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2021 Kia Telluride

Verified August 31, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
5
on record
MPG
27
combined

Open recalls on record

5 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.

Vehicle Summary

2021 Kia Telluride

5 recalls
337 complaints
27 MPG combined
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Confirm all 5 recalls were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
Read the 7 complaints reporting a crash
Review the 337 owner complaints on record
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
5
Owner complaints
337
Complaints citing a crash
7

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

5 Recalls on Record

3 of these are high-severity. Contact a dealer to verify these have been completed.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

5 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 21V164000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE

    Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021 Telluride, K5, and Forte vehicles. The Occupant Classification and Detection System (OCS/ODS) unit may not detect the presence of a child restraint system in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

    Consequence

    In the event of a crash, deployment of the front passenger air bag, with a child in that seat, can increase the risk of injury to the child.

    Remedy

    Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCS/ODS unit, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC207.

    Full campaign record
  • 22V626000high

    Trailer hitches

    TRAILER HITCHES

    Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Telluride vehicles potentially equipped with a Genuine Kia 4-pin tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.

    Consequence

    A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

    Remedy

    Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install a new fuse and a wiring harness extension. Dealers will also inspect and replace the tow hitch harness assembly, as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 12, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC247.

    Full campaign record
  • 24V214000high

    Driveshaft bolt issue

    POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

    Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. The intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft may not be fully engaged, which can result in vehicle roll away while in PARK.

    Consequence

    A vehicle roll away increases the risk of a crash or injury.

    Remedy

    Owners are advised to manually engage the emergency parking brake prior to exiting the vehicle until the recall remedy is performed. Dealers will update the electronic parking brake software and replace any damaged intermediate shafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 15, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC303.

    Full campaign record
  • 24V407000high

    Safety restraint issue

    SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST

    Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. The front power seat motor may overheat due to a stuck power seat slide knob, which can result in a fire while parked or driving.

    Consequence

    A fire increases the risk of injury.

    Remedy

    Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install a bracket for the power seat switch back covers and replace the seat slide knobs, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 30, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC316.

    Full campaign record
  • 26V430000high

    Safety restraint issue

    SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST

    Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. The front power seat motor may overheat due to a stuck power seat slide knob or an improper recall 24V407 repair, which can result in a fire while parked or driving.

    Consequence

    A fire increases the risk of injury.

    Remedy

    Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install an electronic fuse assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 13, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC374. This recall replaces NHTSA recall number 24V407. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning July 17, 2026.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2021 Kia Telluride.

  • Frontal crash

    Driver
    4 / 5
    Passenger
    4 / 5
  • Side crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
    Side pole
    5 / 5
  • Rollover

    Rollover risk
    15.5%
    Dynamic tip
    No Tip

Driver-assistance technologies

Electronic stability control
Standard
Forward collision warning
Standard
Lane departure warning
Standard

What the ratings mean

NHTSA gives the 2021 Kia Telluride 5 out of 5 stars overall. NHTSA does not publish enough comparable results for this class and year to rank it against peers.

NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.

NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 15.5% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.

NHTSA crash tests

2021 Kia Telluride Frontal crash crash test
Frontal crash Video
2021 Kia Telluride Side crash crash test
Side crash Video
2021 Kia Telluride Side pole crash test
Side pole Video

Fuel economy & emissions

EPA figures for the 2021 Kia Telluride, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.

22

City

34

Hwy

27

Comb

Annual fuel cost
$1,944
Tailpipe CO₂
329 g/mi

How this compares

The EPA holds too few vehicles in this class and model year to rank the 2021 Kia Telluride against its peers.

Tailpipe CO₂ is 329 grams per mile — about 4.9 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.

Consumer complaints

337 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

337
Total
7
Crashes
4
Fires
9
Injuries

Most reported components

  • OTHER79
  • VISIBILITY77
  • ENGINE76
  • STRUCTURE27
  • ELECTRICAL24

Notable Issues

337 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 9 reports involve injuries. 7 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

miscellaneous issues79
visibility issues (wipers, defrost, mirrors)77
engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)76

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2021 Kia Telluride, newest first.

  1. Recall

    Recall 26V430000

    A fire increases the risk of injury.

  2. Recall

    Recall 24V407000

    A fire increases the risk of injury.

  3. Recall

    Recall 24V214000

    A vehicle roll away increases the risk of a crash or injury.

  4. Recall

    Recall 22V626000

    A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

  5. Recall

    Recall 21V164000

    In the event of a crash, deployment of the front passenger air bag, with a child in that seat, can increase the risk of injury to the child.

Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
SUV
Drive type
FWD
Engine
2.5L 4-cyl
Fuel type
Regular Gasoline
Transmission
Automatic
Seats
5

Fuel economy

22

City

34

Hwy

27

Comb

Annual cost
$1,944
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Explore related

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Recall

    Recall 26V430000

    A fire increases the risk of injury.

  2. Recall

    Recall 24V407000

    A fire increases the risk of injury.

  3. Recall

    Recall 24V214000

    A vehicle roll away increases the risk of a crash or injury.

  4. Recall

    Recall 22V626000

    A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.

  5. Recall

    Recall 21V164000

    In the event of a crash, deployment of the front passenger air bag, with a child in that seat, can increase the risk of injury to the child.