2025 Kia Telluride Complaints

VISIBILITY/WIPER — Filed 10/15/2026

The sunroof on my 2025 telluride spontaneously exploded this morning. It sounded like a gunshot went off. No other vehicles were around and wasn’t near anything that could fall on the vehicle

VISIBILITY/WIPER — Filed 10/11/2026

I have a 2025 Kia Telluride, purchased in Jan 2025. Almost right away, I started having issues with my windshield wipers where they wouldn't work when the lever was pushed - in any setting (High, low, intermittent, etc.). The rear wipers have always worked. After several visits and holding onto my car for several weeks, this was fixed in February 2025, by replacing the wiper motor, by a Kia service center at a dealership. Things were fine for a year and a half. They stopped working again in August 2025. Again, I took it to a Kia dealership where they were able to replicate the problem and also replaced the motor. Now, on October 11th, they did not work on a rainy night when I went to use them.

ENGINE — Filed 10/08/2026

2025 Kia Telluride engine shut down on highway in construction zone with no shoulder. Engine shut off, alarms sounded and it displayed to put the vehicle in park or neutral and restart. I had to coast to an exit ramp. Vehicle did restart and seems to be intermittent.

ENGINE — Filed 10/01/2026

Vehicle is shutting down while driving or idling.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS — Filed 07/07/2026

The airbag warning light came on at about 4,000–4,500 miles in July 2026. The selling dealer found active code B142900 and a damaged yellow SRS connector under the driver-side second-row seat. The green wire is pulled out of the terminal, with exposed copper. The connector is hanging loose under the seat, in the path of the seat frame. The dealer wiring diagram identifies it as connector F49, Rear Side Airbag LH. The failed connector is still on the vehicle and available for inspection. Dealer case 26238900 was opened July 7, 2026 and closed July 8. Techline said it only handles engines, transmissions, and high-voltage batteries, and directed the warranty question to the service manager, DPSM, and warranty department. The dealer did not issue a written warranty decision, called the damage owner-caused, and quoted a main-harness replacement above $6,000. This is the same second-row driver-side side-airbag circuit recalled under SC262 / NHTSA 23V-035 for harness damage from seat-frame contact during normal seat movement. The SRS light is still on at 6,182 miles, so that airbag will not deploy. A warranty review was submitted to Kia Customer Care Center on October 1, 2026. No crash, fire, or injury. Photos of the pulled wire, the under-seat location, and the F49 diagram are attached.

WHEELS — Filed 09/26/2026

On XXX, I picked up a rental vehicle from the Budget Car Rental branch at [XXX] (SJC) for a family trip. On XXX, while driving through a remote mountain area near [XXX], the rear tire suffered a catastrophic and sudden pressure failure, dropping instantly to 0 PSI. Upon inspecting the failed tire, I discovered severe, pre-existing mechanical negligence: the entire inside edge of the tire tread was completely bald with structural steel belts and cords fully exposed. Most shockingly, upon inspecting the vehicle's keys, I discovered that the rental agency had full, documented prior knowledge of this dangerous defect. The words "Tires Bald" were explicitly handwritten by the fleet maintenance team directly onto the corporate barcode key tag attached to the key fob. The rental agency negligently bypassed their own safety tag and deployed an illegal, unroadworthy vehicle into commercial service. This gross safety violation directly endangered my family, including my [XXX] father, [XXX] mother, and wife, while navigating winding mountain passes in Yosemite National Forest at night. A high-speed blowout under these conditions could have easily resulted in a fatal rollover accident. The rental company has since admitted absolute fault by fully refunding the rental contract (Budget Confirmation: XXX/ Costco Travel Confirmation: XXX). I am filing this official safety report because renting out a vehicle with documented bald tires and exposed steel belts constitutes an extreme public safety hazard and a violation of federal vehicle safety standards. Photographic proof of the tire cords, dashboard system warnings, and the "Tires Bald" corporate key tag are attached to this report for investigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ENGINE — Filed 09/10/2026

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while driving uphill at 55 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lost power. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The approximate failure mileage was 22,000.

ENGINE — Filed 09/19/2026

The engine randomly turns off and I get a warning that says "Engine Off! Shift to P or N, then start engine" This happened recently as my mother in law was making a left hand turn on a busy intersection. If there were other cars coming she would've been hit. There are no prior warnings or indications that the car is having any issues. The car has been inspected by the dealership, which has been unable to reproduce the issue.

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — Filed 09/17/2026

My 2025 Kia Telluride has experienced repeated, unresolved engine stalling/shutdown while driving. The defect began as stalling at low speeds approaching stops and has escalated to the vehicle shutting off completely while traveling at 45–50 miles per hour on public roads. When the engine shuts off at highway speeds, power steering and power brakes are lost, creating an immediate life-threatening situation for the driver and any passengers. The dealership has made multiple repair attempts across two separate phases of this defect without success. Despite the ongoing safety hazard, the dealer has pressured me to return my rental vehicle and accept the car back without verified resolution of the stalling issue. Kia America Customer Service has been unresponsive to the urgency of this situation. The vehicle remains unrepaired and unsafe for highway operation. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this defect, review whether a safety recall is warranted, and add this complaint to the record for the 2025 Kia Telluride VIN [XXX]. I am aware that other 2025 Telluride owners have reported similar stalling and unexpected shutdown issues to NHTSA. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

SEATS — Filed 03/24/2026

My 2025 Kia Telluride is subject to safety recall SC362A / NHTSA Recall 26V105 involving the front seatback assemblies. On March 24, 2026, I left the vehicle with an authorized Kia dealer for the recall repair. The dealer documented “REMEDY NOT AVAIL” and also documented that the vehicle would remain at the dealer until the recall was performed. As of September 14, 2026, the vehicle remains unrepaired and NHTSA’s VIN recall lookup still shows this recall as unrepaired. The vehicle has therefore been unavailable for approximately 174 days because Kia has not provided and completed the recall remedy. I am requesting that NHTSA review Kia’s failure to provide this safety recall remedy within a reasonable period of time

STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — Filed 09/03/2026

We purchased a new 2025 Kia Telluride 17 days ago. Just three days after purchasing the vehicle, I experienced a serious and potentially dangerous failure while driving in heavy traffic in downtown Chicago. The dashboard suddenly lit up, an alarm began sounding, and the following warning appeared: “Engine Off! Shift to P or N and then start engine.” I was forced to pull off the road in VERY congested downtown traffic, put the vehicle in park, turn it off, and restart it. I immediately contacted the dealership. The next day, I took the vehicle to the dealership for an unrelated detailing issue and asked them to check out the car to address what had happened. I was told it was likely a computer fluke and that I would need to wait to see if it happens again. The next day, the exact same thing happened while merging onto the interstate on a tight onramp in congested traffic. This time, I had significant difficulty getting safely to the side of the road and came extremely close to being struck by another vehicle. Again, I had to put the vehicle in park, turn it off, and restart it. The following day, I returned the Telluride to the dealership. It has been there for over a week. They seem to know this is a common issue with Tellurides but they've indicated that KIA has not provided guidance on addressing this specific issue. As a result, they could only respond to the code that was generated- which indicates an electrical control issue. I've contacted KIA and I'm waiting to hear if they can provide a fix that can guarantee I'm not put into another dangerous situation. If an older person or teenager had been in the situations I had been in, I can nearly guarantee there would've been a very serious and potentially fatal accident. Please help us address this issue!

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 08/18/2026

Component: Factory forward panoramic sunroof glass, 2025 Kia Telluride, VIN [XXX]. On XXX at 8:18 a.m. ET, [XXX], 59 mph, the glass shattered with a loud bang. No object was seen hitting the roof. Sunshade open. Vehicle/photos available. Original glass may not have been kept after dealer/insurance repair (State Farm; return set XXX). Safety risk: Highway-speed failure with a [XXX] in the front passenger seat. Glass entered the cabin and fell on driver [XXX] and the child. Noise like a gunshot. Risk of startle, cuts, blocked vision, and loss of control. Driver kept the lane and exited at [XXX]. No injuries. Not safe to keep driving. Confirmed: One-time shatter, documented by photos. Calavan Kia West received the vehicle XXX. A Kia assessor inspected it and warranty was denied, citing two lower-windshield marks I had already seen the day before when I washed the car. Those marks are on a different panel and do not explain the roof bursting. No written denial or assessor report. State Farm is replacing the glass. Inspections: Kia assessor at Calavan Kia West. State Farm claim opened. Police not called. I photographed the roof at [XXX], before the tow. Warnings: None. No lamps, messages, cracks, or rattles beforehand. First sign was the sudden bang and shattered glass. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ENGINE — Filed 09/03/2026

There have been two individual episodes of this occurring. While actively driving the entire vehicle shuts off and begins to Coast and will not respond to pressing the accelerator. This happened once in our driveway in March. This happened again about 3 weeks ago while driving on the interstate and had to cross multiple lanes of traffic in order to make it to the shoulder. Very unsafe situation with no warning

ENGINE — Filed 09/09/2026

I purchased this new vehicle in March of 2026. The vehicle has 6,800 miles. While idle, I started to get a warning the engine was overheating with the ac only blowing hot air while the engine smelt like it was overheating. This put me at risk of being stranded in the heat with my toddler and new born or the vehicle malfunctioning in the highway.

ENGINE — Filed 09/01/2026

The engine just quit when making a brake stop. The RPM went to zero. The car did restart but failed a second time after a few feet of travel and the brakes were applied. There are at least two occasions when the issue occurred within the past two days.

STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — Filed 08/20/2026

When driving, the vehicle will randomly shut off. Every warning light and alarm goes off. A message displays on the dash to put the vehicle on P or N to turn it back on. This happens unexpectedly. It's happened about 16 times on the road and 2 times on the highway. This is a huge safety issue. We notified Kia in February of 2026, it's gone to the service department three times for this specific issue, but they are unable to recreate it and no codes are stored for them to see what it is. We have recorded the vehicle acting up once it's shut off. This is very dangerous that a new vehicle randomly shuts off, and no one knows what is causing it. Now, it's at the shop for the fourth time. This time the Kia engineers have asked the service shop to replace the engine harness along with some sensors and send it to them. We have recordings from Kia Corporate stating they dont know what it is. We even have a service tech stating that there are others with this issue but no solution has been uncovered.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 08/31/2026

The infotainment displayed information at the home screen is so close to the left side of the screen that when you are driving, the steering wheel and my hand covers it, so if you want to see it, you need to bend a little to the right, taking the eyes off the road and more important things. The infotainment screen design has a lot of room in the middle of the screen, but somebody with very low brain, had to be a designer, decided it was better to put everything stacked up to the left

ENGINE — Filed 08/01/2026

Aug 1 2026 While going to the store, we were waiting at the traffic light to make a left turn, as we were making the left turn and entering the store parking lot an audible alarm sounded which surprised us and then a message appeared that stated "Engine Off! Shift to P or N, then start engine". Fortunately, there were no cars behind us and I was able to shift into Park and restart my car. With engine off, we had no power steering or power brakes, again a surprise. Had there been traffic, the surprise loss of these features makes driving difficult. The mere fact that the engine turned off alone in the middle of a parking lot driveway poses risk for traffic accidents ... I had to take my eyes off the road to see what the alarm was. Not to mention had there been traffic and having to stop in a somewhat sudden manner could pose risk for accidents from other drivers.

ENGINE — Filed 08/29/2026

XXX While returning home, we were crossing a 2 lane bridge between [XXX] and [XXX] heading south, an audible alarm sounded which surprised us and then a message appeared that stated "Engine Off! Shift to P or N, then start engine". Once I was able to refocus my attention to the road, I was then able to turn on my hazard signals, stop the car, shift to Park and restart the car. This all happened with traffic behind us and passing us in the opposite lane. There was no shoulder for us to use to get out of the way. I should also mention we were traveling a slight incline up as we were crossing the bridge. This was the second time this has happened and again it forced my attention away from the road so that I could address this issue. Fortunately, this all occurred at low speed, approx 30-35mph. Also, luckily I was able to get my hazard signals on quickly to avoid being rear ended by the sudden occurrence of this issue. I cannot imagine what would have happened if I had been on the interstate going 70+ mph. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ENGINE — Filed 08/29/2026

XXX While returning home, we just turned right onto [XXX] heading south, an audible alarm sounded which surprised us and then a message appeared that stated "Engine Off! Shift to [XXX], then start engine". This same problem had just occurred not 10 minutes earlier while crossing the bridge into [XXX] from [XXX]! Again, once I was able to refocus my attention to the road, I was then able to turn on my hazard signals, stop the car (no power brakes), shift to Park and restart the car. With this occurrence we were fortunate there was no traffic on the street at the time. We were traveling at about 30mph. This was the 3rd occurrence of this problem within 30 days and then again the second occurrence within 10 minutes on the same day! This is really unnerving to have your engine turn off suddenly and without any warnings! Just a sudden audible alarm, followed by a message, completely out of the blue! I cannot imagine what will happen should this occur at higher speeds? Or in heavier traffic? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

SEAT BELTS — Filed 08/07/2026

My stepson became entangled in the left/driver-side third-row seat belt of my 2025 Kia Telluride. The seat belt webbing became wrapped/tangled around him and the seat belt retractor entered a locked condition. We were unable to create sufficient slack or otherwise release him from the restraint. The situation became a life-threatening child-entrapment emergency. Emergency services were called and responders ultimately had to CUT THE FACTORY SEAT BELT WEBBING to free the child. My safety concern is not simply that a child became tangled in a seat belt. My concern is that once this occurred, the seat belt/retractor locked in a manner that prevented us from releasing tension and freeing the child. The only available solution during the emergency was for first responders to physically cut the restraint. I have also located reports from other Kia Telluride owners describing children becoming trapped when third-row seat belts became wrapped around an occupant or seat component and subsequently locked. I am also aware of NHTSA Recall 26V356 / Kia Safety Recall SC372 involving certain 2027 Kia Telluride and Telluride Hybrid vehicles. That recall involves a driver's seat belt emergency locking retractor that may lock while the webbing is being extended. I understand that recall applies to a different model year and seating position and may have a different underlying cause. However, because my 2025 Telluride experienced a serious seat-belt retractor locking event involving a child, I am requesting that NHTSA evaluate whether this incident represents a related, broader, or separate restraint-system safety defect. This incident required emergency intervention and destruction of the factory seat belt to free a child. I believe the inability to release tension from the locked restraint presents a potentially serious child entrapment and strangulation hazard, and I am requesting that NHTSA investigate.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — Filed 12/22/2025

The vehicle had been throwing different Electrical Codes for several months around August through December 2025. The last code it through was an engine management system error. On December 22nd 2025 the car caught fire in the engine and exploded while parked in the driveway. Fire investigators are leaning towards in electrical issue in the engine. I currently have an additional 2025 Kia Telluride vehicle which is also starting to display some of the same electrical messages

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 04/26/2026

I was driving down the highway at approximately 70 mph, and a deer ran into the front driver's side corner of the car. The airbag fortunately didn’t deploy, but the hood flew up and covered the windshield, blocking my ability to see. I was somehow able to pull the vehicle over without being able to see. Within 30 seconds of pulling over—and while I was still in the driver's seat—I noticed flames coming out of the engine compartment. I screamed to my son to get out of the car, and within minutes the car was completely engulfed in flames. The car burned to the ground and is a total loss. I have no idea how this could have possibly happened. This shouldn't have happened from a deer. The vehicle was only 7 months old, was up to date on all required maintenance and recalls, and had approximately 11,000 miles on it. It was in perfect condition. We were able to escape, but for a moment I thought we might not be able to. We're lucky to be alive. I reported the issue to my insurance company and the manufacturer and have received no information on causation. A link to the video of the car burning is below: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS — Filed 01/18/2026

On Sunday January 18th 2026, my daughter and I were involved in a multi-car accident in St Paul, MN on WB I-94. The weather was very cold and windy and it was snowing lightly. Traffic was moving slowly at about 40-45 miles per hour due the possible icy road conditions. A 2020 GMC Terrain, driven by a [XXX] male, was driving at excessive speeds and weaving in an out of traffic when he struck the back of a semi which in turn caused the vehicle in front of our vehicle to hit him and then we struck that vehicle traveling at approximately 40 to 45 miles per hour. There was no time to respond it happened so quickly. Neither my nor my daughters air bags deployed nor did either of your seatbelts lock. I was able to grasp the steering wheel and brace but my daughter flew forward and hit her head on the dash board. The vehicle was towed to Caliber Collision Center in Minnetonka, MN on 1/19/2026. The collision representative questioned the airbags not deploying as well as confirming that the seatbelts did NOT LOCK at the time of impact. We were very concerned as well. The Collision Center (Caliber Collision in Minnetonka, MN), stated that the pre-scan did NOT show any error messages relating to the airbags. We told them immediately that we were not comfortable with this information and that we wanted further investigation. We have also requested the 'Black Box' be pulled to provide information at the time of the accident. We filed a claim with KIA CUSTOMER CARE. They took my statement and said we would hear from someone within the next 5-7 business days. It has been a month and we have gotten NO WHERE WITH KIA. They claim they are looking into it yet the Collision Center has heard NOTHING from KIA. The damages total over $21,000 and the vehicle repairs have almost been completed. We have told them we are NOT comfortable picking up our vehicle with UNRESOLVED SAFETY CONCERNS. KIA CORPORATION HAS FAILED US AND WE WANT ANSWERS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE — Filed 12/13/2025

The contact rented a 2025 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that there was damage to the rear bumper upon retrieval. While using lane assist, traveling around a curve at 55 MPH, the steering wheel was pushing and pulling, and failed to turn and continued going straight; the vehicle crossed the highway and crashed into a ditch. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact sustained injuries to his back and had bruises, but no medical assistance was provided. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The air bags deployed. There was no reported fire. A police report was filed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The rental company was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified OF THE FAILURE. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000. The VIN was not available.