general problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Telluride - part 1

Plastic part of sunroof mechanism snapped, causing the whole sunroof to jam and not be able to close properly. Not only does this put interior damage of the car at risk, it puts a driver and passengers at risk in the case of inclement weather.

The sun roof warning light on dash suddenly came on and when I tried to open it up it broke and would no longer close. Finally got front toclise but back won't. Paeamount kua of asheville wants $7000 to fix even though I have extended warranty.

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.

Large chunks of paint peeling from hood and top of car. Yes, available for inspection. Safety concerns for visibility issues for driver and other drivers if paint impairs visibility. Yes, visited a collision repair shop, stated they see this being an issue a lot with kia Tellurides, especially the snow white as they didn’t put primer on vehicle first. Yes, was inspected by insurance representative. No warnings, started about a month ago and has gotten gradually worse.

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.

The paint on my white 2020 kia Telluride is peeling/delaminating from the hood and the area directly above the windshield (a-pillar/roof edge). Peeling began as small chips and has progressed to larger sections coming off down to bare primer/metal, with no impact or collision involved. This appears consistent with a known paint adhesion defect affecting pearl white kia Telluride and sorento vehicles across multiple model years, as documented in numerous other owner complaints and online forums. The peeling paint exposes bare metal to the elements, creating a risk of corrosion/rust that could compromise body panel integrity over time. It also significantly reduces visibility-adjacent surface integrity near the windshield area and creates sharp/jagged paint edges. This is not isolated wear-and-tear damage but a manufacturing/coating defect, as the primer layer is visibly intact and separating cleanly from the base coat. I am requesting NHTSA investigate this as a widespread manufacturing defect, as it appears kia has been aware of this issue but has not issued a recall or extended warranty coverage to affected owners outside the standard paint warranty period.

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.

My sunroof windscreen arm broke which in turn caused the glass to go off track. The windscreen arm is a known issue! but there is no recall. I shouldn't have to pay $7000 to fix a known problem!.

I was driving down the highway no cars were near me in any direction and I was not near an overpass it sounded like a giant explosion. I heard glass moving around and realized something happened to my sunroof.

Sunroof is stuck open after trying to retract it.

Opened the sunroof. Used the automatic switch to close it. The sunroof jammed and would not close. It is popped up in the back. A piece on the left track broke off. The dealership wants over $6000 to repair the sunroof.

The sunroof mechanism in the vehicle jammed and broke out of the track. When my wife drove the vehicle in the interstate the sunroof began to vibrate and move around. She was afraid the glass was about to fly out and possibly hit a vehicle behind her. She had to reduce her speed excessively and my daughter had to hold on to the sunroof all the way home. The vehicle is well maintained with approx 50. 000 miles. The warranty is out and I am being told that kia will not cover the repairs. I am still trying to get customer affairs to approve a fully covered repair at no cost but it seems the are not being CO operative so far.

I am the original owner of a 2020 kia Telluride. The white paint on the car is coming off in huge pieces all over the front. The primer is still attached to the metal. Huge chunks are coming off as we drive it. We have spoke to the dealership and kia corporate as well and they do not care because it is out of the 3 year warranty. We had a paint shop inspect it and get an estimate for it to be fixed and they have told us this is a paint manufacturer defect clearly considering the primer is noticeably on the metal still. The vehicle has never been in any type of accident ever.

My 2020 kia Telluride ex experienced a sudden engine shutoff / loss of motive power while driving in traffic. The vehicle stopped in the roadway, would not immediately restart, and restarted later after sitting. This was not normal stop/start operation, the car shut down. No low-oil warning appeared before the event. I am also aware of multiple similar owner reports online describing high oil consumption, stalling, and lack of warning in 2020 Tellurides, but this complaint is based on my own direct experience and concern. It was scary and life threatening!.

The sunroof malfunctioned while I was attempting to open it, producing a loud pop and causing the glass to become misaligned while the vehicle was parked. There have been numerous reports of this same issue, including incidents in which the sunroof glass has shattered. This appears to be a known defect; however, kia has refused to acknowledge responsibility or perform the necessary repairs. Kia has quoted the cost of repair at $5,800.

Snow white pearl paint is peeling like a banana. Contacted kia and are aware of the problem but offered nothing.

Vehicle began shifting really hard and the rpm meter started going way up and down really fast. The check engine light also came on. It caused difficulties with control of the vehicle. Vehicle was parked and taken to a mechanic so said the issue was the torque converter and that it needs a new transmission.

My 2020 kia Telluride that has snow white pearl paint that is coming off in chunks. There are lots of records of 2017-2023 kia's that have the snow white paint peeling off. The paint is coming off the roof and hood area. The exposed metal can quickly develop penetrating rust. This weakens the metal's ability to withstand impacts increasing the risk of failure during a crash. Also the flaking clear coat and paint, creates highly reflective surfaces distracting other drivers. Also the paint peeling in large sheets can detach and potentially strike following vehicles and causing road hazards or accidents. The dealership has taken pictures and acknowledged the issue but fails to correct it due to "high mileage" and me not having a paint warranty. The problem started about 7 months ago.

The sunroof will not close. The closing mechanism broke.

On December 9, 2025, the factory exterior paint on my 2020 kia Telluride (snow white pearl) began experiencing massive, sudden delamination, shearing completely off the roof down to the factory primer layer in a sheet larger than a hand towel. The peeling is continuing to spread due to wind exposure while driving. Furthermore, the paint failure has compromised the protective coating, causing specs of rust to actively break through the paint throughout the trunk and exterior body panels. This indicates a severe manufacturing defect in factory paint adhesion and corrosion protection, posing a direct threat to the vehicle's structural integrity and body longevity. Kia America has refused warranty assistance due to vehicle age/mileage limits, despite this being a widespread manufacturing failure.

Several oil housing changes. I’m not the first owner, the oil housing has been changed once already and I’m going to have to do it a second time, the car is only 5 years old. I’ve only owned the vehicle 2 years. The dealership did no diligence to check it, I went to the dealership for years and due to negligence with my oil changes and recalls I stopped going, now I’m having to pay out of pocket for issues they’ve caused. I thought I messed up my car and had a part dragging at the bottom, when I took it in to the dealership they said it was previously not bolted down properly. I had a recall, I was told 3 times my lights were connected and I was “good to go” each time I got in and the car said my lights were not connected. After this I never came back! not sure if it’s the dealership issue or on the car for my oil housing leak.

The 2020 kia Telluride has an issue with the metal window trim pieces. It was purchased as a certified pre-owned vehicle and we have had to have the trim piece replaced at least three times by the kia dealer. The piece keep becoming loose and falling off. Some of the pieces on my vehicle have jus fallen off. At interstate speeds of 70 mph it would be very dangerous. Fortunately, no incident has happened that has hurt anyone, yet. The 2023-2025 models have been recalled for this exact same issue, and it needs to happen for all kia Telluride models including the 2020-2023 models. It is dangerous and ken ganley kia of new port richey is no longer assisting with any sort of warranty or repair unless I do the work. I am having to reach out to kia and open a case number every time and the dealership is no longer being helpful. This is our primary vehicle used for getting children to school, leisure travel, and daily commuting. Attached are three different incidents of the exact same issue happening. 8/24/2025, 8/11/2025, and 11/21/2025. The dealership also repair some when we initially purchased the vehicle. All work orders can be provided via ken ganley kia of new port richey.

My son was driving home from work and the vehicle shut off. He got it to come back on and it stopped while he was at a red light and a by standard yelled for him to get out of the vehicle as it caught fire underneath the car from unknown reasons.

Oil pan and gasket leak oil control valve harness leak the car leaked 5 quarts of oil without any engine or low oil light being illuminated to communicate this engine problem. The dealership identified the above components failed and caused the oil to leak and lead to potential engine damage.

My sunroof will not close all the way. I have read different threads and it seems I am not the only person with this make and model having the issue.

Failed windshield available for inspection unexpectedly cracked across full length of windshield blocking view of road causes glare there is a 2020 model class action suit and many complaints.

Sunroof wind deflector broke causing the track for sunroof to be off and sunroof won't close. This is a safety concern for the stability of the sunroof and apparently it is a common problem. Yes the problem was confirmed by the dealer.

Sunroof plastic arms broke off and now sunroof will not close. Looking this up, it is a very common issue. I have only used my sunroof about 10 times since I bought my vehicle.

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.

Only owner of a 2020 kia Telluride sx prestige that just crossed 60,000 miles. We don't use the sunroof but yesterday 7/30/25 we opened it, the wind deflector arms had broke which caused the sunroof glass to come off the track. Now it won't close at all. This can put my family at risk due to excessive heat in texas, fumes that should not be getting inside the vehicle and rain water. This has been reproduced and inspected by the kia dealership. Since I'm over 60,000 miles this is not covered under warranty. No warning lamps or notifications since it's the sunroof. We just wanted to cool down the car quicker by letting the heat out - so totally normal operation that ended up with a sunroof being stuck open. Very frustrating!.

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

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

Sunroof would not open or close properly. Dealer said arms broken. Need entire new sunroof at over $5000 plus labor! to replace just these small pieces. The glass is out of the track and taped down. It is a dangerous fix. I cannot understand why kia won’t fix with it being a known malfunction of sunroof mechanism assembly according to TSB. I am out of warranty by 6 months. I contacted kia and this was their response. Need help please.

Purchased vehicle 8/31/2021 - 32k miles 10/18/21 - first mention of oil consumption (opened case with kia) 2023,2025,2026. 3 more cases filed and denied with kia customer care. Filed bbb claim, filed bbb anutoline claim, also hired lemon lawyer. Kia offered $6k to go away (I declined). *July 18,2026 kia finally diagnosis and recommends engine replacement. Bore scope was used to discover scoring on cylinders from significant oil consumption. Vehicle is now smoking at take off (112k miles), current open case with kia customer care again. Requesting buyback or settlement for the 3rd time in 5 years. Still paying $600 a month safety concern: on a trip out of state vehicle dash lit up every icon and went dead in the middle of a packed 4 lane highway , started with power steering, no lights, no horn , couldn't roll window down. (video avail) vehicle towed to dealership. Had replaced battery 2 times already. This has happened twice and my family was in the vehicle once on the large highway, very scary no one knew we were broke down bc we had no way to show it. People blowing and zooming by mad. Low oil light doesn't exist on this vehicle, I've been bone dry with no indication ever. I now ride around with a 5 quart jug of oil and funnel in the back of my car since 72,000 miles. This should be illegal. Rear suspension: 4 times the rear suspension has been replaced (7 times in the shop to be fixed one time over 30 days) and has never been fixed , now making the same knocking noise it's always made. The car is a lemon and kia knows it and will not stand behind their product. I do not feel safe in this vehicle, kia has been notified numerous times in every avenue and every way I could communicate, they say "we will call you with an update when we have one" that call never happens.