Complaint volume
709 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2020 Kia Telluride Complaints
709 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Kia Telluride, grouped by component category.
709 Total complaints
8 Crash reports
7 Fire reports
7 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are exterior lighting, visibility/wiper, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 8 crash reports, 7 fire reports, 7 injury reports, and 1 fatality report. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 188 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 18,754 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to exterior lighting, visibility/wiper, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2020 Kia Telluride?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2020 Kia Telluride
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Kia Telluride complaints?
8 Crash
7 Fire
7 Injury
1 Fatality
7 Towed
6 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Kia Telluride complaint categories?
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 162
VISIBILITY/WIPER 121
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 86
ENGINE 80
STRUCTURE 34
POWER TRAIN 31
SUSPENSION 19
VISIBILITY 12
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 11
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 9
709 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2024 | SUSPENSION,PARKING BRAKE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the "Electronic Parking Brake" warning light remained illuminated, and the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the "Parking Brake Connector" had fractured. The vehicle was not yet repaired. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shaking and vibrating abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the rear shock absorbers, rear sway bars, rear control arms, and the motor mounts. The local dealer also discovered that the oil pan and oil filter had cracked. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer has not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 50,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50,000 |
| Sep 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | - Pressed the moonroof button to open and the panel misaligned and will not open or return to closed position. - With the moonroof ajar I'm am unable to drive in enucleate or raining weather - Dealership is backlogged and tells me I WOULD HAVE TO LEAVE MY CAR FOR 3 FOR A DIAGNOSIS AND WAIT ADDITION DAYS FOR THE PARTS TO ARRIVE AND REPAIR TO BE MADE - No warning messages, sounds or symptoms. First time this has happened and its locked open in misalignment | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The driver side and passenger side view mirrors are retractable. Both side view mirrors will get stuck in the closed position which affects the ability to see vehicles on the left or right. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | Vehicle started on fire and burned up while parked. Fire came from the engine compartment. Unknown from exact location in engine compartment. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The sunroof became stuck while attempting to open. It would not close and further inspection showed that parts of the sunroof had broken. This seems to be a bigger issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Vehicle began having issues around 60,000 miles. Stutters and slips between 2nd and 3rd gear. When on an incline the issue is much more prevalent. On a steep incline, the vehicle is like lurching it is so prevalent and it feels as though the vehicle is going to give up. Around 45 mph, the vehicle begins vibrating; as speeds increase, the shaking (left to right) becomes increasingly violent. At times, it feels as though the vehicle is going to shake off the road. The issues I primarily when accelerating, and when the gas pedal is released, the shaking slows almost to a stop. Tires, balance, and alignment checked multiple times over the course of the issue and tires are changed seasonally. Took to dealership multiple times to be told there was no issue with the vehicle and it was operating properly. Just over 100k miles, back at the dealership and there is suddenly an issue found. Was told at dealership that passenger side front axle inner race is damaged and needs replaced. Took vehicle to local mechanic since dealership had jerked us around so much over the issues, not repairing, keeping car for extended amounts of time without a loaner vehicle, etc. Local mechanic did a lot of research. This is a common complaint of the Telluride and Kia is aware but is not doing anything about it. Mechanics recreated issue immedately said rear driveshaft had movement it shouldn't and replaced. They also serviced the transfer case and transmission. There is a TSB issued on this, but research suggests that it is not resolving the problems and kia dealerships are not acknowledging the issue until out of warranty and TSB doesn't cover the repairs even though it is faulty manufacturing. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V1480000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | 180,000 |
| Aug 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The paint on my pearl white 2020 telluride is peeLing off in sheets in the roof. The car has less than 100,000 miles and should not be doing this. Multiple people including the ones in a lawsuit with kia have had this problem and it needs to be addressed! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The wind deflector/bug guard on the sunroof broke and pieces from the broken mechanism proceeded to lodge themselves throughout the track of the sunroof causing the entire track system to break/malfunction. There are several screws that were snapped from the plastic track, which then left the sunroof glass “bouncing” and unsecured on the car. If this was not noticed prior to hitting the highway or driving with any sort of speed I am confident the sunroof would have shattered causing a hazards for myself and children in the vehicle or flown off the car causing a hazard to others on the road. The car is currently at a KIA dealership being looked at, to which they suggested this because it’s becoming more and more “common”. Additionally it is not a cheap fix, quoted just under $4000 for parts and labor. Absolutely no warning lights or indicators stating the sunroof was “open” or malfunctioning. Even once it was no longer attached to the track/bracket system it was not triggering the light indicating it was open like it does normally and with all other doors/windows. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | VISIBILITY,STRUCTURE,SEATS | Tonight I tried to open my sunroof for some fresh air while relaxing in my vehicle. My sunroof made some weird cracking noises and is jammed open. I only used my sunroof 2 to 3 times. However, it's in the stuck position and sounds like crushing glass when I try to open it. My rear right passenger folds down on its own. My grandson has been folded into the seat multiple times. I contact kia and got no resolution. This is dangerous. I went to retrieve my backpack from my backseat yesterday and when I set the sear back it made a auto sound, it slid completely forward hitting me in my face. The seat ejects by itself often and it a safety risk to my family and i. I checked kia forums only to find this is an huge issue and spoked about hundreds of times involving telluride and Sorento models. I'm afraid my sunroof glass with break. | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The back self-leveling shock absorbers have failed. Even the slightest bump has my back passengers in danger of hitting their heads. In reading various forums, this is a problem with the 2020 Tellurides with the tow package. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The recall 24V148 regarding headlight High beam issue from Gebruary of thus year still has no remedy in order to fix the issue. It has been 6 months and the dealerships just say sorry we don't have any solution even though the recall associated with my car doesn't apply due to the headlamps being replaced with completely different ones already myself. Why is it being allowed that y kkntha later they still don't have a solution so this causes issues with my income because I can't rent my car out due to the open recall | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My 2020 Kia has peeling paint. I looked online and see that it's a big issue and theres even a class action lawsuit. Sites said to file a complaint here to document it. In 2022, the paint started peeling near my sunroof. I didn't do anything about it since it was a small area. It has now continued peeling to the point that I started looking at warranty information since it's obviously an issue with the paint...it peels off like nail polish. The warranty ended at 36,000 miles and I now have 50,000. The issue first started when I had 33,000 miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds, the contact had driven over the tire tread from a tractor trailer. Due to the failure, several warning lights appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was serviced; however, the warning lights appeared back on the instrument panel soon after return of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic where it remained for over two weeks. The contact reached out to the mechanic and was informed that an abnormal knocking sound was coming from the engine. The mechanic then towed the vehicle to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The contact was later informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 78,000 |
| Aug 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | My check engine and oil lights have come on more than once around the time of needing an oil change. During that time, the engine bucks, and the RPM revs high and low. The Kia Service Dealer, both times, stated that the light was coming on because the oil was low. The first time they replaced the spark plugs as a precaution, since the check engine light state miss-firing. That didn't fix the problem, because the light came one again right before the next oil change was needed. And this time, the car actually stalled out at a red light. They said the oil was really low the second time. I asked where the oil could be going. They said it wasn't leaking that they could tell, and that Kia says its ok to lose about a quart every 1000 miles. I don't agree with that, especially with a 4 year old car. So I had another family member drive the car while I followed, and sure enough I saw black smoke coming out of the tail pipe. So, the engine is burning the oil. On top of all this, I noticed that the screen (which they just did a software update on) right side compass keeps appearing suddenly and then disappearing, without anyone touching the screen. Then I noticed yesterday, after I parked. The Emergency Brake turned out all by itself, without me pulling the button up. The red light indicator came on also, then turned off and on and off. Lastly, the forward movement button on the driver side button doesn't work, which I thought was supposed to be repaired as part of the last recall. All in all, I am afraid to drive this car because I think the engine or seat is going to catch fire at any moment. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Unknown- my 2020 Telluride doesn’t even have 60,000 miles on it. I have only used the sunroof a handful of times and realized it won’t open all the way when I tried it. Realized there’s a metal piece that’s connected with plastic that has snapped off. After searching about it, I’ve seen so many people comp about this same issue and how expensive it is to fix. Why hasn’t there been a recall on this if so many are having the same issue? | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Windshield replacement 2 times in three years and about to have it replaced again six months after replacing it. It seems little thing that hit the windshield will crack it. I asked KIA if they had complaints about windshields problems and was told no. I getting expensive replacing it every six months or ever year. I believe it cheaply made and the won’t admit it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2020 Kia Telluride Snow White Pearl paint chipping on top of windshield exposing primer. Known issue regarding Kia and white paint colors. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While driving the vehicle I opened the sunroof. The sunroof appeared to be stuck with a metal object attached to the wind reflector popped off and came inside the vehicle. Had it been closer to my face it could have caused grave danger, if it had struck my eyes. The piece appears to have attached to the wind reflector and frame of sunroof. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | STRUCTURE | I purchased a used white 2020 Telluride EX with 47,000 miles in November of 2023. I noticed 4 or 5 what looked like chips in the paint on the body along the top of the windshield. They have slowly gotten larger, one becoming about the size of a half dollar coin. There is no safety risk. I haven't made an appointment yet but will be in the next week since I now have 57,000 miles and the warranty runs out at 60,000 miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ENGINE | In November of 2023 my our Kia Telluride began giving us issues. It would act as though it wanted to die/shut off while idling at stops or even during acceleration. We took it to a local mechanic that we always go to. They told us the car was 4 quarts low on oil, even though it had only been about 3,000 miles since the last oil change. Since it was under warranty called the dealer to get an appointment. They told us it would be several weeks, however, it finally did die on my wife while driving on the interstate to work one morning. She immediately called the dealer, who agreed to look at the car that week. Thus began the 5 months of back and forth to the dealer for continuous "testing". Finally, at the beginning of April 2024 we got the ok from Kia to move on the next round of testing. We had an appointment to drop it it off on 4/29/2024. I am filing this complaint on July 10, 2024, and our car has been sitting in their parking lot inoperable since. Initially we were told it would be 2-3 weeks to get a new engine under warranty and each time we have called the dealer or Kia, no one can give us an ETA on the new engine. We now have a vehicle that has been sitting in hot sun getting weather damage for the past 3 months. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ENGINE | Engine is burning oil now has a rod knock. It’s been sitting at the dealership for two weeks, so haven’t heard anything back | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Sunroof went off track and will not close. Took it to the dealership and it will need a totally new sunroof assembly totaling $5,000 because the sunroof got off track on its own. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Tried to open sunroof and it tore itself apart and tore itself off of the tracks and now I can not close the sunroof | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | STEERING,SUSPENSION | Very bumpy ride. Shocks had failed. The shock failure was part of another problem from the shock insulator and absorber. The vehicle became very dangerous and unstable to drive at high speeds (freeway). Shock failure and suspension potentially caused additional problems. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |