NHTSA has received 119 owner complaints about the 2025 Kia Telluride, or 66.6 per year on the road — more complaints than typical (complaint index 1.65, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 86 model-year 2025 vehicles we track, it ranks #69 of 86 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Kia models its rate is 91% higher; against other Midsize SUVs it is 27% higher.
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
Complaints filed between 2024-11-04 and 2026-10-11. Median delay from incident to filing: 8 days.
119Complaints
66.6Complaints per year on the road
1.65Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
3Recalls
3.4%Share involving a crash or fire
100Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2024) drew 78.9 complaints per year, more than this one.
The most common problem area is Engine (38.7% of complaints), followed by Body & structure (21.8%) and Unspecified or other (15.1%). Engine complaints are 1.7 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 4 reports (3.4%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 5 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 15 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the second year (74% of incidents). In the last 12 months 100 new complaints were filed, versus 19 in the 12 months before — up 426%.
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.
Airbags & seat belts · 2026-08-26 · ODI 11759623
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.
Engine · 2026-07-07 · ODI 11748732 · Fire
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.
Body & structure · 2026-10-11 · ODI 11770469
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.
Engine · 2026-10-09 · ODI 11770102
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.
Electrical · 2026-10-01 · ODI 11768254
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Summary: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Telluride vehicles, equipped with power front seat(s). Due to a manufacturing error, the driver and passenger seat back frame assemblies may fail to properly restrain occupants in a crash.
Risk: A seat back frame that fails to properly restrain an occupant during a crash increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the front seat back frame assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning April 24, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC362. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 9, 2026.
Summary: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Telluride and 2026 Sorento vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with an incorrect spare tire which, when installed, can impair the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and the traction control system (TCS). As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: Anti-lock braking or traction control systems that do not function properly can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the spare wheel and tire assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 3, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC355. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning November 13, 2025.
STRUCTURE:EXTERIOR TRIM Campaign 25V494000 · 2025-07-28
Summary: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Telluride vehicles. The door belt molding trim can delaminate and detach from the vehicle.
Risk: A detached trim piece can become a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the belt molding trim assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC347.
