general problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Telluride - part 1

While driving 2023 kia Telluride driver side over head visor detached tangling in front of driver obscuring vision.

Screen go black or blanks out. Sometime when shifting from reverse to drive the reverse screen stay on.

My 2023 kia Telluride has been subject to at least 8 separate NHTSA recalls, including sc181 (seat belt/child restraint), sc194 (trailer brake light/cruise control), sc207 (airbag OCS/ods), sc262 (side airbag wire harness), sc303 (driveshaft/rollaway risk), sc316 (power seat motor fire risk), sc347 (door trim detachment), and now sc374/NHTSA 26v430 (recurrence of the power seat motor fire risk, explicitly noted as possibly caused by an improper repair under the earlier sc316 recall). I am especially concerned that the current recall (26v430) describes the same underlying defect as an earlier recall (sc316/24v407) that was supposed to have been repaired, and that no remedy is yet available for this recurrence. This raises serious questions about the adequacy of the original repair and the vehicle’s ongoing fire risk. I am filing this complaint to document this pattern of recurring safety defects and request that NHTSA and kia treat this as evidence of an unresolved, recurring hazard — not an isolated incident.

On June 15, 2026, my check engine light came on. On June 17, 2026, I took it to auto zone, they checked the code for the check engine light, and it indicated p0016 and p0017–crankshaft issues. On June 19, 2026, while driving down the highway, my vehicle failed to accelerate. I exited the highway, and my vehicle completely decelerated and ultimately shut down. I was unable to get my engine running and had to get it towed to the dealer. It has been at the dealer for 3 weeks now. The dealer said my engine will likely need to be replaced. It is a 2023 kia Telluride with less than 66,000 miles on it.

All wheel drive coupler is failing a third time. There is no safety warning. Difficulty accelerating especially when turning.

The sunroof exploded. Nothing hit it, there was nothing wrong with it previously and it was not being used at the time it exploded. We were driving and it exploded with a loud boom.

Standard vehicle component- shattered window. I was driving on highway I 275 and heard a loud sound, when I investigated I realized that the window in the second row to the right simply just shattered, glass flying everywhere.

The sunroof on my 2023 kia Telluride spontaneously exploded. An authorized kia dealership inspected the sunroof and determined that the sunroof exploded outward - which is consistent with a manufacturing defect that should be covered under the vehicles bumper-to-bumper warranty. However, kia's consumer affairs department is denying warranty coverage and forcing me to file an insurance claim or pay out of pocket.

2023 kia Telluride: black digital cluster screen will not turn on, affecting the ability to monitor vehicle status, odometer, speedometer, and safety features. We purchased this vehicle brand new in 2023. The vehicle has been in the kia dealership service center (where it was purchased) from January 2026 to present. The dealership estimates it will be June 2026 before backordered parts can be replaced by a master mechanic. We have continued to make payments on a vehicle we are unable to use with no resolution in sight. The vehicle has also been serviced for 5 separate recalls since purchased new in 2023, and we just received our 6th recall notification for an additional issue.

Clear coat peeling off in sheets on a 2023 kia Telluride. It's a known problem amoung kia owners however kia is not accepting responsiblity for a manufacturer defect.

Awd coupler is bad make noise and shaking at low turn speeds only.

2023 kia Telluride – instrument cluster intermittently goes blank while operating the vehicle. This has happened multiple times over the last few years since we bought it brand new, even after the official recall repair (sc270). Dealer has told us to disconnect the battery as a temporary fix. This is my wife’s primary vehicle for transporting our children and it’s unsafe because she cannot see speed, warning lights or blinkers when the cluster fails. Today 11/24/25, I had to meet her to switch cars because she didn’t feel safe to drive it anymore when the cluster went out. On 11/17/25 it had gone out and I disconnected it, which showed to be a quick fix again. I would estimate the cluster goes out at least once a month. My research shows this is a common issue with this car and updates or the recall doesn’t fix it. As a law enforcement officer, I am held to high safety standards both on and off duty. A vehicle with a recurring and unrepairable safety defect like this is unacceptable, unsafe, and unfit for normal operation. This ongoing failure places our family and the public at risk.

Fuel gas says empty or low fuel when it’s not. This has happened 5 times in the past 2 years and is occurring more frequently lately. This is a known problem in the kia forum. Dealer won’t fix without charging diagnostic fee and won’t solve because can’t duplicate the problem.

I parked my 2023 kia Telluride vehicle in driveway. Went into house for 15 minutes. When I came back out the front passenger side window had spontaneously cracked. No wind, no people, no shrubs or trees nearby. Window tint on the window is holding it together. Kia dealership refused to file a warrantly claim. Two years previously, I had the same thing happen to my windshield. While parked in my garage, it just spontaneously cracked.

Glass sunroof exploded while driving.

Was driving on the freeway, with no cars in front of me when my sunroof exploded outward. There was no debris that hit my car, just a loud explosion. I was driving with my wife, 4 kids and mother, all of whom can attest to the lack of debris coming from the road.

I had two small chips in my windshield and was planning on getting them fixed but literallly writhing 3-4 days north turned into huge cracks and now I need a whole new windshield.

I own a 2023 kia Telluride (VIN [xxx] ) and the digital instrument cluster intermittently goes blank, including the fuel gauge. This exactly matches recall 23v298000 / sc270, but kia is saying my VIN is not currently covered. This is a safety issue that blocks visibility of essential vehicle information. I am requesting NHTSA review to help expand the recall coverage. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Transmission blew resulting in not being able to switch gears. Was out of my car for 34 days. Got it inspected multiple times. Finally got a new transmission but now gears "slip" when changing and seems like it'll break down again. Also, can not use the circulation button as it brings a strong vinegar smell into the car and can no longer use the heating/cooling seats as it does not work.

Windshield crack issues , had to change 2 windshield.

1. Instrument cluster did not turn on when I started the car. The infotainment system turned on, along with the engine and rest of the car, but the instrument cluster that shows the speed, fuel gauge, etc was black. When I used my turn signals, the sound to indicate they are on would start initially and then stop after 2-3 times. 2. I had no idea how fast I was going or was my fuel level was. I was also not sure if my turn signals were working. This is where the lane change assist camera is shown, so I could not see that either. This screen also reflects warnings, so I would be unaware if anything came up. 3. No - we made the first earliest appointment with the dealer in 5 days from today. 4. No. 5. No warning lamps or messages (these would also appear on this screen, so if a warning came up I would not be aware).

My sunroof randomly exploded upward while driving down the highway. No rock or debris hit me. It sounded like a gunshot. I checked my surroundings and no other car pulled over or look like it was affected by any road debris. I have pictures of the sunroof being shattered upward.

The window trim on all four doors has come off. The rear ones were replaced under warranty repair and the front doors are not being repaired as the warranty has expired.

While driving the vehicle, the sunroof spontaneously shattered upwards.

I was driving down the highway only car on the road and my sunroof glass exploded from the inside the car blew a large hole out of the top. I had thousand of pieces of sharp glass rain down on me going 70 mph down the highway. I have no idea why in 2024 that this glass is not required to be laminated above your head. As I am doing my research this is a problem by many manufacturers. Kia has had many of these same incidents I described and no recalls yet. I took it in to the local dealership and the repair cost was $5,000 said the track was contaminated by glass and would need to be replaced. They denied the warranty and stated it was a rock that did it with no proof.

The single panel sunroof spontaneously exploded while driving while there were no other cars around me on the road. It was not due to a branch or road debris. This was completely unexpected and spontaneous. It exploded from the inside out.

There was a recall because the car would shift into gear and roll forward, so the fix was to make the parking brake automatically turn on when you put the car in park or open the car door. I do not feel like that is fix. I do not appreciate the decision whether I want my break to be on or not to be decided by the computer because they made a poorly designed vehicle. Nhtsa should require kia to do a better fix than making the parking brake turn on.

The instrument cluster randomly turns off while driving which renders many safety features, including but not limited to the backup camera, inoperable. This issue was repaired by my dealer in mid 2023 when it was part of a recall. The problem seems to have been recently reintroduced possibly via an over the air software update.

I was driving 20 mph when I heard a loud crack, shortly after I noticed my windshield had a huge crack toward the bottom that has gotten progressively worse and affects my vision while driving.

While driving, the silver siding flew off of my vehicle, the piece that covers the door handle manual key entry also fell off and I found it run over, crushed in a mall parking lot.

I purchased a new 2023 Telluride-sx in April 2023. For the first time since owning the vehicle, I used the snow mode during the snowstorm on 14 March 2024. I then used it again on 15 March 2024. I experienced a serious problem on both days. When I stopped at redlights, I tried to accelerate as I made a turn. I lost all power, and the car came to a near stop, nearly causing an accident by being rear-ended. I quickly switch to the eco mode and the power returned to the car. I took the car into arapahoe kia, CO service department on 8 April 2024 for an oil change/tire rotation and to address the issue with the snow mode. The technician said the issue I describe would happen if the snow was deep. (?) I explained that the roads were nearly bare. He then said that they would look at it. He later said that they could not duplicate the malfunction in the snow mode and to bring the car in if it happened again. The kia service department is the only place that supposedly inspected the car for the issue described above. There were no warning lamps, or messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.

When I’m in snow mode and driving in snow and come to a complete stop the vehicle doesn’t want to move but if I take it out of snow mode it goes with no problem. Sometimes when I turn in snow mode it will reduce my speed to 15 mph. Not safe at all.

Placed the car in par then it started rolling backwards and crashed.

I was driving at 35 mph on a nicely paved road and my sunroof exploded. It sounded like a gun shot. There was a big whole in the roof mostly over the passenger seat. There was some glass on the seat and on the console and in the back seat. Most of the glass landed outside the car because the sun roof exploded from the inside out. The remaining glass was shattered upward. Because it was tempered glass, it totally shattered. This was very scary and could have caused injury or serious accident. Had I not being alone on a road going at slow speed, who knows what would have happened. Looking on the internet this seems to be a common issue.

We had the vehicle in 'snow' mode and awd activated. We turned from a stoplight and as we tried to accelerate and merge, all power cut out. The accelerator was down to the floor and no response for 3-5 seconds. It was potentially dangerous as we were trying to merge at an onramp onto the interstate with cars behind us and next to us. We have not had it to a dealer to try to be replicated but have heard from other Telluride owners that this is happening. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms.