10 Of The Most Common Complaints Kia Telluride Owners Report With Their SUV

With only five model years in its history, you might think the Kia Telluride hasn't yet earned a starting spot in the Korean automaker's lineup. However, with sales of over 90,000 for every model year after 2020, the Telluride has quickly become the third-most popular vehicle the company produces — only the Sportage and Forte sell more annually.

As with any new vehicle model, the Kia Telluride had some kinks to iron out after it began rolling out into the wild. However, as the years went on, the Telluride's list of complaints has significantly shortened. We'll be listing 10 of the most common complaints among the five years of the Telluride, along with any efforts Kia has made to rectify these issues via recalls or technical service bulletins.

It's here that we'll mention that overall, the Kia Telluride has a fairly low number of complaints against it in the grand scheme of things. Even the 'worst' year for the Telluride, 2020, only has 479 complaints logged on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's official database. For comparison, the 2002 Ford Explorer — a vehicle that website CarComplaints labels with "avoid like the plague" — maintains a list of over 3,500. 

The Telluride's total complaint list has gone down every year since its initial model year, meaning that even after a second generation was introduced — a common time for new designs to show flaws — Kia's engineers seem to have only improved the Telluride from year to year.

The Kia Telluride's size is a benefit for a certain type of buyer. While the similarly-appointed Sportage is smaller and more budget-friendly, the Telluride has more features, extra room for storage and passengers, as well as more power for towing. If you're planning on taking a boat on a road trip with the family, the Telluride with its optional tow hitch is arguably the better pick. SlashGear recently reviewed the Kia Carnival minivan, which is also making a name for itself with a 2025 redesign.

However, a recall related to tow hitch brake lights was issued for the 2020 Kia Telluride, with another hitch-related recall coming later for 2020 to 2022 model years. While the first recall addressed an issue with the Telluride's cruise control not activating trailer brake lights, the second one was somehow even more serious — fires could result from debris and moisture buildup on the circuit board of Kia's tow hitch harness. The 2020 recall affected almost 87,000 vehicles, while the 2020 to 2022 fire hazard covered just under 36,500.

Kia remedied the brake light issue by installing a separate harness to affected vehicles. For the fire hazard recall, inspections, installation of a new fuse and harness extension, and replacement hitch harness assemblies were offered as needed. Unfortunately, it seems that buyers are still having a little trouble getting these new hitches and harnesses, as parts were on backorder until recently. 

When a vehicle ages, interior wear and tear is inevitable. Handles chip and break off, leather wears out, fabric tears, and panel colors fade from exposure to sunlight. The Telluride seems to have more problems with this than most other vehicles, with common complaints to Consumer Reports about things like doors and window trim simply falling off.

Heading into owner reviews from other reputable sites sheds a little more light onto why Telluride owners are angry. Accounts of door handles simply snapping off, headliners on brand new vehicles showing marks, and trim parts simply falling off during a vehicle's first car wash are common, and follow-up comments after dealing with Kia customer service seem to show a lack of real solutions from the automaker. 

Some people speculate that Kia is building Tellurides too quickly to keep up with demand, but there's no real evidence of this. A more realistic reason is that vehicle trim parts, which are mostly held together by plastic clips, are simply succumbing to everyday wear and tear and customers would rather not have to pay to replace those parts.

A new car purchase is always a little nerve-wracking. After housing, a vehicle is likely one of the largest purchases many people will make in life, putting a lot of pressure on buyers to pick the perfect vehicle for their situation. On top of that, buying a brand-new vehicle often means balancing the risks of new problems with the comfort that you aren't inheriting someone else's problems. While Carfax and other vehicle history services can give you a list of what's been done to a used vehicle, there's something to be said for that new car smell. SlashGear even has a list of things you should know before investing in a Telluride, be it new or used.

Unfortunately, there are times when a brand new vehicle comes with brand new problems. That was the case for the 2024 Kia Telluride, a vehicle that has been well-reviewed among automotive journalists, including us here at SlashGear. A manufacturing issue with the Telluride's valve springs can lead to the springs breaking, which in turn can result in engine failure. In extreme cases, the broken bits of valve spring can get into the engine's combustion chamber, resulting in a hole in the engine block and a potential fire.

Thankfully, no fires have been reported and, while almost 3,000 Tellurides are affected by this February 2024 recall, Kia didn't waste any time in addressing this issue. Kia's fix is to replace the engine sub-assembly on any and all affected vehicles, eliminating any chance of the faulty springs remaining in vehicles already on the road.

The numerous displays in our vehicles have become more and more necessary than ever as more systems are being used and tracked in everyday driving. Things like the speedometer, fuel level gauge, and coolant temperature that used to be monitored with simple needles now use digital readouts. When those readouts fail, it can cause a panic in the vehicle's operator. Imagine driving in an unknown area and not being able to assess how much fuel you've got left, or passing through a small town and being unaware of how fast you're going as you notice you just passed a speed trap.

Complaints to the NHTSA regarding the affected model years currently sit at over 300 on the NHTSA website, with many related to screen failures. Kia had to issue separate recalls for its LCD info screens and instrument clusters failing on the 2022 Telluride, and another for the LCD screens in the 2023 model year. The reasons for those recalls are less than uplifting — the LCD screen failures were both attributed to software issues, and the instrument cluster issue was a result of excess adhesive being applied to a circuit board in the cluster. Kia itself initiated the recalls for these problems, rather than being forced into them by the NHTSA.

With over 117,000 vehicles affected by all three of those recalls combined, LCD screen and instrument cluster failures are definitely one of the most common reasons for Telluride owners to second-guess their purchases.

While going on any vehicle's owner forums is akin to walking into an echo chamber to read about people venting about poor customer service and worse engineering problems, sometimes you can get a good sense of real issues that plague a make and model after sorting through the rubble. The Kia Telluride has a noticeably high number of complaints about excess engine oil consumption, both on public forum sites and through the NHTSA's complaint log.

A common complaint from any vehicle owner as their car ages is excessive oil consumption, also referred to as "burning oil." Often, it's a problem in older vehicles with high mileage. Parts designed to keep oil out of the engine's combustion chamber, like piston rings and valve seals, wear out from normal use. When they do, oil gets in and burns off, and owners often don't notice until an oil level light illuminates on the dashboard. Kia hasn't issued any recalls or technical service bulletins about the issue — in fact, the only TSB related to oil at all was just an update on how to reset the maintenance reminder.

Oil also could leak onto the skid plate under the vehicle, which owners might misinterpret as excess consumption if they don't notice an oil puddle. Since the Telluride's engine oil pan and engine oil filter housing are made of plastic, they tend to be the victims of overenthusiastic lube technicians, who are often the least experienced mechanics in the shop. Unfortunately, if those things occur, less than honest techs might be inclined to attempt a repair using JB Weld rather than replacing the plastic parts.

The Telluride's size and styling make it seem like a natural pick for folks looking to do a little off-road driving. While it's not necessarily designed to be a contender in rock crawling competitions, the Kia SUV is powerful enough to take to a campsite or dune for a little fun. Unfortunately, suspension issues that one might not notice on the daily commute are amplified during light off-roading or highway driving, and owners often complain about noise or outright failure of the Telluride's suspension system.

The Kia Telluride's suspension garnered a number of complaints for a few serious reasons. 2020 and 2021 Tellurides are often affected by noise coming from the self-leveling rear shocks. While it's annoying, Kia doesn't consider the noise (or even the shocks failing entirely) a safety issue, nor one covered by warranty. A technical service bulletin issued by Kia suggests replacing the upper insulator that rests against the rear wheel well to eliminate noise, which seems to have helped customers whose shocks didn't completely fail.

Vibrations at highway speed on 2020 and 2021 Tellurides with All-Wheel Drive also have been addressed, and a TSB was issued that offered repairs ranging from simple tire rebalancing to a full replacement of both the propeller shaft assembly and the AWD coupling.

It's a simple thing, finishing up a drive. You put the vehicle in park, maybe pop on the e-brake, turn off the vehicle, gather up your stuff, and head out. If you're a veteran driver of a vehicle with manual transmission, that hand brake suggestion becomes a little more mandatory. If not, it's just a backup plan. After all, you put the car in park, it stays parked, right? Except when the systems that lock up the driveshaft get damaged, and your new Telluride slowly begins to creep down your driveway and towards the street below.

This incredibly serious issue affected all Kia Tellurides, and was addressed by Kia via a March 2024 recall. Specifically, Kia explains that improper assembly led to only partial engagement between the intermediate shaft and right front drive shaft, which sometimes caused spline wear and damage on the intermediate shaft. The damaged splines were then unable to maintain the vehicle's shifter position. That damage led to several instances where the vehicle rolled away while in park.

While no injuries, crashes, or fatalities resulted from this issue, the 427,407 vehicles affected have since been recalled, with replacement bracket and shaft assemblies being installed as a preventative measure. An issue that serious required a serious repair campaign, and it's reassuring that Kia went as far as it did to recall every Telluride just in case they were affected by that issue.

The convenience of a power seat is easily overlooked now that they are so ubiquitous among vehicles. Whether you're driving an oversized F-350 or an adorable Mini Cooper, the ability to get the seat right where you want it is now as easy as pressing a button or moving a switch. However, a recent recall addresses an issue where this adjuster gets stuck, resulting in an overheated motor and a potential fire hazard.

This June 2024 recall affects 462,869 vehicles and includes every Kia Telluride model year. The related technical service bulletin is very thorough, and describes the problem as a slight misalignment of the seat motor control switch, which could have been the result of impact to the switch due to its location. The switch gets stuck in place, and the motor keeps working when the seat is at its maximum adjustment — even if the vehicle is parked. When the motor gets hot enough, a fire can result. One such fire was reported to Kia, prompting the safety investigation that led to the recall, along with six melted motors. Fortunately, no injuries were logged.

The fix is a pretty straightforward one, with Kia opting to replace the adjustment slide knobs on all Tellurides, and either replacing the switch bracket or the entire switch based on the condition the vehicle is presented in. Kia even included a way for its dealers to reimburse customers for a roundtrip rideshare or three days of a rental vehicle while this repair was being performed.

A common issue among Kia drivers is rapidly spreading windshield cracks. The problem that many customers describe is small impacts or cracks that seemingly appeared out of nowhere spreading rapidly across the entire piece of glass in a matter of days. These cracks don't seem to have any real reason for happening, either — many customers complain of cracks appearing in multiple replacement Kia windshields after their original glass has been serviced.

While no official recalls have been issued, Kia did acknowledge that it was enough of a problem to justify a Customer Satisfaction Initiative, offering to replace damaged windshields or reimburse Telluride owners who had already paid to fix these problems. A class action lawsuit was also filed in 2023 addressing windshield issues that Kia was allegedly unwilling to help customers with.

Different companies use different wording for these customer satisfaction drives, but the purpose remains the same — the automaker offers a repair or "upgraded component" that isn't necessarily safety-driven, but is enough of an issue to demand addressing outside of warranty work. Customer Satisfaction Initiative notices are usually mailed to owners of affected vehicles, and are often only available for a limited time, after which point the customer is responsible for the repairs. While these initiatives are reported to the NHTSA, they aren't considered safety defects or logged as recalls.

Headlight malfunctions are a major issue for Telluride owners, with high beam problems by far the biggest reason for complaints. While it's not necessarily as costly or dangerous as an engine fire or instrumentation failure, a lack of light on a dark road can indirectly lead to an accident with another driver or wildlife. Unfortunately, a major issue with the 2020 Telluride has been its mechanical high beam system.

Instead of separate bulbs or intensities for its high beams, the Kia Telluride uses a mechanical system that works like a shield to allow more light projection for its high beam function. However, heat generated from the halogen headlight bulbs can damage that shield gear mechanism, making it inoperable. The TSB released by Kia describes the repair process, which ranges from the installation of a retainer clip to a full replacement of the headlight assembly. Complaints number in the hundreds, but it took Kia until 2024 — after over a year of back and forth with the NHTSA — to finally issue a recall of the more than 35,000 2020 Tellurides affected by this issue.

Tellurides continue to have headlight issues, with complaints from owners of all model years ranging from poor light alignment to poor visibility when turning or driving on hills. These problems have yet to be addressed via TSB or a recall. Meanwhile, if you find you need to replace your 2020 Kia Telluride headlight bulbs, at least that's an easy part to source.

We scoured the most reliable sources to look into common issues that affect the Kia Telluride. Resale sites like Cars.com, reviewers like Consumer Reports, and government databases from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration were used to compile a list of common issues, recalls, and problems among the five existing model years of the Kia Telluride. Those numbers were then compared with reliability ratings and owner complaint submissions to rank the most common complaints Kia Telluride owners report with their vehicles.