Kia Telluride Complaints

2,086 consumer complaints on file.

#11733417April 23, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN, STEERING
I lease a 2025 Kia Telluride. This vehicle has experienced three serious safety failures around the one year mark, all with young children in the car. Incident 1: accelerator failure and inability to shift gears approaching a freeway on-ramp — transmission was replaced. Incident 2: complete loss of steering control, brakes would not fully engage, and vehicle moved without accelerator input — dealership found nothing wrong and returned the vehicle with no explanation. Incident 3: accelerator failure and failure to shift in active traffic — another vehicle nearly rear-ended us — dealership said there was a belt loose that can cause issues sometimes. Kia Financial Services, as legal owner, has refused early lease termination despite these documented safety failures. The root cause of a loss-of-steering and brake-failure event has never been identified.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733222April 23, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This is a follow up to the above referenced case #XXX This has been reported to the Attorney General’s Office and they have requested that I send along the following information to your office. I purchased a 2022 Kia Telluride approximately 2 years ago. At the time, I also purchased a 100,000 mile extended warranty from KIA. The cost was $3,200. Since owning the vehicle, I have had a problem with the heating system. I contacted the Balise KIA dealership, West Springfield, MA where the car was purchased to have the heating system checked out. It is still not working correctly! The most recent attempt by KIA to fix the heat was 2/2/26 and was not successful. KIA stated “there is no fix”. Please refer to invoice #XXX. Driving a car with little or no heat is unacceptable. I was told that if there ever was a fix, the warranty would cover it. I was also charged a diagnostic fee of $159.95 which I paid, but did not agree with. This fee is charged if a customer decides against having the work done, which I agree with, but in this case, I wanted the work done, but they couldn’t do the work because there is no fix. If there was a fix, the warranty would have covered it. I feel this problem greatly reduces the value of this vehicle and some kind of resolution should be reached. I am [XXX] old and driving a vehicle that has little or no heat is not only uncomfortable, but unhealthy. I’ve been paying close attention to the heat when I’m in the car. It seems to work ok above 30 degrees, but below 30 degrees it doesn’t work properly. Thank you for your time and I await your response [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
#11733150April 22, 2026
STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
I was driving on the service road of the freeway, driving approximately 40 mph when my main screen started flashing warnings. I was only able to catch 2 before the screen shut off. One was saying front collision sensors not working and the other said side sensors not working then the screen where the radio was went black. Then my brake pedal locked up, the car lost all power steering. The car started to just roll and I was able to pull into a side parking lot and the car died. I was not able to start the vehicle and called roadside assistance and had my vehicle towed to the car dealership. This was during rush hour traffic with multiple vehicles in the road. I was terrified as my vehicle was slowly starting to stop moving and there were multiple cars surrounding me while I lost all brake function and power steering. At the time of this report, the service department at my dealership was closed and will call them in the morning. The tow truck left my vehicle there as it is inoperable. From the time I noticed the warnings on the screen to when my vehicle came to a complete stop was about 2 minutes.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733089April 22, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, VISIBILITY/WIPER
The sunroof on my 2021 Kia Telluride broke and is stuck open. We had to take it to Kia to have the repair quoted and they want to charge $6k to have it replaced. This is a huge safety issue, as it is winter and we have rain/snow getting in the car, as well as the potential for someone to break into my car through the sunroof as well. I have read numerous reports online of other 2021 Kia Tellurides with this same issue. Please have Kia issue a recall to have this issue addressed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11733065April 22, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
I was at a complete stop, made a right hand turn, and as I was turning, the driver side door opened/became a jar and then my car alerted me that the door was open Yes, my safety was at risk because the door was open It beeped the lights were on in the cabin, and there was a notification on my dashboard
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732958April 22, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sunroof wouldn’t fully close when a rainstorm hit, causing driver panic attack. This appears to be a known issue under TSB BOD-319.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732871April 21, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Not sure if this is electrical or engine related.... The vehicle has experienced multiple instances (6 times) of unexpected engine shutdown while driving, including a recent event while turning off a major roadway. During these incidents, the vehicle loses power and displays the message: “Engine Off – Shift to P or N then start engine” This creates an immediate and dangerous situation, particularly when navigating traffic with passengers in the vehicle, including my grandchildren. Loss of engine power also impacts steering and braking assist, significantly increasing the risk of an accident. This condition is: Intermittent and difficult to reproduce I am aware that many other owners have reported similar issues, which raises additional concern about a broader defect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732829April 21, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The sunroof wind deflector mechanism on my 2021 Kia Telluride failed due to what appears to be a known defect. The passenger side wind deflector arm broke off and upon trying to close the sunroof it made grinding noises. This caused the sunroof to malfunction and created a situation where the sunroof could not operate properly and is now stuck open. Kia has acknowledged issues with this component in a Technical Service Bulletin, indicating prior knowledge of defects in the wind deflector arms. However, no recall or owner notification was issued. Because of this lack of notification, I was not aware of the need to inspect or repair this part when the issue was minor. Instead, the failure progressed and now requires a significantly more expensive repair involving major sunroof components. The sunroof being stuck open is a distraction when driving and during rain has allowed water to leak into the car. Fortunately, I was parked when the wind deflector arm failed. Had this occurred while driving, the abrupt malfunction could have created a dangerous distraction and compromised safe vehicle operation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732712April 21, 2026
ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
While driving about 35 MPH, the vehicle began to alarm and stated "the engine is off; pull over, put in park or neutral, and restart the car". I pulled over and found that the engine had indeed turned itself off in the middle of driving. When the engine turns off, both the braking vacuum system and the power steering go off, making it harder to brake and steer to safety. If I were going highway speeds, this would be a serious safety situation. I don't know exactly what caused the engine shut off, but it seems like a malfunction of the auto stop/start feature, which I had switched off during the incident (so the car should never turn off). The Kia website gives instructions on what to do in this situation [XXX] ), which would imply it is a known issue. There are forums of people reporting the same issue with 2025 Tellurides. My vehicle has not been inspected since the incident, but because it is electrical and there is no engine code, there is likely no evidence a mechanic could find. There were no warnings prior to or after the event. The vehicle has only 1650 miles on it. I expect it to happen again, and I will attempt to produce a video to document. 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
#11732556April 20, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I recently pressed the button to open the sunroof, and it only retracted a few inches before I heard a loud noise. The sunroof stopped, and simply would not go any further. Thankfully, the vehicle is garaged at home (I was stationary and heading out when this occurred), but with Kia topping the list of most stolen vehicles, along with unpredictable weather, I'm sure you can understand why I was concerned about leaving my sunroof open! After doing some research online, I found that this is a known problem with Tellurides. I took my car in as soon as possible for service to figure out what was wrong. Unfortunately, I was given an estimate of approximately $4,000 to repair. I purchased the car from Fred Anderson Kia of Raleigh, and took it to the same dealer for service and to report the issue. Video provided from service appointment: [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
#11732381April 20, 2026
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Windshield cracks so easily, slightest road debris creates a chip then crack
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732239April 19, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Recall of vehicle catching fire has not been taken care of even after contacting dealership.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732237April 19, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving, the silver siding flew off of my vehicle, the piece that covers the door handle manual key entry also fell off and I found it run over, crushed in a mall parking lot.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732233April 19, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, VISIBILITY/WIPER
I was driving 20 mph when I heard a loud crack, shortly after I noticed my windshield had a huge crack toward the bottom that has gotten progressively worse and affects my vision while driving.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732230April 19, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Recall on my vehicle, dealership has not done anything about it despite me taking it to them.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731951April 17, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, SEAT BELTS
brakes weren’t working when trying to stop. Loud noise, braking pedals vibrated, when pushing down to attempt to break the brakes got soft, the steering wheel started to shake. Emergency parking lights and ASB lights on the dashboard came on. The vehicle was towed to the dealership and was unable to find the problem. They did a brake fluid exchange. Video of my driveway was provided to the dealership from this incident. Gear corporation was also contacted letting them know of the safety concerns I had. Third row and front passenger seatbelts not buckling.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731741April 16, 2026
ENGINE
I was driving, no warning lights came on, and the car just stopped. Had it towed to a local mechanic and was told the engine froze.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731466April 15, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Bought my 2021 kia telluride sx with a cpo warranty with a little over 69,000 miles. at about 73,000 my car began to smoke and the dealership that I bought the vehicle from kept it for the day and sent me on my way with no diagnosis just simply stating they couldnt duplicate the issue and confirming they did NO testing on the vehicle. They stated that they topped the coolant and checked the oil in which my oil was in good level. 2 days later I checked the oil trying to figure out why my car was smoking and my dipstick had NO reading and no signs of oil. I topped the oil and immediately took the car to a different dealership where we began doing 1,000 mile testing on oil consumption and losing 1.5 quarts -- CPO warranty will NOT cover the issue because they stated it is A KIA WIDE ISSUE AND RECALL and even though I dont have specific recall they still refuse to cover. My car has been deemed as needing a motor replacement at 78,000 miles. Kia america DOES NOT stand behind their issues and refuse to help and they have denied the claims that have been made even after being escalated, they also refused to give a denial letter in writting or a reason why it was denied!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731375April 15, 2026
ENGINE
In December of 2025 at approximately 95,000 my 2021 Kia Telluride (VIN [XXX] ) showed the oil level was about two quarts low. My car has had regular maintenance including oil changes at Santa Fe Kia. At the next oil change appointment in March, I pointed out the oil consumption concern. At that point Kia recommended an oil consumption test be performed. The car had 96,700 miles at that point. At 97,700 Kia indicated that the oil level was fine. At 99,600 I checked the oil and discovered it was more than two quarts low. I called Santa Fe Kia to address the issue and they indicated that a quart every 1,000 miles is within Kia standards and recommended another oil consumption test which would take me over the 100,000 warranty. I called Kia customer care to address the issue. A case was opened, but they kept referring me back to the dealership to be dealt with. After researching the issue myself, I presented the well known and documented oil consumption issue amongst Kia consumers to include PCV valve and piston ring issues. I have an appointment scheduled for 4/16/26, but I am being told that I will be liable for the cost of the PCV valve replacement, compression test and oil leak test which are all known issues related to the problem. Santa Fe Kia's service manager is ignoring my request to submit an engine warranty claim citing that they didn't find a problem outside of Kia's acceptable oil consumption and Kia's customer care refuses to open a claim and keeps referring me back to the dealership. I will be at approximately 99,850 when I arrive at my appointment on 4/16/26. I am concerned that the engine has a major issue and will be told that my warranty is over by the time the issue can be determine and resolved. I am also concerned that there has already been engine damage done without noticing the high oil consumption. 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
#11730781April 13, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Oil leak that I’ve put so much effort in getting fixed or replaced and nothing is working. The seat belts suck. The seats are ripped.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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