2020 Kia Telluride Complaint Log

My windshield cracked out of no where. My bright lights stopped working while driving home.

I recently bought the Kia used at approximately 75000 miles. The high beams do not work and the only way to repair them is an expensive complete headlight assembly replacement. Headlights should not become defective so soon and I have read forum after forum of those with the Telluride who have experienced the same problem.

High Beams failed with no notice and are non-operational. Took to dealership and was told the issue was a design issue and was told that KIA would not cover the defect. Contacted KIA customer service and they denied to cover the repair. A simple Google search shows there are multiple incidents of this happening.

Several months ago, my high beams quit working inexplicably. The panel indicator light does indeed work (ie, it shows the "blue high beam" icon when I engage), however, the high beams themselves do not. I brought it to the dealer for repair, but they told me that there is no fix that they know of --short of replacing the entire light assemblies on both sides, which would be very expensive (and unnecessary). This is extremely unsafe. I frequently travel at night and in the mountains, and it has changed my driving habits significantly. I can't believe that KIA has not yet issued a recall, as the bit of online research i have done for this problem indicates there are many people experiencing the same issue. Yet there is no repair solution. I hope it does not take a serious accident/injury for KIA to address it. Given the lack of visibility with no high beams, it is inevitable that accidents WILL HAPPEN with this deficiency. I feel the NHTSA needs to take immediate action and hold KIA responsible for a recall/fix! Thank you

The pearl white paint on my car started chipping off about a year ago. This morning the roof started peeling heavily. This is ridiculous as the car is just now 4 years old. I’ve never had a car peel ever. The forward collision sensor randomly comes on and says it’s not working. Please fix these issues.

The vehicle lost both high beams randomly together. Shows indicater on dash but you can see lights do not get brighter. This is a huge safety concern for my wife and children not being able to see well!!!! We went to dealer and they quoted us $1800 for both new headlights and said warranty will not cover this! I’ve read it’s an issue across the board with these cats and it’s time Kia does something to fix it!

High beams not working

Sunroof exploded while driving. Nothing hit it, heard a loud noise while driving, thought it was a tire. Took car to KIA dealership in Chula Vista CA, they said someone from KIA headquarters is coming to inspected since they dont believe the fact that nothing hit it. Car has been there for 2 days with no answer. This claim remains to be resolved as of 11/21/22.

The high beams stopped working which is very dangerous & sounds like several others have had same issue.

In the fall of 2022 my highbeams quit working. There’s no indication that anything is wrong, however, they just don’t turn on anymore. I’m left with only low beams. Changing the lightbulbs didn’t fix the problem.

The high beams headlights no longer function correctly. Low beams work fine but when toggle the shaft from low to high- there is no change in visibility. I do feel like this is a danger to myself and my growing family because in some rural areas, visibility is very limited at night. Warning lamps did not appear before high beam failure. It began about 3 months ago and still running into issues. I have talked to my local dealership and with my warranty close to running out, I’m afraid I will have to replace both assemblies out of pocket.

My Telluride mileage just passed 30K. The rear suspension seems like no shock-absorbing capability since the car is so bumpy. The front suspension looks fine though. I went to a service center, but they told me they couldn't find any symptoms. I was shocked when I heard about that because I could see an apparent difference even with pushing it with my hand! Strangely, there's no squicking noise. And they told me no oil leakage. But, it's bumpy. I'll try to visit the service center for the recall and ask them to check the suspension together with me. The rear suspension has the optional self-leveling shock that has a noise concern. I may need to replace them with a normal suspension.

The high beams have stopped working. I have brought the car to the dealer and they report the related lighting systems are fine and working as they should. I have replaced the bulbs and the high beams still don't work. There are multiple reports of this same issue in other Kia Tellurides ( 2020) on the web. I am left with out a solution and need my high beams.

This vehicle does not have separate high and low-beam bulbs for it's headlights. Rather, it has a shutter to change the amount of light. Both shutters failed to the closed position, only allowing the low-beam to operate. The only solution is to change out the entire headlight assembly. Not having high-beams at night is a safety hazard since the low-beam output isn't enough to illuminate a far enough distance while driving at highway speeds. It is unknown if only one shutter failed and if that is what causing both shutters not to operate properly. Kia service center was not able to diagnose this for me. Also, unknown is how this may impact other safety features at night by not having the high-beams.

My vehicle is having issues with its digital readings of the temperature and gas miles. I went to get 25$ in fuel yesterday. When I got to the station I had 75 miles to the gallon on the monitor. After adding the 25$ the analog meter changed but not the digital. I had a similar incident in the summer with my temperature Guage reading 84 degrees when it was actually 103 degrees outside. It did however pick back up later in the day but now I'm concerned because there's other drivers reporting the same issues on the telluride forum. I also just had a recall fixed on my vehicle about 2 weeks ago that was an electrical problem as well.

SYSTEM FAILURE: High beam headlights don't illuminate. When switch is activated, the blue dash indicator light illuminates, but the high beams don't come on. Initially a flicker was noted in the low beams when the switch was activated. Problem was first noted some time in Oct 2022. RISK: During mountain driving I am unable to utilize the high beams to help illuminate unlit roadways at night. DEALER: Car was taken to the dealer and inspected 1/31/23. Initially I was told that both headlamp bulbs were defective. I authorized replacement at my expense. Replacement was made, but the problem was not corrected. I was not charged for the bulbs. Kia technical reps apparently approved the warranty replacement of both headlamp assemblies, but one was not in stock. Neither have been replaced yet.

Vehicle was in for an oil change and safety system upgrade/fix(?) and now the high beams no longer work on our vehicle. The blue indicator light shows up but neither on of our high beams turn on. I have contacted the dealership and they claim they've never heard of such a thing happening, but I have seen many complaints online about it. We do not feel it is safe to drive out in the country, at night.

Complete loss of high beam headlight function without warning. The failure occurred on completely dark rural roads at night. It is a huge safety issues as it compromises navigation and increases the risk of hitting deer or other large animals. The car is dangerous to the occupants of the vehicle in these conditions. The high beam indicator dashboard light illuminates, but the high beams do not engage. This is a mechanical issue with the shutter or headlight assembly not lifting into the high beam position. The mechanic at a non Kia affiliated service and repair location observed that you can clearly see the head light assembly sticking and when it tries to transition from low beam to high beam. Kia dealerships are keenly aware of and clearly informed of this factory defect. They offer no solution other than to replace the entire headlight assembly with the same defective assembly with no assurances it will not occur again. The cost to replace both headlight assemblies is significant and creates a hardship for me as a fixed income retiree. As previously stated, there was no warning and the high beam indicator light illuminates as if the high beams are working.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while his fiancé was driving at an undisclosed speed, she attempted to close the sunroof however, the sunroof became inoperable. The contact stated that upon inspection, he noticed that the sunroof was off track and in a bind. As a result, he was unable to close the sunroof cover. The contact was concerned that the glass would shatter and cause an injury. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was able to schedule an appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was able to leave a voicemail but had not yet received a response. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000. The contact stated that since the sunroof is not securely attached, it could fly off the vehicle at any moment regardless of the speed.

On October 1st, 2022 we rented the listed vehicle from Budget rent a car in Port Canaveral, Fl. We had just returned from a cruise vacation and due to the hurricane, we had to drive to Fort Myers to pick up my 83 year old mother from the hospital, as my sisters home had just been flooded my Hurricane Ian. When we rented the vehicle, the location was extremely busy, and they simply handed us the keys to the car. No inspection was completed, however my husband and I noticed several dents and deep scrapes to the vehicle that had began rusting. We joked how bad in shape the vehicle was considering it only had about 5000miles on it. We drove to Fort Myers and heard some banging in the rear drivers side. When we stopped for gas, my husband checked to make sure there wasn’t any obvious issue with the tire….he noted no appearance of damage to the tire. As no other vehicles were available due to the hurricane, We continued, picked up my mother, and began our trip back to the north Atlanta. We spent the night in north Florida, and resumed our trip the next morning. In Forsyth, GA (Monroe county) the rear tire began to wobble and the car began to shake. Traffic was extremely heavy, but we were able to pull to the narrow shoulder. My husband got out of the car and immediately noticed the tire appeared to be coming off the car. He looked at the lug nuts and only 3 remained. He touched them to see if they were tight and 2 bolts with the nuts attached fell off the wheel. The BOLTS fell off the wheel! We contacted Avis budget group and explained the situation, but we’re told it would be 4 to 6 hours before they could send anyone to help us. We pleaded with them, as this section of highway is extremely dangerous and full of semi-tractor trailers. We had to call 911 to get help to get us to safety. Additional info available. We have the lug nuts/broken bolts in our possession. Clearly we were rented a defective, not maintained, unsafe vehicle.

Both of the high beams have gone out. I had the issue diagnosed at KIA Richmond as a solenoid defect. Invoice attached. As you are aware, this is not an anomaly for KIA …. Other has the same problem. An expensive fix snd unsafe driving. I have reported this to 3 KIA dealerships and all claim ignorance as to any awareness of a problem. I have also reported to the BBB. I have been out of the count for the lady 4+ months so that is ehyI did not report earlier. I lv again June1 and will not return til November 7.

Severe vibration at highway speeds between 60-80 mph on intermittent basis. Low frequency vibration at speeds 40-50 mph on intermittent basis. 10/11/2022 Reviewed by service at Wasatch Front Kia, no issues found. Problem continues. 12/16/2022 Reviewed by Costco Tire Center, Draper, UT. Screw/nail found in tire. Tire repaired. Wheel/tire balance performed. Problem reduced but not eliminated. 01/04/2023 Vibration occurred at similar intensity as to prior to 12/16 service.

Attempt to open sunroof via sunroof button/normal operation resulted in failure of sunroof track and snapping of support bars. Total amount of times sunroof used less than 10.

Dim Headlights. Vehicle is available for inspection.Headlights do not illuminate the road resulting in not being able to see while driving at night. High beam lights no longer function. Vehicle was inspected and it was determined headlights would need to be replaced at owners expense. There were no warning messages that high beams no longer worked.

Loss of high beam function in both headlights at same time - fuses/relay switches are not burned out. Low beams will turn on, but the curtains for the high beams will not activate in both headlights. Lights on the dash show that high beams are on, but the curtains in the assembly will not activate. Had the issued looked at at a sister dealership (Hyundai) as the Kia dealerships couldn't schedule an appointment for several months. They could not diagnose an issue specifically, only recommended that both high beam assemblies had failed, and would need replacement (at an almost $2500 cost, happening just outside of warranty at 70k miles). I live and work in a very rural area with a lot of wildlife, and have nearly hit several animals (deer, elk) because there is not enough light to see them without the high beams.

My 2020 KIA Telluride has faulty suspension related to KIA's factory installed towing system. This makes the vehicle very noisy while everyday driving and unsafe when towing. Yes the problem has been confirmed by the dealer, KIA has put out a service bulletin, but hasn't extended the warranty to cover their known defect. This started a couple months ago.

Bright lights stopped working! Replaced bulbs and no change. I have read many stories of people having the same problem and the dealer charging them $1300 to &2000 to repair them and some did not fix the problem.

High beams no longer work

The rear self leveling shocks have locked up resulting in bone shattering jolts. The Telluride forum reveals these shocks frequently fail at low mileage and affect the cornering and stopping characteristics of the vehicle.

Bright headlights do not work. Known problem. Not covered by warrant after 60,000 mile. I unsafe condition of vehicle. KIA should address recall.

While driving on the highway my headlights didn’t illuminate the roadway. I pulled over to check them and it appears the headlights were so dim, and possibly stuck somehow. They’re telescopic lights. The issue continued the entire 11 hour drive. The lights would work then go off again. I thought they might be stuck in the wrong position. I couldn’t see the highway well and we had inclement weather. I haven’t had the dealer look at the vehicle yet because they don’t have any rentals available. I can’t afford to miss work. No warning lights or chimes were displayed by the vehicle on the dashboard.

The High Beams have stopped working. This is a known issue as it can be found on many forums across the internet.

High Beam lights stopped working at the same time at about 65K miles. I live in a rural area and went to use them and found it odd the light on the dash would come on but lights did not change. Took car in and was told it would be about $1200 - $1500 per headlight to repair. There was no alternative to just changing the bulb the whole mechanism would have to be changed. There were no warnings they were going out, not one at a time just bam! The area I drive in has lots of large wild animals(deer, hog, coyotes) and curves in the road and this makes for a complete driving hazard for me and my family. I try not to drive very late at night when the animals are usually moving due to the fact that I cannot see well with no high beams. This issue is keeping me from doing my normal day to day activities if they happen to go into the night.

While driving the speed limit on I-285 near Atlanta, GA, something hit my windshield. It made a high pitched, popping sound and immediately made a small, star shaped chip on my windshield in my driver field of view. Within 1-2 minutes of the chip, it started spreading long lines throughout the windshield, all coming off the original star shaped chip.

My car has heated/air conditioned seats. They have started coming on by themselves. My passenger side mirror opens and closes when it wants to. The the auto off works when it wants to. I have the option of turning that feature off but it will turn off anyways. I can also hear my air condition loud and clear when I turn my car off (decompressing I am guessing) it just started when all these other problems started.

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Telluride. The contact stated that the front driver’s side door handle mechanism had failed and his wife was unable to open the door from inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the door hinge had failed due to wear and fatigue and needed to be replaced. The door handle was replaced but several months later the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 18,000.

High beams not working even after a fuse/relay replacement. Both went out at the same time, have yet to take it in for repair in hopes a recall covers this issue soon.

High beams stopped working around 60,000 miles, changed the bulb but did not fix it. Had Kia dealer inspect it and said the entire unit would need to be replaced but Kia did not consider it a safety issue so all costs would be bore by me. Clearly this is a safety issue that needs to be remedied by Kia.

The windshield cracked in the vehicle within the first few thousand miles of owning it. It was replaced by Kia via goodwill. The replacement windshield cracked less than a year later, and happened rapidly without the ability to repair before it spread. After research, it appears to be a widespread issue with the Kia Tellurides.

I unlocked the doors to get in the car. I let my son go by the back door (trunk) because his door was blocked by the car parked next to me. He went in and I put my purse in. The car was supposed to be unlocked since I was able to open my door and he made it in. By the time I walked up to my door, all the doors were locked, trapping my son in along with my keys and phone. The doors arent supposed to lock when the keys are in. I had to call 911 to get my son out of there quickly. He is too small to understand how to unlock te doors manually. It is the second time the doors locks while my keys are inside, but the first time with my toddler child in the car. It could have resulted in serious injury or worst.

At a little over 63000+ mileage my vehicle's alternator have gone bad and now sitting in the shop for repairs that are not cover by my warranty because it was a little ove 60000 mileage. On the day my alternator gave in, I was on the freeway and all my hazards lights were lit. The steering wheel stiffen and it was hard to drive, I try to pull over and the vehicle went dead in mid freeway. All blinkers and lights were no longer working too so I was in the mid of a freeway at night in the dark. For all i know someone couldve side swipe me or crashed into me with the sudden power loss. I've only have this supposedly new car off the lot for 3 years with only 63k mileage and the alternator is bad already and drained my whole battery.

Poor illumination of headlights and headlights high beam does not work. The bulbs were changed, and the high beam light fuse and the high beam relay were changed and the lights still will not go on high beam. I heavily rely on bright lights when possible to easily identify animals in or near roadway when traveling during hours of darkness. Night time visibility is very poor and unsafe,

When I bought the car I wasn’t aware that the bright light will not come on. This is a huge safety issue as I can’t use my brights in the dark. I have almost hit multiple deer as I couldn’t see them in the dark area I was in. Dealership is aware of it.

High beams stopped working

The high beams on the headlights no longer work. This is a safety hazard where I live due to the number of deer around in the evenings. This problem was confirmed by Kia in many 2020 Telluride vehicles. This has not been inspected by anyone yet. It has been reported to Kia Customer Service and awaiting confirmation of warranty replacement. There was no warning when it stopped working. The high beam indicator on the dashboard still works, but the bulbs only perform at low beam. The relay was replaced but it did not correct the problem.

High Beam Headlight system both headlamps are malfunctioned and yes it is available for inspection. Due to high beam headlight system not working when I am driving down hill I am not able to see at a distance in front of my vehicle nor can I see animals jumping out of the road in front of me. My safety is at risk as well as others I meet on the road. Dealer is aware unable to get me in immediately. No warning as a matter of fact the vehicle indicates that high beam lights are working. Upon looking up consumer reviews there have been many complaints regarding this concern which has required KIA to replace both headlight assembly systems at the cost of $ 2500.00 my KIA just barely went out of warranty. My issue is these complaints were filed several times since 2020 and these issues have not been placed into warranty as a recall.

High beam lights stopped working. Bulbs are ok. Lamp assembly has a part that physically moves to change high to low.

In short, Kia is putting inferior rear self leveling shocks on at least their Telluride model with tow packages. We are one of many (per Kia blog posts) who have been forced to drive our vehicle for thousands of miles with ceased shocks. Kia has been aware of this safety issue since the model was released in 2020 but done nothing aout it. Then they're just replacing with the same inferior shocks, which I've seen from others posts are failing a 2nd time. We had our vehicle in several times before they finally agreed to replace (over 5K miles from 1st shop visit) ours, which did repair the issue, but it's the principle. Come to find out from multiple Kia employees, Kia makes their dealer repair shops jump through hoops to perform warranty work and why this took so long. I reached out to Kia corporate in the midst of this fiasco to see what they're doing about this and they told me ONLY the NHSTA could issue recalls (your site says otherwise), to which I replied "that's not acceptable". I also asked Kia corporate how in the world elderly or less driven individuals could navigate this, no response. They did offer restitution with a sign off for the issues, which I declined because all I want to do is help the next guy and hold Kia accountable. Kia needs to be exposed for their negligence on this issue and lack of proper customer service due to their ridiculous warranty policy and the mindset they've instilled into the minds of their techs to perform the bare minimum. I've attached my running notes with dates and the multiple repair docs to assist with the review of this issue. If you need more info please let me know!

High beams stopped working. No fault of owner. Took to two Kia dealerships that would not pay the $1800 to replace lights. We can not pass state inspection and dangerous driving dark roads at nights. Vehicle still under “bumper to bumper warranty”. Should be a recall or repaired by Kia.

2020 Kia Telluride paint issues. SWP is a known issue. Kia will not take responsibility for a defect in their lamination process. Will come off in sheets almost exposing the primer below. Horrible ownership for their defect.