Kia Telluride Complaints

2,086 consumer complaints on file.

#11747890July 2, 2026
ENGINE
My 2025 Kia Telluride has experienced seven engine overheating events across three separate incidents, all under identical conditions: air conditioning on while climbing in altitude on Colorado mountain highways. Incident 1 (XXX: Driving from [XXX] to [XXX]. Engine temperature gauge reached H and the "Engine Overheated" warning displayed. Pulled over and allowed engine to cool. Vehicle taken to Kia dealership; diagnostics found no fault. Incident 2 (XXX): Driving to [XXX]. Vehicle overheated twice on the same trip. Dealership kept vehicle for multiple days; reported no issues found. Incident 3 (XXX): Driving to [XXX]. Vehicle overheated FOUR times during the trip, including in an area with no cellular reception. Occupants included an infant and a [XXX]. Had the engine failed completely, we would have been stranded with no ability to call for emergency assistance. The failure is consistent and reproducible in real-world conditions (sustained grade + AC load) but has not been reproduced by dealership diagnostics performed at the shop. No fault codes were reportedly stored. The pattern is consistent with a cooling system deficiency under high load (cooling fan circuit, condenser airflow, or thermostat), and similar complaints from other Telluride owners describe the same scenario with dealers unable to replicate. Safety concern: repeated loss of propulsion capability on steep mountain grades, risk of engine failure and stranding in remote areas without cell coverage, with young children aboard. Two dealer service visits have not resolved the defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11747748July 1, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
Sunroof issue with the air dam that lifts up when the sunroof opens breaks off and throws the the sunroof off track so your stuck with it open or it breaks the track or glass
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11747805July 1, 2026
AIR BAGS
My vehicle has an active Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) airbag dashboard warning light. A professional diagnostic scan has confirmed the active fault code: B143100 - "SIDE AIRBAG REAR DRIVER RESISTANCE CIRCUIT SHORT TO GROUND This exact physical failure matches the known manufacturing defect detailed in NHTSA Campaign 23V-035 (Kia Recall Code SC262). While my specific VIN does not currently show up as part of the official recall population, the vehicle is suffering from the identical manufacturing defect and active short, resulting in a disabled passenger safety system.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11747772July 1, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am reporting a spontaneous sunroof glass failure involving my 2022 Kia Telluride. While driving at normal highway speed, I suddenly heard an extremely loud bang that sounded like an explosion or gunshot. I did not see or hear any object strike my vehicle before the incident. After safely pulling over, I discovered that the panoramic sunroof glass had shattered. The glass appeared to have blown upward and outward from the vehicle, and by the time I stopped, most of the glass was already gone. There was no prior damage, cracking, or warning that the sunroof was compromised. The failure occurred unexpectedly and created a significant safety hazard due to the loud noise, the potential for shattered glass to enter the passenger compartment. I had my 14 year old daughter with me. I man diagnosed with anxiety and ADHD and this had severely affected me because I was the driver and it occurred while operating the vehicle. Luckily, I had the shade closed, because that could’ve been really bad. At the time of the incident, the vehicle had approximately 91,000 miles. I am requesting that this incident be documented and evaluated as a potential safety defect, as I understand other Kia Telluride owners have reported similar spontaneous sunroof failures.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11747744July 1, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, PARKING BRAKE:ELECTRICAL
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake light illuminated and was flashing. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for a repair on the wheel speed sensor and parking brakes. After retrieving the vehicle, the EPB warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, but the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on eight occasions for the parking switch, a software reset, and other unknown repairs. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted, and the vehicle became inoperable. The contact stated that the brakes had seized. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who was covering the cost of the repairs. The dealer informed the contact about signing a waiver. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11747709July 1, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My 2025 Kia Telluride is suddenly shutting off in traffic. It first happened 6/24/26 I was pulling away from a stop light when my vehicle shut off. I received a red dash as you would for collision warning and a message to shift into park or neutral to restart the vehicle, I tried to restart it started but without RPM's then would not restart my husband had to push the vehicle off of the roadway. I then tried to restart it again it started and shut off in less than 20 feet. I had it towed to the dealership after keeping it 1 week they say they can not recreate the problem. I picked up my vehicle yesterday and it again shut off before I made it 2 miles down the road, I had stopped at a stop light to make a left turn accelerated to make to my turn and the vehicle again shut off I coasted into a parking lot was able to restart it and drove it back to the dealership. The vehicle is currently with them. The vehicle had no warning lights prior to this happening everything was fine in fact when the vehicle shuts off the radio and Air Conditioner stay running like nothing happened. I have searched the internet and found many others having this issue with their dealerships also saying they can't recreate the problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11747596July 1, 2026
ENGINE
In the past 2 days, my vehicle engine has shut off 11 times while driving. This is happening while I am moving so it is a huge safety issue for myself and other drivers. Over the course of 3 months, the vehicle has done this over 20 times. It happens when coasting, slowing down at a stop light and people in the other lane start moving, going through roundabouts, turning when there is oncoming traffic, and moving through congestion. The engine kills, lights flash and beeping starts. It says to put the engine in P or N and restart the engine. I have no power so I try to do this quickly or have the ability to pull over but most times that is not the case. This is a severe safety issue. The dealership says they cannot find anything wrong with the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11747463June 30, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR, POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60-65 MPH on the highway, the vehicle suddenly shut off and the battery warning light was flickering and the vehicle lost power. The contact was able to coast the vehicle into a parking lot off the highway where the vehicle remained. The contact replaced the battery; however, approximately one hour later while driving 50-55 MPH on the highway, the vehicle lost power and shut off. The vehicle was coasted onto the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed with alternator failure. The alternator was replaced. The contact was notified of a possible transmission failure; however, there was no fault codes retrieved. The vehicle was later taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer informed the contact that the head gasket was damaged, and the spark plugs needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11747568June 30, 2026
SEATS
I noticed the button to fold captain’s chair began working intermittently beginning of Jun, then the seat began to fold on my granddaughter then my daughter on 2 different occasions. I called dealership to get a diagnostic done but they couldn’t get me in until 29 Jun. After diagnostic I was told the seat actuator wasn’t working, though it wasn’t damaged, and would cost me over $2400 to replace! Kia corporation stated because I was over the 150k warranty, by 30 mi I’d just driven home from airport, they couldn’t help me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11747081June 28, 2026
VISIBILITY/WIPER
The sunroof won’t close properly, it looks like wind deflector is broken
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11747032June 28, 2026
POWER TRAIN
While driving the vehicle, the automatic transmission stuck in 5th gear. The paddle shifters would not operate, shifting the vehicle into neutral or park had no effect. The vehicle was being operated on a busy highway with multiple intersections, which put all passengers and the vehicle itself in danger since accelerating in 5th gear was almost impossible. The vehicle had to be completely shut off and restarted to reset the transmission. This happened on several occasions. Additionally, the vehicle would stick in gear and lurch into a lower gear when accelerating from a complete stop. No warning lights or sounds occurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where it was purchased, and they were able to replicate the problem once. The vehicle problem was reported to KIA and they requested the dealer to replace the electric oil pump. The work was done and so far (3 days) the issue has not reoccurred.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11746988June 28, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This is not a safety issue, it is a XM radio that does not work because KIA decided to put a glass antenna that is weak and every time a tree exists the signal drops. They are minimizing the issue as it only occurs in certain spot, but I can tell you that if a tree exists and you go by close enough the signal will drop. I loose my signal 9 times around my neighborhood which is less than 1/4 mile. If they would have told me you have a fancy car with many features, but the XM is unusable I would have bought a different car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11746940June 27, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
Oil burns too fast causing oil changes to be required by every 3000 miles
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11746935June 27, 2026
SUSPENSION
I wish to amend my previous report dated 6/22/2026. #11745783. IT is is cv boot on the right side. I had a dealer do the repair. It is not under warranty, If you follow the Kia Telluride complaint page son FB, others have had the same issue. It cost $777.61 to repair. It should not need to be repaired at 72k miles. That is a third of the expected life expectancy. Thank you for considering this safety matter.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11746673June 26, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Rear passenger door latch failure on my brand-new 2027 Kia Telluride Hybrid. The vehicle has had this issue since the moment we drove it off the lot. The rear door opens, but the latch mechanism does not properly reset or disengage, so the door will not close and securely latch. This is a serious safety defect, not a minor inconvenience. A rear passenger door that cannot reliably close and stay latched creates an obvious risk of the door opening unexpectedly while driving, which could result in passenger ejection, injury, or a collision hazard to other vehicles on the road. The problem appears concentrated in the rear doors and is not consistent with a child-lock issue. This should be treated as an urgent safety-related defect in the latch, actuator, or related door mechanism.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11746829June 26, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
I am filing this complaint regarding my 2020 Kia Telluride because of excessive oil consumption that Kia has refused to address. My vehicle currently has approximately 138,000 miles and consumes about one quart of engine oil every 500 miles. This level of oil consumption is excessive and creates an ongoing risk of engine damage if the oil level is not constantly monitored and replenished. After researching this issue, I discovered that many Kia owners have reported similar excessive oil consumption problems. Despite the large number of complaints, Kia has not issued a recall or provided assistance for owners whose vehicles experience this problem after the factory warranty expires. I sought assistance from my local Kia dealership. At one point, the service manager attempted to advocate for me and other customers by bringing these concerns to Kia corporate. I later learned that he was no longer employed there. They have completed oil consumption tests and agreed my car is consuming a significant amount of oil. They conducted a “band aid” fix that did not help. The last appointment when we brought it in, all they did was check oil levels again. Since then, my concerns have largely been ignored, and I have been offered no meaningful assistance. While I understand my vehicle is outside the warranty period, a vehicle should not consume one quart of oil every 500 miles under normal operation. This appears to be a widespread issue rather than normal wear and tear. I respectfully request that this complaint be investigated and added to the record of similar complaints involving Kia vehicles. I also ask that Kia be encouraged to provide assistance to affected owners whose vehicles suffer from excessive oil consumption caused by what appears to be a common defect. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11746847June 26, 2026
ENGINE
NHTSA Vehicle Safety Complaint – 2021 Kia Telluride - VIN: [XXX] I am filing a safety complaint regarding my 2021 Kia Telluride. I purchased the vehicle on XXX, with approximately 124,000 miles. An oil and filter change was performed shortly before the sale. After about 2,000 miles/126K, the vehicle suddenly lost power and stopped. It was towed to a repair shop, where technicians found the engine oil level was extremely low or empty, despite no low-oil warning light appearing. The oil was serviced, and the vehicle was returned to operation. About 3,000/129K miles later, the vehicle again lost power and stopped in Ardmore TX. It was road side mobile mechanic found little to no oil and he refill the oil. After 100 miles/129.1K again same problem engine stopped and no oil. was towed to the same shop, where technicians found little to no oil and diagnosed severe engine damage requiring engine replacement. Mechanic informed there was no oil leak from the engine however, excessive oil burning in engine causing this issue. My concern is safety. On all three occasions, the vehicle lost power on the freeway at night while my family with two kids was in the vehicle. I believe excessive oil consumption and the lack of a warning before engine failure may represent a safety defect. I request that NHTSA investigate this issue and require Kia to review the vehicle’s engine design and warning systems. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11746823June 26, 2026
SUSPENSION, POWER TRAIN
AWD coupler assembly failed twice and company will not repair. Rear shocks thumping and noisy, company repaired twice but still inop.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11746818June 26, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Safety Complaint I am submitting this complaint regarding a recurring fuel gauge malfunction on my 2024 Kia Telluride. On XXX, the vehicle unexpectedly displayed a warning indicating that the fuel tank was empty and that refueling was immediately required. At the time of the warning, there was still a substantial amount of fuel remaining in the tank, and the vehicle had not been driven long enough to reasonably consume the displayed amount of fuel. After adding approximately one gallon of gasoline, the fuel gauge immediately returned to a normal reading, indicating that the vehicle had not actually been out of fuel. This strongly suggests that the fuel level indication system or fuel level sensor is intermittently malfunctioning. Since the initial occurrence, this problem has happened three separate times under similar driving conditions. The issue appears intermittently without warning and cannot be predicted by the driver. On XXX, while the vehicle was still covered under the manufacturer's warranty, I brought the vehicle to Cerritos Kia in [XXX] for diagnosis. I provided the dealership with video recordings clearly showing the instrument cluster displaying the false empty fuel warning. Despite reviewing the video evidence, the dealership refused to perform any repair because no warning lights or diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) were present at the time of inspection. I was told to return only if the condition occurred again. No corrective action was taken while the vehicle remained under warranty. The malfunction has continued to occur after that visit. This defect creates a significant safety concern because drivers rely on the fuel gauge to accurately determine the amount of fuel remaining. A false empty fuel warning can cause drivers to unnecessarily stop in unsafe locations, alter their driving behavior, or lose confidence in the accuracy of the fuel gauge. More importantly, if the underlying defect causes INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11746665June 26, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The vehicle has suffered a total failure of the audio output system/amplifier. While the central infotainment screen visually illuminates and functions correctly, there is zero audio output across all speakers and inputs. The failed component is currently in the vehicle and is available for inspection upon request. Because there is no audio output, all voice-activated, hands-free Bluetooth calling and audible turn-by-turn GPS navigation cues are non-functional. Operating the vehicle safely over long distances or in traffic is compromised because utilizing navigation now forces the driver to physically look away from the road to read visual maps on the screen, creating an immediate, severe driver distraction that puts my family and other motorists at risk. The total audio failure was officially diagnosed and confirmed by an authorized Kia dealership service center. The dealership verified that the system outputs zero sound and stated that the entire multimedia/audio control assembly requires a complete replacement. The component has been inspected and diagnosed directly by authorized Kia dealership service technicians, and an official corporate case has been opened with Kia America for a goodwill escalation. There were no warning lamps, error messages, or preliminary symptoms prior to the incident. The audio output system failed suddenly and completely without warning, while the visual dashboard screen remained active.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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