general problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Telluride - part 2

My sunroof won't open anymore.

After having a recall, performed on the emergency parking brake it would engage while parked, but when trying to put it in drive or reverse, it would not disengage this began happening approximately two weeks to one month after the recall was performed. It isn’t happening constantly, but it does happen often. On occasion, while driving, it will engage and pull the car to the side nearly pulling me off the road. After looking for other instances of this online, I came across a post that stated it happens to their car, but only when it was over a certain temperature. After watching more closely, I had figured out that it only happens above 70°f and it would only happen occasionally it was not every time it was above this . I have also brought it to the repair shop and they have no idea is what is causing it. I have found other postings about people having this issue with their Telluride same year. It is still occurring now and they are unsure of why or what is the cause.

The sun roof exploded driving on a busy interstate highway, fortunately the sun visor was closed otherwise we and our dogs would have been wearing the glass. Lots of glass coming off the roof on cars behind us. Dealer has confirmed other failures. Dealer is servicing now at no charge. No warning of this failure and should be a recall as many of these early model kia Tellurides have this issue.

My stationary sunroof exploded with no impact while driving. You can tell from. Photos the hole is inside to outside. This happened may 1st, I had it repaired with oem glass on 5/10 and from day 1 after the repair had the shade vented to alleviate hot air getting trapped as they say they could be a factor. Well then it happened again today on Dec. 17th !! something is wrong with either frame or the glass kia is using !.

My wife was driving with my kids when there sounded like an explosion and the sunroof exploded. There was nothing around that hit the glass and we haven't been involved in any accidents that may have compromised the integrity of the glass. The sound sounds like an explosion and luckily when it scared my wife while driving, she didn't jerk the wheel and flip the vehicle. Also, thankfully the sunroof shade was closed otherwise glass would have exploded everywhere inside the vehicle hitting my kids and wife. It appears that it explodes up and in the middle of the sunroof by looking at how the glass was missing. It seems this is a common occurrence with the 2021 kia Telluride. There's no warning, no cracking, no signs of it going to bust; it just does it. I'm going rounds with kia to get it fixed but the keep sending me down an endless rabbit hole, so I have in the meantime I paid out of pocket for it. Because I paid out of pocket for it after I was told I could by cooperate I could and then be reimbursed, which is not accurate, kia doesn't want to inspect the car. The only thing the dealerships tell us is yeah, they've seen this happen before.

The rear frame of my 2021 kia Telluride has a broken weld. This is a structural failure that compromises the safety and integrity of the vehicle. The kia dealership mechanic who inspected it confirmed the weld was defective and also stated they have heard other Tellurides with the same issue. A broken frame weld poses a serious risk to vehicle occupants in the event of a crash and may affect handling, towing, and long-term durability. This appears to be a recurring defect and should be investigated as a potential safety hazard. After several trips to the dealership, for the loud metal to metal type bang, they have replaced struts, rear stab links and shock absorbers. On 9/17/2025 the mechanic was given a list of items to inspect and the dealership informed me that one of the items on the list was to check the frame welds. I was informed that they found the broken weld and have forward pictures to kia engineers. I was informed that the car is safe to drive and they will get back to me within a couple weeks. They offered me a loaner car but it would be a kia soul which is too small for my wife that has bad knees to get in and out of. I do not have pictures of the problem and the dealership didn't want to copy me.

Upon attempting to open the sunroof, a loud pop was heard on opening and sliding backward, and it was determined the air deflector arm had broken. The sunroof will not fully close nor fully open now, it is stuck partially open. The dealer confirmed the issue and has to order the part with no idea on eta to get it. The vehicle inside is exposed to the elements when driving and the rear of the sunroof is elevated which is a risk to objects.

I let the sunroof back and it pretty instantly snapped and a piece of the traction for the sunroof broke off. I don’t use the sunroof often (maybe 6 times total since buying the car). I let it back occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stop working from use. Now the back of the sunroof is titled upwards and will not close.

Vibration at highway speeds most noticeable when accelerating up an incline at around 70-77mph car vibrated strongly. Had tires balanced and after few days problem persisted. Vibration was not as strong with balanced tires but still noticeable. To reduce vibration I have had to reduce speed and move to slower lanes.

Opened sunroof and arm popped out/off track. Sunroof is stuck open.

The sunroof, which is hardly used, opened and will not close. It has gone off of the track.

I’ve taken my vehicle to kia a few times about my transmission sputtering and the first time they told me I needed a transmission flush, I paid $250. 00 to have it done just to have it continue to happen and every time I bring it there they say they aren’t seeing or feeling anything. It’s still doing it. Also I opened my sunroof and it hasn’t been used much since I bought it in 2022 and now it’s stuck open. Took to the dealer just for them to tell me I have to pay $140 diagnosis fee and my warranty most likely won’t cover to fix it. I purchased the platinum bumper to bumper warranty!.

I have a well-maintained 2021 kia Telluride, however the paint on the roof of the car is peeling off. In my research, I have found that many owners are experiencing the same issue especially in snow pearl white color. I have contacted my local dealership but they are refusing to address the issue and have quoted me $2,470. 74 to repaint the roof. I've had vehicles for decades and never had paint issues.

Opened the sunroof today for the first time in over a year. The sunroof opened with no problem. Tried to close sunroof, and it will not close all the way. Tried multiple times to open and close without success.

While driving, opened sunroof and it got off track and exploded the sunroof.

Sunroof deflecter broke. The small side arms plastic snapped on both sides. Sunroof won’t close flush.

Was opening the sunroof and heard a popping sound. Wind deflector arm broke and now the sunroof will not close all the way leaving the risk of interior of car getting wet and creating mold since I live in an already humid climate.

I have it so the doors do not automatically unlock when I arrive somewhere. When I arrive at a destination and put the car in park, the people in the backseat cannot pull the handle to get out. If the child safety lock (which is a button on the door handle with the window and lock buttons) is on, the back windows and the door latches do not work. If the child safety lock is off, the windows work but the door still cannot be opened using the latch. This seems like a safety issue to me, since most people will reach for the latch in an emergency, but they can't get out. I have to push the unlock button form the driver door. If it is pushed on the front passenger door, it will not unlock the back doors.

The barely used sunroof made a clicking noise, and now will not open or close. It looks askew and now cannot drive in inclement weather. There seem to be many people with this issue when you google it online and deserves a recall. Thanks.

Sunroof is stuck open. Some plastic has broken off inside the track while simply opening the sunroof. It cannot be closed. The dealer said 'sorry we can't close it. For $4,000 we can replace the entire sunroof". This is a safety issue. I have seen on other forums this happening a lot with this model. The glass can shatter, it can fly off the tracks. This is clearly a mfg issue and not an user issue. It should be recalled or at the very least warrantied.

The sunroof will not close. Kia published a technical service bulletin (#319) in July 2023 related to this issue. The plastic wind deflector and track appear to have broken. We are unable to drive the vehicle due to inability to close (electronically or mechanically) the sunroof during any inclement weather.

I closed the sunroof and heard a noise. The sunroof would not close and looks to have came out of the track. Now it is stuck partially open. I am not able to drive in the rain. I have tried to self diagnose and it looks like the bug deflector broke and caused the sunroof to misalign.

I don’t ever use my sunroof but noticed it was slightly open bc I saw light coming through. I tried to close it and it came off it’s track on one side. Given that the vehicle has had several recalls having to do with electronic features causing fires, I worry about this issue causing a fire. Also, it’s unsafe to drive during a storm.

We were driving down hwy 321 going approximately 65 mph and the sunroof just exploded. There were no other vehicles close for it to be hit my a rock. It sounded like a gunshot and glass went everywhere. Very dangerous and scary!.

The pearl white paint on my vehicle started to delaminate (confirmed by wallace kia collision center). It started at approximately 24,000 miles, approximately 9 months past kia's 3 year paint warranty. This is a known issue with the paint - pearl white, with many manufacturers affected. Kia, thus far, has refused to cover the repair.

The panoramic sunroof hinges on my vehicle snapped and a part of the assembly fell and hit me in the head while I was driving.

Sunroof jammed open and was unable to be closed. There were no warning lights associated with this issue. I took the sunroof apart and found the bug deflector springs wedged themselves in the sunroof track, causing it to overload itself and break its mechanism.

My sunroof hinges cracked and my sunroof will not close.

The sunroof wind deflector broke while closing the sunroof while parked. This dislodged the sunroof mechanism from its tracks and prevents the sunroof from closing.

I am concerned with the solution to the vehicle recall. After taking care of the recall . You now have to disengage the parking break before driving the vehicle. What damage is happening if you do not do this or what potentially could happen if you do not disengage in the long run. Why was the engine not replaced?.

Hi, I received a recall notice from kia USA for my 2021 kia Telluride to our apo address last week. We are an active duty military family currently stationed in germany. It states there is an important safety recall for my vehicle. I followed the instructions in the letter and contacted the closest kia dealership that I found via the search function on their website. After contacting the dealership, I was told they could not find my recall in their system. I then contact kia customer care at 800-333-4542. I was told that germany would not be able to see my vehicle in their system, that I would have to pay out of pocket for the repairs and submit for reimbursement. I told them this was not a problem. I asked specifically about the required software update and was told the german dealership would have to contact kia to get it. They also told me, if the dealership couldn't get the update "for some reason", I would have to wait 3 years until the tour of duty is over to have the issue fixed. Per the recall, damage to the drive shaft is possible. I asked for an email address and was refused. I was told to "add a note" to my case number (16451862) via their website to request an email address. I was able to locate my case in their system, but by the time I wrote the request in the note, my case had been closed by kia customer service and could no longer be modified or viewed. It seems clear that kia does not have any intention of helping remedy this situation or supporting service members overseas, in countries where they currently operate. I would like assistance from the NHTSA and the armed services committee to have this safety recall resolved.

Sunroof will not close. Arm malfunctioned. Taken to local dealer and awaiting instructions on further steps.

Sunroof exploded while driving on the highway.

Sunroof on kia Telluride will not close completely. Will begin closing and then will not set down into the closed position.

On Saturday, April 13, 2024, while driving my 2021 kia Telluride on I-35 from laredo to san antonio, texas, my husband (passenger) and I (driver) heard a loud, explosion-like sound. This made me swerve onto the other traveling lane. Thank god there were no vehicle near us or next to us because it would have been catastrophic. We quickly realized that our sunroof had exploded/shattered as we could hear all the shattered glass being blown away. Luckily, the sliding sunroof panel was closed and no glass went inside our vehicle. These must definitely get investigated since it is a public safety issue. Upon doing research, we learned that there are several other people that have experience this same issue with kia Tellurides and it’s windshield/sunroof quality. I note that there was no vehicles near us and we were traveling 75 mph. Kia needs to recall this ASAP before there is a fatality!.