Exterior Lighting. Review the 183 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine. Review the 142 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Visibility/wiper. Review the 135 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

8 crash reports9 fire reports8 injury reports

What owners actually said

758 reports

1,346 miles · Oct 11, 2019

Power Train

PASSENGER SIDE AXLE DEAL LEAKING FROM TRANSFER CASE. LEAKING FROM OUTSIDE SEAL. INNER SEAL SPRING WAS OFF AND NEEDED TO BE REINSTALLED.

NHTSA ODI #11267875

2,000 miles · Oct 11, 2019

Visibility/wiper

AFTER JUST 6 WEEKS WEEKS OF OWNING THE CAR WE NOTICED AN 18 INCH CRACK IN WINDSCREEN, STARTING FROM THE TOP AND TRACKING DOWN. NO HISTORY OF ROCK STRIKES OR TRAUMA TO WINDSCREEN.

NHTSA ODI #11267853

4,000 miles · Oct 10, 2019

Visibility/wiper

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ON JULY 4 I NOTICE A CHIP ON RIGHT OF WINDSHIELD WITHOUT NOTICING ANYTHING HITTING THE WINDSHIELD AS I WAS DRIVING. THREE DAYS LATER IT BECAME A CRACK WITHOUT TOUCHING AND IN A WEEK THE CRACK REACH DRIVER SIDE. WINDSHIELD STILL ON BACKORDER. I REPORTED TO KIA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SOMEBODY ON NHTSA CALL ME AND TOLD ME THAT CRACK CAN HAPPEN THAT IF I PUT A NEW WINDSHIELD AND SAME THING HAPPENS IN LESS THAN 3 MONTH THEN THEY WILL LOOK INTO IT. THIS WINDSHIELDS ARE NOT CHEAP AND I HAVE NEVER HAD A WINDSHIELD BRAKING SO FAST BEFORE IN LESS THAN 3 MONTH OF PURCHASE.

NHTSA ODI #11267810

4,500 miles · Oct 4, 2019

Unknown Or Other

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I WAS BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY ON A LOW VOLUME COUNTY ROAD. I WAS MOVING BACKWARDS AND ENTERED THE ROADWAY. I WAS FULLY ACROSS ONE LANE WHEN A VEHICLE IN THE OPPOSITE LANE APPROACHED. AS I WAS CONTINUING BACKWARDS CUTTING THE WHEEL TO MANEUVER INTO THE NEARSIDE LANE, THE AUTO BRAKING ENGAGED AND MY VEHICLE WAS DISABLED IN THE ROADWAY FOR TWO OR THREE SECONDS UNTIL THE APPROACHING VEHICLE IN THE OPPOSITE FARSIDE LANE PASSED MY NOW DISABLED VEHICLE IN THE ROADWAY. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE A SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE THERE WAS A VEHICLE APPROACHING IN THE NEARSIDE LANE THAT I WAS ATTEMPTING TO ENTER AND NOW I WAS DISABLED IN THE ROADWAY AS THAT CAR APPROACHED. MY ISSUE IS THAT THE APPROACHING VEHICLE IN THE FARSIDE LANE HAD ROOM TO MANEUVER AROUND ME, BUT I WAS NOW DIRECTLY IN THE LINE OF DANGER FROM THE VEHICLE APPROACHING IN THE NEARSIDE LANE I WAS NOW DISABLED IN. IT SCARED ME TO BE DISABLED IN THE ROAD WITH A VEHICLE APPROACHING. THE BRAKES REMAINED ENGAGED AND I COULDN'T DO ANYTHING UNTIL MY VEHICLE RELEASED THE BRAKES. I WAS IN GREATER DANGER FROM BEING HIT BY THE CAR APPROACHING IN THE NEARSIDE LANE THAN I WAS ENTERING THAN THE VEHICLE IN THE OPPOSITE FARSIDE LANE. THE COMPUTER IN MY VEHICLE WAS WRONG IN APPLYING THE BRAKES AND FORCED ME INTO A DANGEROUS POSITION. THE PROGRAMMING FOR REAR ASSIST BRAKING NEEDS TO BE EVALUATED FOR SITUATIONS LIKE THE ONE THAT I WAS IN. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I HAVE BEEN PUT IN THAT SITUATION BY MY VEHICLE AND I THINK THERE IS A SAFETY PROBLEM WITH THE PROGRAMMING FOR LOW SPEED BACKING CONDITIONS.

NHTSA ODI #11266053

556 miles · Oct 2, 2019

Visibility/wiper

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THREE DAYS AFTER WE PURCHASED A 2020 TELLURIDE I FOUND A CRACKED IN THE BOTTOM CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD. I COULDN'T FIND ANY CHIP THAT MIGHT HAVE STARTED THE CRACK, IT JUST APPEARED THE NEXT MORNING . THE CAR WAS PARKED UNDER THE CARPORT SO NOTHING COULD HAVE FALLEN ON THE WINDSHIELD. CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THEY WERE NO HELP AT ALL, INSURANCE HAD TO PAY. SAFELITE AUTO GLASS HAD TO WAIT EIGHT WEEKS FOR KIA TO SHIP A NEW WINDSHIELD. I ASKED THE INSTALLER TO LOOK AT THE CRACK AREA AND SEE IF HE COULD FIND A CAUSE THAT WOULD START THIS CRACK. HE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT ANY ROCK OR FOREIGN OBJECT STRIKE WILL LEAVE AN INDENTATION WITH SOME SPIDER MARKS, HE FOUND NONE? HIS PROGNOSIS WAS, IT WAS STRUCK ON THE BOTTOM EDGE WHEN ASSEMBLED AND CLOSING THE DOOR HARD WOULD FLEX THE WINDSHIELD AND THAT STARTED THE CRACK. IT HAS BEEN ONE MONTH AND I ALREADY HAVE ANOTHER SMALL CHIP. I HAVE REPLACED ONE WINDSHIELD IN FORTY SOMETHING YEARS, DOESN'T VERY LOOK GOOD FOR TELLURIDE OWNERS, SOMETHING IS WRONG?

NHTSA ODI #11265758

4,000 miles · Oct 2, 2019

Visibility/wiper

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WHILE DRIVING MY 2020 TELLURIDE I HEARD AN ODD SOUND ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED A SMALL CRACK DEVELOPING ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF WINDSHIELD. IT STARTED FROM ABOUT MIDWAY HEADING HORIZONTALLY AND THEN MADE A CURVE UPWARD AS I DROVE. THE CRACK IS AT LEAST 18 INCHES LONG. THERE IS NO VISIBLE DAMAGE OR MARKINGS OF ANYTHING HITTING THE WINDSHIELD NOR DID I NOTICE ANYTHING STRIKE THE WINDSHIELD. THE CRACK ORIGINATES UNDERNEATH THE MOLDING AND APPEARS TO BE A DEFECT. WHEN THE CRACK STARTED I WAS TRAVELING ON A CITY STREET AT AROUND 30 MILES AN HOUR WITH NO TRAFFIC AROUND.

NHTSA ODI #11265648

492 miles · Sep 17, 2019

Visibility/wiper

WINDSHIELD STRUCK (MINOR WITH MINIMAL DEPTH PENETRATION) BY MATERIAL RUNNING ON INTERSTATE. WITHIN 15 MINUTES, CRACK BEGAN AND WAS OVER 16". VEHICLE PARKED FOR 8 DAYS. WINDSHIELD HAS CRACK OVER 3' LONG NOW. WINDSHIELD STAR SHOULD'VE BEEN QUICK EASY FIX INSTEAD THE WINDSHIELD IS EITHER FAULTY OR INSTALLED IN BIND.

NHTSA ODI #11256193

6,000 miles · Sep 16, 2019

Exterior Lighting

THE HEADLIGHTS AT NIGHT ARE POOR. THEY DO NOT ILLUMINATE TRAFFIC SIGNS SUCH AS: SPEED LIMIT, STOP, STREET/HIGHWAY INFO, YIELD, WARNING, ETC. WHEN YOU APPROACH A THE UPSIDE OF A HILL, VISIBILITY IS LIMITED TO 30-50 FEET. SIDE VISION WHEN TURNING IS NON-EXISTENT. THIS OCCURS AT NIGHT WHEN IN MOTION AND STOPPED.

NHTSA ODI #11255716

Mileage unknown · Sep 13, 2019

Visibility/wiper

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY GOING MAYBE 45 MPH, SOMETHING FLEW UP AND HIT THE WINDSHIELD CAUSING A LARGE CHIP AND SPIDERWEB TO FORM IMMEDIATELY. WHATEVER HIT THE WINDSHIELD WAS SO SMALL I NEVER SAW IT. THIS HAS HAPPENED PLENTY OF OTHER TIMES IN OTHER VEHICLES WITHOUT CAUSING ANY DAMAGE.

NHTSA ODI #11255266

700 miles · Sep 10, 2019

Visibility/wiper

DRIVING ON A CITY STREET, I NOTICED A TINY CRACK COMING DOWN FROM THE TOP OF MY WINDSHIELD. BY THE TIME I GOT HOME (10 MINUTES), IT WAS SPREAD ACROSS THE ENTIRETY OF MY WINDSHIELD. I'BE BEEN WAITING SINCE JUNE FOR A REPLACEMENT WINDSHIELD.

NHTSA ODI #11254357

Official recalls

26V430000 · Seats:front Assembly:power Adjust

Jul 2, 2026

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 & remedy

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.

24V407000 · Seats:front Assembly:power Adjust

Jun 5, 2024

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 & remedy

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.

24V214000 · Power Train:driveline:driveshaft

Mar 20, 2024

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 & remedy

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.

24V148000 · Exterior Lighting:headlights

Feb 26, 2024

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020 Telluride vehicles. The high beam headlights may fail.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Inoperable high beam headlights may reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair or replace the high beam headlights, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 9, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC299.

22V626000 · Trailer Hitches

Aug 15, 2022

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 & remedy

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.

20V436000 · Electrical System:wiring; Exterior Lighting:brake Lights; Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control

Jul 28, 2020

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020 Telluride vehicles equipped with Smart Cruise Control (SCC). When a trailer is connected to the vehicle, the trailer brake lights will not illuminate when the SCC applies the brakes. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Inoperative trailer brake lights can fail to warn other drivers that the vehicle is slowing, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional wire harness to the main fuse box to signal the trailer brake lights, free of charge. The recall began September 10, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC194.

Additional source detail variants (3)

Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control

Consequence: Inoperative trailer brake lights can fail to warn other drivers that the vehicle is slowing, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional wire harness to the main fuse box to signal the trailer brake lights, free of charge. The recall began September 10, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC194.

Exterior Lighting:brake Lights

Consequence: Inoperative trailer brake lights can fail to warn other drivers that the vehicle is slowing, increasing the risk of a crash.

Electrical System:wiring

Consequence: Inoperative trailer brake lights can fail to warn other drivers that the vehicle is slowing, increasing the risk of a crash.

19V594000 · Seat Belts:front; Seat Belts:rear/other

Aug 13, 2019

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020 Telluride vehicles. The seat belt assemblies in the front passenger, second, and/or third row seats may not tightly secure a child restraint system in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If a child seat is not properly secured, there is an increased risk of injury to the occupant in a crash.

Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace any incorrect seat belt assemblies. The repair will also include replacing the driver's seat belt which has a non-U.S. specified label, with a U.S. specification seat belt. The repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began August 30, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC181.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Seat Belts:rear/other

Consequence: If a child seat is not properly secured, there is an increased risk of injury to the occupant in a crash.

Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace any incorrect seat belt assemblies. The repair will also include replacing the driver's seat belt which has a non-U.S. specified label, with a U.S. specification seat belt. The repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began August 30, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC181.

Seat Belts:front

Consequence: If a child seat is not properly secured, there is an increased risk of injury to the occupant in a crash.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

PE23002 · Complete Loss Of High Beams

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Apr 17, 2024

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting:headlights

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 bulb light source that provides light for both low beam and high beam. The heat generated by the halogen bulb will inflict damage to the gear mechanism and as a result the shutter’s electric motor will no longer be able to move the shutter to the open position to reveal the high beams. A loss of high beams, prevents the driver from having proper distance illumination, therefore increasing the risk of a crash. On February 24, 2024, Kia filed recall 24V-148 for certain MY 2020 Kia Tellurides. The recall remedy provides an inspection of the high beam shield gear mechanism and will either apply a clip to secure the shield gear to the shaft or replace the headlamp assembly with one that is resistant to heat damagefrom the halogen bulb. In view of the recall action being taken by Kia, ODI is closing this Preliminary Evaluation. The agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.