Kia Telluride problems, complaints & recalls by model year
Across 6 model years (2020–2025), NHTSA has logged 2,014 owner complaints and 17 safety recalls for the Kia Telluride. That averages 74.3 complaints per year on the road — more complaints than typical (index 1.84 against all tracked vehicles). Within the Midsize SUVs segment it ranks #12 of 14 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest); the segment average is 52.5.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Analysis
The trend is improving. Measured on complaints filed in the first two years on the road and compared with other vehicles of the same model year, the 2023 and 2024 models run 27% below the 2020 and 2021 models (141 early complaints per model year versus 150).
The 2020 model year has the highest rate (113.7 complaints per year) and the 2023 model year the lowest (54.6). The 2020 model year runs at least 50% above this model's average of 74.3 complaints per year on the road across its tracked model years.
Across all tracked model years the most common problem area is Body & structure (27.1% of complaints), followed by Engine (17.3%) and Unspecified or other (16.3%). Body & structure complaints are 3.0 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 61 complaints (3.0%) describe a crash or fire; across all model years owners report 41 injuries and 1 death.
In the last 12 months owners filed 572 complaints versus 341 in the previous 12 months — up 68%. The 2020 model year generated the most recent reports (162). Across model years, half of all reported incidents occur within 27 months of the model year's start.
Recalls: 17 recall campaigns across the tracked model years, most of them received in 2024 (4), 3 with a do-not-drive or park-outside warning. 1 NHTSA investigation has covered this model; the latest is “Complete Loss of High Beams” (preliminary evaluation, opened 2023-01-27, closed 2024-04-17).
Within its segment it has more complaints per year than Dodge Durango, Nissan Pathfinder, Honda Passport and Kia Sorento, but fewer than Jeep Grand Cherokee and Hyundai Palisade.
Model years at a glance
| Year | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index | Last 12 months | Recalls | Most common issue | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 ▲50%+ | 772 | 113.7 | 2.82 | 162 | 7 ⚠ | Body & structure | View › |
| 2021 | 369 | 63.8 | 1.58 | 113 | 5 ⚠ | Body & structure | View › |
| 2022 | 327 | 68.3 | 1.69 | 75 | 7 ⚠ | Body & structure | View › |
| 2023 Fewest complaints | 207 | 54.6 | 1.35 | 62 | 6 ⚠ | Body & structure | View › |
| 2024 | 220 | 78.9 | 1.96 | 60 | 5 ⚠ | Body & structure | View › |
| 2025 Too new to rank | 119 | 66.6 | 1.65 | 100 | 3 | Engine | View › |
▲50%+ = 50%+ above this model's average yearly rate. “Too new to rank”: under two years on the road, so the model year cannot be named the one with the fewest complaints yet. 1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road. Complaints in first 2 years on the road: vs. same-year average. How we count
Trend · vs. same-year average
Complaints in first 2 years on the road ÷ All-vehicle average (1.00)
When complaints were filed
Last 12 months: 572 · Previous 12 months: 341 Rising
Problem areas
Body & structure ›
546 · 27.1% · 2.98 vs. all vehicles · Within ±30% year on year
Engine ›
348 · 17.3% · 0.78 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Unspecified or other ›
329 · 16.3% · 1.82 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Electrical ›
242 · 12.0% · 0.76 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Lighting ›
181 · 9.0% · 5.79 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Transmission / powertrain ›
116 · 5.8% · 0.49 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Wheels, tires & suspension ›
59 · 2.9% · 1.17 vs. all vehicles · Within ±30% year on year
Brakes ›
47 · 2.3% · 0.39 vs. all vehicles · Within ±30% year on year
Driver-assist systems ›
44 · 2.2% · 0.38 vs. all vehicles · Within ±30% year on year
Other
43 · 2.1% · 1.16 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Airbags & seat belts ›
41 · 2.0% · 0.54 vs. all vehicles · Rising
Steering
11 · 0.5% · 0.09 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Fuel system
7 · 0.3% · 0.08 vs. all vehicles · Too few recent reports to judge
Only problem areas with at least 40 complaints get their own page.
Vehicle age at incident
Median age at incident: 27 months
What owners report
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.
Driving and brakes malfunctioned and would not stop causing an accident into a tree
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.
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.
I was attempting to accelerate on the freeway and the rpms kept going up but it felt like the engine didn't want to shift gears.
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Segment peers · Midsize SUVs
| # | Models | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index | Trend | Recent activity | Recalls | Most common issue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dodge Durango | 786 | 15.2 | 0.38 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 18 | Lighting |
| 2 | Nissan Pathfinder | 596 | 19.2 | 0.48 | Worsening | Rising | 12 | Engine |
| 3 | Honda Passport | 759 | 24.8 | 0.61 | Improving | Rising | 17 | Electrical |
| 4 | Kia Sorento | 1,446 | 33.7 | 0.83 | Stable | Rising | 18 | Engine |
| 5 | Chevrolet Traverse | 1,738 | 42.0 | 1.04 | Stable | Within ±30% year on year | 14 | Transmission / powertrain |
| 6 | Ford Edge | 2,244 | 44.4 | 1.1 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 20 | Engine |
| 7 | Toyota Highlander | 2,162 | 45.8 | 1.13 | Improving | Rising | 21 | Transmission / powertrain |
| 8 | Hyundai Santa Fe | 2,092 | 58.4 | 1.45 | Worsening | Rising | 27 | Engine |
| 9 | Honda Pilot | 2,945 | 63.4 | 1.57 | Stable | Within ±30% year on year | 27 | Engine |
| 10 | Ford Explorer | 3,270 | 64.0 | 1.59 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 77 | Transmission / powertrain |
| 11 | Subaru Outback | 3,816 | 71.8 | 1.78 | Improving | Within ±30% year on year | 15 | Body & structure |
| 12 | Kia Telluride | 2,014 | 74.3 | 1.84 | Improving | Rising | 17 | Body & structure |
| 13 | Jeep Grand Cherokee | 3,477 | 82.4 | 2.04 | Worsening | Within ±30% year on year | 53 | Electrical |
| 14 | Hyundai Palisade | 2,471 | 105.3 | 2.61 | Worsening | Within ±30% year on year | 16 | Airbags & seat belts |
Recalls by year received
- Campaigns: 17
- Do-not-drive / park-outside: 3
- Over-the-air fix: 0
Safety recalls: 2020 (7) · 2021 (5) · 2022 (7) · 2023 (6) · 2024 (5) · 2025 (3)
Investigations
- Complete Loss of High Beams Closed
On January 27, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23002 to investigate allegations of loss of high beams with no warning and no re-engagement resulting in reduced visibility at night in the 2020 Kia Telluride. The investigation revealed that the halogen bi-function projector beam, used in vehicles built between January 2019 and November of 2019, is composed of one halogen bul…