Kia Telluride Complaints (2020)

777 consumer complaints on file.

#11508722February 23, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
When I bought the car I wasn’t aware that the bright light will not come on. This is a huge safety issue as I can’t use my brights in the dark. I have almost hit multiple deer as I couldn’t see them in the dark area I was in. Dealership is aware of it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11508505February 22, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
High Beam lights stopped working at the same time at about 65K miles. I live in a rural area and went to use them and found it odd the light on the dash would come on but lights did not change. Took car in and was told it would be about $1200 - $1500 per headlight to repair. There was no alternative to just changing the bulb the whole mechanism would have to be changed. There were no warnings they were going out, not one at a time just bam! The area I drive in has lots of large wild animals(deer, hog, coyotes) and curves in the road and this makes for a complete driving hazard for me and my family. I try not to drive very late at night when the animals are usually moving due to the fact that I cannot see well with no high beams. This issue is keeping me from doing my normal day to day activities if they happen to go into the night.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11508299February 21, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
This is an addendum to NHTSA tracking # 11508192. Please see attached Kia Dealer repair recommendation which is to Replace both Front headlamps with a cost quote of $1,682.54!!!! This vehicle is a 2020 with less than 65,000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11508393February 21, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Complete loss of high beam headlight function without warning. The failure occurred on completely dark rural roads at night. It is a huge safety issues as it compromises navigation and increases the risk of hitting deer or other large animals. The car is dangerous to the occupants of the vehicle in these conditions. The high beam indicator dashboard light illuminates, but the high beams do not engage. This is a mechanical issue with the shutter or headlight assembly not lifting into the high beam position. The mechanic at a non Kia affiliated service and repair location observed that you can clearly see the head light assembly sticking and when it tries to transition from low beam to high beam. Kia dealerships are keenly aware of and clearly informed of this factory defect. They offer no solution other than to replace the entire headlight assembly with the same defective assembly with no assurances it will not occur again. The cost to replace both headlight assemblies is significant and creates a hardship for me as a fixed income retiree. As previously stated, there was no warning and the high beam indicator light illuminates as if the high beams are working.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11508192February 20, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
High beams just stopped working and won't turn back on. The bulbs were changed and a new relay was tried out, both did nothing. The dealer is looking into it further but I have read that this is a problem with similar year/make/model. We drive on desert roads every weekend where there is limited visibility and no street lights for very long distances. Our high beams are a critical safety element.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11507960February 18, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
High beams stopped working. When I called with issue the dealership stated that it was a safety issue. Took car to dealership and they stated that the actuator lighting system more than likely has a short. They recommended that it would be $1700 for them to replace the system and then retest to see if that was the issue. Upon further research it was found that other owners with the 2020 model were experiencing the same issue after 60,000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11508007February 18, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
SYSTEM FAILURE: High beam headlights don't illuminate. When switch is activated, the blue dash indicator light illuminates, but the high beams don't come on. Initially a flicker was noted in the low beams when the switch was activated. Problem was first noted some time in Oct 2022. RISK: During mountain driving I am unable to utilize the high beams to help illuminate unlit roadways at night. DEALER: Car was taken to the dealer and inspected 1/31/23. Initially I was told that both headlamp bulbs were defective. I authorized replacement at my expense. Replacement was made, but the problem was not corrected. I was not charged for the bulbs. Kia technical reps apparently approved the warranty replacement of both headlamp assemblies, but one was not in stock. Neither have been replaced yet.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11507015February 13, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Loss of high beam function in both headlights at same time - fuses/relay switches are not burned out. Low beams will turn on, but the curtains for the high beams will not activate in both headlights. Lights on the dash show that high beams are on, but the curtains in the assembly will not activate. Had the issued looked at at a sister dealership (Hyundai) as the Kia dealerships couldn't schedule an appointment for several months. They could not diagnose an issue specifically, only recommended that both high beam assemblies had failed, and would need replacement (at an almost $2500 cost, happening just outside of warranty at 70k miles). I live and work in a very rural area with a lot of wildlife, and have nearly hit several animals (deer, elk) because there is not enough light to see them without the high beams.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11506789February 11, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Headlight Hi-beams stopped working and is very dangerous at night with a lot of wild animals where I live.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11506584February 10, 2023
TRAILER HITCHES
The contact owned a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that after getting off the freeway, the vehicle behind him informed him that there was smoke coming from beneath the vehicle. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle, and it caught fire. The origin of the fire was unknown. The location of the fire was the front of the vehicle and the contact stated that the fire extinguished itself. A fire department report was not available. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V626000 (Trailer Hitches). The manufacturer was not yet made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11506700February 10, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
High beam lights suddenly stopped working on both front headlights.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11506530February 9, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The vehicle lost both high beams randomly together. Shows indicater on dash but you can see lights do not get brighter. This is a huge safety concern for my wife and children not being able to see well!!!! We went to dealer and they quoted us $1800 for both new headlights and said warranty will not cover this! I’ve read it’s an issue across the board with these cats and it’s time Kia does something to fix it!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11506323February 8, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The high beams headlights no longer function correctly. Low beams work fine but when toggle the shaft from low to high- there is no change in visibility. I do feel like this is a danger to myself and my growing family because in some rural areas, visibility is very limited at night. Warning lamps did not appear before high beam failure. It began about 3 months ago and still running into issues. I have talked to my local dealership and with my warranty close to running out, I’m afraid I will have to replace both assemblies out of pocket.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11505907February 6, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Both high beams suddenly stop working. Kia systems report high beams are functional. Also low beams have reduced brightness resulting dangerous driving conditions at night. Kia claims both headlight assemblies need to be replaced at an estimated repair of $2370
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11505471February 3, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
My high beam lights have stopped working. The system says it is working fine as the notifications for high beams come on but the lighting does not change.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11505142February 2, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
High beams fail to light No warning lights, H beam indicator light functions but no activation. No codes on OBD2 reader. Have not taken to dealer for this problem because no recall. Very likely to replace on my own if no recall as I am a mechanic.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11505146February 2, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
High Beam issues. It started out with one high beam out, and I figured the bulb needed replaced. When I looked into it, I learned the low beam and high beam share a single filament bulb. Later on, the high beam seemed to work again. And now it is not working again. Apparently it has to do with the mechanical "curtain" inside the housing that everyone is having issues with.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11505217February 2, 2023
SUSPENSION
In short, Kia is putting inferior rear self leveling shocks on at least their Telluride model with tow packages. We are one of many (per Kia blog posts) who have been forced to drive our vehicle for thousands of miles with ceased shocks. Kia has been aware of this safety issue since the model was released in 2020 but done nothing aout it. Then they're just replacing with the same inferior shocks, which I've seen from others posts are failing a 2nd time. We had our vehicle in several times before they finally agreed to replace (over 5K miles from 1st shop visit) ours, which did repair the issue, but it's the principle. Come to find out from multiple Kia employees, Kia makes their dealer repair shops jump through hoops to perform warranty work and why this took so long. I reached out to Kia corporate in the midst of this fiasco to see what they're doing about this and they told me ONLY the NHSTA could issue recalls (your site says otherwise), to which I replied "that's not acceptable". I also asked Kia corporate how in the world elderly or less driven individuals could navigate this, no response. They did offer restitution with a sign off for the issues, which I declined because all I want to do is help the next guy and hold Kia accountable. Kia needs to be exposed for their negligence on this issue and lack of proper customer service due to their ridiculous warranty policy and the mindset they've instilled into the minds of their techs to perform the bare minimum. I've attached my running notes with dates and the multiple repair docs to assist with the review of this issue. If you need more info please let me know!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11504849February 1, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Left headlight is stuck in high-beam mode.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11504896February 1, 2023
ENGINE
One day with approximately 58,000 miles on the car it would not start. No warning lights had appeared prior to not starting. The car was towed to a Kia dealership. They claimed there was no oil in the car. Kia refused any warranty work and the dealer filled with oil and said everything was fine. Three weeks later the car stalled at highway speed in a dangerous situation on the highway. Again no lights were present until the stall. The car would not restart and was towed back to the dealership. The dealer says Kia is refusing to cover under warranty and claiming the car was not maintained unless I can find every oil change receipt from purchase. They want to disassemble the engine and have me be responsible for the cost to prove I did not maintain the car which makes no sense. Kia does not accept any responsibility and fails to see the seriousness of the car stalling at speed on a highway three weeks after they did nothing to properly diagnose and fix the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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