Vehicle Speed Control Problems of Kia Motor Telluride - part 1

The information cluster behind the steering wheel is not turning on. Started all of a sudden. Can’t show speed, none of the advance driving features are working , and not showing gas level.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

I am reporting multiple life-threatening safety defects with my 2025 kia Telluride. The vehicle has experienced sudden unintended acceleration, where it accelerates to excessive speeds without driver input. During these episodes, the braking system fails to respond, only allowing the vehicle to stop once its internal safety systems intervene. Additionally, the vehicle suffers from unpredictable stalling and power loss; the engine frequently shuts off upon parking—followed by the electrical system cycling back on without the motor—and the vehicle consistently struggles to start in the morning. These recurring mechanical and electrical failures pose an immediate danger to myself and others on the road.

See all problems of the 2025 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

My instrument gauge cluster went out. Black! no speedometer, no gas gauge and it didn’t increase the mileage when I drive the vehicle. No safety gauges working. Kia dealerships will not accommodate me that day to fix it.

This car has a feature that will automatically detect the speed limit and sets the cruise control to an amount relative to it. If speed limit detected is 45, for example, it can automatically set the cruise setting to a configurable amount, say +5mph, and when detected, sets the limit to 50mph. Generally that works fine. However, near us is hwy 190 and is marked with road signs as a junction. Often times when we approach that junction the car "thinks" the speed limit has changed to 90mph and causes the cruise control setting to say, 95mph, causing immediate unexpected acceleration! this has now happened many times for me, at various intersections approaching hwy 190, in various directions.

While driving at highway speed and the adaptive cruise control engaged, the vehicle applied the brakes without driver input. The vehicle slowed gradually over several seconds even though there was no vehicle, pedestrian, or obstacle present in front of the vehicle. Road and environmental conditions were clear and normal, including clear weather, dry roadway, and unobstructed lane of travel. Traffic was flowing normally, and there was no lead vehicle. The driver was attentive and did not press the brake pedal. The braking occurred without any warning, alert, or collision indication and resulted in an unexpected reduction in speed, creating a risk of a rear-end collision from following traffic and on one occasion road rage (which has occurred due to this condition) as the driver thought I "brake checked" him. The vehicle has been inspected by the local kia dealership (spitzer kia of mansfield) and they could not replicate the condition. Kia has also been notified and a case number assigned (25773402) but with no resolution. This issue has occurred multiple times under similar highway driving conditions, indicating repeatable uncommanded braking behavior. Additionally, kia issued a “voluntary service campaign” for 2024 kia Telluride’s on July 31, 2025 for the same vehicle behavior. Unexpected braking at highway speeds creates sudden speed differentials and increases the risk of rear-end collisions, even when deceleration is gradual. The driver has limited ability to anticipate or prevent the event. No warning lights, audible alerts, or collision warnings were displayed. Conclusion the vehicle exhibits repeatable false or uncommanded activation of the automatic braking system during highway driving, consistent with a potential defect in the aeb/fca system. This condition poses a safety risk to vehicle occupants and surrounding traffic and should be reviewed by NHTSA.

Summary: emergency collision warning system activated unexpectedly at highway speed, causing sudden braking and loss of vehicle control. Details: while traveling approximately 65 mph on [xxx] , the emergency collision warning system in my kia activated suddenly and without cause. There were no vehicles in front, beside, or near me at the time. The system automatically engaged the brakes, causing the rear of my vehicle to jackknife. The vehicle did not slow gradually—it braked abruptly, creating a serious risk of rear-end collision. Afterward, the car would not shift back into drive, leaving me stranded in a dangerous location in the middle of the highway. This is the third time I have contacted kia regarding the same malfunction with the emergency collision warning system. The issue remains unresolved and continues to pose a severe safety hazard to myself and other motorists. Date of most recent incident: [xxx] vehicle information: 2024 kia Telluride VIN: est. Mileage: 37,000 location: [xxx] summary of concern: this malfunction causes the vehicle to brake unexpectedly and lose drivability, with no valid reason for system activation. This could easily result in a rear-end crash or multi-vehicle collision. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether other kia owners have experienced similar incidents and whether this issue warrants a safety recall or software fix. This is my third experience with this warning system malfunctioning I have reached out to kia previously before. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

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.

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.

On [xxx] my vehicle had a collision warning signal, then tire pressure, then brake lights and entire dash instrument panel. I parked the vehicle, then later in the evening test drove it again and the panel lit up again, in addition to the loss of the speedometer, tachometer, gear display, and drive mode display, so I immediately drove it to courtesy kia in altoona, PA. On 4/18/25 wendy giordano of courtesy kia confirmed vehicle intake courtesy kia reset codes and was unable to replicate or diagnose a repair. The vehicle was returned on 4/23/25 despite my expressed concerns over safety. On [xxx] the vehicle again displayed the collision warning and the instrument panel lit up again, in addition to the loss of the speedometer, tachometer, gear display, and drive mode display. I got off the highway and limped the vehicle closer to my home, stopped for a brief time, and proceeded the three miles to the dealership. In this time I lost power steering, and eventually brake lights and turn signals within 1,000 feet of the dealership and was nearly collided with in front of the dealershipon 5/12 I continued to ask status and request a loaner with no adequate follow up. I was bounced between jt, tyler and wendy giordano my service advisor. Around 5/22 I called in requesting an update and was put on the phone with the service tech to describe my issues on 6/6/25 john from courtesy Ford left a 2 minute long rambling voicemail, 6/3 he said he received a fax. He said he spoke to service department and I could drive the car, that I could be driving the car now. "he wasn't sure what was going on with it" they've driven it and can't find anything. Kia is looking at video, service rep there on Tuesday and find nothing wrong. I think, how long and haven't had it long. Suggest you "just drive it, I don't know" in addition I've followed up with numerous emails and calls to determine course of action and repair and haven't had a productive repair plan. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S.

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

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

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.

While traveling at highway speeds between 65-75mph the vehicle with violently shake while shifting and then lunge forward. However, during the shaking the vehicle is hard to control and feels like it is going to just shut off. This scenario primarily happens on flat roads at the above mentioned speed. However, we have noticed an issue with the vehicle while turning corners and accelerating, as well as, when going up hills or steep highway sections. The vehicle has a v6 but seems to struggle shifting when trying to accelerate even to 40-50mph. In some instances the vehicle has labored up a hill and seemingly doesn't want to downshift and pick go faster. It seems that this issue has triggered a TSB from kia, but the issue has potential for elevated risks for other drivers on the road. If the vehicle is unable to maintain freeway speeds or climbing speed, then it poses a risk to traffic on either side of the road and the potential need to pull over. It seems that the vehicle loses power or momentum and would make it very dangerous to get off the road or onto the shoulder. The violent shaking could cause a driver to panic and lose control of the vehicle while at highway speeds and needs to be investigated.

The vehicle fails to accelerate from a stop in snow mode. Engine does not respond to acceleration pedal. My wife was stuck halfway in a intersection of a state highway. She had to shut off engine and restart the vehicle to get the car to function. No warning lights appeared. This has happened twice in the last week and after some research on the internet, it seems like this is not an isolated incident. Others have reported this same problem. Here is one particular case id I saw was #11560843 with the same problem.

While driving into school parking lot, vehicle very suddenly just stopped driving. Engine was on, but accelerator/gas pedal did nothing- totally unresponsive. Was in the middle of traffic coming in and out of school and vehicle would not move an inch. Turned on and off, and still nothing. After 10 minutes of turning on and off, it finally went again, and I pulled into a parking spot. Vehicle is too dangerous to drive with unpredictable stopping, had two young children in the car. Kia company is awful, nothing but problems with this car, and very much safety issues!.

When driving with my speed control set at 35 to 45 mph, I will sporadically and without warning get a forward collision warning, and the car brakes. When this occurs, there is absolutely nothing around that should cause this warning. The warning occurs for no reason at all. I took the car to my kia dealership and also provided them with videos taken at two different times. They kept my car for seven weeks and just returned it to me having done nothing to fix the problem. The reason stated was that the kia engineers felt that they needed to have the dealer reproduce the problem. Because it is sporadic one, the dealer was not able to reproduce the problem. However, the dealer did acknowledge that I had a problem, but said there was nothing more they could do. The danger is that if someone is following you closely behind and all of a sudden you get this forward collision warning that breaks the car, the car behind has to break suddenly in order to avoid a rear end collision. I have researched online and find that there are other owners of this same car that have had the same problem. I found only one instance where kia accepted the videos as evidence of the problem, and apparently gave the dealer instructions that when accomplished, seem to have fixed the problem. I have tried to include several videos of these incidents but can’t figure out how to send them to you.

Dashboard not illuminating when car is turned on. I am able to drive the car without knowing what speed the car is going or how much fuel is remaining. I drove the car two hours turned it off prior to this issue. No warning lights were shown in the previous drive.

The dash above the steering wheel is not lighting up to show me the speed, gas, rpm. Or any other lights. My safety and others is at risk because I am not able to know my speed or any malfunctions that would other wise be displayed on the dash. This just happened and I cannot reach the dealership until tomorrow. This has not been inspected by anyone as of now. No other warning lights or symptoms prior to this.

The contact owns a 2024 kia Telluride. The contact stated while driving at approximately 25 mph with the snow mode activated, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the accelerator pedal failure only occurred while driving with the snow mode feature activated. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was test-driven with the service manager and the failure was replicated. The contact stated that the vehicle remained with the local dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 450.

The instrument panel in front of the driver is black. I’m unable to see the speed limit, warnings, safety or collision warnings, etc. The vehicle is not making any noise or beeping to allude to the fact that there might be an issue but the kia app is stating that there is an issue. I have used the vehicle yesterday 3/23/24 with no issues and when I went to drive this morning (3/24/24) it’s not working.

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.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

The contact owns a 2020 kia Telluride. The contact stated that while reversing, after releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated to 4 mph. While driving, after releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle independently accelerated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed the contact that the vehicle was working as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 38,300.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Telluride 🔎.

Snow mode caused the vehicles accelerator and brakes to be unresponsive after stopping to turn. Kia could not duplicate the issue through service inspection and test drive. Since no alerts or sensors were tripped they ignore the safety concern. This major safety issue is is very very common problem among Telluride owners. A simple google search will reveal hundreds of complaints. Note: a child was in the vehicle and this occurrence happened along an interstate with poor visibility and snowy road conditions.

When vehicle is in snow mode and I begin accelerating after a complete stop or turning the vehicle from park to drive, the accelerator does not respond. Once I move the dial to any other mode the issue resolves. I can then go back to snow mode and the issue doesn’t occur again until I start accelerating after a complete stop. This has happened four times. This is dangerous. If I am merging into traffic or crossing a street and my vehicle won’t respond to me pressing the gas pedal it could result in an accident.

On about 5 occasions, when I have set the drive mode to "snow mode", after a stop, the accelerator pedal has no effect. I can push down the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor and nothing happens. There is no indication that the engine is revving and the vehicle does not accelerate. This leave me stranded in the middle of the road at a stop until I change to a different mode other that snow mode. Then I can accelerate again. This has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer. The dealer asked that I video record it happening, which I have not done yet. There were no warning lights or messages when this happens.

While driving in snow mode the vehicle loses acceleration after coming to a stop and demanding acceleration again. The vehicle will roll using idle power however there is no increase to the rpm's. The vehicle has to be stopped and moved to eco mode for the vehicle to go back to working. Kia dealership has been notified however stated if there is no check engine light and no snow on the ground they will not be able to replicate the issue. In addition, they have stated that snow mode is for when the vehicle is stuck in the snow only. This issue will repeat itself almost every time the vehicle is in snow mode and has been for a few miles. It has become a danger as it can happen without notice while making left turns across oncoming traffic.

The torque converter is malfunctioning to where I have been unable to use my vehicle for almost 2 months. It is available for inspection, but is currently at a repair shop pending inspection to get an estimate on costs to fix the issue (if it is something that can be fixed). My safety along with my family's safety were put at risk due to the inability for the vehicle to pick up speed while driving on major highways (I-95/florida turnpike). During this time the check engine light came on for the 1st time, the vehicle would not properly pick up speed, continuously makes a whining noise when vehicle is on whether it's being driven or not and it shakes at various speeds. A diagnostic was completed and the code listed was for the torque converter. Since that time (1st week of February), I have not been able to drive the vehicle. This is the only vehicle in my household. I am still having to make payments on it and cannot use it. Kia has had a recall in the past issued in June 2020 for a specific timeframe of vehicles produced between may 18, 2020 - may 20, 2020 for the "automatic transmission/torque converter assembly replacement". With this recall, kia only listed 19 VIN's to associate this major issue with. The recall also stated to complete this action prior to the sale of the vehicle to prevent customer complaints. My car was manufactured in June 2019 and I purchased it mid year 2020. If kia has sold thousands of Tellurides since that time, how can only 19 be affected? I have attached a copy of the previous recall. Once I receive an estimate, I can also forward it. I also have copies of every/all maintenance completed since getting this vehicle to show everything has been completed on time & by a kia dealership in my area (it doesn't let me upload this file).

It had snowed in DC area. Vehicle was in snow mode, idle at stop light. When light turned green, slow acceleration turning left and then when pressing down on pedal, all acceleration stopped. Roads were cleared with no signs of snow or ice. Frightened driver and children in vehicle. Were able to coast to the side of the road, turned off vehicle and restarted and able to drive off. Clearly seems to be an issue with “snow” mode.

Telluride was in snow mode with 4 wheel lock activated due to snow covered roads. I was at a stop light, when light turned green I removed my foot from the break. My vehicle began to roll forward slightly as it always does. I gently pressed the gas to continue forward but vehicle did not gain speed, it continued to slowly roll as if my foot was not pressing the gas. I removed my foot from the gas and again pressed the gas gently, my vehicle was not advancing. I deactivated the 4 wheel lock feature but remained in snow mode, gently pressed the gas and my vehicle advanced as normal. The same incident happened with my husband the day prior. Several complete stops were made prior to the incident while in snow mode with 4 wheel lock activated and no issues occurred. After research and reading other incidents like mine it appears this is a common issue. Most people stated this was normal to prevent sliding and spinning. If this is a normal feature then kia needs to revisit this and consider safety. It is not safe to be rolling into an intersection and having no power when pressing the gas. Kia owners should not have to switch drive modes or deactivate a feature to have the ability to advance their vehicle out of an intersection. This feature could result in serious accidents.

On 4 separate occasions my 2023 kia Telluride has failed to accelerate from a stop. First occurrence was 10/2023 while turning left at a light. Rpms went at high as 3,000 while car slowly idled about 5-8mph through the intersection and would not accelerate. Same thing occurred 2 days later after trying to accelerate from a stop sign. Most recent occurrence was 1/15/24. 3/4 occurrences vehicle was in "snow" mode. Brand new winter tires were placed 12/18/23. Most recent occurrence vehicle was not in thick snow but in "snow" mode. No warning lights or messages ever came on with any of the 4 occurrences. After repeated attempts of stepping on and off the gas peddle vehicle eventually accelerates. Acceleration delays have lasted as long as 90 seconds. I am very grateful that first left turn when this happened no cars were coming through the intersection as it may have resulted in a t-bone accident where by baby was in the back seat passenger side. Car is going to the dealer at campbell, missoula mt tomorrow but they already told me if they cannot reproduce the occurrence then there's nothing they can do which seems like a major liability to kia and even greater safety concern to drivers and their families. Similar complaint can be found with odi#11560843. Here is a link to kia Telluride drivers all with the same complaint. . Read more...

The issue concerns my 2023 Telluride sx x-line (awd) when driving in the "snow mode" setting. The issue has occurred on several occasions, approximately 2-3 times last winter when I was driving the vehicle and at least one time this winter when my wife was driving in snowy conditions. The issue is that the vehicle accelerator basically becomes unresponsive when driving in snow mode under a set of conditions that are not easily defined. The issue seems to occur fairly randomly. When this issue has occurred, the vehicle either will not accelerate at all when the accelerator is depressed or the power will severely be limited and the vehicle will slow down if moving. This has happened to me in parking lots (thankfully) but did happen to my wife on the road, which could cause a huge safety risk when trying to maneuver with traffic or making a left turn against oncoming traffic. The ways in which I have found to resolve the issue are to either switch the drive mode to another setting using the selector or turning the vehicle off and on again. Shifting from park back to drive does not resolve if snow mode remains engaged. I have not taken the vehicle to a dealership to look into this issue as I have found information on forums that have indicated kia dealerships do not acknowledge the issue. It is also not easily reproducible. There are no warning indicators on the instrument cluster to notify the driver that anything is wrong. As I said before, the issue arose immediately after the purchase of the vehicle in Dec. 2022 and within the first few thousand miles of the vehicle life. Also, true michelin snow tires have been equipped on the vehicle when this issue has occurred. I switch between all season tires and the snow tires in between the summer and winter months.

The front wiper blades get stuck when in use. This most often occurs when they are at their upper most point, but happens in a lower position as well. I had a previous issue where the left blade components had to be replaced because of stripped nuts/gears. This does not appear to be the same issue. I’ve taken it to the dealer and to another mechanic, neither of who could recreate the problem. This is quite dangerous as it impedes my visibility while driving in precipitation. The other issue is with buttons on the steering column that either do not work or miscommunication. This has been repaired/replaced but with the same issue.

The contact owns a 2023 kia Telluride. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle did not accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated before accelerating. The contact stated that the failure started while the vehicle was in snow mode and then the contact noticed that the failure was occurring while in other selected traction modes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 35,100.

The contact owns a 2024 kia Telluride. The contact stated that while driving with the vehicle in snow mode and depressing the accelerator pedal while making a left turn, the vehicle stopped. The contact stated that after taking the vehicle out of snow mode, the vehicle worked as designed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 3,898.

The contact owns a 2020 kia Telluride. The contact stated while her grand-daughter was driving with adaptive cruise control (acc) mode set at 40 mph, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and the steering wheel seized, causing the grand-daughter to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into a road sign. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the grand-daughter was able to veer to the side of the road as the steering wheel became operable. The vehicle was towed to an autobody repair shop, who informed the contact that the edr failed to display crash data. The grand-daughter went to the hospital later, and was informed that she had sustained a minor concussion, a disc in the back and the neck. A police report was filed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.