KIA Telluride other reported problems

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I went to open my sunroof and I see a piece sticking up. My sunroof then wouldnt close. I get home and find out its the wind deflector. I tried to close the sunroof and now my sunroof if stuck open. One of the tracks is now misaligned and I can't close my sunroof.

NHTSA complaint #11758832 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Was driving with my husband and granddaughter in the car and had just left the house. Horrible, loud explosive sound like a gunshot and glass sound and glanced to make sure all glass ok and our granddaughter was safe. Could see the glass flying behind us and a car swerving behind us to miss it. Pictures are attached showing the sunroof exploded outward. No glass hanging down, no central area point of impact. Sunroof glass is covered under Kia’s 5-year/60,000-mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty; if they deem it to be spontaneous explosion or shattering. Contacted KIA Corporate. Case # XXX Under advice of KIA corporate (Crystal), we took it too the dealership I bought it from this am , [XXX], and they were very rude and dismissive; argumentative. He said it would take about 4 days to even inspect it, that they were behind. And he could rent a car to me for $40 a day. This is a new car I have had for less than 6 months! So, we took it to Boomer Kia. (after calling and they were so nice, they said come right in) He said he took pics, submitted our pics and description of story to the KIA rep that came in this afternoon, and he just called and said they will not cover it under warranty. It is in the warranty but is up to their discretion. Everything I read said this happens and that is why people are suing Kia....because they do this and dont cover and because they refuse to a recall, even though they know either the glass or the setup is faulty. I think personally the construction allows for heat to get under the glass and that is why it explodes outward. Spontaneous shattering and exploding sunroofs have been proven to occur in the 2025 Kia Tellurides due to thermal and/or structural pressure. There are numerous lawsuits, currently. Photos all over the internet that look just like mine. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11757754 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Sunroof broke when trying to open it. Now it’s in the open, venting, position unable to close. Dealership can’t look at it for a week so I’m risking water damage. Vehicle only has 31,000 miles on it and is just past the 5 yr warranty of course

NHTSA complaint #11756864 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

During less than 25 mph vehicle Emergency Alarm stating "Engine Off Shift to P or N Then Start Engine". This causes loss of acceleration capabilities in active traffic and forces the car to stop to clear alarm in active traffic. At no time is the engine off during the alarm and I believe this is a false alarm caused by electronics. Video of alarm in real time available upon request.

NHTSA complaint #11755769 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The sunroof is stuck open and is loose on the tracks, if even on the tracks at all. Very dangerous, as it could fly off while I am driving. This is a common problem with the Telluride, and I believe it should be recalled.

NHTSA complaint #11755668 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

CLEAR COAT PEELING OFF IN SHEETS ON A 2023 KIA TELLURIDE. IT'S A KNOWN PROBLEM AMOUNG KIA OWNERS HOWEVER KIA IS NOT ACCEPTING RESPONSIBLITY FOR A MANUFACTURER DEFECT.

NHTSA complaint #11755510 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

In August 2025, my Kia dealership serviced my 2021 Kia Telluride and billed me for 7 quarts of oil as part of the repair. Approximately four months later, in December 2025, the vehicle developed severe engine problems and became inoperable. The dealership diagnosed the failure as a collapsed timing tensioner and stated the engine required complete replacement. Kia Techline agreed with that diagnosis and used it as the basis for recommending a new engine. Despite acknowledging that engine replacement was necessary, Kia denied warranty coverage, leaving me responsible for an estimated $11,000 repair. I then obtained a second opinion from an independent, reputable repair facility. After inspecting the vehicle, the shop concluded the engine failure was not caused by a timing system failure. Instead, they found the engine contained only about one quart of oil and determined the damage resulted from oil starvation. They further stated that, in their professional opinion, the dealership had misdiagnosed the vehicle and that the low oil level was consistent with the possibility that the dealership failed to add the oil for which I was charged during the August 2025 service. What is especially concerning is that the dealership never documented or informed me that the engine was critically low on oil. Because the timing components rely on engine oil for lubrication, I believe it would have been impossible to properly inspect and diagnose a timing tensioner failure without recognizing and documenting the severely low oil level. Based on the independent inspection and the dealership's failure to identify or disclose the lack of oil, I believe the dealership either failed to perform the service as billed or failed to correctly diagnose the true cause of the engine failure. I am concerned that this incorrect diagnosis diverted attention from possible negligent workmanship during the prior service and led to an unnecessary recommendation for an $11,000 engine replacement.

NHTSA complaint #11755247 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Opened the sunroof wind deflector broke tracks broke will not close

NHTSA complaint #11754641 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

When turning the vehicle, say on to another road and not coming to a full stop, when you accelerate it doesn't want to accelerate, you press the pedal down gradually until all of a sudden it jumps to 2 or 3000 rpms and goes. Previously when we had this issue it was the AWD coupler that was fixed 1 to 2 years ago. My vehicle was inspected just before my warranty was up at around 98000 miles, I waited 8 hours for them to tell me they couldn't recreate the issue, I got in the vehicle and went to leave and had the same issue, turned around had their Lead Technician Zach ride with me and recreated the issue for him, he acknowledged that when I was accelerating the RPMs were not increasing, they kept my vehicle another 5 days after stating the first day they had to open a case with the Tech Line and do a flight diagnostic, after very poor communication over those days and the dealership telling me that the Tech line said if they couldn't recreate it there was nothing they could do, I finally called the Kia Customer Care line to ask for the Case number, the Kia Customer Care line stated that no where in the case did it state a Technician went on a ride along with me and experienced the issue and they also stated that Kia Tech line did not tell them there was nothing more they could do they asked them to keep trying to recreate the issue, eventually after having the vehicle for 6 days I finally had to go get my vehicle back. After 6 days of poor communication and no resolution. I have researched online regarding this issue as well and I am not the only one who has experienced this issue in this vehicle.

NHTSA complaint #11754591 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My 2021 Kia Telluride (60,500 miles) experienced failure of the panoramic sunroof wind deflector arm/mechanism. The broken component is available for inspection. The failure prevents the sunroof system from operating properly and may result in improper sealing, water intrusion, or further mechanical damage. The issue was confirmed by a Kia dealership. Kia has issued Technical Service Bulletin BOD 319 addressing Telluride sunroof wind deflector arm and mechanism failures. Despite this bulletin, I was quoted approximately $4,000+ for replacement of the entire sunroof assembly instead of the component repair procedure described by Kia. There were no warning lights or messages before failure. The issue occurred during normal vehicle use. I believe this known component failure presents a safety and reliability concern for Telluride owners.

NHTSA complaint #11753524 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

CATASTROPHIC FAILURE TIMELINE (13 DAYS) XXX: Delivery taken at 105,439 miles.XXX: My boyfriend noticed a cloud of smoke from exhaust as I pressed the accelerator pedal to leave the parking lot. I didn't notice because it was almost dark outside when leaving. He didn't notice again so he didn't stop me and told me when we got home. XXX (Day 12): Check Engine Light (CEL) on. Dipstick found dry. 2 quarts of oil purchased and added. Which brought the level right above the L line. Sent texts to both salesmen (Freedom and Driveway). Went to work in [XXX]. XXX (Day 13): Got home with Odometer: 106,974. Plugged Code reader into the vehicle and got Code P0597 logged at 1:04 AM. Tried both salesmen again through texts, email and or call. Have yet to get a reply from either. XXX posted review updates on both of my previous posted reviews for Freedom and Driveway. Received my first response from the Driveway review team only. XXX rear brake pads had been cutting into rotors a few days prior. I had to purchase a tool and pads to replace. XXX Documented loss of an additional 4 quarts of oil across 4 dates. XXX subscribed to Kia connect and the app also detected issue fault code P0597. And at a later date the app detected a 2nd fault code P0598 which went away a couple days later. May 14th finally got a hold of Justin Grable (GM Freedom) to discuss options. XXX trade-in is only option being given to me. DOCUMENTED DEFECTS & ROOT CAUSE Code P0597 (Thermostat Heater Control/Open): An electrical/mechanical failure that caused internal engine "hot spots." Engine Failure: Pre-existing piston ring tension loss causing catastrophic oil consumption (1 quart/wk). Consequential Damage: Chronic oil burning will poison the Catalytic Converters and foul all Oxygen (O2) Sensors. As of XXX my vehicle is now consuming 1 qt/day. ac is not working and now giving me 6 codes for engine light. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11753326 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The sun roof came completely off the tracks and won’t close. The car is no longer weather proof and is at risk of the glass flying off at high speeds. Problem has not been reproduced or confirmed. Has not been inspected by the manufacturer or others. No warnings prior to the failure.

NHTSA complaint #11751921 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The moon roof has came off track

NHTSA complaint #11751703 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

clear coat is coming off of 2025 white kia Telluride

NHTSA complaint #11751220 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

My 2023 Kia Telluride has been subject to at least 8 separate NHTSA recalls, including SC181 (seat belt/child restraint), SC194 (trailer brake light/cruise control), SC207 (airbag OCS/ODS), SC262 (side airbag wire harness), SC303 (driveshaft/rollaway risk), SC316 (power seat motor fire risk), SC347 (door trim detachment), and now SC374/NHTSA 26V430 (recurrence of the power seat motor fire risk, explicitly noted as possibly caused by an improper repair under the earlier SC316 recall). I am especially concerned that the current recall (26V430) describes the same underlying defect as an earlier recall (SC316/24V407) that was supposed to have been repaired, and that no remedy is yet available for this recurrence. This raises serious questions about the adequacy of the original repair and the vehicle’s ongoing fire risk. I am filing this complaint to document this pattern of recurring safety defects and request that NHTSA and Kia treat this as evidence of an unresolved, recurring hazard — not an isolated incident.

NHTSA complaint #11749718 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

On June 15, 2026, my check engine light came on. On June 17, 2026, I took it to Auto Zone, they checked the code for the check engine light, and it indicated P0016 and P0017–crankshaft issues. On June 19, 2026, while driving down the highway, my vehicle failed to accelerate. I exited the highway, and my vehicle completely decelerated and ultimately shut down. I was unable to get my engine running and had to get it towed to the dealer. It has been at the dealer for 3 weeks now. The dealer said my engine will likely need to be replaced. It is a 2023 Kia Telluride with less than 66,000 miles on it.

NHTSA complaint #11749449 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

AWD Coupler is bad make noise and shaking at low turn speeds only

NHTSA complaint #11749053 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other/I am not sure

This car seat is missing any labels on the seat that have booster information. It is an all-in-one car seat and does have a booster mode. The manual does state the height, weight and age limit, but this is not noted anywhere on the stickers on the seat. This is a problem when the manual is not available.

NHTSA complaint #11748824 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Engine rapidly burning oil. Had oil changed as Manufacturer's recommendation, but after exceeding the 100,000 mile warranty and having been 7,000 miles since the last oil change the engine threw a rod and the car stopped while i was driving it. Was told by the Kia Dealer (Fitzgerald Kia in Annapolis) that I needed a $10,000 engine replaced. I am currently working with a lawyer to address this concern.

NHTSA complaint #11748854 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.