Kia Telluride owners filed 1,977 complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for model years 2015–2025 (see the Car Problem Index for all 60 models), and NHTSA lists 17 recall campaigns for the same years. The 2020 Kia Telluride drew the most complaints (758); across all years, owners complain most about wipers / visibility (18% of complaints).
Key findings
- Worst model year: 2020, with 758 complaints, led by exterior lights (183) and 7 recalls.
- Complaints vs recalls: Wipers / visibility drew 346 complaints but no recalls, so for most of these owners the repair falls to warranty or their own pocket, not a free recall fix.
- Stop-driving recalls: 3 recalls told owners to park outside until repaired (26V430000, 24V407000, 22V626000).
- Spike years, compared with a typical model year: 2020 (2.4 times as many complaints).
- Earliest-failing area: wipers / visibility complaints came at a median 4k mi.
- Fire and crash reports: 23 complaints mention a fire and 39 a crash, with 41 injuries and 1 death reported.
Kia Telluride complaints and recalls by model year
| Model year | Complaints | Top problem areas |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 7 recalls | 758 | Exterior lights (183), Engine (142), Wipers / visibility (135) median 6k mi · 8 crashes · 9 fires |
| 2021 5 recalls | 363 | Wipers / visibility (64), Engine (62), Electrical system (41) median 3k mi · 7 crashes · 4 fires |
| 2022 7 recalls | 322 | Wipers / visibility (73), Electrical system (69), Engine (29) median 36k mi · 10 crashes · 4 fires |
| 2023 6 recalls | 207 | Electrical system (49), Wipers / visibility (29), Transmission / powertrain (24) median 20k mi · 5 crashes · 2 fires |
| 2024 5 recalls | 215 | Electrical system (47), Wipers / visibility (29), Automatic emergency braking / collision warning (28) median 8k mi · 6 crashes · 2 fires |
| 2025 3 recalls | 112 | Engine (41), Electrical system (21), Wipers / visibility (16) median 7k mi · 3 crashes · 2 fires |
One recall campaign often covers several model years, so the recall column adds up to 33, more than the 17 separate campaigns. Newer years have had less time to collect reports.
Most-reported Kia Telluride problems, and what they cost to fix
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Recalls | Median mileage | Estimate the repair |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wipers / visibility | 346 | 18% | 0 | 4k mi | Wiper replacement cost |
| Engine | 312 | 16% | 1 | 35k mi | Engine overhaul cost |
| Electrical system | 285 | 14% | 4 | 14k mi | Alternator / electrical repair cost |
| Exterior lights | 206 | 10% | 1 | 12k mi | Headlight replacement cost |
| Transmission / powertrain | 168 | 9% | 1 | 7k mi | Transmission repair cost |
| Body structure | 154 | 8% | 1 | 6k mi | — |
| Automatic emergency braking / collision warning | 90 | 5% | 0 | 9k mi | — |
| Visibility (windows, mirrors, wipers) | 82 | 4% | 0 | 21k mi | — |
Top problem areas only; one complaint can count twice.
What Kia Telluride owners report
Owners’ own words; dollar figures are what they reported.
Wipers / visibility
When we purchased the vehicle a small pebble hit windshield and had it repaired in 2 days. The next one happened in january, went to get in vehicle and had a crack running across windshield from top of glass by rear view mirror to underneath rear view on drivers side. It is still going across windshield. Cost to repair is around $900.00 plus have to take back to Kia dealer and get vehicle calibrated
2020 model-year owner, NHTSA complaint 11298167
My windshield cracked in march 2023 from a small stone on passenger side. In june 2023 I had the windshield replaced by kia. 2 weeks later, windshield cracked from under the a post on the driver side. Kia dealership has said it was an outside source of impact, but it broke while driving, normal conditions and only vehicle on roadway. Kia is refusing to replace windshield again. 1st windshield was $1200.
2022 model-year owner, NHTSA complaint 11535253
None of these 346 wipers / visibility complaints is matched by a recall on these model years, so a repair is covered only by warranty or paid by the owner.
346 owners reported wipers / visibility problems; the wiper replacement cost calculator shows what the fix costs where you live.
Engine
Kia has 110,000 miles on it. We’ve regularly changed the oil at 3-5K mile intervals. A week ago, I heard loud knocking from the front of the car, along with loss of power. We drove it to our local Kia dealer (kia of bedford, oh), where upon inspection, they found cylinder bank 2 to be inoperative due to loss of oil. They found approx 2 quarts of oil in the engine - way below normal. They observed no oil leaks.
2021 model-year owner, NHTSA complaint 11730571
The oil filter housing cracked on the car, causing all the oil to leak out. In researching this, I have found that this is a common problem with the Kia Telluride and Kia sorrento. The problem is that the oil filter housing is made of cheap plastic and not durable material such as aluminum or steel. This allows the oil filter housing to easily crack under stress.
2022 model-year owner, NHTSA complaint 11709092
Related recalls: 24V077000 (2024): A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. A hole in the engine block increases the risk of a fire.
312 owners reported engine problems; the engine overhaul cost calculator shows what the fix costs where you live.
Electrical system
Instrument cluster began failing intermittently (tachometer first, then other gauges), and the dealer determined the entire cluster had to be replaced at a cost of about $3,000. The vehicle had 78,000 miles, so it was outside kia's 5-YEAR/60,000-MILE basic warranty.
2020 model-year owner, NHTSA complaint 11753294
Infotainment screen is blank most of the time. Backup camera works intermittently. Dealer confirmed head unit failure and stated software updates cannot be performed. Quoted approximately $7,500 for full replacement. Issue has been occurring for over two years, beginning while vehicle was still relatively new. Creates unsafe reversing conditions due to unreliable federally required backup camera display.
2022 model-year owner, NHTSA complaint 11714734
Related recalls: 22V344000 (2022): A blank instrument cluster display screen will not show critical information, such as the odometer, which can increase the risk of a crash. 21V577000 (2022): A blank LCD display may be missing information, such as the digital speedometer, gear selection indicator, and odometer, which may increase the risk of a crash. 20V436000 (2020): Inoperative trailer brake lights can fail to warn other drivers that the vehicle is slowing, increasing the risk of a crash.
285 owners reported electrical system problems; the alternator / electrical repair cost calculator shows what the fix costs where you live.
Kia Telluride recalls
Check these first: 26V430000 (2020–2024, seats: park outside); 24V407000 (2020–2024, seats: park outside); 22V626000 (2020–2022, trailer hitches: park outside).
Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls for your car’s open recalls.
| Campaign | Announced | Model years | System | Risk (NHTSA's wording) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26V430000 | 2026-07-02 | 2020–2024 | Seats | A fire increases the risk of injury. |
| 26V105000 | 2026-02-23 | 2025 | Seats | A seat back frame that fails to properly restrain an occupant during a crash increases the risk of injury. |
| 25V745000 | 2025-10-31 | 2025 | Tires | Anti-lock braking or traction control systems that do not function properly can increase the risk of a crash. |
| 25V494000 | 2025-07-28 | 2023–2025 | Body structure | A detached trim piece can become a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 24V407000 | 2024-06-05 | 2020–2024 | Seats | A fire increases the risk of injury. |
| 24V214000 | 2024-03-20 | 2020–2024 | Transmission / powertrain | A vehicle roll away increases the risk of a crash or injury. |
| 24V148000 | 2024-02-26 | 2020 | Exterior lights | Inoperable high beam headlights may reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 24V077000 | 2024-02-07 | 2024 | Engine and cooling | A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash. A hole in the engine block increases the risk of a fire. |
| 23V298000 | 2023-04-26 | 2023 | Electrical system | A blank instrument cluster display will not show critical information, such as tire pressure, warning messages, and warning lights, increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 23V035000 | 2023-01-29 | 2023 | Air bags | Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash. |
| 22V626000 | 2022-08-15 | 2020–2022 | Trailer Hitches | A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury. |
| 22V509000 | 2022-07-19 | 2022 | Tires | Impaired anti-lock braking or traction control systems can increase the risk of a crash. |
| 22V344000 | 2022-05-17 | 2022 | Electrical system | A blank instrument cluster display screen will not show critical information, such as the odometer, which can increase the risk of a crash. |
| 21V577000 | 2021-07-28 | 2022 | Electrical system | A blank LCD display may be missing information, such as the digital speedometer, gear selection indicator, and odometer, which may increase the risk of a crash. |
| 21V164000 | 2021-03-11 | 2021 | Air bags | 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. |
| 20V436000 | 2020-07-28 | 2020 | Electrical system | Inoperative trailer brake lights can fail to warn other drivers that the vehicle is slowing, increasing the risk of a crash. |
| 19V594000 | 2019-08-13 | 2020 | Seat belts | If a child seat is not properly secured, there is an increased risk of injury to the occupant in a crash. |
What this data can and can't tell you
1,977 unverified owner reports, not adjusted for sales. Method.
Other Kia models in the index
- Kia Sorento (4,270)
- Kia Soul (3,124)
- Kia Optima (2,598)
Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint files (nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-09-25; NHTSA recalls database (nhtsa.gov/recalls), retrieved 2026-09-23. Model years 2015–2025. Free to cite with a link to this page.