Kia Telluride Complaints

2,086 consumer complaints on file.

#11742769June 8, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The vehicle was taken in several times for a vibration, binding coming from the rear. It has been ongoing back to the original owner. It is the all wheel drive coupler. This is a known issue with TSBs out on it. Kia has been contacted and seems unwilling to help, replace. Online thousands of these things have failed some even twice. In icy or slippery conditions this can cause loss of control due to binding.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742832June 8, 2026
ENGINE
Vehicle experienced catastrophic engine failure while traveling approximately 70 mph on a highway. I heard a loud popping noise and immediately lost power. The vehicle would no longer accelerate normally and I was forced to pull over. White smoke was visible from the engine compartment, and a large amount of engine oil leaked from the vehicle. This failure created a safety risk because it occurred at highway speed, resulting in sudden loss of power while traveling with surrounding traffic. The vehicle required towing and could not be driven from the scene. Prior to the failure, the vehicle had exhibited symptoms beginning around May 11, 2026. A check engine light illuminated and an independent mechanic diagnosed a cylinder 3 misfire and replaced the ignition coil. Following that repair, the check engine light returned. Additional symptoms included stalling at idle, knocking noises from the engine, and intermittent oil pressure warning lights. The vehicle was subsequently inspected by an independent mechanic who diagnosed a thrown connecting rod with damage to the engine block, including a hole in the engine near the transmission area. The mechanic advised that the engine requires replacement. The damaged engine is currently available for inspection. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer. No injuries or crash occurred, but the sudden engine failure and loss of power at highway speed created a significant safety concern.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742831June 8, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
Sunroof won't fully close which becomes a big issue when driving or parking the vehicle in the rain. Kia dealership diagnosed that the full sunroof assembly needs to be replaced at a total expense of $6,441.56 since the vehicle is out of the 5-year warranty period. No warning messages were displayed on the vehicle prior to this issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742748June 8, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Purchased vehicle 1/18/2025; first and only owner. Occurrence = Engine Shut off, alarm sounded and warning lights flashed; Error: "Engine off, shift to N or P, Then start engine." Had to shift to Neutral and Push Start to restart engine. -During March: occurred 2 times, both times worked after shifting to Neutral. -4/1-4/3: occurred 1 time, worked after shifting to Neutral. -4/16: occurred 1 time, had to stop and shift to Park to restart engine! -Kia of LaGrange 4/23/26: could not replicate issue; no error codes found -Kia of Newnan 4/29/26: left vehicle for 2-4 days and they didn’t have time to check it, so we picked it up because we needed a vehicle. -May 5: occurred 3 times on same road; only got pics. Then occurred 1 time after stopping and different trip, got video. All occurrences worked after shifting to neutral. -May 11: occurred 1 time and got picture only, worked after shifting to neutral. -Kia of LaGrange 5/15/26: replaced low pressure fuel pump and provided 2026 Sorrento for vehicle. -May 19: occurred 1 time and got video, worked after shifting to neutral. -Kia of LaGrange 5/21-6/3: could not replicate after driving 100 miles and provided 2026 Sorrento for vehicle I have video from May 5 & May 19, but could only upload pictures.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742649June 8, 2026
POWER TRAIN, AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2022 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, the side view mirror's blind-spot system generated phantom alerts while there was no object nearby. Additionally, the headlights inadvertently fluctuated between dim (low beam) and extremely bright (high beam) settings. The instrument cluster displayed that the vehicle unintendedly switched to Smart Drive Mode but failed to display the transmission gears. The trunk button intermittently failed to operate as needed. The back over prevention sensing system failed to alert that there was an object behind the vehicle while reversing. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure, but twenty-six history trouble codes were retrieved, indicating the power steering, ABS, air bags, blind spot collision, front radar, and Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) malfunctions. The contact stated that prior to the failure, a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign: SC357 Engine Control Unit (ECU) was performed on the vehicle; however, the dealer informed the contact that the failure was not related. The dealer recalibrated the front radar, but the failure recurred at night while driving. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742628June 8, 2026
POWER TRAIN
A week after purchasing a New 2025 Telliride with less than 8 miles on it the Transmission stopped shifting into gear. I would have to move manuel mode and shift into each gear to keep SUV moving. Never got a check engine light and nothing showed when codes were ran on car from dealership. The first dealership where I purchased from replace throttle body thinking that would fix it but it did not. After driving a few hours back to work the same issue happened again and I had to bring to closer dealership near job for repair. They said you transmission is completely not working and needs to be replaced. They opened a case with KIA, unlike previous dealership and repaired the Transmission. Since I have had the transmission completely repair it is starting again, but seems it has something to due with the engine nothing throttling down and up and make a little jump when taking off or slowing down.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742534June 7, 2026
ENGINE
While driving on the [XXX] in [XXX] on XXX a connecting rod punctured the engine block of no fault of my own Kia has stated it was a manufacturing defect. This caused a vehicle fire under the vehicle and I had to get my family out of the vehicle 4 children and wife from the vehicle children ages ranging from age [XXX]. This completely has destroyed my confidence in the safety of this vehicle. I do not want to put my children back in this vehicle due to the traumatic experience of the fire. The car only had 60k miles on it and I just bought it as a second owner from Staten Island Kia back in October 31st of 2025 with just a little over 55k miles on the car. The Staten Island Kia dealership has replaced the engine but confirmed that they have not done any other safety checks of hoses or wiring or anything else that may have been damaged by the fire. Kia Corporate has given us a loaner vehicle until they review our case. Case number is XXX. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742379June 5, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Jan 2026 I was driving into my workplace that is an inclined driveway. Released pressure from gas pedal and telluride began accelerating despite release of gas pedal. I ended up going through the building and lots of damage to both vehicle and building. After it was repaired there were two more instances this happened once while in a parking lot and at a slow speed. Vehicle has been at dealership since March and is in an active case due to kia saying they found nothing wrong with it although it is unsafe to drive
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742185June 4, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
All wheel drive coupler is failing a third time. There is no safety warning. Difficulty accelerating especially when turning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742102June 4, 2026
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that the windshield had significantly cracked without impact. The contact stated that the crack appeared to have started from underneath the seal at the bottom of the driver's side of the windshield. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where the contact was was informed that the vehicle could be repaired a a price lower than the insurance company estimate. The contact was awaiting a response from the dealer's finance department. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 35,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741888June 3, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My sunroof windscreen arm broke which in turn caused the glass to go off track. The windscreen arm is a known issue! But there is no recall. I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY $7000 to fix a known problem!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741795June 3, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
This vehicle (VIN: [XXX] ) has suffered repeated catastrophic engine shutdowns and complete loss of propulsion power while in motion. The dashboard displayed "Engine off! Shift to P or N, then start engine." This has occurred so many times the owner lost count, requiring multiple tows to Kia of Beavercreek. Following one incident, Service Manager Brad personally assured the owner's wife, looking her directly in the eye, that the repair was successful and the vehicle was safe. Within 48 hours of pickup, the identical shutdown recurred. The vehicle was towed back a second time. The dealership now states they cannot duplicate the condition, leaving this life-threatening defect unresolved. Delivery has been officially refused due to imminent risk of collision or serious injury. Kia America case open: No. [XXX]. Ohio Attorney General case open: No. [XXX]. This vehicle is an active, unaddressed public safety hazard requiring immediate federal investigation. 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
#11741664June 2, 2026
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Sunroof exploded while driving in the 540 expressway.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741629June 2, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving the LCD screens would go blank intermittently. Sometimes staying off for 30 secs or more. I could still hear sound and could control volume. This has happened on two different occasions while traveling to work. I have a 35 minute commute on interstate highways.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741361June 1, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The satellite radio reception in my brand new Kia Telluride X Pro is terrible. It is constantly cutting out. This creates a significant distraction for the driver. Satellite radio reception problems are a well-documented and widely reported issue with the 2027 Kia Telluride. ## The Root Cause: Antenna Design The core issue appears to be a fundamental design change in the 2027 Telluride. Unlike previous models, the 2027 redesign **eliminated the traditional roof-mounted shark fin antenna**, replacing it with an antenna integrated into the rear window. Multiple owners have flagged this as the source of poor and inconsistent SiriusXM reception, calling the current signal reception method one that "just doesn't meet expectations". [facebook] [XXX] forums and owner groups: - Owners of the **2027 Hybrid SXP** report extremely inconsistent satellite reception after just four days of ownership, even on the same routes their previous 2024 Telluride handled without issue [reddit] [XXX] receptio [XXX] ) - **SX Prestige** owners describe the sig [XXX] gnal dro [XXX] pecially common on **overcast days, under tree canopy, and near overpasses** — conditions where prior Tellurides [XXX] 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
#11741041May 30, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
On 5/19, while driving over 60 MPH on the highway, I started applying the brakes as traffic started to back up. While braking, the entire car turned off, and experience an unexpected engine stall. The electrical almost immediately turned back on with all dash lights flashing and safety warnings beeping. My car was still moving but I was unable to accelerate and was getting the message “Engine Off! Shit to P or N, then start engine.” This has happened to my vehicle twice in the last month, and I brought it into the Kia Dealership where I purchased it and they were unable to recreate the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740837May 29, 2026
SEAT BELTS
The third row seatbelt is folding which causes it to jam and be unusable. It has happened twice in 3 months without a solution from Kia.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740811May 29, 2026
Insert, Padding, Carry Handle, Shell, Base
The car seat styrofoam has detached from car seat and was previously held down by GLUE. The styrofoam has detached from shell that was previously attached by glue. Car seat was used previously for 6 months from October 2024 to April 2025 then stored in proper areas to prevent damage.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740727May 28, 2026
ENGINE
Engine randomly shuts off when driving. The issues started 1 week after purchasing the vehicle. First occurrence happened when we were stopped. We pressed the gas pedal and the dash turned red, beeping, with the engine light, oil light, and battery light illuminated with a message reading “ENGINE OFF. Shift to P or N then start engine”. This happened multiple times after. The dealership had the vehicle for 1 week and couldn’t reproduce the issue and the car did not have any codes stored. 3 days after picking it up from the dealership, the engine shut off again but this time while driving and actively turning through a 4 lane intersection with my child in the car. The next occurrence happened the morning I was taking it back to the dealership. I was driving 40mph on a city street in the middle lane of 3 lane road when the engine suddenly shut off showing the same error and I had to quickly move to the shoulder to be able to stop and restart the engine. I then informed the dealership that this is a dangerous and very unsafe situation and the car needed towed back to the dealership. The engine shutting off while driving, is very dangerous. If it happened to me at 40mph, there’s a good chance it can happen at highway speeds. This can put many lives at risk having a stalled vehicle in the middle of the road that has to come to a complete stop to restart. This issue is reported by many Telluride owners on Reddit, and Facebook threads. This needs rectifying before it results in casualties.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740658May 28, 2026
ENGINE
I always turn off the engine auto stop while driving and am sure this feature was turned off at the time of the incident. I was stopped at a drive thru idling in drive when my RPM sounded like it lowered and the the vehicle started shaking. Since it sounded like it was going to stall, I instinctively put the vehicle in park and that naturally bumped up the RPM avoiding a stall. I tried to replicate it and could not in the 15 minutes I sat in idle afterwards. I would like to note that we did the software emissions recall update at the dealership recently and ever since then the vehicle is consistently idling 100-200 RPM lower than it used to, usually around 500 RPM in drive and 700 RPM in park. I'm grateful this has only happened at a drive thru so far but I'm afraid to stall in traffic as we drive in busy and dangerous areas and it could be deadly to stall in traffic. Since so far I cannot get this to replicate we have not set an appointment at the dealership as all the other complaints on this matter show the dealership is unable to replicate the problem. Please require KIA to fix this as it is incredibly scary to fear stalling in dangerous location due to traffic speeds and/or getting stuck in a crime riddled area. Thank you for your help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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