2020 Kia Telluride Complaints

ENGINE — Filed 10/01/2025

I have this 2020 telluride and it’s consuming a lot of oil I have to add a quart of oil every 600 miles. I was wondering if there is any open recalls for this.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS — Filed 09/09/2026

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with an electrical bleeding between the wiring harness. The contact was informed that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure was an expensive out-of-pocket repair. The manufacturer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

ENGINE — Filed 06/27/2026

**1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request?** The engine failed catastrophically and caught fire while I was driving. The vehicle was towed to the Kia dealership, where it remains available for inspection upon request. **2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk?** The engine suddenly caught fire while I was driving, creating an immediate risk of a serious crash, injury, or death to me, my passengers, and other motorists. I had to pull over immediately, and the fire department responded to extinguish the fire and ensure everyone's safety. **3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center?** Yes. The Kia dealership inspected the vehicle and confirmed that the engine has failed and requires replacement. However, they attributed the failure to "engine wear and tear" despite the vehicle having only approximately 111,000 miles and having been regularly maintained according to Kia's recommended maintenance schedule. Two months before the failure, the same dealership repaired an engine oil leak, and they have been unable to explain why the engine failed and caught fire. **4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others?** The vehicle has been inspected by the Kia dealership. The local fire department responded to the vehicle fire at the scene. At this time, the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer or any other parties. **5. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear?** Approximately two months before the engine failure, the engine warning light illuminated due to an oil leak. I immediately took the vehicle to the Kia dealership, where they repaired the oil leak at a cost of approximately $3,000. After the repair, there were no warning lights, messages, unusual noises, or other symptoms before

STRUCTURE — Filed 10/01/2022

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that four door belt molding trim pieces had become loose and unsecured, but the front driver’s side door belt molding trim piece had become unsecured and detached from the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated that while touching the unsecured molding, the arm became bruised and scratched. No medical treatment was required. The cause of the failures was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V494000 (STRUCTURE). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 30,000.

ENGINE — Filed 05/16/2026

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)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS — Filed 01/27/2026

Vehicle fire causing a total loss to vehicle and home

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 11/16/2025

My son was driving home from work and the vehicle shut off. He got it to come back on and it stopped while he was at a red light and a by standard yelled for him to get out of the vehicle as it caught fire underneath the car from unknown reasons.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 07/02/2025

The contact's spouse owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact's spouse stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle inadvertently rolled backwards and struck the contact’s aunt as she was exiting the vehicle. The contact’s aunt was taken to the Emergency Room by ambulance/helicopter, where she later succumbed to the injuries and was pronounced dead. The contact stated that the vehicle remained at the scene. In addition, before the incident, there was grinding coming from the gears. The contact was unsure what specific injuries were sustained. A police report was filed. The contact stated that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V214000 (Power Train); which the contact related to the failure. The contact had previously received the recall notification. The dealer was not contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE — Filed 10/19/2024

OCTOBER 2024 Before the main incident Oct 2024, I started noticing slight changes in the way my KIA was operating: - Delayed response to accelerate when at a light - Tire sensors/ crash collision sensors - Lane assist pulling my off the road or into on coming traffic (random) - Intermittent Power loss while driving. - Lights not working properly. - High beams failed to operate in Sept and was told by Burlington WA KIA there was not a fix for the recall, while there for service/oil change. - Car going into parking brake when not activated. - When stopped in car is in drive, when starting to accelerate the car went in reverse causing me to hit a stump and partially tearing front bumper off. About a week after that incident I was driving home from store and car started randomly pulling car into oncoming lane. Thankfully there was not a vehicle at that time. Car then started having weird fluctuations with speedometer and dash info. Went from 24.7 miles to gal to 38 and kept jumping, experienced more instances of power loss while in drive. Then all of sudden dashboard went haywire. Whole dash lit up and was switching from different drive modes. I started noticing an electrical burning smell and smoke coming from hood. I pulled over not even a mile from home and started to pull everything important from vehicle. Think the car was on fire under the hood. After several minutes of accessing the situation and smoke dissipated, I decided to try and get car home. As I put car in drive it again went in reverse. I put car in park again and then drive and was able to proceed and limp car home. I parked car and took video of the dash light party and video of putting car in drive and it changing randomly. There still was an electrical burn smell on outside and in cab of vehicle. When my husband arrived home I tried to start vehicle to show him and it wouldn't start. So, he thought maybe the battery fried and took bat in to Napa and bought a new battery.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER — Filed 10/18/2024

Continues to have issues with dealership to remedy/correct recalls. Have waited for 60+ days since recall remedy was initiated in August 2024 Headlights continue to be a hazzard and due to this we had unfortunate incident of a deer running out and inability to see in the dusk of 6am due to lack of head lights. This has caused immense hardship regarding finances and maintaining a job as we are down one car and Kia has not offered and:or received all parts for any repairs of the recall. Advised if we attempted to fix one recall (power seat) then our “ticket will be closed and you will need to pay out of pocket for the headlights”. However this is not consistent or within the regulations of Recalls and good faith attempts. I have already contacted an attorney to pursue legal counsel. I feel KIA will need to apologize and really earn trust from all consumers as Telluride has been an issue to this day, even newer models. Attached is Allstate claim of the incident on 10/18/24 AND attachments reflecting recall announcements via postal and several follow up appointments since remedy was offered, however no action nor diligence made to correct recalls or follow up as appropriately with us to keep us updated about parts etc. .

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — Filed 04/18/2024

We contacted Kia US after taking the Kia Telluride to a Kia service station for an oil change.The service tech told us that they were not going to do an oil change because,”the Telluride was a ticking time bomb.” This was said in front of the Kia service Mgr.We were very nervous driving the vehicle because no one explained what that meant.Shortly after the service appointment, the Telluride’s engine caught on fire.We call Kia US that same day to open up a case.We explained all the issues we had with the Telluride (windshield issues, headlight issues, main display screen issues, luggage rack issues, sunroof, drive shaft, wiper fluid filter issues), to include the engine. After paying an attorney to provide all documents that Kia US requested from us, including every oil change receipt for the Telluride, Kia US only offered to only pay for the parts for the driveshaft/engine fire issues. To make matters worse, the Kia service department said that the 100+ parts needed to repair the engine, were on back order. Our Telluride’s engine caught fire in April and Kia US has done nothing for us, even though the issues are under 2 recalls. This is unacceptable for a manufacturer to ignore recalls, especially when it comes to the safety of people, families and children. We contacted Kia US for 6 months with no help from them. We sent registered/certified letters to Kia US executives, legal Dept, Kia Finance and the last communication from Kia US was that they are not doing anything for us- no repairs for the recalls, even though we mentioned the recalls associated with our Vin/Telluride. They are completely disregarding the entire situation. Since then, we have had to find another option for transportation since we have been without the Telluride for 6 months. Kia US needs to take back the Telluride and either provide us with a safe/working vehicle or reimburse us for what we have spent on the Telluride. Thank you for your assistance. Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE — Filed 07/19/2024

Vehicle started on fire and burned up while parked. Fire came from the engine compartment. Unknown from exact location in engine compartment.

VISIBILITY,STRUCTURE,SEATS — Filed 08/11/2024

Tonight I tried to open my sunroof for some fresh air while relaxing in my vehicle. My sunroof made some weird cracking noises and is jammed open. I only used my sunroof 2 to 3 times. However, it's in the stuck position and sounds like crushing glass when I try to open it. My rear right passenger folds down on its own. My grandson has been folded into the seat multiple times. I contact kia and got no resolution. This is dangerous. I went to retrieve my backpack from my backseat yesterday and when I set the sear back it made a auto sound, it slid completely forward hitting me in my face. The seat ejects by itself often and it a safety risk to my family and i. I checked kia forums only to find this is an huge issue and spoked about hundreds of times involving telluride and Sorento models. I'm afraid my sunroof glass with break.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 07/02/2024

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V214000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle rolled down from the driveway of his home while his son was in the backseat. The contact attempted to stop the vehicle and was knocked down by the door and the vehicle ran over the contact's foot. The vehicle was stopped by the contact when he engaged the brake pedal, but the vehicle crashed into his neighbor's vehicle. The crash was minor. The contact stated that no warning lights were illuminated. The contact was taken to the local hospital. The contact stated he suffered a contusion in his foot and was diagnosed with a crushed injury by the local hospital and he also stated his son was traumatized from the incident. A police report was not filed. The dealer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure The failure mileage was approximately 68,213. Parts distribution disconnect.

STEERING,SEATS — Filed 06/03/2024

I have 2 problems. The first is that my rear seats lift and move. This has been a problem since I purchased the vehicle. However I'm just reporting the issue because my grandson was injured while in his booster seat. The seat had automatically deployed and moved forward by itself 2x causing my grandson to be smashed into the passenger seat and restrained tightly by the seat belt. The back of the sear folds forward and the entire seat moves forward. Both rear seats does this. I have had incidents where my grocery would fly forward while driving because the seat had deployed. My 2nd issue is that the sensor on the steering wheel has always have issues with detecting hands on the steering wheel. I get warnings while driving to place my hands on the steering wheel. Both hands are on the wheel. However is the only certain places on the steering wheel that detects your hands?

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 08/14/2023

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated while her grand-daughter was driving with adaptive cruise control (ACC) mode set at 40 MPH, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and the steering wheel seized, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into a road sign. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the diver was able to veer to the side of the road as the steering wheel became operable. The vehicle was towed to an autobody repair shop, who informed the contact that the EDR failed to display crash data. The grand-daughter went to the hospital later, and was informed that she had sustained a minor concussion, a disc in the back and the neck. A police report was filed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure, The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

TRAILER HITCHES — Filed 01/21/2023

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.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 01/30/2023

The all wheel drive and antilock break are not working. Also, the dashboard has no indicator lights on and the diagnostic app says nothing is wrong. So the computer system has failed too. This is an all wheel drive KIA Telluride with less than 15,000 miles. It all started this snow season, when there is the least bit of snow or ice we have no control of the vehicle. Our 2 wheel drive Prius handles better. This resulted in my wife losing control on a roundabout and hitting the curb, which in turn damaged the a TIE rod and alignment. We were lucky she was driving in our neighborhood, just 1/2 a mile from our house and was driving slowly. The vehicle is no longer safe to drive. It is currently being serviced at a Kia dealership. At this point the service provider says there's nothing wrong with the AWD and the antilock breaks because the computer's is telling them it's fine. Service person is blaming it on the ice however at the time of the incident there was snow and slush. I and my oldest son have also driven it recently and noticed the same issues as my wife when driving in snow. We didn't take it in because the app says the car is fine. Initially thought maybe we had accidentally pushed a button that deactivated AWD, but further reading indicated AWD is always on. The initial plan was to address the way it felt driving it in snow at next oil change (which was due in about 100 miles) but we trusted the computer system.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING — Filed 12/25/2022

Hooded projector lights provide very limited vision on dark roads. We hit a deer and have significant damage to our vehicle due to this issue. Our brights do not come on either. Nothing happens when we select the bright option.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC — Filed 02/18/2022

While operating the vehicle and braking, the dashboard warnings lights began flashing. The brake pedal went to the floor and did not brake the vehicle. No amount of pumping of the brakes helped. At about 3-5 MPH I struck the stopped vehicle in front of me at an intersection. Later that day the same thing happened, and this time I pulled the emergency brake lever and held it. The warning alarm sounded but the brakes never slowed or stopped the vehicle. I drove the vehicle safely to a repair shop and it was then towed to a Kia dealership. Where it is available for inspection. The error codes on the ECM indicate that the right rear ABS Speed Sensor has lost communication. I do not know if the component has been inspected by KIA. When the failure occurs the BCW light goes on, the ABS light goes on, the Master warning light goes on, the Electronic Stability Light goes on, and the AUTO HOLD lights amber. The dealership has reviewed the codes on the ECM which follows: ABS/ESC(+EPB) 2 Codes 1.C121102: Wheel Speed Sensor Rear-RH Invalid/no Signal 2.C121002: Wheel Speed Sensor Rear-RH Range / Performance / Intermittent Integrated Body Control Unit- BCM 1 Code 1.B121200: Front Center Right Sensor Fault Integrated Body Control Unit- SMK 1 Code 1.B121200: Front Center Right Sensor Fault Integrated Body Control Unit- TPMS 1 Code 1.B121200: Front Center Right Sensor Fault PSM (Power Seat Module) 1 Code 1.B163700: System Not Initialized BCW (Blind-Spot Collision Warning) 2 Codes 1.C169381: ESC Signal Error 2.C167581: Signal WHEEL FL or WHEEL FR or WHEEL RL or WHEEL RR not Valid MFC (Multi Function Camera) 1 Code 1.C186286: Invalid Signal of SCC SCC (Smart Cruise Control) 3 Codes 1.C121181: Wheel Speed Sensor Rear-RH Invalid/no Signal 2.C136081: ESP Irreversible Error 3.C174181: ESC-not available VSM (Check ESC) 4WD Control 1 Code 1.P183000: Clutch Torque Tolerance Lower Limit.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 11/11/2021

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while the engine was idling and the brake pedal was being pressed for approximately 3 minutes, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a nearby snow plurer, lamp pole, and house stairs. During the incident, no injuries were reported. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 28,000.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — Filed 08/22/2021

Check engine light in March of 2021. 38,800 miles. Determined to be a timing issue and parts of the engine was replaced by Bill Barth Kia in Mandan, ND. Car was picked up on 4/21/21. On 4/28/21 all warning lights came on. Car was towed back to dealership. After multiple attempts at fixes over a 4 month period of time it was finally determined a new wiring harness was needed. The new harness seemed to correct the problem and I took possession of the car on 8/20/21. It was driven around 75 miles that day to drive home. On 8/22/21 the car was driven 8 to 10 miles and then parked and turned off in my driveway at 12:35 pm. No warning lights were on at this time. At or around 1:30 pm I was notified by my neighbors that the car was on fire. My husband grabbed an extinguisher and located a 12 inch flame in the front of the car near the engine. It was quickly extinguished. Once the fire was out I opened the door to put the car in neutral to remove/push it from the driveway. All warning lights were on once again. The battery cable was disconnected to hopefully prevent another fire. I have documentation of work done between 3/11/21 and 4/21/21 but all work done after that point is on an invoice that was denied to me by the dealer. I was told I could receive a copy of the invoice once compensation was made to them by Kia for a part.

SEATS — Filed 07/27/2021

I dropped my phone between the seat and the console. I reached between it and got my arm caught. I tried for 15 minutes to get it out with no success. I drove myself and children to the fire station where they had to use a crowbar to push on a bar that was holding my arm. When I got my arm out, it was bloody, cut, and swollen.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 06/01/2020

THE EXHAUST PIPE END BY THE REAR BUMPER IS CAUSING BURNS ON MY HUSBAND AND TWO OUT OF THREE OF MY CHILDREN. IT IS NOT PUSHED BACK ENOUGH SO WHEN THE TRUNK IT OPENED AFTER DRIVING AND WE GO TO REMOVE ITEMS FROM CAR IT LEAVES BURNS. THE DESIGN NEEDS TO BE CHANGED AND A RECALL WOULD BE EXPECTED AS I HAVE FOUND WHILE DOING RESEARCH MANY TELLURIDE OWNERS HAVE THIS ISSUE AND IT IS NOT SAFE.

AIR BAGS — Filed 06/24/2020

A CAR PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF ME ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE I WAS GOING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH AND HIT THE SIDE OF MY TELLURIDE. IT SPUN ME AROUND AND I HIT THE SIDE OF A BRIDGE HEAD ON. NOT ONE OF MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED I. THIS CRASH WHICH IS VERY TROUBLING TO ME. I AM ATTACHING PICTURES. THE TOW DRIVER SAID THE AIRBAG SENSOR WAS NOT CONNECTED. *TR