Electrical System Problems of Kia Motor Telluride - part 2

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.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

I am writing to bring to your attention several safety issues with my vehicle that have not been addressed despite my previous attempts to have them resolved. The first issue concerns the brake system on my vehicle, specifically the brake failure that I have been experiencing. The brakes on my vehicle are not functioning properly, and as a result, I have had multiple instances of brake failure which have put not only my safety but the safety of others at risk. Despite bringing this issue to the attention of your team, the necessary repairs have not been carried out, and the problem persists. This is extremely concerning as the continued malfunction of the brakes poses a significant threat to the safety of both myself and other road users. I urge you to take immediate action to rectify this issue and ensure that the brakes on my vehicle are functioning correctly. Furthermore, I would also like to highlight another safety issue with the seatbelt system in my vehicle. There have been instances where the seatbelt, the third row seat and passenger seat, fails to latch properly sometimes. I have personally experienced difficulties with the latching mechanism and have had to pay for the third-row seatbelt to be fixed as well. Given the critical role that seatbelts play in ensuring the safety of passengers in a vehicle, it is imperative that this issue is addressed promptly to prevent any potential accidents or injuries. I request that the seatbelt system in my vehicle be thoroughly inspected and repaired to ensure that it is functioning correctly and reliably. I trust that you will take the necessary steps to address these safety concerns promptly and effectively. Failure to do so not only compromises my safety but also places the lives of others at risk. I appreciate your prompt attention to these.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

The infotainment system which includes the backup video system has turned to a green screen intermittently on these models. We just started experiencing this issue in the past week. After searching the kia user forums, it appears that many people are having a similar issue. When we took it to kia they stated that car is out of warranty and the part cost alone was over $5000 to repair the head unit. It seems they know they have an issue but don't want to acknowledge it and quickly revert to the warranty. I'd like someone to investigate this as it's a safety risk when you a backing up the car.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

Sunroof malfunctioned on opening, went off the tracks and is now stuck in an open position. There were no obstructions causing the sunroof to be lifted and dislodged from the tracks. The integrity of the vehicle and its passengers are compromised due to being openly exposed to the elements. Risk of theft, further damage, and injury. Dealership unable to service the vehicle in a timely manner. Problem has been confirmed and inspected by an independent servicer. No warnings or other symptoms.

Wind deflector snapped on sun roof causing. Sun roof to get lodged and get off track. Unable to close sun roof now opening it to all types of weather. Safety issue not being able to close the sun roof while transporting passengers especially children. Kia dealership aware and refusing to help. Wind deflector is a known issue for the 2020 Telluride sunroof as found by the NHTSA bulletin on this defective part. Dealership refusing to help since out of warranty even though it is a known issue.

Folding outside mirrors get stuck randomly, back up camera functions erratically, and worst of all, the sun roof jammed open.

Dash is black & does not show anything when car is started and/or moving.

Child safety lock failure. At random times something within the rear doors will make a constant clicking noise for roughly 20 seconds. When clicking stops the dash will display child safety lock failure. The clicking noise sounds as though it is coming from an electrical component such as an actuator or solenoid.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

The entire instrument display panel (which includes things like gear, speed, fuel level, auto hold status, etc. ) was completely black with no information displayed. The navigation system still illuminated, but the gps was not working properly and resulted in the car thinking (and telling me) that I was driving on the wrong side of the road. My safety was at risk and the safety of other drivers because I had zero feedback about the operation of my vehicle. I was able to drive it, but only able to rely on visual cues (going with pace of traffic). It's currently at the dealer now, but yes I recreated it several times. The only possible warning sign is that a few weeks prior, the vehicle gave me a message stating 'battery discharging due to external electrical devices', despite no external electrical devices being plugged in. I took it to the dealer, and they had no idea what the cause was but said my battery tested fine.

The door locks will continually cycle to unlock on their own for up-to 90 seconds and then an error reads in the dashboard "child safety lock failure. " once that error occurs, the rear doors can be opened from the inside or outside of the vehicle when the child safety lock should be properly functioning. This error has been occurring for more than two years, and we have video of it occurring on many occasions. The dealership will not resolve the error unless they witness the error occurring. We've had it at service at least six times and they claim they cannot duplicate the error. The error occurs daily when the car is in our possession. I have researched this and found many kia Telluride and Hyundai palisade owners who have experienced the same problem and it is always traced to the rear door lock actuators being faulty.

I am reporting a serious and ongoing electrical and transmission issue with my 2021 kia Telluride (VIN: [xxx] ). The problem began under 20,000 miles and has continued intermittently for years, progressively worsening. My vehicle is currently at ~99,600 miles and under extended warranty. The key safety concerns include: transmission lockout: the vehicle intermittently becomes stuck in park and will not shift, even with the brake depressed. No-start condition: the vehicle will randomly become completely unresponsive—no dash lights, no infotainment, and no engine start. Electrical system failure while driving: multiple safety systems fail mid-drive, including: loss of power steering and air conditioning random activation of esc, tpms, collision assist, blind spot, and parking brake warnings infotainment screen turns off while in motion component failures due to electrical shorts: both the radio and the backup camera were diagnosed with shorts and had to be replaced under warranty. Brake lockout post-shutdown: the brake pedal becomes very firm and the vehicle will not restart until hours later. Most concerning, my wife and children have been left stranded in the disabled vehicle on multiple occasions due to these issues. The car has been in the shop several times — around 50,000 and 80,000 miles — but no permanent resolution has been found. This is a clear and escalating safety hazard. The failures affect critical systems while driving and leave the vehicle unpredictably disabled. Kia has been made aware and an escalation is underway, but I am filing this report to ensure the NHTSA is aware of the pattern and potential danger these failures pose to others. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I recently brought this 2021 kia Telluride used from a local dealership with 103,000 miles and everything was great , until yesterday I notice that when coming to a stop the car would sputter I thought maybe it was just a one off because I recently got recall work done at a kia dealership and they checked over the vehicle and everything was fine. So this morning im driving to work and it happens again so I check the oil and its completely empty I've went less than 3k miles on this oil change something needs to be done no warning to lights.

My main screen on my 2021 Telluride goes out suddenly, turning off the backup camera and collision warnings. Sometimes when I start the car it never turns on, sometimes it starts to boot and then goes out and sometimes it works for a few seconds/minutes and then turns off. Once and a while it turns on and stays on for days before going on randomly again.

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).

When starting vehicle during warm weather conditions, all dashboard alarms light up and beep. Initially, when put into drive mode, steering is extremely difficult. When accelerating, no speed is displayed. During driving there is no speedometer, no operating turn signal and the odometer does not record driving miles.

My kia Telluride backup camera and screen has become unusable with random colors, screen dark spots, blacking out, and pixelation. This is becoming a widespread problem according to multiple message board posts for Tellurides. I cannot use the backup camera. Most users are reporting kia refuses to cover as a safety issues and is charging over $8000 to replace the entire infotainment system. There were no warnings, just starting happening randomly and is now seemingly permanent.

The cluster display on the vehicle has went black. I am unable to see my speed, gas level, nor use cruise control. This is now the second time this has happened and kia has no solutions for repair.

Vehicle was turned on and the dashboard displaying speedometer and rpms is completely black.

The front passenger seat of my 2024 kia Telluride began emitting smoke while I was driving it. It quickly incapsulated the entire interior of my vehicle in thick smoke. The fire department had to be called to extinguish the fire. Prior to a fire starting while I was driving my vehicle, my vehicle had been in for a recall where they allegedly fixed the problem. The kia Telluride is not safe for anyone to drive when the product they’re producing starts a fire while it’s being driven.

Instrument cluster above the steering wheel is black and will not work. No way to know speed as well as other important things.

Digital display is black on my 2023 kia Telluride while vehicle is running and being driven. I am unable to see my speed or any other important safety details. This is the first time this has happened and I have not reported it yet to any dealer, independent service center, insurance representative, etc. There were no observable warning lamps messages or symptoms prior to this incident which occurred on 3/27/25 at 1741 hours.

Driver's instrument panel goes black and fails to show any vehicle info I. E. Speedometer, gauges, etc.

Software malfunction left the primary dashboard and all associated systems inoperable and in an unresposive state.

Driver side power folding mirror is malfunctioning. It will sometimes get stuck in one position and won’t retract unless manually repositioned. It has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer. No warning lamps have appeared. A google search of the issue suggests this may be a common issue with the vehicle make and model.

Battery drain. No lights left on, nothing plugged in. I suspect ibu module or some other wiring tobe causing a parasitic draw. This has been a common issue and kia needs to address it with a recall.

The manufactured seat belt and alarm system failed. My seat belt alarm for the 3rd row rear seat fires intermittently while driving when the seat is empty (no one or no items are in the seat) since I purchased the vehicle. I had this issue evaluated at a kia dealership, but they ran diagnostics and "no codes" came up so they did not fix anything. The issue persists. Recently, I had my rear passenger side window broken by a thief and they entered my vehicle when it was locked. The manufacturers alarm did not fire at all.

2 electrical related issues: 1. The car's on/off button will not engage with key fob inside the vehicle. Can only start the car with remote start (this first occurred on 2/3/25; peak kia service was called on 2/4/2025 and service scheduled for 2/12/2025) 2. Car battery died unexpectedly and within 3 months of ownership (2/11/2025) - put my own safety at risk as I was in a dark parking lot and my car, while it would unlock, would not turn on - car battery dying unexpectedly puts my and my children's safety at risk particularly when confronted with cold temperatures and the inability to use the vehicle unexpectedly aaa was called on 2/11/25 and they found the battery had an unusual drain registering 340/800. The car was jumped and left running for 30 minutes. Peak kia was made aware of the issue with the non-start issue on 2/4/2025, they gave me verbal confirmation they have had no known issues with this, specific to the kia Telluride. No warning signs prior to either issue.

The contact owns a 2023 kia Telluride. The contact stated the vehicle was experiencing heating system failures. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer on three occasions for heating and cooling failures. The dealer replaced an unknown sensor and the thermostat; however, the heat became inoperable. The contact stated that the heat was only operable while driving, and the vehicle would blow cool air while idling. The contact stated that the heat was barely warming up the vehicle while driving. The contact stated that the failure had caused the windows to be foggy, which reduced the road's visibility while driving. The vehicle was taken to a kia dealer, where an unknown sensor and the thermostat were replaced, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

My infotainment/navigation system has failed before the 4 year anniversary of my car 1/13/21. The screen freezes with larger vertical magenta colored blocks in the foreground with an olive green and brown background. Sometimes the screen is completely black. The color on the screen often oscillates between blue and regular functionality. When the system temporarily worked, I updated the software. Yet updating the software did not correct the chronic, safety issues with the screen. This very flawed kia Telluride 2021 infotainment system presents a real safety hazard to every driver who has purchased this car. Today I am in capitol kia replacing a 3 year old infotainment system on my own dime. I counted there should be a class action suit and a recall.

My engine started jerking when stopped. Then the electrical started acting up, like the windows wouldn't roll back up. Then the engine just shut off while I was driving.

Anytime going through the car wash the front and back parking sensors don’t work and gives an error. It is now permanently stuck with this error.

Gauge cluster is completely black. I am unable to tell the speed I am going, see how much gas I have or use features like the blind spot detection.

Our vehicle was flagged for a service campaign recall for the power seat control switch and seat slide knobs. According to the service campaign, the power seat switch back cover can be dislodged resulting in an internal misalignment of the seat motor control switch in certain conditions. When taken to the certified kia dealership for repair on this recall, we were told the service campaign recall only applied to the passenger side front power seat. The dealership therefore only made the repair to the passenger side seat. Less than 6 weeks after this repair (in Nov 2024), we discovered the driver side power seat stopped functioning in the reverse position. We could move the left driver power seat forward, but the seat would not move backward. This became a significant safety issue as once a shorter person drove the vehicle, a taller person had no means to move the seat aft to safely allow sufficient space for legs/feet on the gas/brake pedals. All other seat position functions worked normal, except for sliding the seat aft on the driver side. It simply would not move aft. The car became unsafe to drive for taller individuals and we had to take it back to our dealership to repair at our cost. The kia dealership verified the seat failed to move in the aft position and they replaced the driver side switch assembly. The recall campaign details seemed to match the symptoms we had on the driver seat; however, our vehicle VIN only correlated the campaign to the passenger side, not both seats. The kia service manager informed us to contact kia customer care as he felt both seats should have been part of the recall given our issues. Kia customer care took note of our issue, but said there is nothing they can do since the recall was only specific to the passenger side of our vehicle. We hope this issue can be resolved for future Telluride owners who may have similar problems given kia would only repair (as part of the recall) the passenger side & not both seats.

For the past year at least I've had check engine light come on and turn off before being able to get in for a diagnostic. Along with the entire engine shutting down while idling, parking, turning. Whole electrical system failure. Can't move the steering wheel. Have to restart the car and it takes a few tries. Sometimes the car will be off and will not start back up for a while.