Body Problems of Kia Motor Telluride - part 1

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!.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

Friday, March 13, 2025, at approximately 11:50 am pst while driving on interstate 5 northbound, heard a loud explosion like a gunshot, with no vehicles in close proximity, then hearing the rush of wind, opened the interior sunroof cover, discovered the sunroof glass shattered.

See all problems of the 2025 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

We were driving on interstate at 70 mph. It was sunny and 45 degrees outside. Suddenly with no warning, our front sunroof glass exploded. The bang was so loud that my ear was ringing hours after. Fortunately no car was following closely so no other vehicle was hit with flying debris. Also, our interior visor was closed so we were not struck by any of the flying glass. We pulled off and removed any loose glass that could fly off and proceeded to the dealership. They were submitting warranty information, etc. And provided a rental while we await the repairs. They did mention they had seen this before in a case where the visor was not closed and glass poured into the cabin and implied that it was a worse case than ours.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

Peal white paint peeling off in large patches started above the windshield, not the hood.

The plastic arms of the sunroof deflector assembly broke. Part # - (81690-s8000). Now my sunroof won't close.

While driving our 2022 kia Telluride under normal operating conditions, the panoramic sunroof glass suddenly and spontaneously shattered outward with a loud explosion-like noise. The sunroof was fully closed at the time of the explosion. There was no impact with any object, no debris strike, no road hazard, and no external cause observed. Weather conditions were clear, traffic was normal, and the vehicle was traveling at a normal speed. The failure occurred without warning. There were no prior cracks, chips, noises, warning lights, or messages before the incident. A large hole immediately formed in the sunroof glass, and glass fragments fell into the vehicle and were caught by the shade. The sudden shattering and loud noise scared the driver and passengers and created an immediate safety hazard, requiring us to pull over right away. Occupants were placed at risk of injury from falling glass and sudden driver distraction. For safety reasons, loose and hanging glass was removed after stopping the vehicle. At the time of this report, the vehicle has not yet been inspected by a kia dealer, manufacturer representative, or independent service center, as the incident occurred recently (we have an appointment in two days). The remaining sunroof components and vehicle are available for inspection upon request. This appears to be a sudden and spontaneous glass failure occurring during normal vehicle operation.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

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.

2023 pearl white kia Telluride. While washing my car notice clear coat coming off front of car.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

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 2022 kia Telluride is experiencing several serious safety-related defects. The backup camera does not work, the second-row bucket seats fold up on their own while driving, and the electronic parking brake becomes stuck on and will not disengage. The transmission hesitates and shifts harshly, creating a risk during acceleration and lane changes. The engine is consuming oil between changes. The heating and air conditioning stop working when the vehicle is idling at stoplights, and electrical components including the front phone charger and heated passenger seat have failed. The exterior window trim is deteriorating. These issues are ongoing and have not been resolved by kia. Several of these failures match known defect and recall categories. These create a significant crash and safety risk for my family. I am requesting investigation and manufacturer action.

I am writing to file a complaint regarding my 2023 kia Telluride (VIN: [insert VIN here]) which has two active safety recalls: 1. Sc303 / NHTSA 24v214 – intermediate shaft/driveshaft may not be fully engaged, causing the vehicle to potentially roll away while in park. The remedy is available but has not yet been scheduled for my vehicle. 2. Sc347 / NHTSA 25v494 – door belt molding trim may delaminate and detach. Remedy parts are not yet available, and there is currently no fix. Due to these recalls: •no dealerships will accept or buy my vehicle for trade-in or resale. •I am unable to sell the car, which has become a severe financial burden. •I am current on my loan but cannot continue payments indefinitely under these circumstances. I have contacted kia consumer affairs (1-800-333-4542) but have not received a satisfactory resolution. I am requesting the florida attorney general’s office to intervene or assist in facilitating: •a buyback or payoff assistance from kia, or •other appropriate relief due to the vehicle being unsellable because of open safety recalls with no available remedy. I have attached documentation of the recalls and correspondence with kia for reference. Please let me know if additional information is needed.

Large chunks of paint are coming off of my vehicle.

2022 kia Telluride issues: 1. **sunroof:** completely broken. 2. **exterior window moldings:** fading and discoloration. 3. **axel boots:** need replacement with less than 60,000 miles on the odometer. 4. **child lock:** malfunctioning. -.

White paint is chipping on car.

The original Telluride muffler developed a hole in the rear wall, hidden by the exhaust pipes. Within a week of the noise being noticeable I visited a car wash, afterwards someone asked me what I'd done to my rear bumper? I hadn't hit anything. When I looked, I was shocked. About 15" of the silver trimwork was torn off, still attached. Today I had the muffler replaced at midas here in toledo( (at a considerable cost) I asked the manager to look at the damage and told him it wasn't there until after the carwash. He said that the heat from the hole in the muffler had melted the bumper enough so that the brushes in the carwash were able to catch the edge and pull it off. Why is the muffler positioned so close to the bumper? tomorrow(11/18) I will visit the taylor kia dealership(where I purchased the Telluride in 2020. Can there be a recall? can future Tellurides be equiped with heat shield/different muffler placement?.

The door belt molding trim detached. It is available for inspection. If not caught before it completely detached it would have caused a road hazard. Models from 2023-2025 have already been recalled but not my 2021 model which has the same issue. The vehicle was inspected by the dealership I bought it from but they were unwilling to take responsibility since the recall didn't encompass my 2021 model. Kia corp also was unwilling to take responsibility after I brought the issue to their attention. I noticed the trim pealing off the car. It took little effort to remove it completely and I'm glad I did because it would have fallen off while we were driving.

White paint chipping prematurely.

This vehicle only has 31,000 miles on it and I've already had one door trim molding replaced. (now the rest of the trim doesn't match so that's great for aesthetics) the interior door panel replaced because it was loose. This car developed a "thumping" noise around 25k miles when turning at low speeds. Took it to the dealer, told them it is probably the awd coupler, and they said the self-leveling rear shocks were leaking. So those got replaced. Thumping was still there. I mentioned to the dealer that it is probably still the awd coupler. Dealer decides to replace the rear differential because they found metal shavings in the diff fluid. Sound is still there but now not as loud. Car is currently back at the dealer for diagnostics to remedy the situation. I don't understand how a car with only 30k miles on it should be having these kinds of major issues. Kia seems to know about these issues because they do not argue about replacing anything. The car looks great, and the size is great. But I cannot imagine the nightmares I'm going to have for the next 30k. Or how bad the nightmare will be once I am out of factory warranty.

Window trim metal fell apart and plastic molding dislodge without reason, only for 2 years old car.

Contact states large metal vehicle door trim came off while driving, unknown if accident was caused or other damage to surrounding vehicles. Further states, noticed when large rubber-like molding under door trim was flapping and thunking against door. Contact says water now intrudes into vehicle cabin and suspects constant water inside door affecting door electrical systems. Dealer notified by contact and no remedy provided for this "known issue". Contact is concerned about other trim pieces coming off and penetrating other vehicles at speed with "sharp and pointed edges", as well as electrical fire from water intrusion corrosion. Contact demands further investigation and action by vehicle safety regulators.

The satin window trim at the bottom the passenger and driver windows have come loose due to poor adhesive. The heat softened the glue over time and metal satin trim fell off in the middle of the expressway and the other 3 bottom trims have gotten loose due to the bad / wrong glue used to adhere them. The new model have this recall, but this issue is happening also to the 2020 sx trim. The issue is the trim is metal and it gets hot in the sun and the heat softens the glue which then over time the metal starts to separate from the plastic trim housing and fall off while driving which a can cause an accident / injury.

While driving on a surface street the sunroof glass shattered all on its own. The glass was in the closed position. No rock or debris was located in the sunshade portion. No one else was around us on the road when it happened. There are numerous complaints about this happening within other forums. The dealer claimed the warranty will not cover broken glass and I was told to file an insurance claim. The estimate to repair the sunroof assembly is $8260.

There is excessive noise coming from both passenger and driver side windows. It sounds like the windows are opened. The dealer said all seals are good but the windows aren't fully sealed.

I am reporting a safety issue with my vehicle’s electronic door locking system. Vehicle: 2022 kia Telluride sx prestige with nightfall edition issue: the door locks randomly unlock on their own multiple times without any input. This behavior happens specifically when the child safety lock is enabled. While driving or after locking the vehicle, the locks will unexpectedly unlock, creating a serious safety and security concern. Safety concern: this issue poses a risk to passengers, especially children, because doors may unlock unexpectedly while the vehicle is in motion. It also creates a security risk when the vehicle is parked, as the car cannot be reliably kept locked. Additional notes: I have seen multiple similar complaints from other Telluride owners reporting the same behavior. This appears to be a recurring defect rather than an isolated incident. I am requesting that this issue be investigated for a potential defect and safety recall.

Paint failure and delamination on a 2021 kia Telluride with snow white pearl (swp) paint. The paint on the roof above the windshield and the hood has begun peeling in sheets, exposing the underlying layer. The vehicle has not been in any accidents and has never been repainted. The paint failure appears to be a manufacturing defect involving the adhesion of the factory paint. The issue began around year 4–5 of ownership at approximately 60,000 miles. The affected areas continue to expand as the paint separates from the vehicle surface. The vehicle is available for inspection. A dealership inspection appointment has been scheduled. This appears consistent with other reported cases of paint delamination on kia vehicles with snow white pearl paint.

Back seat locks repeatedly engage and disengage when activating childproof lock. This is intermittent and since dealership couldn't get it to occur they wouldn't fix it. Today it happened again. There are multiple reports online regarding this issue with 2020-2022 palisades and Telluride. This is a huge safety issue and makes the childproof locks completely unreliable.

Glass sunroof exploded while driving.

The upper edge of the car door and the lower edge of the window. Recently, part of the vehicle is coming off on its own, apparently it is a problem with the glue on the metal sheets of the doors.

We bought this brand new and have the paint peeling off. It’s a 2020 so paint should not be pealing off. I have read that they are aware of this paint issue but nothing is done yet about it.

Driver's exterior key door lock fell off. Cannot use key door lock.

Sunroof could not be retracted due to track breaking during normal operation. Repairs have been made and part is not available for inspection. Passenger safety put at risk due to exposure to rain and cold in the passenger compartment. Problem confirmed at an independent service center. Vehicle was inspected at the service center. This happened without warning. Other owners have experienced the same problem.

Paint is peeling off in patches.

The lower opening in the front grille allows road debris to damage the a/c condenser. This repair has an average cost of 2500. 00 to 2800. 00.

Sunroof glass exploded while traveling down the interstate at 75 mph. All occupants were covered in broken glass but there were no injuries. All of the windows were closed at the time, and the sunroof was not struck by a foreign object or anything. Definitely could have caused an eye injury or triggered an accident. It sounded like a shot gun blast. The vehicle is out of warranty so I'm going to report it myself and not waste time with kia.