Kia Telluride Complaints (2020)

777 consumer complaints on file.

#11643836February 20, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The car is a 2020 Kia Telluride. It was purchased in August 2023 at the time it was leaking oil took it back to the dealer and they replaced the housing put in a new filter and said all was good .For a year. it constantly needed oil took it back to the dealer, said that everything was fine. I would be driving and the car would stop. The oil lamp would come on and I would have to drive and put more oil in it every week. I was putting a quart of oil into the vehicle just about weekly because it seemed to be leaking oil and just a dying out. just a few days ago after putting a quart of oil in I’m driving my vehicle and all of a sudden Smoke comes out of the back a little bit out of the hood. It just stopped all the lights went on the car went dead. Had to call the police get the vehicle towed to the dealer at that point was told the engine had died. They want to put a new engine in the car Which it’s a five year-old car. It should not need a new engine what is causing it to need a newengine. Ever since I purchased the car, it had oil problems so did the oil lead to engine failure. I know I’m not the only one that this has happened to every time I would take it back to the Kia dealer. I was told everything‘s fine everything was not fine never got any warning lights or signals, except for when I was driving the car would literally sputter and stop at a light. I would have to restart it and then go get oil.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11642054February 11, 2025
ENGINE
On [XXX] , my wife heard a rattling noise while driving. I verified the rattling noise on [XXX]. On [XXX], I researched online and there are a lot of 2020 Telluride owners that experienced the same issue. They mentioned they had no oil in their cars. I checked the oil that morning and confirmed my wife's car had no oil. I reviewed the manual and checked the oil again according to the instructions in the manual. The car still registered no oil in the dip stick. The car did not report any warning lights. There was no engine light or oil pressure light that came on at any point in time to indicate there was no oil in the engine. Per the instructions in the manual, I drove the vehicle carefully to the auto part store. I purchased and added 6 quarts of synthetic blend 5W 30 oil. After that, the rattling in the engine seized. I sent a text message to Kia in Alpharetta, GA. I spoke with Izzy and explained the situation and requested an appointment to have an oil consumption test performed. She advised that the oil consumption test had a $440 cost and consisted of performing a series of oil changes over the course of a specified time to determine how much oil the vehicle was burning/consuming. She said I could call consumer affairs and I asked her if she was referring to Kia consumer affairs or the national/federal consumer affairs. She verified it was the national/federal consumer affairs and provided me with this number to call 1-888-327-4236 which actually belongs to Kia's consumer affairs hotline. Izzy advised that I had pending recalls in my car and asked why I have not brought the car in. I mentioned that I live in Ball Ground, GA and the nearest Kia dealership to me is the one in Woodstock, GA. However, I stopped taking my car there because I previously took the car there to get the oil changes done and each time I did the car would have a nail in one of the tires a couple days after the service. I lost confidence in the dealership. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11641572February 9, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2020 Kia Telluride paint issues. SWP is a known issue. Kia will not take responsibility for a defect in their lamination process. Will come off in sheets almost exposing the primer below. Horrible ownership for their defect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11641121February 6, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, POWER TRAIN
My vehicle has been repaired multiple times for leaking oil in different areas.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11640414February 3, 2025
POWER TRAIN
CV axel vibration issues. Seems to be a common complaint on 2020 Telluride but no recall. Car is unsafe to drive.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11639835January 31, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Our vehicle is 4 years old and has been experiencing excessive oil consumption (a quart every ~600 miles) and extreme shaking at speeds between 20-50mph. After months of trying to diagnose the issue we have been quoted a total engine and transmission replacement. After calling dealerships across the East coast for second opinions, this is a common diagnosis for our vehicle year and model and even within our small local dealership they are seeing other 2019 and 2020 Kia models experiencing failed piston rings. Kia declined our request for corporate intervention to address the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11639991January 31, 2025
ENGINE
My vehicle is using excessive amounts of oil. Every time I drive it, I can smell burnt oil. I took the vehicle to the dealership on 1/24/25 where they found a leak in the oil filter housing. This was repaired (same day) and the oil was topped off per the service report. After smelling the oil smell again, I checked my oil on 1/31/25 and found that the oil was marked between the min and max line on the dipstick. I have reported this to KIA and waiting to hear back. I am reading hundreds of 2020+ Telluride owners complaining of the same issue. I have had no indicator lights.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11638805January 27, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
The sunroof deflector assembly spring broke and caused the sunroof to hang up on the passenger side. I have opened the sunroof less than ten times. With the sunroof hung up on the passenger side it attempted to open and caused damage to the whole assembly. Now the dealership is wanting $5,000 to fix due to a faulty part.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11638665January 26, 2025
ENGINE
Telluride is burning a quart of oil a week… very dangerous
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11637967January 23, 2025
SUSPENSION, POWER TRAIN
#1 Rear shocks have been replaced 5 times (beginning November 2021-September 2024) after bringing the vehicle in 7 times due to clunking. After dealing with Kia directly they agreed to cover costs. Clunking was resolved shortly but started again a couple months later. #2 Recently the car began locking up while in operation, while accelerating, but no code was detected. Transmission was flushed (December 2024) and one month later same type of lock up began happening again, this time the check engine light came on (January 2025). Code indicates Torque converter clutch is off. Dealer will now try to fix the issue. Car is available for inspection. Problem #1has been reproduced by Kia service at the dealership.Problem #2, since code was detected dealer will inspect and hopefully be able to fix. This car is just over 5 years old with less than 70,000 miles. Between these 2 issues I have been in to the service department going on 8 times!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11637456January 21, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I brought veh to Covina Kia on 1-6-25 for recall (SC299B) of headlight high beams failure. George Arroyo refused to take my veh in telling me my warranty had expired. I told him the safety recall had to be addressed. I insisted mileage doesn’t not void a safety recall. He finally took veh in. My veh has been at dealership for 16 days and has not been touched. It is obvious dealership doesn’t want to perform recall because there is no money to be made for the technician and service advisor. I am getting automated texts but no person calls back to inform me about the exaggerated delays. I have filed a complaint with Kia Motors and situation has not changed, my vehicle is still parked at the dealership.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11636919January 19, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
The Snow White Pearl paint on my 2020 Kia Telluride is rapidly peeling directly above my front windshield. It started as a small 2 inch area first and quickly turned into multiple large areas where the paint is pealing. The largest portion is now roughly 5-6 inches in width. I believe the ENTIRE care needs to be repainted as fixing one spot is not the solution. I have not contacted the Kia dealership or any local repair shops but I could get a quote as needed. Please let me know how to proceed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11636792January 18, 2025
ENGINE
The truck was purchased in 2021, with no known issues. In early 2024, it was observed that the truck would struggle to accelerate and started making weird noises like it was about to stop working. The truck received its normal oil changes and no issues were identified by the dealership. In mid-2024, around June, the truck continued to act up after having the oil change completed. The truck was taken to a second mechanic who noticed that the truck was missing a lot of oil after completion of a recent oil change. I paid for another oil change and by September 2024, the truck was now leaking oil. My family's safety was jeopardized because there were no warning lights for me to check the oil or anything else. It was taken to a kia dealership who replaced the timing cannister in October 2024. By December 2024, same issues again. An oil consumption test was conducted in January 2025, and result is the need for a new engine, $10,000. I am unable to receive assistance from any other repair shop because of the known issues with kia engines. I need my truck to be fixed by Kia because this is a known issue from other owners as well.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11636511January 17, 2025
POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ENGINE
While traveling at highway speeds between 65-75MPH the vehicle with violently shake while shifting and then lunge forward. However, during the shaking the vehicle is hard to control and feels like it is going to just shut off. This scenario primarily happens on flat roads at the above mentioned speed. However, we have noticed an issue with the vehicle while turning corners and accelerating, as well as, when going up hills or steep highway sections. The vehicle has a V6 but seems to struggle shifting when trying to accelerate even to 40-50MPH. In some instances the vehicle has labored up a hill and seemingly doesn't want to downshift and pick go faster. It seems that this issue has triggered a TSB from Kia, but the issue has potential for elevated risks for other drivers on the road. If the vehicle is unable to maintain freeway speeds or climbing speed, then it poses a risk to traffic on either side of the road and the potential need to pull over. It seems that the vehicle loses power or momentum and would make it very dangerous to get off the road or onto the shoulder. The violent shaking could cause a driver to panic and lose control of the vehicle while at highway speeds and needs to be investigated.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635839January 14, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
I am the owner of a 2020 Kia Telluride with less than 60,000 miles, and I am experiencing a significant issue with the paint peeling off the top of my vehicle. The car is always parked in a garage and only used for routine school pick-ups, with no incidents or accidents that could explain the peeling paint. After researching, I have discovered that this issue is a recurring problem for many Kia vehicles with the Snow White Pearl paint color. It is evident that this is a result of defective paint, and I am outraged that I am being quoted $3,500 to fix an issue caused by Kia’s faulty materials. The peeling has spread to two different areas and worsens daily, further devaluing my vehicle through no fault of my own. Given the widespread reports of this issue and ongoing discussions of a potential class action lawsuit, I urge Kia to address this problem immediately and take responsibility for the defective paint. I strongly believe this should be treated as a recall and that Kia should cover the cost of repairs. Please respond promptly with a resolution, as this is unacceptable for a vehicle of this age and mileage. I expect Kia to stand by the quality of its products and address this issue without further financial burden on your customers.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635453January 11, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY
Paint is delaminating from top and hood of vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11635247January 10, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V148000( EXTERIOR LIGHTING) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11634446January 6, 2025
ENGINE
Upon braking the vehicle would run rough and the engine would shut off completely. This was first noticed when my wife was turning into our driveway and turning across traffic. She was heading westbound and slowed down to take a left(northbound) into our driveway. Upon braking the engine started to run rough & as she accelerated to turn into the drive, the engine shut off completely. This left her stranded turned perpendicular to oncoming traffic. The oncoming traffic narrowly avoided an accident and left my wife shaken from the incident. I brought it into the dealer where after multiple days of investigating found the vehicle was 4.9l of oil low. There was no indication of low oil in the engine; no indicator light or sounding of low oil, prior to complete engine shut down. The dealership stated when the vehicle shut off, the low oil light would then turn on. This is possible as when it had shut off on me while bringing it to the dealer, there were 4-5 lights that would turn on when the vehicle shut off. The dealership performed an oil change, which it was near to the mileage for needing an oil change anyways. Since this was completed we have not had any issues since. I am working with the dealership currently on why the vehicle is consuming so much oil, but my main concern is there was no warning or indication before the vehicle shut off while in normal driving conditions. I called Kia service and the dealership today and they stated the light should come on when there is less than .5 qrts of oil left in the engine. They believe I did not reach the threshold for the light to come on, but again my concern is the only first indication of low oil should not be my vehicle shutting off in an unsafe condition.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11633062December 30, 2024
POWER TRAIN
Oil filter, housing leaks where it bolts to the motor this could become a fire hazard but the exhaust close to it
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11631924December 21, 2024
STRUCTURE:BODY
Paint is peeling above the windshield.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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