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 2023 | SUSPENSION | REAR SUSPENSION HAS FAILED OR IS FAILING, CAUSING UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS AND RISK OF LOSS OF CONTROL. THE VEHICLES RIDES SHAKES AND BOUNCES ON NORMAL STREET CONDITIONS. AFTER REPAIR OF FACTORY RECALL FOR TRAILER HITCH, VEHICLE REAR SUSPENSION FAILED AND IS UNSAFE FOR CHILDREN ESPECIALLY IN REAR OF VEHICLE IN NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS> | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | STRUCTURE | When opening the sunroof (it opens with the press of a button, a part flew off of the sunroof and it came off of the tracks). After, we could not close it and it made a loud noise when pressing the button. We took it to Kia who said it needed a part that was back ordered. They put plastic over the roof and told my husband it was ok to drive it home. We assumed they had secured the sunroof as they kept the car for several hours. On the Highway, the entire sunroof flew off of the car landing in the middle of a 6 lane interstate. I’ve since read that other owners of kia tellurides have had failed sunroofs as well. Thankfully no cars were hit when our sunroof flew off but the risk was there. This is a safety issue that needs to be investigated. If the failed part is backordered, that could indicate that there may be a big demand for the part because it is failing. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | High beam lights do not work. It shows them on but they never turn on. We found out driving on a mountain road in NM that had no street lights. We had to slow down to 10 miles an hour because it was so dark and we couldn't see. It was scary and dangerous. We wouldn't have been able to react in time if a deer or other animal ran into the street. We looked it up and saw it was a known problem. We checked it numerous times, and it never worked. The driver's side window won't close all the way. It has a 1/2 in gap. The only way to get it to stay closed when we are not in the car is to hold the window lever up, turn off the car, and open the door. However, as soon as you start the vehicle, it drops down again. It also doesn't open all the way when you click the down level. It stops about a 1/2 inch left showing. This causes a lot of road noise that is very distracting and makes the safety features difficult to hear. The wire that holds and lowers the spare tire down won't go back up. We had to remove it because it would drag on the ground. We are unable to carry the spare, so we are at risk if we have a flat. We have not had any of these issues evaluated by the dealership. However, we do plan to. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | SUSPENSION | The rear self adjusting shocks do not work - the smallest bump jolts anyone in the car, even at the slowest speeds (10 mph), NOTHING works to keep bumps from feeling like there are no shocks at all or they are frozen (and I am accustomed a Jeep Wrangler's rough ride). My son has an LVAD implanted in his chest, attached to his heart that keeps his heart pumping, and every ride to the doctor is like the car is trying to yank the LVAD off his heart, causing him great pain. I can't stop the car from hurting him!! The dealer replaced the cap on the shock but it did NOTHING to help. I have another appointment, they admitted there were problems with the shocks, and my car isn't even included in the TSB!!! They fit me in for an appointment in October but said they had received word the manufacturer might be going to try something else. The problem first started being really noticeable at the beginning of 2023. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Both high-beam headlights stopped working simultaneously, creating a safety concern. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | SUSPENSION | Right rear self leveling shock has "failed" at 55K miles. My mechanic said it was broken and leaking. Not covered under warranty. This car has a tow package therefore the self leveling shocks and have to replace both rear. Kia customer service said they are unaware of any issues, however 1/2022 issued Technical Safety Bulletin #113 Rear Shock Absorber Assembly Noise. It's not the whole shock they will replace but there is obviously a problem if they have a bulletin. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Purchased my Telluride as a Certified Preowned a few days ago. Tonight, I noticed that the headlight high beams aren't working correctly. The driver's side high beams work correctly when turned on, however the high beams on the passenger side will not turn on. I attached a video. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The high beams on the vehicle are non functional and are an essential component of the vehicle for safety reasons. Any person driving the highway at night or that lives in a rural low light area will find it impossible to drive the vehicle safely. A mechanic has attempted to identify the problem and was unable. The vehicle does not display any codes of a mal function even after running a diagnostic. What recourse is left? | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | I have a Kia Telluride 2020 that was certified pre-owned and had past the safety inspection. After a few minutes of using the hi-beams, they shut off and reverted to low-beams. The dashboard icon still showed the hi-beams we're on but they were not. They have continued to not engage. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | High beams stopped working, although the dash light indicates they are on. No change in light intensity from low to high beam. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | High beam headlights completely stopped working while driving at night on an unfamiliar road during a road trip. They both stopped at the same time and have not worked since and they are not burnt out. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | We purchased a used KIA and were told by the seller that there were recalls. I took the car to the local KIA and they said the recall was already taken care of. The recall was a tow hitch fuse that needed to be changed. The recall was taken supposedly was taken care of at Fremont Kia. I looked at the fuse myself and it did not have the proper fuse as required by the recall. I took the car back in to my local San Jose Kia and they confirmed the fuse was not correct. The fuse has now been replaced, but they did not have the tow hitch harness yet. We are still waiting. My concern is that we had a critical recall and Kia did not replace the proper parts putting us at risk. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | HIGH BEAM LIGHTS FAILED TO COME ON. AFTER TRYING TO ENGAGE THE HB THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WOULD SHOW HB ON BUT THEY WERE NOT ON. I OFTEN DRIVE ON DARK, WINDING COUNTRY ROADS INHABITED BY DEER AND OTHER ANIMALS AND NEED THESE LIGHTS TO SEE AHEAD AND CONTROL THE VEHICLE. I AM ATTEMPTING TO GET AN APPOINTMENT AT THE NEAREST KIA DEALER. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | High beam headlights stopped working. Took to the dealer and they stated the curtain that goes from low to high is malfunctioning and must have new headlight assembly for driver and passenger sides. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | There has been complete malfunction of both high beam headlights. This most likely occurred around 40-50K mileage, but was not realized. The panel indicator would suggest the high beams are activated when engaged. There has not been any warning of a malfunction. This was brought to the attention of the dealer/service dept and at first dismissed. When brought to the service department attention again, the 60K warranty precluded replacement. The problem was examined and we were notified that replacement would cost $2500. The high beams have not been replaced. This is a safety issue and research on our part suggests that other Telluride 2020 models have had this same problem. This makes for difficult and unsafe travel and night especially on rural roads. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated while her grand-daughter was driving with adaptive cruise control (ACC) mode set at 40 MPH, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and the steering wheel seized, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into a road sign. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the diver was able to veer to the side of the road as the steering wheel became operable. The vehicle was towed to an autobody repair shop, who informed the contact that the EDR failed to display crash data. The grand-daughter went to the hospital later, and was informed that she had sustained a minor concussion, a disc in the back and the neck. A police report was filed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure, The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | My high beams just stopped working | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | High beams stopped working around 60,000 miles, changed the bulb but did not fix it. Had Kia dealer inspect it and said the entire unit would need to be replaced but Kia did not consider it a safety issue so all costs would be bore by me. Clearly this is a safety issue that needs to be remedied by Kia. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | SUSPENSION | Rear shocks failed causing vehicle to have considerable bouncing making it harder to control. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | SUSPENSION | The rear self leveling shocks have locked up resulting in bone shattering jolts. The Telluride forum reveals these shocks frequently fail at low mileage and affect the cornering and stopping characteristics of the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | High beam lights just stopped working as soon as my warranty was up. Went to Kia they said i would have to replace my entire light housing | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Switching from low to high beam does not operate. Vehicle no longer allows high beams. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2020 Kia Telluride 70,000 miles. Sunroof/moonroof off track and cannot close. Kia refuses to cover under warrantee despite car being only three years old. Both social media and NHTSA have multiple complains from other kia Telluride owners of identical issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | ENGINE | Over the past 2 weeks my Telluride has stalled when restarting at a turn or sign sign 3x. I didn't take it to the mechanic yet because it restarts fine and there are no lights on the dashboard or codes so I know the mechanic would send me away. Tonight I was driving home on a local highway and heard horrific sounds coming from the car and smoke from under the hood. I pulled over to the side of the road, the lights all came on the dashboard, and the car turned itself off and would not come back on. I had to be towed. After my Telluride was up on the flatbed, the tow truck driver told me it was bad news. He pointed to some liquid and debris on the road and told me those were pieces from my engine. My engine blew up! He said it was a known thing with Kia engines. My car is 3 years old and had 69,500 miles on it. i have made sure it has all needed upkeep. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | I live in the desert where there isn't any light at night. I was driving home as usual and my highbeams would not turn on. I couldn't see very well because it was so dark and had to go really slow and way under the speed limit. I was so nervous due to the lack of visibility. It put myself and my young kids in danger. I don't feel safe driving at night now. There was no warning indication on the dash. It shows the blue highbeam light when I turn them on, but they don't actually go on. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |