Power Train Problems of Kia Motor Telluride - part 2

Oil consumption problem and oil filter housing needing replacement.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

The vehicle was taken in several times for a vibration, binding coming from the rear. It has been ongoing back to the original owner. It is the all wheel drive coupler. This is a known issue with tsbs out on it. Kia has been contacted and seems unwilling to help, replace. Online thousands of these things have failed some even twice. In icy or slippery conditions this can cause loss of control due to binding.

After 8 months of trips to the shop telling them the engine was bad, and spending thousands to do things it didn’t need trying to get warranty to cover engine, kia finally agreed it had issues. Tore it down and piston rings are bad. There was carbon build up despite regular maintenance and they are telling me warranty won’t replace.

The engine is consuming oil.

Awd coupler locking and wobbling jerks vehicle.

Right at 100k miles both our engine began burning oil at an extremely high rate with no clear resolution for the issue. We are adding 1-2 quarts ever week. Simultaneously, we received transmission solenoid codes from a check engine light. The sealed factory transmission had burn looking transmission fluid and after replacement the light continue to show and now the transmission is slipping and hesitating and we are being told it needs replaced.

The engine is stalling, knocking and the check engine light will occasionally come on. You can smell carbon monoxide and hot oil. We are having to add a quart of oil weekly.

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.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

I had the awd coupler replaced at 66000 under warranty due to a TSB and hesitation when turning at slow speeds. I'm at 110000 and the awd coupler is failing again and needs replacement but kia warranty won't cover it again. Very frustrated.

A week after purchasing a new 2025 telliride with less than 8 miles on it the transmission stopped shifting into gear. I would have to move manuel mode and shift into each gear to keep SUV moving. Never got a check engine light and nothing showed when codes were ran on car from dealership. The first dealership where I purchased from replace throttle body thinking that would fix it but it did not. After driving a few hours back to work the same issue happened again and I had to bring to closer dealership near job for repair. They said you transmission is completely not working and needs to be replaced. They opened a case with kia, unlike previous dealership and repaired the transmission. Since I have had the transmission completely repair it is starting again, but seems it has something to due with the engine nothing throttling down and up and make a little jump when taking off or slowing down.

See all problems of the 2025 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

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.

Borescope inspection of the engine shows multiple signs of internal mechanical failure involving oil control, piston ring integrity, coolant intrusion, and cylinder wall damage. Excessive oil buildup is visible above the oil control ring, far beyond what is expected at 59k miles. Cylinder walls show heavy polishing where cross-hatching should be visible, indicating loss of lubrication and abnormal wear. Carbon deposits are extremely thick; in several areas carbon has flaked off and been pulled downward into the cylinder, creating scoring. Straight vertical scoring marks cut through the normal diagonal honing pattern, confirming blow-by and damage to the cylinder sleeves. Evidence of coolant intrusion is present, including orange discoloration consistent with rust/coolant contamination, excessive moisture, and steam-cleaned areas of the combustion chamber. The intake valve and combustion surfaces appear abnormally clean, consistent with coolant steam-washing. This suggests head-gasket failure, a block or head casting defect, or ring damage (possible cracked scraper ring). Coolant in the cylinders can wash away oil from the bore, leading to rusted pistons and accelerated scoring. Multiple pictures show severe scoring and loss of lubrication. This compromises the ability of new pistons or rings to seal, meaning the cylinder walls would continue to allow blow-by, oil burning, coolant intrusion, and friction. Even attempting to polish or recondition these bores would enlarge them, causing piston flutter, noise, and long-term failure. Based on the level of damage, the engine is no longer safe or reliable. A seized piston could cause sudden loss of power at highway speeds, creating a safety risk. The observed defects indicate a potential manufacturing or casting issue that may affect other engines. The dealership and kia consumer affairs have been notified but there has been no replacement or resolution after 3 months of ongoing issues, and 8 weeks of holding my vehicle.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

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.

The Telluride has developed a shimmy. At first, the shimmy was noted at lower speeds, around 35 to 45 mph while under minimal load such as going uphill and slightly accelerating. The car was taken to the dealership. The tires were balanced. We were told no other problems. A month later, same thing, same result. We just took a 2700 mile trip. The shimmy is apparent at higher speeds and in all transmission modes of operation.

My torque converter is failing on my 2020 kia Telluride. This is a known issue among other owners of this model year, and I believe kia knows about it and is refusing to acknowledge because of how expensive it is.

The awd couplers continue to fail. We are waiting for the dealer to get parts in so they can be replaced again. The tech stated kia continues to install defective parts.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

The contact's spouse owns a 2020 kia Telluride. The contact's spouse stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle inadvertently rolled backwards and struck the contact’s aunt as she was exiting the vehicle. The contact’s aunt was taken to the emergency room by ambulance/helicopter, where she later succumbed to the injuries and was pronounced dead. The contact stated that the vehicle remained at the scene. In addition, before the incident, there was grinding coming from the gears. The contact was unsure what specific injuries were sustained. A police report was filed. The contact stated that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 24v214000 (power train); which the contact related to the failure. The contact had previously received the recall notification. The dealer was not contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Car erratically shifts and provides more power to vehicle when it is not necessary. It often shakes in between shifting.

Awd coupler assembly failed twice and company will not repair. Rear shocks thumping and noisy, company repaired twice but still inop.

Summary of defect and repair history my 2024 kia Telluride ex awd has experienced repeated and ongoing transmission failures. The failures include the vehicle becoming stuck in 5th gear, unsafe acceleration characteristics, and loss of normal drivability. Two transmissions have been replaced, and the same defect continues to occur. The vehicle remains at the dealership today with the defect unresolved. Repair attempts and days out of service 1 transmission replacement 30 days returned but defect recurred. A warning lamp (check engine) did illumiinate after the first transmission failure, however did not for the second nor third failure. Failure was confirmed by kia dealership. 2 transmission replacement 47 days. Returned but defect recurred. Failure was confirmed by kia dealership. 3 current repair attempt 24+ not repaired. The vehicle has incurred three repair attempts and 101+ days out of service for the same defect. Failure was confirmed by kia dealership. Substantial impairment: use, value, and safety 1. Impairment of use ? the vehicle has been in the dealership’s possession for more than three months in 2025, making it unavailable for normal use ? driving attempts prior to service demonstrated lack of shifting, hesitation, clunking, and unsafe behavior ? the defect continues to occur despite repeated major repairs 2. Impairment of value ? a newer model vehicle requiring two full transmission replacement in one year and still malfunctioning has demonstrably reduced value ? transmission replacement history is discoverable and materially reduces market value 3. Impairment of safety ? transmission failure compromises safe acceleration, speed regulation, and predictable power delivery ? the failures occurred at low mileage, indicating a systemic nonconformity rather than normal wear, presenting an ongoing risk as a engineer with 20+ years of experience, I do believe the root cause is a wiring issue (e. G. Shorted wiring harness), not a transmission failure.

The check engine and oil pressure light will start to flash when starting to brake. While this is happening the car starts to shake, stall, and you struggle to accelerate. This has happened multiple times and the last time was in the middle of an intersection. Kia dealership did not fix the issue the two times I took it to the shop. The third time in they did some test and said it was an oil consumption issue and the piston rings in the SUV have failed and the car needed a new engine. This car is a 2020 Telluride with 78,759 miles on it. This issued started well before the 78,759 miles. Oil consumption has been a major issue with other kia models and they have not seemed to fix this issue with the Telluride. I believe they have replaced engines at an extremely high rate and now they are denying engine replacement under their warranty and stating piston ring damage is not covered under the warranty due to high oil consumption. You guys have issued a recall on 2021-2023 seltos and soul models for piston ring failure and now they do not want to start replacing Tellurides. There is a facebook page out there labeled kia Telluride issues with oil consumption being a big issue in the comments. Kia stating they will not cover the engine replacement is not only wrong is it a safety issue. I truly believe they know this is a serious issue and have not done anything to correct it. This vehicle is still under warranty and I am still in contact with the dealership to fix this issue.

For the past year to year ½ I have brought my car in for concerns with idle, hesitation when accelerating, stalling out, etc. This has put me in compromised situations when in traffic, at stop lights and when trying to accelerate to get on the highway. I was told it was fine, until it was not. Now my engine needs to be replaced. What I discovered in my car was their worksheet on issues that they never shared with me. Identified issues on this report: fault code 6, po300400 - history, cylinder misfire, po30500 - history, cylinder misfire po34100 when going back for a 'simple' 1000 mile oil check, I was told there was not enough oil loss to identify concern. When I checked my own oil after another 1000 miles, kia then pursued. In researching, there is a history of these engine problems and engines needing to be replaced with kia. This is unacceptable and has compromised safety and any value I hoped to have with my car.

The vehicle was parked(placed in park on gear shift) in a friends driveway, facing upward on approx. 15deg incline with the engine idling. My wife exited the vehicle and walked around the front of the vehicle to the houses front entrance where she spoke briefly with the owner inside the front door. On leaving the house the car was gone from where it was left parked. My wife found that it had rolled up the driveway incline until it hit a couple of pine trees at the top end of the drive and stopped. She opened the door and found the gear shift still in the parked position at which point she entered the car, placed it in reverse and backed out of the tree branches and took photos. The incident was immediately reported to kia America and the dealer. The vehicle has been at the dealer for 3 weeks now with no resolution, undergoing "testing". They say it is not operating the way it should be, but they have not been able to identify or correct the issue. Kia America has told me the issue has been elevated to kia factory tech support. Other than scratches there appears to be no major damage. Photos show driveway, trees that stopped the vehicle and debris and scratches.

This is a follow-up to complaint #11666572 regarding my 2020 kia Telluride (VIN: [xxx] ), with urgent concerns about ongoing safety violations and abusive conduct by greenway kia east and kia America. On June 26, 2025, kia America reversed its prior refusal and agreed to reimburse uber, rental, and towing costs—but only after I filed multiple complaints. Earlier, they claimed to have no influence over the dealership, which had refused all reimbursement after I complained about service manager gina. Worse, on June 27, the dealership responded via bbb telling me to contact gina again—the very person I formally complained about for unprofessional and negligent conduct. This isn’t just mishandling; it is degrading, retaliatory, and dangerous. Key safety/legal concerns: • my vehicle was returned on may 31, 2025, with dangerously low coolant, just days after engine replacement—posing a critical safety risk. • the service manager dismissed my concerns until I insisted, then acted with open disrespect. • repairs were withheld may 19–28 unless I paid $1,833. 77, despite warranty coverage. Only after I came in person on may 28 did they reverse and offer free service. • I was charged $580. 97 for a diagnostic test tied to a manufacturer defect that led to engine replacement—still not refunded. • the pattern of neglect, retaliation, and deception from both the dealer and kia America endangers drivers and violates federal safety standards. This dealer has acted with impunity since may 19, 2025. Their behavior is abusive, unsafe, and incompatible with their licensing. I urge NHTSA to investigate whether greenway kia east should retain its dealership license. Their conduct undermines public safety and federal standards. A full follow-up and attachments were sent to nhtsamedia@dot. Gov from [xxx] . Please contact me for documentation. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

On [xxx], my kia Telluride received a warranty engine replacement at greenway kia east in orlando, FL. Just two days later, on [xxx], the engine overheated while I was driving with my young child. The temperature warning light came on. I stopped immediately and opened the hood — there was no coolant in the system at all. This failure occurred immediately after a major engine replacement, suggesting that the dealer failed to fill or properly check the coolant system. I was left stranded near a daycare and had to call a third-party tow truck because kia roadside assistance estimated a 90–120 minute wait. This put my child and me in serious danger. Despite the dealer’s clear negligence, I was sent an invoice for $1,833. 77, blaming me for the damage. Upon retrieving the car on may 31, 2025, I personally checked under the hood — the coolant level was still below the min line. When I pointed this out, the service manager said, “we’re not required to top it off, but if that satisfies you, we’ll put some in. ” this is extremely unsafe and irresponsible, especially after a critical repair like an engine replacement. Later, the dealership even claimed to kia America that the engine was not replaced under warranty, contradicting their earlier confirmation. This kind of conflicting information, combined with unsafe practices and disregard for basic safety protocols, raises serious concerns about consumer safety and the dealership’s integrity. To make matters worse, kia America closed my case ([xxx]) on June 10 without notifying me or giving me a chance to respond. I received only one dropped call from an unknown number, and no voicemail or follow-up communication. A formal complaint was mailed to kia America on June 11, 2025, and I am currently waiting for their response. On June 12, 2025, I also filed a complaint with the better business bureau (bbb). Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I have a 2020 kia Telluride that I bought brand new from kia. I have performed regular maintenance on the vehicle and performed the repairs required by any recalls. When my vehicle surpassed 75k miles, the vehicle started having issues with excessive oil consumption. I had my vehicle serviced at 75k miles with the oil changed. When my vehicle was passed 79k miles, the vehicle started stalling, piston misfiring, and engine started vibrating. I took it into the dealer, and they performed diagnostic tests. The determined pistons were working fine but my oil level was very low. This was around 4k miles after my oil change. Kia requires oil changes every 7500 miles. I had the dealer change the oil. Once again, when my vehicle was approaching 4500 miles, the vehicle started to vibrate, piston was not filing properly. I checked my oil level, and it showed very minimal oil on the dip stick. The oil level was well below that was needed for the engine to properly operate. I put closed to 5 quarts of oil to get the engine to the oil level it needed. I am concerned that the excessive oil consumption can lead to the vehicle stalling on the road resulting in collision with other vehicles resulting in bodily injury or harm. According to kia the oil consumption is fine. How is consuming 5 quarts of oil in 4500 miles fine when the manufacturer states oil changes are required every 7500 miles? the engine itself has a capacity of 6. 9 quarts. At the rate my engine is burning oil, I would need over 7. 2 quarts of oil to drive 7500 miles. Additionally, having an engine continuously operating with low oil would result in engine damage and thousands of dollars in repairs. The problem I am having in my vehicle is experienced by thousands of kia Telluride owners. It's the same problem kia has had in the past with other models. Kia is trying to avoid repairing their defective vehicle and placing the burden on the consumer.

The front axels are leaking and the transmission is lagging/jerking while accelerating.

Windshield cracked from minor item being thrown up by car in front of me. Engine burns out no oil on dipstick with regular maintenance engine tick transmission slips axle boot ripped oil pan cracked due to it being faulty.

We have had multiple issues with this car. First the pearl white peeling off on hood and above the windshield. Second cv3 axles boots leaking on our vehicle and multiple others at the kia dealership. Third burnin oil even with good maintenance records. 3rd sunroof won’t open or close now for no reason at all. 4th back seat now attempts to fold at random times. Even with our kids in the seat. 5th oil housing leak. 6th cel comes on and off randomly causing it to run rough. 7th screen is now to have issues of not working right. We’ve had to pay out of pocket for multiple things. Including the paint. We’ve spoken to service department and common issue they don’t see why it’s not a recall by now. Dealership is no help. Beware.

The car is a 2020 kia Telluride. It was purchased in August 2023 at the time it was leaking oil took it back to the dealer and they replaced the housing put in a new filter and said all was good . For a year. It constantly needed oil took it back to the dealer, said that everything was fine. I would be driving and the car would stop. The oil lamp would come on and I would have to drive and put more oil in it every week. I was putting a quart of oil into the vehicle just about weekly because it seemed to be leaking oil and just a dying out. Just a few days ago after putting a quart of oil in I’m driving my vehicle and all of a sudden smoke comes out of the back a little bit out of the hood. It just stopped all the lights went on the car went dead. Had to call the police get the vehicle towed to the dealer at that point was told the engine had died. They want to put a new engine in the car which it’s a five year-old car. It should not need a new engine what is causing it to need a newengine. Ever since I purchased the car, it had oil problems so did the oil lead to engine failure. I know I’m not the only one that this has happened to every time I would take it back to the kia dealer. I was told everything‘s fine everything was not fine never got any warning lights or signals, except for when I was driving the car would literally sputter and stop at a light. I would have to restart it and then go get oil.

My vehicle has been repaired multiple times for leaking oil in different areas.

Car has been brought to kia for transmission issues multiple times and the associate tells me to just tighten the gas cap to get the light to go off. The car is not shifting properly and will "jump" or "lunge" forward while driving. I have noticed that the rpm's will jump and bounce around, seemingly down shifting, then shift again, and then down shift again, which causes jerking motion. The reason I initially took the vehicle in was for a "shake" or "wobble" when accelerating up a hill (semi steep incline) or at freeway speeds (55-70mph). In these instances, the vehicle will have a hard time shifting and temporarily lose momentum causing concerns for me and other drivers on the road. The transmission light will go on and I call kia to be told to tighten the gas cap. I recently brought it in for the third time and they diagnosed something different. I have mentioned the transmission each time, but they have focused on other items and not the transmission. I have had the shocks replaced, the tires replaced, alignment performed, and the problem still persist. However, the dealership will not look at the transmission and says that it is the other items, but the issue still remains after fixing the other items. The shock failure caused other items to wear out and the dealer should be on the hook for those items. I have brought the vehicle in dating to last year for the transmission issue with no help from the dealership. Please take action so that we don't lose our lives or put others at risk for injury.

Transmission constantly slipping after driving and transmission gets warmed up. Vehicle continues to rev up and enter high rpms before changing gears and then jolts the vehicle as changing gears. Also steadily leaking coolant fluids, have taken vehicle to the dealership as of now three times to have the coolant issue serviced. Repairs are still not complete to date.

Issue: engine stall & loud tapping/grinding noise vehicle only has 1,100 miles and has stalled about 5 times when slowing down to about 10mph & then accelerating again. Issue has also happened when going about 3mph & then accelerating. About 10sec stall & then vehicle takes off. Several of the stalls happened even though the auto/start switch was engaged to disable feature since I thought maybe a bad switch was the issue causing the stalls, but stalling happens with it on & off. Another issue engine makes a tapping noise when in gear & accelerating up to about 1200rpm. Issue has been getting louder since purchase. At 1100 miles started car & pulled into garage after vehicle set for about 2hours (75f outside), upon doing this the engine sounded terrible like there were a handful of marbles in the engine, super loud sound, at this point made appointment with dealer, but they are so backed up vehicle can't go in for service for about 2 weeks per no loaner car available until then, since it can take up to 1 week to get looked at. Will update with their findings but looking at form pages & you-tube videos it seems like the ongoing engine tapping complaint resulting in an engine replacement & maybe part of the 2024 recall valve spring breaking resulting in the loud marble sound I am hearing. Car stalling is a major safety concern since a few of the stalls happened when pulling in front of traffic going 60mph.