general problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Telluride - part 2

I purchased this vehicle with 109,000 miles on it. After driving for about a month, I noticed a noise and took it in for an inspection. I was told there was no oil in the vehicle and to take it to kia. Kia told me that was a known issue the the oil consumption and wanted to start testing. I have an extended warranty but I am having to come out of pocket $5000 before a claim can even be started and I have only owned it for 5 months.

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.

The argument for the warranty claim to be honored and the work to be completed is as follows. Kia inc may not want to take responsibility for the engine. They may want to shy away from their duty by claim negligence on the part of the owner. Kia will ask the car owner to produce every receipt and service record you can scrape together just to prove that one was not done at an “authorized” center of some sort. Or they will argue the distance between intervals of oil change down to the smallest of detail to claim you abused the engine. An engine they know has a flaw. An engine with a ring flaw across multiple lines, years and models. That in multiple lawsuits they have in fact taken responsibility for and lost in cases so they are aware of the issue. But my argument is not necessarily these things. My argument is the oil warning light. That light is the real danger when combined with this fatal engine flaw. For a **3. 8l v6 gasoline engine** (like that of the 2020 kia Telluride) using * 5w-30 motor oil**, you can theoretically determine the oil loss level that would trigger a warning indicator based on the overall oil capacity and typical safety standards. Oil capacity and warning indicator calculation specifications of my 2020 kia Telluride according to anthropic ai. - * capacity**: 6. 9 quarts - **typical safe operating level**: generally, engines are designed to alert drivers when oil levels drop to about **1 quart** below the full capacity, which is critical to maintain proper lubrication. Oil loss threshold- - **full capacity**: 6. 9 quarts - *warning threshold*: -*safe level*: 5. 9 quarts (6. 9 quarts - 1 quart)safe oil level - the warning indicator would typically come on when the oil level falls to approximately **5. 5 to 5. 9 quarts. This range ensures the engine continues to operate safely without risking damage due to inadequate lubrication. Key aspects of fmvss 101 regarding oil pressure warning lights. S5. 2. 3. (the light must alert the driver. . .

Plastic oil filter housing cracked causing all oil to leak out. If not noticed would have blown engine while driving. Brought to dealership and not covered under warranty.

I was driving down the road and the engine started suddenly making a loud knocking noise. The car was immediately pulled over and put in park and towed to mechanic shop. Mechanic shop stated there was no oil on the engine dipstick and the engine was ruined due to lack of oil. No oil leaks were found. The car is kept in the garage and there is no oil on garage floor that would indicate a leak. The car was maintained with full synthetic oil changes every 6,000 miles. There was no indicator light on dash to alert to an oil problem. I called kia to report concern, as there is a class action lawsuit for this engine issue in other models, but was told there was no lawsuit or recall with the specific model of engine in my car.

Description of defect: my 2020 kia Telluride experienced catastrophic engine failure and excessive oil consumption, which is a known issue for this model year (to the point that I had to sell it just 1 year after I bought it). The vehicle consumes oil at an alarming rate without any dashboard warning lights, or low oil pressure indicators, leading to sudden loss of engine power and potential stalling while in motion. This failure occurred at 93,200 miles, well before the expected service life of the powertrain. Safety risk: sudden engine stalling or power loss while driving at highway speeds creates an immediate risk of rear-end collisions and leaves the driver without power steering or braking assistance. The lack of any 'check engine' or 'low oil' light prior to the mechanical crisis meant there was zero opportunity to safely maneuver off the road before the vehicle became disabled. Furthermore, excessive oil consumption in this engine type has been linked to potential fire risks under the hood. Failure/incident details: despite following all manufacturer-recommended maintenance, the vehicle suffered a major [engine/transmission] failure. Kia America has acknowledged the failure but refuses to provide transparency or assistance, despite technical service bulletins (TSB sa428 and TSB 089) existing for these exact powertrain issues. This represents a significant safety defect that puts my family and other drivers at risk.

I just recently purchased this vehicle used. I live in northwest indiana and as soon as the temperature went below 40 degrees I developed an oil leak. In searching this topic this is a known issue with these vehicles but a widespread recall has not been issued. All owners of these vehicles as well as the Hyundai pallisades have this issue due to having a plastic oil filter housing. This has been diagnosed by a non dealer certified repair facility already. The part is only around $60. 00 but the labor to install is very high. Upon contacting kia they informed me that I would have to bring it in to the dealership for diagnosis at a cost of $180. 00 and then go from there for them to determine if they will "goodwill" the repair. I feel that in a situation like this either a recall should be issued, a class action should be created to reimburse all owners that have had these repairs done. It will not affect owners in states with warm climates. Can someone please research this and discover the amount of complaints online associated with this and get back with me? am already $5000. 00 into repairs for known issues on these vehicle including rear suspension that is also a known issue but no recalls have been issued.

Purchased this car used in July of 2025 with 77,000 miles. When we went in for the first complimentary oil change at ~5,000 miles, there was no noticeable oil on the dipstick. The dealership continued with the oil change and advised us to come back every 500miles for an oil consumption test. We did this three separate times and each time we were at least a full quart low each time. It was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. Luckily for us, it was covered under warranty. Our engine was replaced with a remanufactured engine from kia. When we asked if this problem was going to happen again, we were told yes, but with no timeline. We now have no idea what to expect with this “new, but used” engine and why we were never alerted to the car being low on oil before the first complimentary oil change. Concerns for the purpose of this report are the reliability of these engines and the oil level/pressure sensing system.

Oil consumption, I use full synthetic restore and protect . I change oil every 3500 miles . . After every 500 I have to check it and it’s been low have to add 2-3 quarts . Today started acting sluggish checked oil and my oil was low yet again low this is ridiculous. I’ll never own another kia Telluride.

Engine light continues to come on and the vehicle sputters a lot while driving, it seems like it doesn't want to go. I have to give it more gas like I'm pushing it and when breaking the left front wheel wobbles when I'm trying to come to a stop I have to hold the wheel extra firm.

After 8 months of trips to the shop telling them the engine was bad, and spending thousands to do things it didn’t need trying to get warranty to cover engine, kia finally agreed it had issues. Tore it down and piston rings are bad. There was carbon build up despite regular maintenance and they are telling me warranty won’t replace.

Vehicle engine is using 1-2 quarts of oil every month or so. Vehicle only has 85k miles. Engine also has a rattle/tick when accelerating. I believe this is due to the excessive oil usage.

My 2020 kia Telluride consumes oil. At an alarming rate. About 2 quarts for every 1000 - 1500 miles. It currently has 125,000 miles.

Engine burns over a quart of oil every week. Kia states it's normal.

Right at 100k miles both our engine began burning oil at an extremely high rate with no clear resolution for the issue. We are adding 1-2 quarts ever week. Simultaneously, we received transmission solenoid codes from a check engine light. The sealed factory transmission had burn looking transmission fluid and after replacement the light continue to show and now the transmission is slipping and hesitating and we are being told it needs replaced.

For a while now I have had to add extra oil about a quart every so often (didnt chart mileage )between oil changes and I thought its just burning some oil. Last few months it went up to adding 2 quarts and recently I had to add 3 quarts of oil and I had just checked it 2 weeks ago. There is never a light or any kind of notice on dash panel about low oil. I have a epiletic daughter that requires a safe vehicle to get her to the hospital. So this is a real safety concern. I have been reading this is problem with Tellurides. Because of the oil consumption problem Tellurides have been stalling while driving. This could be a life threatening situation with my daughter not to mention for anyone driving the vehicle. The dealer will not do an oil consumption test since I'm at 113,000 miles. I paid $40,000. 00 for a quailty vehicle. It should not have these kind of problems. Kia manufacurer said call the local dealer, so its just a run around please help us figure this out.

The engine is stalling, knocking and the check engine light will occasionally come on. You can smell carbon monoxide and hot oil. We are having to add a quart of oil weekly.

Engine oil consumption issue. Engine is run dry due to overconsumption of oil, increasing likelihood of cracked engine block or engine fire. Secondary issue includes increased fuel consumption/ decreased mpg. First oil consumption test reflected 60% of oil used 1,000 miles after oil change.

Oven taken my car to jiffy line for more than regular oil changes and they always end up kinda jokingly saying man he’s always low on oil. I just blew a rod thru my block due to lack of oil and how fast it was burning. I feel so cheated out of my money. I’m stuck with a vehicle that I cannot drive and kia refuses to replace it.

My vehicle has an oil consumption problem that the dealership and every other kia dealership knows about. They are facebook groups about the kia Telluride oil consumption problems. I’ve had my vehicle in the shop countless times and it’s cost a lot of money. It now needs a new engine along with every other kia Telluride on the social media groups, complaining about the oil consumption and their engines going bad and needing replaced. The dealership refuses to replace my engine because there’s no recall.

Excessive oil consumption causing monthly oil changes. No low oil indicator causing engine to rattle.

History of engine randomly lurching/ hesitation when shifting. Have brought car in when it stalled out while driving, or at light. Largest problem now is oil leaking excessively. Kia has not been forthcoming on their history with this issue on 2020 Tellurides. Have been dealing with this the past couple of months and needed to bring it in for 'checks'. Service tech said that ½ quart of low oil after 1000 miles was not enough for kia to flag; told me to come in at oil change time. He said I did not need to worry as it was still covered under 100,000 warrantee. After checking it myself after driving another 1000 miles, I found that it was low. I brought this in for immediate concerns. I was told to 'wait' as my service tech was not there that day. He called me the next day to tell me I should bring in when I can so they can write up an 'approval ticket' for kia. I brought in the following week. Again he was off. I spoke with another tech who told me it was low 2 ½ q of oil - this was a week later. I now have to wait for kia to 'approve'. I was told this could take a week or longer. . I need my car. I asked for a rental and was told I may have to pay for it. This is frustrating and disturbing. I am told by other tech that I will probably need a new engine and I should not drive my car until it is addressed. This car is 4 ½ years old and has less than 70k miles.

Kia replaced oil filter adapter and now it burns through excessive amounts of oil. 3qts over 1000 miles. Kia wanted to do an oil consumption test but by the end it would have been out of warranty. Engine replacement would then not be covered.

The vehicle began burning oil around 61,000 miles, shortly after the 5-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty period ended. The issue was confirmed by an independent mechanic, who identified leaking lower engine seals and excessive oil consumption. The mechanic advised that the engine will likely need replacement due to internal seal failure. This condition presents a potential safety risk if oil levels drop unexpectedly, leading to engine seizure or loss of power while driving. There were no dashboard warning lights or messages prior to discovering the problem; the only symptom was an oil smell and the dipstick reading consistently below normal levels between changes. The problem has been confirmed by an independent mechanic. The vehicle has been regularly maintained according to the manufacturer’s service schedule. The manufacturer has declined to offer assistance, citing warranty expiration and second-owner status, despite the failure occurring only 1,000 miles past coverage and appearing consistent with a latent manufacturing defect. The vehicle and documentation remain available for inspection upon request.

The engine; I took my vehicle to be serviced at the dealership on Feb 18,2025 due to it making a weird whining noise when accelerating and/or turning causing the check engine light to appear. I was told then that my vehicle had no oil in it due to a leak in the oil housing filter. I paid $1900 to have it repaired. Then on may 20th I had to take my vehicle back to the dealership to be serviced for the same issue but this time was told that the cylinder 3 fuel injector needed to be replaced. I then paid $1200 for it to be repaired. Here it is July 21st and the same issue has happened with the diagnostic code reading cylinder 3 fuel injector and the vehicle will cut off at any time while driving. I took my vehicle back to the dealership and was told that my vehicle was 4. 5 quarts low on oil and this was due to my vehicle burning oil and I need to replace the engine or trade the vehicle in. My vehicle has only 124,000 miles on it and should not be needing a new engine or repairs. I purchased this vehicle used with 106,000 miles on it and has had it for a year. I have researched the issue and found that 40plus others has had the same issue with the same vehicle. This issue needs to be looked into. I'm unable to upload my invoices as proof of defect. I can email them if you would like me too.

The contact owns a 2020 kia Telluride. The contact stated that while he was servicing the vehicle, the contact noticed that there was a hole in the rear upper part of engine block.  there was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal burning oil odor coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to an unknown dealer, where the contact was informed that the engine would need to be disassembled to determine the cause of the failure. Additionally, the dealer informed the contact that three oil changes needed to be performed, and the engine needed to be flushed and replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to follow the dealer's instructions. The contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 93,364.

I am consuming excessive oil consumption and the oil consumption tests have failed twice. This usually leads to driving and hearing noises and the car shaking which could lock up the engine and or cause a safety concern if locks up while driving and sudden stop.

High oil consumption.

Oil consumption, consuming too much oil , need it recalled please it’s too much already.

I bought my vehicle used around 62,000 miles, I was the second owner. Around 90,000 miles my vehicle suddenly stopped driving. There was absolutely no signs of issues prior to this event. I had it towed to the kia dealership where they recommended an entire engine replacement, but assured me I was outside of warranty. I did not pay for extended warranty so I decided to take it to an independent mechanic who informed me there was a missing internal pin. This mechanic felt certain this was a manufacturing issue. He was able to repair multiple components without replacing the whole engine and the vehicle was drivable again. Now at 122,000 miles the vehicle had the same exact issue occur. I have owned this vehicle for less than three years and have had engine failure twice. After researching online there are many people who have experienced the same exact issues and probably thousands more who were not vocal about it. This is absolutely a manufacturing problem with this vehicle and it deserves to be addressed.

Another kia Telluride reporting the known defect in 2020 kia Tellurides related to severe and excessive oil consumption that poses a potential safety risk and financial loss. I have recently experienced repeated and worsening oil loss between routine oil changes with no visible leaks or warning lights. The rate of consumption exceed 1 quart per 1,000 miles which kia defines as “excessive” under technical service bulletin eng222 (rev 5). This condition creates a risk of engine failure while driving, especially because there are no warning signs that the engine is about to seize. I am in the process of contacting my dealership but kia of America declined to acknowledge this issue despite it being well documented and affecting a wide range of kia engines. I believe this is a safety defect that warrants further investigation due 1) sudden engine failure or stalling from low oil levels 2) lack of adequate early warning indicators 3) unreasonable financial exposure to consumers for a manufacturer-related defect 4) a pattern of complaints across similar models/engines. I urge the NHTSA to investigate this matter further and ensure kia is held accountable for this widespread and dangerous issue.

Oil consumption- I have had to keep oil in the car to top off my oil in between oil changes. It will get low before I can make to another appointment and start shaking or making a loud noise when driving or braking. Oil consumption test says I’m burning 2 qt /1000 miles. Checking online and different forums this is a know issue for these models of vehicles.

In may 2025, I brought my 2022 kia Telluride to the dealership for an oil leak. They kept my vehicle for a week. Then in June, while driving with my [xxx] son, the engine completely stalled — a terrifying and dangerous situation. I returned the car to the dealership, and they tried to point out a bunch of unrelated issues. But once I got home, the car shut off again. I took it back and was finally told that the engine had blown — and that this kind of failure "happens all the time" with Tellurides, according to their own words. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The engine failed catastrophically on a highway bridge putting four 18 year old boys in grave danger. They managed to get the vehicle to the other side of the bridge but it was not safe. Not a single warning light came on prior, and the engine temperatur gauge didn't show anything out of the ordinary. Oil levels were checked and topped off prior to the trip. Oil was changed 9 months prior. A local kia dealer has confirmed total engine failure. Kia has denied the claim despite being under the warranty period because I cannot supply complete oil change records. Who keeps those? I only keep the most recent one which shows 9 months prior. A quick search shows the 2020 kia Telluride engine is failing at an alarming rate and kia corporate offices are practing the deny and delay strategy to Dodge responsibility. I will now have to hire attorneys and pay $10,000 to replace their faulty engine.

Our kia Telluride had engine failure and a leaking oil pan. There were no warning messages or lamps at all. We noticed a blue smoke coming from the engine upon acceleration and a knocking noise from engine. We took it to a local repair shop and they said the engine was shot. We needed a new engine and a new oil pan as well as an oil change.