general problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Telluride - part 1

I have a 2020 kia Telluride. On 6/14/2026 I opened my sun roof and was unable to close it. I called my local dealership and was advised that they were unable to look at my car for at least 2 weeks. I am currently having it repaired by a licensed auto shop which will cost me $3800. 00.

Not due to recalls. My entire car was malfunctioning over the backup camera. Every system was being displayed on my dashboard as all lights were on. Turning signals and four ways would not work, my steering became tight and hard to turn.

The wind deflector and track assembly on the sunroof of our 2020 kia Telluride (56k miles) broke when trying to open the sunroof and kia corporate is unwilling to cover the cost of the repairs ($4,000). Because the track assembly cracked, the dealer had to break another part just to get the sunroof glass to sit flush, and it is only being held down with gorilla tape. This happened in the drive way at our home and thankfully not on the highway at high speeds. We already had to pay $350 for kia just to break a part of the sunroof so that it sits flush and they are quoting $3800+ for the remaining repair.

The sunroof wind deflector broke and as a result the sunroof was jammed open. In order to close the top I had to break the mechanism and now the sunroof, while mostly shut, still shifts free occasionally when driving.

Following a recent $9,000 engine replacement performed by an authorized kia dealership, my vehicle suffered a catastrophic, simultaneous mechanical and electronic systems failure while in operation. Without warning, the vehicle triggered the knock sensor detection system (ksds) and entered "limp home mode," severely restricting vehicle power. Immediately following this, the vehicle experienced a total loss of essential safety and driving controls: steering failure: the power steering completely locked up, creating an imminent crash hazard. Dashboard & gauge failure: all dashboard warning lights illuminated simultaneously, and the speedometer completely stopped functioning, leaving me unable to monitor vehicle speed. Powertrain & shifting malfunction: when brought to a stop and placed into "park," the vehicle's electronic systems failed to recognize the gear change, indicating on the dashboard that the vehicle was still in "drive. " this created a severe vehicle roll-away risk. Ignition failure: the vehicle completely refused to shut off or power down when the ignition button was pressed. This event represents an extreme safety hazard involving sudden loss of vehicle control, steering immobilization, roll-away risk, and primary electronic communication failure immediately following a major manufacturer warranty/recall repair. The vehicle is currently un-driveable.

A continuation from my last post. I brought my car back to the dealer. The worker came out to inspect my car and he lifted the hood and he said I had a loose negative battery cable and that I had the wrong battery in my car. He said that might be the cause of the flickering lights. My car was at the dealership for three days before I was called to come pickup my car. He stated they found another service update that my car needed p0471 and that cleared my check engine light and the battery he said once again I have the wrong battery in my car and they were only able to tighten the negative cable so much. I explained to him that it was the correct battery because I went to walmart where the battery was purchased and they auto manger printed out that paperwork that shows it is the correct battery for that car. Then he had me sign for my car and I left. While driving home my battery light stared flickering again. So I called him and said I thought you were able to tighten the negative cable to the battery. He then said they did the best they can do because it is the wrong battery. After he got off the phone all my lights on my dashboard lit up. My car seemed possessed. My steering locked up and brakes were not working. Scared and crying I called him back and was telling him what was happening to my car. He said once again it was due to battery. Crying I said I'm scared what do I do?he advised me to put my car in netural and try to pull off to the side. I explained to him that I was on the freeway in 5pm traffic my hazards, signals and brakes aren't working. I then asked him what do I do once I can stop the car. Do I bring it back to the dealership? he said the only thing they can do if I bring it back is to have me buy a new battery. At this point the car completely turned off. I was able to roll off the freeway then my car stopped completely violently as if someone slammed the the brakes. Now they want me to buy a new alternator and transmission. Car had no issue before taking it in.

Took my 2020 kia Telluride for emission software update after being notified by the the dealership. Two days later my check engine light keeps coming on and off. I called the dealership and the said to bring it in only if the light is on. The next day my engine light once again keeps going on and off but now also my battery light keeps flickering on and off as well. My car is also slow to idle and when going slow speed my steering will shake. Also when I first start my car in the morning by rpm needle goes up and down as well as my a/c blow strong and then low matching rpm needle. My car seems to pull on hills it feels as there is not enough power to make it up the hill and my car also shakes. My car was running perfectly fine before I took my car to the dealership for this emission software update.

Oil leak that I’ve put so much effort in getting fixed or replaced and nothing is working. The seat belts suck. The seats are ripped.

In February 2026 my vehicle had a front parking sensor error. When I broght it in for repair my shop found a corroded cable in the front parking sensor harness. The mechanic was able to repair the harness. . . $280 in may 2026 my vehicle this time had a rear parking sensor error. The shop discovered a rear parking sensor harness completely corroded & had to be replaced along with one parking sensor. . . $715. (the invoice does not include the cost of the sensor as it was purchased separately when diagnosing the front sensor failure) I purchased this vehicle in January 2020 & it has spent its entire life garaged in new york state or in florida. It has only been driven one winter(2025-2026) in NY state. This is unacceptable! the cost of rear harness alone including tax was over $300!.

Vehicle fire causing a total loss to vehicle and home.

Vehicle manufacturers have certain basic rules and procedures that must be followed. When a vehicle manufacturer sells a vehicle, it has a duty to ensure that the vehicle functions properly and safely for its advertised use and is free from defects. When a vehicle manufacturer discovers a defect, it must explicitly disclose the defect and make it right or cease selling the vehicle. When a vehicle manufacturer provides a warranty, it must stand by that warranty. I believe kia has breached its duties and rules as follows. Specifically, these class vehicles (tellurides and others) have malfunctions regarding their incorrectly manufactured piston oil rings which can result in engine damage and failure, and even potentially cause a fire known internally and secularly as an ("oil ring defect”). Now, I purchased this car in January of 2023. Based on kia’s active and persistent promotions touting the quality of its vehicles and my partners admiration of kia vehicles, we considered kia a quality company with a strong reputation for producing reliable vehicles. In addition to kia's reputation through its marketing and promotion. We decided on the 2020 kia Telluride because we believed it was a high-quality vehicle, after a salesman convinced us that the vehicle was highly reliable and came with great technological features. Since purchasing this vehicle it has only taken the vehicle to the certified dealership for its routine maintenance as recommended by both the vehicle alert system and the service department at courtesy kia. However, through all our consistent visits to dealerships, we had never been told of any recalls or defects related to his vehicle’s oil ring system. Since 2015, kia has designed, manufactured, distributed, sold, and leased the class vehicles with this problem. As discussed earlier and in more detail below, the class vehicles contain a defect that causes a serious safety concern. The unresolved defect with the Telluride engine is an attack on owners.

When parked on an incline, the vehicle will not start and has to have the battery jumped. When attempting to start the vehicle, you can hear a clicking sound and an error message pops up saying "check esp". After this happens, the windows will roll down to about a 1/8 crack and will not roll up even after the car has been jumped and is on. Also, when driving down the road with the heat on, it will stop blowing heat and will start blowing cold air.

After a few months from purchasing (9/2022), I noticed some weird electrical issues occurring. The first thing I noticed was that sometimes the rear wiper blades would turn on automatically when shifting in reverse when the wiper blades were off. I would turn the rear wiper blades on then off repeated times until they finally stayed in off mode. As time went on, then the drivers side window would roll down automatically after starting the vehicle, and it would not shut all the way after pressing the button. I would have to hold the up button when turning the engine off, just so the window would remain completely closed when parked. Sometimes, this would continue for a week or more. . . Then it would go back to normal for a few months. These issues would continue and others started to arise such as the check engine lights, low battery etc. Appearing while starting the vehicle. Sometimes it would say that the engine is on, when it wasn't. . . So I would hear a warning signal when trying to leave the vehicle with my key fob. I would have to press the stop engine button and wait for it to say that the engine is off. This evolved into the car struggling to start. . . With a repeated clicking noise being heard. All warning and hazard notifications appear on the main screen and the driver's side window rolls down by itself and it takes 5-7 minutes for it to start, but eventually does. This has been going on now for since March of 2024. . . So it's not a battery issue, or a starter issue. . . But based on the nature of these malfunctions. . . It is electrical issues. . . Which can pose a serious safety threat. . . Especially with a potential electrical fire. What are our options for a potential manufacturer recall? as of this writing, it took roughly 20 minutes to start my vehicle, as it is very cold in rochester, NY. I recently had my vehicle fully serviced (8/25) and it wasn’t acting up at the time so they couldn’t pinpoint any electrical issues. I took videos of the incidents.

The infotainment system which includes the backup video system has turned to a green screen intermittently on these models. We just started experiencing this issue in the past week. After searching the kia user forums, it appears that many people are having a similar issue. When we took it to kia they stated that car is out of warranty and the part cost alone was over $5000 to repair the head unit. It seems they know they have an issue but don't want to acknowledge it and quickly revert to the warranty. I'd like someone to investigate this as it's a safety risk when you a backing up the car.

Sunroof malfunctioned on opening, went off the tracks and is now stuck in an open position. There were no obstructions causing the sunroof to be lifted and dislodged from the tracks. The integrity of the vehicle and its passengers are compromised due to being openly exposed to the elements. Risk of theft, further damage, and injury. Dealership unable to service the vehicle in a timely manner. Problem has been confirmed and inspected by an independent servicer. No warnings or other symptoms.

Wind deflector snapped on sun roof causing. Sun roof to get lodged and get off track. Unable to close sun roof now opening it to all types of weather. Safety issue not being able to close the sun roof while transporting passengers especially children. Kia dealership aware and refusing to help. Wind deflector is a known issue for the 2020 Telluride sunroof as found by the NHTSA bulletin on this defective part. Dealership refusing to help since out of warranty even though it is a known issue.

Folding outside mirrors get stuck randomly, back up camera functions erratically, and worst of all, the sun roof jammed open.

When starting vehicle during warm weather conditions, all dashboard alarms light up and beep. Initially, when put into drive mode, steering is extremely difficult. When accelerating, no speed is displayed. During driving there is no speedometer, no operating turn signal and the odometer does not record driving miles.

Driver side power folding mirror is malfunctioning. It will sometimes get stuck in one position and won’t retract unless manually repositioned. It has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer. No warning lamps have appeared. A google search of the issue suggests this may be a common issue with the vehicle make and model.

Our vehicle was flagged for a service campaign recall for the power seat control switch and seat slide knobs. According to the service campaign, the power seat switch back cover can be dislodged resulting in an internal misalignment of the seat motor control switch in certain conditions. When taken to the certified kia dealership for repair on this recall, we were told the service campaign recall only applied to the passenger side front power seat. The dealership therefore only made the repair to the passenger side seat. Less than 6 weeks after this repair (in Nov 2024), we discovered the driver side power seat stopped functioning in the reverse position. We could move the left driver power seat forward, but the seat would not move backward. This became a significant safety issue as once a shorter person drove the vehicle, a taller person had no means to move the seat aft to safely allow sufficient space for legs/feet on the gas/brake pedals. All other seat position functions worked normal, except for sliding the seat aft on the driver side. It simply would not move aft. The car became unsafe to drive for taller individuals and we had to take it back to our dealership to repair at our cost. The kia dealership verified the seat failed to move in the aft position and they replaced the driver side switch assembly. The recall campaign details seemed to match the symptoms we had on the driver seat; however, our vehicle VIN only correlated the campaign to the passenger side, not both seats. The kia service manager informed us to contact kia customer care as he felt both seats should have been part of the recall given our issues. Kia customer care took note of our issue, but said there is nothing they can do since the recall was only specific to the passenger side of our vehicle. We hope this issue can be resolved for future Telluride owners who may have similar problems given kia would only repair (as part of the recall) the passenger side & not both seats.

For the past year at least I've had check engine light come on and turn off before being able to get in for a diagnostic. Along with the entire engine shutting down while idling, parking, turning. Whole electrical system failure. Can't move the steering wheel. Have to restart the car and it takes a few tries. Sometimes the car will be off and will not start back up for a while.

October 2024 before the main incident oct 2024, I started noticing slight changes in the way my kia was operating: - delayed response to accelerate when at a light - tire sensors/ crash collision sensors - lane assist pulling my off the road or into on coming traffic (random) - intermittent power loss while driving. - lights not working properly. - high beams failed to operate in sept and was told by burlington wa kia there was not a fix for the recall, while there for service/oil change. - car going into parking brake when not activated. - when stopped in car is in drive, when starting to accelerate the car went in reverse causing me to hit a stump and partially tearing front bumper off. About a week after that incident I was driving home from store and car started randomly pulling car into oncoming lane. Thankfully there was not a vehicle at that time. Car then started having weird fluctuations with speedometer and dash info. Went from 24. 7 miles to gal to 38 and kept jumping, experienced more instances of power loss while in drive. Then all of sudden dashboard went haywire. Whole dash lit up and was switching from different drive modes. I started noticing an electrical burning smell and smoke coming from hood. I pulled over not even a mile from home and started to pull everything important from vehicle. Think the car was on fire under the hood. After several minutes of accessing the situation and smoke dissipated, I decided to try and get car home. As I put car in drive it again went in reverse. I put car in park again and then drive and was able to proceed and limp car home. I parked car and took video of the dash light party and video of putting car in drive and it changing randomly. There still was an electrical burn smell on outside and in cab of vehicle. When my husband arrived home I tried to start vehicle to show him and it wouldn't start. So, he thought maybe the battery fried and took bat in to napa and bought a new battery.

Continues to have issues with dealership to remedy/correct recalls. Have waited for 60+ days since recall remedy was initiated in August 2024 headlights continue to be a hazzard and due to this we had unfortunate incident of a deer running out and inability to see in the dusk of 6am due to lack of head lights. This has caused immense hardship regarding finances and maintaining a job as we are down one car and kia has not offered and:or received all parts for any repairs of the recall. Advised if we attempted to fix one recall (power seat) then our “ticket will be closed and you will need to pay out of pocket for the headlights”. However this is not consistent or within the regulations of recalls and good faith attempts. I have already contacted an attorney to pursue legal counsel. I feel kia will need to apologize and really earn trust from all consumers as Telluride has been an issue to this day, even newer models. Attached is allstate claim of the incident on 10/18/24 and attachments reflecting recall announcements via postal and several follow up appointments since remedy was offered, however no action nor diligence made to correct recalls or follow up as appropriately with us to keep us updated about parts etc. .

The center infotainment screen has turned green. Sometimes a hazy green, othertimes almost a solid green which affects the back up camera system when you are trying to back up and not hit anyone or anything. I have brought to the dealership and they stated the head unit is defective and needs replacement. I elevated to kia customer care and they stated that because it is out of the 36,000 mile warranty they would not help. I even stated that as car is not a newer car was not asking for a brand new unit, but asked if they would at least put in a cheaper re-manufactured unit due to the safety issue and they denied that as well. I am on the kia Telluride forum and multiple other people are having this issue. This is a defective part and as it is related to a safety issue needs to be replaced and covered by kia. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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.

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.

On Friday 5/10, my vehicle began failing to brake after being in traffic for about 45 minutes. I had to punch the brake with my foot, hitting the floor, and it would continue to roll. It was towed to courage kia in gastonia on 5/12. On 5/14, they identified an issue with the hecu. Since then, they have been “running tests” with engineering to try to identify the issue. However, I’m seeing years of these complaints online and this can’t be the first time this has happened. I do not have any paperwork yet, because nothing has been done. There were no warning lights on in my car. It is currently available for inspection at courage kia in gastonia.

My 2020 kia Telluride sx model won’t start, I get an error “check esc“. It will also have other warning ligts come on also. The failure from the start seemed like the bad battery and a (toc toc) sound was heard when trying to turn it on several times had the checked the battery and replaced because it was bad, after a month days it began to have the problem again jumpstarting the car worked but only temporarily. The next day, or within a few hours the same issue of not turning over.

I have a fairly brand new 2020 kia Telluride with only about 50,000 miles on it and one day out of no where the car won't start and now I'm getting a check esc message. Since it's fairly new I had it jump started and the car quickly turned on and ran fine for the rest of the day. The following day the car hesitated when turning on but it started. I was driving and when I got to a light and when the light turned green and went to take off the car wouldn't go. It turned off again and would start back up. I went into the kia forum and noticed that a lot of kia Telluride owners are experiencing this same issue but all seem to have different resolutions from needing a new battery, or a new starter or that the ibu system is blown. This is very frustrating because I don't necessarily know where I need to begin and I don't want to have waste my money with trying to figure out exactly what is going on with my car.

Light always appears on dashboard.

Rh high beam light inoperable. Does not go high beam when selected. Lh ok. Lh drivers mirror does not extend or retract most times when locking or unlocking the car.

Hi beams stopped working.

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.

This started in July/August. I went in to get into my car and noticed that although my car was making the sound of unlocking, it wasn’t unlocking. Neither the key fob or pressing the button on the door handle would unlock my car. I manually used the key to get in. Once I got in, I had a rear collision warning on my dash and was unable to shift from park. I overrode the shift mechanism and took it to a mechanic. They hooked it up to a reader and was tracking down the error when all of sudden the error code disappeared, and they were unable to progress. I left there and drove to work without issues. Two days later (Saturday) it happened again. I disconnected the negative battery cable and waited a few minutes before I hooked it back up. It was fine for about a month and then it started happening again. This time I tried the battery cable again and it worked for a while, but it started to happen more regularly. I took it to a kia dealer but they were unable to replicate it. They said if it happens again record it and send a the video. Two days later it happened, and I sent them a video. I took my car back to the dealer and it has been there 11/9. In between visits, it happened, and I overrode the shift mechanism and I noticed my dash lights were almost out as well as the other issues. I believe I know what the issue is. I noticed this only happens when it’s cool in the early morning and then, when the sun comes up, there is an abundance of moisture on the inside windshield. I believe that heavy moisture is shorting out the electronics in my dash. I’ve never had an issue when it rains or midday. It’s probably why this has been so noticeable in the fall early winter. We have lots of mornings in the 30’s and they quickly warm up when the sun comes out. I have read some online forums that talk about the condensation issue with the kia Telluride. I haven’t found any that talks about the electronic issue however.

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.