general problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Telluride - part 1

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.

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 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.

On Monday January 15th, my 2023 kia Telluride digital cluster screen stopped working. The screen was black and would not turn on. This screen displays critical information such as tire pressure, warning messages & lights, speed, etc. I took it into my dealership on Friday January 19th. They were unable to fix the issue and contacted kia for additional support on fixing. Since my car is unsafe to drive, I was given a rental. The car was purchased brand new in December of 2022 and has had no issues, until now. I have also opened a case with kia consumer affairs in which I reported the same issues as I am here. It is now February 8th, and after checking in with my case manager & dealership, there is still no solution to fixing my car.

The problem has occurred 3 times in the last 3 weeks while driving in "snow mode". The accelerator doesn't respond to me pushing on it which has left me in the middle of an intersection and needing to quick change to a different driving mode to get the car to move again. All 3 times it occurred after coming to a complete stop. It allowed me to go forward for about 2-3 seconds but then the accelerator stopped responding whether I was barely pushing on it or pushing harder. The wheels were not spinning, it was a matter of the accelerator not responding. Luckily there were not cars coming in all 3 instances otherwise we would have been hit. It takes time to realize the accelerator isn't working and then think to switch it to another driving mode before you can move again. In that time we could have been hit from the sides or the back. Very scary and not safe at all. I have not brought it into the dealership to get looked at yet. No lights or warnings were on the screen. No other driving mode has this problem occur, just the snow mode.

There is something wrong with the electrical system that drains the battery. I keep getting. An esc code, and then the battery goes dead. The car has been at the dealership for the past three days and they are unable to duplicate the problem. I showed them a video I took of the instrument cluster which shows the code and electrical issues. The kia dealership says they cannot do anything about the code because they are unable to duplicate the air while the vehicle is in their possession. This has happened twice on a new 2023 car. The dealership says they are returning me my vehicle with no resolution. So essentially, I’m getting a broken car returned to me. When you online search “esc” kia there appears to be a lot of complaints about this exact same issue but no fix?.

First issue, the entire screen went black while driving. Couldn't see navigation, speed other critical information. Was at the dealership a few weeks got it back and the hazard lights no longer worked but they did before it had gone to the dealership. Screen went out again and took it back. Dealership had it a few weeks fixed hazards and started a ticket with kia engineering. Screen still goes out randomly. Electrical is messed up and car won't start randomly while screen blinks on and off. Been in the shop multiple times for weeks at a time for this issue and they say there is nothing wrong because they can't duplicate it while they have it. They have had to pick it up from my home because it wouldn't start and still say there is nothing wrong with the vehicle.

Windshield cracked during regular use, no object hit the vehicle to cause a crack. Crack started from the seal and moved out from there. It is not safe to drive a car with a crack in the windshield. Many people have complained online about this same issue. Dealer said "it may be a common issue". No warning, no inspection.

Car was parked in a secured area on Friday and not utilized until the following Sunday. I found that the windshield had cracked about 1. 5 - 2 feet. There is no sign of road damage such as a star or rock. The crack looks to have begun under the panel on the drivers side. This crack impedes visibility of the driver and interrupts heads up display. Full replacement is required.

While driving my 2023 kia Telluride in 49 degree weather on our way to our vacation rental in wyoming, we heard an extremely loud explosion. We stopped the vehicle on the side of the road where we discovered that the sunroof had spontaneously combusted throwing shards of glass everywhere. Fortunately we had the inside screen closed otherwise we all would have been pierced by the glass shards. We could have been blinded had the glass been launched into our eyes. The glass badly scratched the roof and the car. Kia is refusing to cover this obvious defect that has happened to many other kia Tellurides as you can see by the many accounts posted on google and other social boards. Kia continues to deny responsibility for this defect and, instead, wants customers to turn this in to their personal insurance companies. However, even if you would agree to turn this in to your car insurance, they would not cover it as there was no accident. Kia must be made to acknowledge and pay for this clear defect (see the recent sunroof settlement made by Hyundai for the exploding sunroof) instead of expecting their car buyers to pay for their mistake out of their own pockets.

This is actually our second brand new kia Telluride 2023 because the first one had this same issue as our second: after the car has not been in use for a week or less, the battery is completely dead so there's obviously a battery drain somewhere. We had kia corporate master technician on the case along with few other people.

Windshield cracks very easily, causing visability issues. I have replaced it twice in 6 months, with no known impact.

On two separate occasions within 2 weeks of each other, I lost complete power of my new 2023 kia Telluride while driving. The first incident occurred on June 22nd, 2023 with only 2000 miles on the car I received a message of an issue with the engine control system, along with the battery warning light and check engine light. Shortly afterwards the entire display panel started transmitting every error message on the screen while I was driving. As I was turning left at an intersection onto a lesser busy street, I started to lose power steering and lost complete power as I pulled my car to the side of the road. The second incident occurred while on vacation with my family on July 1st, 2023 with approx 2600 miles. The dashboard displayed the same engine control system message along with the battery warning light and check engine light. Shortly thereafter all of the error messages displayed on the display screen and as we pulled over to the side of the road, we lost complete power. The car was serviced by kia schaumburg on 06/27/2023 and I was told the electronics module was causing the issue and had to be reset and the problem was corrected. The safety of myself and my family is put at risk both times. The first time the car started losing power steering while turning which could have resulted in a collision. The second time, my family was stranded while on vacation in a semi-remote location. In both cases the car lost full power within minutes of pulling over and not even the hazards would work, putting us at risk of collision by passing traffic.

Without any other vehicles driving in front, a small crack appeared on the edge of the driver’s side of my brand new 2023 kia Telluride windshield. Looks like a small rock may have hit, but there were no cars to throw the rock. The windshield immediately cracked across to the middle of the passenger seat. The crack has a large gap where dust has started collecting. The glass is not very thick, and the crack is visibly deep. This happened within a month and a half of owning the brand new vehicle. I have read many complaints about the same or similar issues regarding Telluride windshields.