pistons increases the risk of internal engine fire or smoke. 3.Environmental impact: Constantly burning oil .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11697477November 4, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
White paint is chipping on car
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11697080November 2, 2025
ENGINE
Excessive oil consumption causing monthly oil changes. No low oil indicator causing engine to rattle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11696901November 1, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The engine is consuming oil
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11696909November 1, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Oil Pan and gasket leak Oil Control Valve Harness leak The car leaked 5 quarts of oil without any engine or low oil light being illuminated to communicate this engine problem. The dealership identified the above components failed and caused the oil to leak and lead to potential engine damage
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11696655October 30, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The paint on our white Kia started to peel on the roof and then the hood down to metal. The paint has continued to bubble and peel especially after long drives
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11696687October 30, 2025
ENGINE
High oil consumption
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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