general problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Telluride

Hello, I've contacted customer service for kia America and also, customer service in puerto rico since I'm a resident in puerto rico, so that I can address the safety recall with number sc303 and also a technical service bulletin with number bod319. However, customer service advised that they can't pull up my SUV vehicle information with the VIN provided. I'm unable to address the safety recall and the technical service bulletin since kia can't pull up the vehicle information. My vehicle is experiencing technical failure with the intermediate shaft as described on the safety recall. Also, the sunroof is experiencing technical difficulties compatible with the information included on the TSB. I ask for your support to address the described issues, accordingly. Thank you!.

I purchased the 2021 Telluride (former owner of a sportage, rio and sorento). I have our local mechanic handle maintenance and service. After paying $1,400 for a tune up to address misfiring, we quickly concluded the transmission was shot and my engine was burning theough every drop of oil before it was due for a change. I went to kia of des moines, since it is covered under a 200k/20-year warranty. They replaced the transmission under warranty, I shared my mechanic details for records, and they told me they were going to do an oil consumption test. They sent me on my way, asking for me to return after 1,000 miles. I did (and then my car began shaking, but we thought it was due to snow conditions) and they quickly said, "yes, it is an issue!" my Telluride burned through almost 2. 5 quarts of oil in 1,000 miles. I left on 12/15, being told they would have direction from kia corporate on next steps and acknowledged I need a vehicle loaner during repairs (single disabled mother, who has to travel safely). I did not hear back, chasing for updates. Yesterday, steven text me saying I would need to authorize $1,600 engine tear down fee in order to confirm issue. I asked for denny, the manager to contact me. I also called kia care, who said it is up to dealer. I am seeing so many issues with Tellurides burning oil. And, I do not have $1,600 to make my vehicle safe - that amount would make me sacrifice my home or another necessity. Google said to fight it and to submit a form to you also. I have to fight this because I have no other choice than to sell an organ. I will stock up on oil to keep filling it so my engine doesn't blow up, but have incredible fear of being stranded and not being able to get my vehicle towed or us home safely. If there is anything you can assist with, I appreciate it. I just found out my parent's 2023 Telluride is burning too much oil too - they haven't got the $1,600 sticker, but I know that amount will wreck them also.

The oil filter housing is made of plastic and it cracked causing a major oil leak. There were no warning lights on the dash. Our family had just gotten into the car to visit family for thanksgiving. I ran back into the house to get something and when I came back I first saw a large puddle of oil where the car was parked then I looked at the car and could see oil streaming out. At first I thought the filter or the oil drain plug had come loose. We had our local mechanic look at it and he said it was a common problem they see with plastic housings instead of metal. We called the closet kia dealership and they said it was a known problem but kia has not issued a recall. I searched online and found many complaints. If I had not noticed the leak we could have either had a fire or major damage to the engine.

On 11/01/2025, while traveling on the highway traveling at a speed of 80mph, my vehicle suddenly would not accelerate beyond 60 mph. I managed to exit safely, but this created a dangerous situation for both me, my daughter and other motorists . The next day, firestone inspected the vehicle and informed me the engine contained zero oil—yet no oil light, check-engine light, temperature warning, or sensor alerts were triggered at any point. There were no visible oil leaks, suggesting internal oil consumption, which I had reported to kia in October of 2024. On 10/21/2024, I paid $3,300 for a flywheel/ignition repair at a kia dealership. When I dropped off the vehicle for that repair, I specifically reported abnormal oil consumption and requested it be checked. Kia did not diagnose or remedy the concern. The combination -complete oil loss -no warning indicators -sudden loss of power and inability to accelerate -occurring at highway speed constitutes a critical safety defect. Drivers cannot take preventative action if the vehicle provides no indication of catastrophic engine failure until it is already occurring. This defect exposes drivers, passengers, and surrounding motorists to severe risk of collision or injury. Additionally, the dealership later provided a carfax entry simple stating "car maintenance" on 10/22/2024. No record of what was repaired, indicating inaccurate or incomplete documentation. I am requesting that NHTSA: -review this incident as a potential engine safety defect. -investigate whether other 2021 kia Telluride owners are experiencing similar catastrophic oil -loss or lack of warning indicators. -assess whether current recalls adequately address this failure pattern. -determine whether an additional recall or investigation is warranted.

Vehicle (2021 kia Telluride) at ~94k miles received cel p000a for (camshaft position - slow response (bank 1)). Personally checked the oil before taking the vehicle to the dealership and there was very little oil, below the "l" line. Vehicle is burning oil fast, which more likley than not cause the p000a cel. Vehicle would go im amd out of not being able to accelerate. Dealership wants me to pay diagnostic fees for them doing absolutely nothing other and resetting the code and conducting an oil change. Vehicle is a cpo which has a 10y / 100k mile warranty which seems like the dealership is trying to prolong until vehicle is out of warranty to diagnose it correctly. Engine is burning oil and needs to be replaced but the dealersbip wants to play games with customers.

The vehicle decelerated in the highway, from about 70mph to 40mhp with no warning, no check engine light, and no previous symptoms, sounds or other indicators. The vehicle was brought to the dealer who advised the high pressure fuel pump went bad as well as the solenoid and ocv harness, causing oil to be forced through the harness. Kia refused to cover the repairs at 74k miles and it was fixed at the owner expense, even after kias long history of failed high pressure fuel pumps in many other models. We were in the fast lane and were almost hit by a semi, who was thankfully able to move over at the last minute, narrowly averting the deaths of both my children, myself, my nephew and brother at aprox 4am.

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!.

Component/system failure: the engine and lubrication system appear to be malfunctioning. The vehicle has repeatedly experienced sudden engine shutdown while stopped at traffic lights and during low-speed operation. The dealership has identified oil leakage involving the oil pan and oil filter housing and has indicated there may be an internal oil leak within the engine. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: when the engine shuts off unexpectedly, the vehicle loses propulsion in active traffic. This creates a risk of rear-end collision and prevents immediate maneuvering out of traffic flow. The loss of engine power while stopped or moving at low speeds presents a serious safety hazard to myself and surrounding drivers. I am concerned that the suspected internal oil issue may lead to catastrophic engine failure while driving. Dealer confirmation / reproduction: the issue has been reported to the dealership multiple times beginning in January 2025. The vehicle has undergone multiple inspections and repair attempts, including partial fuel injector replacement, battery replacement, and an oil consumption test. The dealership has acknowledged oil leakage and has stated that replacing the oil pan gasket and oil filter housing may not resolve the suspected internal oil leak. The defect has not been permanently corrected. Inspection by manufacturer or others: the vehicle has been inspected multiple times by the dealership. The matter has been escalated to kia corporate for review. No police or insurance inspections have occurred, as no collision has yet resulted from the stalling events. Warning lamps / symptoms: during each stall event, the check engine light illuminates along with multiple dashboard warning lights. The stalling first began in January 2025. Oil-related concerns and possible oil loss were reported during prior service visits. The condition continues despite repair attempts.

I was driving and stopped in the center lane and the SUV would not move. I was left in an unsafe position. I was there about 10-15 min and got pushed out of the road. I turned the SUV off and on a few times with no difference in response. I let the SUV sit there about another 5 min and was able to move the SUV and the problem has not occured today but it does seem to be shifting a little hard and have noted that recently. I saw something online about NHTSA id numbers 11425571 and 11354498. That might be relivent but I was trying to to find more information on those.

There is an ongoing problem with the awd coupler on every model year of this vehicle and other kia/Hyundai awd vehicles. The problem occurs at lower speeds (35mph or less) while turning, and/or when starting from a stop turning either left or right. The vehicle produces a binding or slipping feel in the rear wheels along with a clunking noise from the rear of the vehicle. This is dangerous because the vehicle loses traction/power when its needed most during slit second decisions. Many of these couplers are failing early in the life of the vehicle. Mine is at 27k miles, however I believe the problem started long ago, closer to 15k miles. Kia knows about this issue but has failed to come up with a reliable solution. This is four model years now with the same issue. Kia has released TSB after TSB on this, and even recalled it early in the life of their debut model, the 2020. However, there are still reports of replacement parts failing again around the same amount of milage. It would be great if a wider recall can be issued to address this ongoing problem that seems to affect every model year so hopefully kia can find a more reliable, quality part to replace the consistently failing part.

Vehicle has a vibration at 60-75 miles per hour. It's a rhythmic vibration that you can feel in the gas pedal and sense in the front of the vehicles drivetrain. Kia has a TSB about this issue. Kia TSB 099. But our vehicle is past the 60k mile warranty period that would protect it. Kia knows that some cars manufactured between the start of production and February 2021 have this issue. They know which production lots of the affected parts have the issue, yet they refuse to make it a recall issue. Anyone who is unlucky enough to lapse the warranty period is such with a detective part that kia is fully aware of. The issue is so difficult to diagnose, I had to go to two dealerships to even get an answer about what the issue might be and that the warranty will not cover it.

Vehicle surges when at a stop. Normally rpm run about 500, when the vehicle surges the rpm's jump without notice to 1000 or more and the car acts like a race horse wanting to get out of the gate. Heavy pressure on the brake is needed at all times when stopped at a light, for a turn, at a stop sign. This started around 82k miles and was reported to the dealership. Dealership could duplicate issue and no codes were thrown. Again reported at 89. 5k, 91. 6k, 99. 6k, 103. 5k with same response from dealership. Contacted kia and received a case number in case the issue is a warranted situation and is uncovered after 100k mile warranty expires.

As I was driving down the highway in the rain, my check engine light came on and I was unable to accelerate my vehicle over 30mph and the speedometer stopped working. I was turning onto the road I live on, so I was able to make it home. I then shut my car off and turned it back on about 5 minutes later, and that issue was no longer happening. I had an upcoming appointment for an oil change at a kia dealership, so I told the dealership about the issue. They told me that they hooked their computer up to the car and it was showing that there weren’t any issues showing and the only way that they would be able to see that there was an issue is if the vehicle was brought in while it was malfunctioning. Also, the mirror function on my vehicle where the side mirrors fold/unfold when locking/unlocking the vehicle, the mirror(s) don’t fold/unfold every time I press the lock/unlock button on m key fob. Another issue, my windows don’t roll/unroll when I try to use that function. I can sometimes roll the front window up/down while the rest of the windows won’t roll up/down. I then have to shut my vehicle off, open the driver door, then turn the vehicle back on. Sometimes the windows will work, sometimes they won’t. It’s an ongoing issue.

At around 40,000 miles my Telluride start to have issues shifting at low speeds and when cold. By the time I hit 50,000 miles it was happening all the time. It began sputtering almost everyone I accelerated causing it to hesitate on highways. After two trips to the dealership they said I need a whole new transmission. My car is only at 56,000 miles and is no longer considered driveable until it is replaced which of course, the part is on back order.

Had a new transmission installed in February 2022. Now, beginning March 13, warning lights come on to check blind spot and forward collision systems. About 10 seconds after the car lurches violently. This has happened at full speed on interstate which is a huge risk for injury/death. I have video of this phenomenon.

We were driving the car and it began lurching unpredictably. It was difficult to maneuver safely. It is now 3 weeks past that time and my kia has been at the dealership this entire time. The dealer says that they cannot do anything without checking with kia hq and each time they do, kia has them run another diagnostic.

I drove my brand new Telluride off the lot with 11 miles on it. Before I gained speeds over 50mph my vehicle would jerk as it changed gears and the rpm increased. After I stopped at stop signs or red lights and then began to accelerate again, the car would jerk, the engine would rev up and no acceleration would happen. If I kept pressing the gas, eventually the car would jerk again, catch the gear and drive. This happened every single time I would stop and go again. Over speeds of 50-60mph I did not have this problem.

While driving this vehicle at 65-70mph a high-speed low-tone oscillating vibration can be heard and felt and continues through 75mph.