2021 Kia Telluride Complaint Log

Was opening the sunroof and heard a popping sound. Wind deflector arm broke and now the sunroof will not close all the way leaving the risk of interior of car getting wet and creating mold since I live in an already humid climate.

I have it so the doors do not automatically unlock when I arrive somewhere. When I arrive at a destination and put the car in park, the people in the backseat cannot pull the handle to get out. If the child safety lock (which is a button on the door handle with the window and lock buttons) is ON, the back windows and the door latches do NOT work. If the child safety lock is OFF, the windows work but the door still cannot be opened using the latch. This seems like a safety issue to me, since most people will reach for the latch in an emergency, but they can't get out. I have to push the unlock button form the driver door. If it is pushed on the front passenger door, it will not unlock the back doors.

Sunroof/moonroof will no longer close. It is stuck in the open position and this will cause water to enter the cabin if it rains. The vehicle was examined by the dealer and they confirmed that a component is fault and will need to be replaced. No warning lamps or additional symptoms were noticed prior to the sunroof malfunctioning. The vehicle only has 44,100 miles.

I was driving and stopped in the center lane and the SUV would not move. I was left in an unsafe position. I was there about 10-15 min and got pushed out of the road. I turned the suv off and on a few times with no difference in response. I let the suv sit there about another 5 min and was able to move the suv and the problem has not occured today but it does seem to be shifting a little hard and have noted that recently. I saw something online about NHTSA ID numbers 11425571 and 11354498. that might be relivent but I was trying to to find more information on those.

After sunroof repair seatbelt no longer functioning. Track seemed stuck so unable to retract seatbelt. Dealer said they had to take seatbelt apart for sunroof install and they didn’t put it back correctly. Took 2 days for repairs to be completed.

Track for sunroof broke and will not properly open or close. I was able to close it back but will not touch until the part can be repaired/replaced.

Sunroof track broken, causing it unable to be closed. Dealer covered with tape until parts able to be ordered approx. 5 days later. Tape flew off while driving on highway with potential for an accident.

The barely used sunroof made a clicking noise, and now will not open or close. It looks askew and now cannot drive in inclement weather. There seem to be many people with this issue when you google it online and deserves a recall. Thanks.

Sunroof is stuck open. Some plastic has broken off inside the track while simply opening the sunroof. It cannot be closed. The dealer said 'sorry we can't close it. For $4,000 we can replace the entire sunroof". This is a safety issue. I have seen on other forums this happening a lot with this model. The glass can shatter, it can fly off the tracks. This is clearly a mfg issue and not an user issue. It should be recalled or at the very least warrantied.

Sunroof started to open and came off track and bent the tracking system beyond repair. Sunroof stuck in half open position and tilted or wedged in open position. Concern that it would fly off when driving and could not shut it to protect the interior in case of rain. There has already been a recall on the Kia Sorento sunroof moving tracking system in the recent past. This should be taken into consideration to have this be a recall on the Kia Telluride.

The sunroof came off the track on the passenger side as I was trying to open it fully.

There is an ongoing problem with the NIVOMAT self-leveling shocks on every model year of this vehicle. The problem occurs at nearly every speed but is more noticeable at lower speeds (35mph or less) while going over uneven terrain or hitting small bumps. The vehicle produces a clunking noise from the rear of the vehicle and there is no cushioning or rebounding from going over the bump or uneven terrain. Instead, there is more of a jolting knock when hitting small bumps and a constant bouncing around/floating feeling while driving over uneven terrain. This is dangerous because passengers and cargo in the vehicle gets bounced around and the vehicle gets harder to control especially at higher speeds. Many of these shocks are failing early in the life of the vehicle. Mine is at 27K miles, however I believe the problem started before and probably closer to 18-20K miles. Kia knows about this issue but has failed to come up with a reliable solution. This is four model years now with the same issue. Kia has released TSB after TSB on this, only replacing certain parts of the shock (isolators, etc.). However, there are still reports of replacement parts and even new full shock assemblies failing around the same amount of milage. It would be great if a wider recall can be issued to address this ongoing problem that seems to affect every model year so hopefully Kia can find a more reliable, quality part to replace the consistently failing part.

There is an ongoing problem with the AWD coupler on every model year of this vehicle and other KIA/Hyundai AWD vehicles. The problem occurs at lower speeds (35mph or less) while turning, and/or when starting from a stop turning either left or right. The vehicle produces a binding or slipping feel in the rear wheels along with a clunking noise from the rear of the vehicle. This is dangerous because the vehicle loses traction/power when its needed most during slit second decisions. Many of these couplers are failing early in the life of the vehicle. Mine is at 27K miles, however I believe the problem started long ago, closer to 15K miles. Kia knows about this issue but has failed to come up with a reliable solution. This is four model years now with the same issue. Kia has released TSB after TSB on this, and even recalled it early in the life of their debut model, the 2020. However, there are still reports of replacement parts failing again around the same amount of milage. It would be great if a wider recall can be issued to address this ongoing problem that seems to affect every model year so hopefully Kia can find a more reliable, quality part to replace the consistently failing part.

My dealer installed new software that sets the parking brake when the shifter is put in the park position. When I'm driving the car and stopped at a red light and open my door to let an insect out or spit or to make sure the door was closed completely or whatever the reason, the parking brake is set even though the car is still in drive and my foot is on the brake. This is fine. However, when I close the door, release my foot from the brake pedal and press the accelerator, the parking brake remains engaged. I feel that this can lead to safety issues if a driver is not aware of why their car will not move. They can become a traffic hazard or attempt to drive their car with the parking brake still engaged. My Kia dealer said that's the way it is and they cannot do anything to change it. I also reported this issue to Kia directly but have not yet received a reply.

Wind deflecters on sunroof have broken off which is making it inoperable.

The sunroof will not close. Kia published a technical service bulletin (#319) in July 2023 related to this issue. The plastic wind deflector and track appear to have broken. We are unable to drive the vehicle due to inability to close (electronically or mechanically) the sunroof during any inclement weather.

I closed the sunroof and heard a noise. The sunroof would not close and looks to have came out of the track. Now it is stuck partially open. I am not able to drive in the rain. I have tried to self diagnose and it looks like the bug deflector broke and caused the sunroof to misalign.

I don’t ever use my sunroof but noticed it was slightly open bc I saw light coming through. I tried to close it and it came off it’s track on one side. Given that the vehicle has had several recalls having to do with electronic features causing fires, I worry about this issue causing a fire. Also, it’s unsafe to drive during a storm.

We were driving down Hwy 321 going approximately 65 mph and the sunroof just exploded. There were no other vehicles close for it to be hit my a rock. It sounded like a gunshot and glass went everywhere. Very dangerous and scary!

Windshield cracked all the way across from a tiny rock. So small that I didn’t even see it when it happened.

Car was being driven when it began to slow down. Pulled over and smoke was coming from under the car. Car would not start again. Once at dealership, found there was catastrophic engine failure due to a rod that put 7 holes in the engine. Also, car was low on oil despite an oil change less than 60 days prior to this incident.

The panoramic sunroof hinges on my vehicle snapped and a part of the assembly fell and hit me in the head while I was driving.

The pearl white paint on my vehicle started to delaminate (confirmed by Wallace Kia Collision center). It started at approximately 24,000 miles, approximately 9 months past Kia's 3 year paint warranty. This is a known issue with the paint - pearl white, with many manufacturers affected. Kia, thus far, has refused to cover the repair.

My sunroof hinges cracked and my sunroof will not close

Sunroof jammed open and was unable to be closed. There were no warning lights associated with this issue. I took the sunroof apart and found the bug deflector springs wedged themselves in the sunroof track, causing it to overload itself and break its mechanism.

Since November 2023, the car's engine has been burning oil. There are no leaks in the driveway. On January 8th (87,000 miles), I took the Kia Telluride for service at Mission Viejo Kia for a Check Engine light. They said the car had low oil and indicated that the cause was a leaking oil housing. They completed an oil change and added new oil. On February 19th (90,000 miles), the AC drain was clogged and water was entering the passenger side inside the vehicle. In addition to this fix, Mission Viejo Kia noted that the oil level was down to 1/2 quart. This was only 3000 miles since the last oil change. On April 6th (95,000) completed another oil change at Ramona Tire, where I was getting new brakes. They did note very low oil. June 24th (96,600 miles), the Telluride started rattling and stalling at lights. Upon inspection, Mission Viejo Kia determined it was due to low oil again. July 9th (98,000 miles) I inspected the oil dipstick and saw barely any oil. I took it to Mission Viejo Kia and it is currently awaiting direction from Kia Corporate for the next steps. This was only 2000 miles after the most recent oil change. There was no oil leaking in the driveway. My research has shown that Kia Tellurides and other Kia/Hyundia are experiencing rapid oil consumption. This eventually could lead to engine failure and catalytic converter failure. Class action suits have been filed and dismissed recently. My 100,000 mile warranty is coming up. This complaint is to document the issues I have been experiencing for any possible future action.

Came outside and windshield had spontaneously cracked. No chip. No spider web. The windshield had just had several huge cracks in the middle of the windshield in front of the driver. The glass just fractured. Spontaneously. In my driveway. Not sure if due to temperature -- i had driven for an hour with the AC keeping the car comfortable at 70 degrees and parked, in my driveway, in the sun, and yes, it is 98 degrees outside. But whatever the reason, windshield just cracked! KIA dis-owning the problem. Despite many people here complaining of same problem.

The sunroof wind deflector broke while closing the sunroof while parked. This dislodged the sunroof mechanism from its tracks and prevents the sunroof from closing.

Rear shocks are defective, bounces around, diagonal pitch and rough / harsh ride. Dealers Idea of fix is shock Isolator replacement. They don't have in stock and make you wait several days for repair. There should be a recall on this.

I am concerned with the solution to the vehicle recall. After taking care of the recall . You now have to disengage the parking break before driving the vehicle. What damage is happening if you do not do this or what potentially could happen if you do not disengage in the long run. Why was the engine not replaced?

Sunroof will not close. Arm malfunctioned. Taken to local dealer and awaiting instructions on further steps.

Sunroof exploded while driving on the highway.

Driving down a 2-lane highway doing less than 60 mph, the wind from the oncoming semi-truck shattered the sunroof glass. This caused us to have to drive hundreds of miles home with water, wind and broken glass in our car with 3 children who were 6 years old and younger. I contact Kia Corporate compliants directly while the car was in the shop for several weeks and they said because it was already fixed there was nothing they could do.

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rear door latch was not operating properly, and the door failed to close as intended. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the wiring harness had melted. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.

Driver's side door will lose power while in park or while driving. This causes the locks to not work and windows (driver's and passenger's) will not go up or down. The mirrors will not fold in. Lights on the door goes out. Controls goes completely unresponsible.

Sunroof on Kia Telluride will not close completely. Will begin closing and then will not set down into the closed position.

In the summer of 2023 I started hearing a clunking noise from the rear of the vehicle that became louder when going over bumps. Took the car to the dealer and I was told the rear shocks were bad and needed to be replaced. Aug of 2023 the original shocks on the car were replaced which was premature for the average life of shocks. Then months later the same things started and I had a puddle of fluid on my garage floor. I took my vehicle back into the same dealership in June of 2024 only to find the rear shocks had failed again. This time in less than a year. Now in September, I can feel the back end getting loose when I go over bumps, which is what happened previously before the shock completely failed. The ride is continuing to regress. Up until this I thought I would go into another Telluride but the lack of longevity in the ride comfort has changed my mind. Something has to be wrong for brand new shocks to fail so shortly after installation

My car started having an oil leak on [XXX] of 2023 which is the date reported to Mark Martin Kia. They replaced the oil pan on [XXX] 2024 and said that the issue was fixed. I drove it home, and the next day oil was still coming from my engine. I took it back and they said that the housing was what was leaking. The tech told me that 10k parts were on backorder so I'd have to keep putting oil in until the part arrives. Over a month went by of me having to pour oil in. [XXX] was when they fixed it. [XXX] my engine is no longer functioning. Major nock. Needs replaced! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Sunroof wind deflector snapped off after light use

This vehicle was purchased back in July 2023. On multiple occasions since then, the Automatic Emergency Braking system has activated and slammed on the brakes when not needed. There have been no other cars, animals or other hazards to cause it to do so. Very dangerous that this keeps happening. Most recent and worse incident was yesterday(5/16/24). It is going to the dealer for service today. It's still under warranty and has approximately 55000 miles on it. Kia customer service help line showed little concern over incidents. We'll see what happens at the dealership today when I take it in.

. Cannot drive the vehicle because the rear end bounces up and down and side to side violently making it difficult to control ehile driving. Kia dealership said rear shock absorbers need replacement and Kia warranty does not cover $1800 repair. Kia dealer said this has happened previously. There are many comments on the internet from other Kia Telluride owners about the same problem. I opened a case with Kia Motor Company requesting they cover a portion of the repair given the numerous online complaints, and the obvious safety risks. They refused. Kia is clearly installing defective parts on this vehicle.

Sunroof guide/rail plastic piece broke upon opening and will not close. Sunroof is now stuck open. Dealer claimed entire sunroof needs to be replaced. Vehicle cannot be driven as sunroof glass feels like it'll pop off. No warning at all when it happened. Sunroof was open when driving and when we got home and parked it, it would not close and visibly confirmed the plastic part of the guide appeared broken.

The rear shock is leaking/bad. My car only has 30K miles. It caused my wheels to wear unevenly, which could have led me and my family to have a car accident if a wheel popped while driving. An independent service center has confirmed this when the vehicle failed inspection. No warning of the issue.

The front bumper sensor has stopped working. This is preventing proper function of the forward collision warning and the parking collision warning. I took this to be fixed to Executive Kia of Wallinford, CT and they identified corrosion of the component as the cause of the failure. My car has had no accidents or damage to bumper so any corrosion is due to improper sealing of part, or weather proofing of bumper. An online search identified many other Kia owners dealing with this same issue. My extended warranty through Fidelity Inc sent out an inspector to review this and they are refusing to cover the cost of the fix since it is due to "corrosion." Including photos my Kia dealer mechanic sent me of the corrosion.

On Saturday, [XXX], while driving my 2021 Kia Telluride [XXX} from Laredo to San Antonio, Texas, my husband (passenger) and I (driver) heard a loud, explosion-like sound. This made me swerve onto the other traveling lane. Thank God there were no vehicle near us or next to us because it would have been catastrophic. We quickly realized that our sunroof had exploded/shattered as we could hear all the shattered glass being blown away. Luckily, the sliding sunroof panel was closed and no glass went inside our vehicle. These must definitely get investigated since it is a public safety issue. Upon doing research, we learned that there are several other people that have experience this same issue with Kia Tellurides and it’s windshield/sunroof quality. I note that there was no vehicles near us and we were traveling 75 mph. Kia needs to recall this ASAP before there is a fatality! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Windshield cracked sitting in driveway for no reason, nothing that impacted it.

We were driving on the highway and the sunroof was partially open in the angle as a wind deflector. When the sunroof made a pop noise and started flapping in the wind, we were so concerned that the sunroof is gonna come flying off and hit a car behind us. We end up taping it down and taking it to Kia of Daytona or they told us it was $5000 to repair, they had said the mechanism that holds the window up a plastic finger broke. Apparently they do not manufacture a quality product for something so crucial as such a sunroof, we were so fearful that the sunroof glass part was gonna fly out. We had to drive from Jacksonville, all the way to Daytona, with a flapping in the wind.

Vehicle has a vibration at 60-75 miles per hour. It's a rhythmic vibration that you can feel in the gas pedal and sense in the front of the vehicles drivetrain. Kia has a TSB about this issue. Kia TSB 099. But our vehicle is past the 60k mile warranty period that would protect it. Kia knows that some cars manufactured between the start of production and February 2021 have this issue. They know which production lots of the affected parts have the issue, yet they refuse to make it a recall issue. Anyone who is unlucky enough to lapse the warranty period is such with a detective part that Kia is fully aware of. The issue is so difficult to diagnose, I had to go to two dealerships to even get an answer about what the issue might be and that the warranty will not cover it.

The sunroof is stuck opened because the wind deflector brackets have broken.

While driving the Kia Telluride, the forward collision avoidance warnings started flashing, then said it was failing, then the tire pressure system did the same, then the speedometer and tachometer failed as did the turn signals, gear shift, and lights. The car was becoming unsafe to drive. The car has been at the dealer for 3 weeks now, the dealer changed the Cluster Assembly-Instrument at at cost of $2600. Within 1/2 of leaving the dealership the same problem noted above began happening, again making the car unsafe to drive. In researching on line at the KiaTelluride forum there have been a large number of similar unsafe occurrences by other Kia Tellurides as reported by owners. This is a serious safety problem that has been noted numerous times. (I can't get my images of the 2 page dealer invoice for Cluster Assembly-Instrument $2600 that did not solve the problem to download on this form. )