CSR

Kia · NHTSA safety record

2021 Kia Telluride

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

349

Complaints

7

Crashes

4

Fires

9

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2021 Kia Telluride have filed 349 safety complaints with NHTSA between August 2020 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is visibility and the wipers, named in 62 of them (18%). The typical failure was reported at 3,150 miles, the median across the 40 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 5 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (5)

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST

26V430000 · July 2, 2026

Park outside until repaired

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. The front power seat motor may overheat due to a stuck power seat slide knob or an improper recall 24V407 repair, which can result in a fire while parked or driving.
The risk
A fire increases the risk of injury.
The remedy
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install an electronic fuse assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 13, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC374. This recall replaces NHTSA recall number 24V407. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning July 17, 2026.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 462,869 vehicles across all model years covered

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST

24V407000 · June 5, 2024

Park outside until repaired

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. The front power seat motor may overheat due to a stuck power seat slide knob, which can result in a fire while parked or driving.
The risk
A fire increases the risk of injury.
The remedy
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install a bracket for the power seat switch back covers and replace the seat slide knobs, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 30, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC316.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 462,869 vehicles across all model years covered

POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

24V214000 · March 20, 2024

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. The intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft may not be fully engaged, which can result in vehicle roll away while in PARK.
The risk
A vehicle roll away increases the risk of a crash or injury.
The remedy
Owners are advised to manually engage the emergency parking brake prior to exiting the vehicle until the recall remedy is performed. Dealers will update the electronic parking brake software and replace any damaged intermediate shafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 15, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC303.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 427,407 vehicles across all model years covered

TRAILER HITCHES

22V626000 · August 15, 2022

Park outside until repaired

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Telluride vehicles potentially equipped with a Genuine Kia 4-pin tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
The risk
A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install a new fuse and a wiring harness extension. Dealers will also inspect and replace the tow hitch harness assembly, as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 12, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC247.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 36,417 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS: AIR BAG/RESTRAINT CONTROL MODULE

21V164000 · March 11, 2021

The defect
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021 Telluride, K5, and Forte vehicles. The Occupant Classification and Detection System (OCS/ODS) unit may not detect the presence of a child restraint system in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
The risk
In the event of a crash, deployment of the front passenger air bag, with a child in that seat, can increase the risk of injury to the child.
The remedy
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCS/ODS unit, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC207.

Kia Motors America · up to 142 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 349.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER 97 28%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 62 18%
ENGINE 60 17%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 39 11%
STRUCTURE 31 9%
POWER TRAIN 27 8%
VISIBILITY 23 7%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 20 6%
SUSPENSION 19 5%
SERVICE BRAKES 14 4%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 10 3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 76.

2020 2026
2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 21,000 miles

The contact owned a 2021 Kia Telluride SX. The contact stated while the wife was driving 70MPH the vehicle was stuck on the rear driver's side and crashed into a tree. No warning lights were noticed. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to an impound yard. The vehicle could possibly be totaled. There was a police report. The driver sustained injuries to the face, head, knee, chest, and shoulder. The passenger sustained back injuries. The spouse drove the passengers in a separate vehicle to the hospital where they received medical attention. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 21,000.

NHTSA complaint 11461602. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

2 injured

Children helping to unload groceries from trunk. 2 different kids have burnt their legs on exhaust pipe while leaning into car to reach.

NHTSA complaint 11751416. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

On February 16th at about 6 AM, I was in a collision. I was first hit in the front by a pickup truck impacting my frontside, from right to left. I expected my Kia Telluride to engage it's safety features such as, Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Warning, and at the very least the Airbags, which none of them deployed at anytime during this collision. I was then rear-ended by an 18-wheeler; smashing my entire back window. The 18-wheelers' trailer that it was holding then slide down on the passenger side of my 2021 Kia Telluride. With that my vehicle was then pushed into the guardrail from the impact and power of the trailer falling on the passenger side. My vehicle has been

NHTSA complaint 11573224, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured

Closed rear hatch door with button on dash (because button on hatch door only works if key is in hand)/walked back to rear of car to walk around/door was still closing and landed forcefully on my head, hitting it 3 times, with no ‘obstacle in path’ safety response, and knocking my feet out from under me, landing me on my butt/door hit head so hard I saw stars, became light-headed, shot pain through my neck/left three bumps on my head, and a headache that has lasted for 3 days/If this had hit a child, we’d be having a much different conversation/The hatch never did release and return to an open position/It continued to close.

NHTSA complaint 11430741. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
I purchased this 2021 Kia Telluride new and have had it routinely serviced and maintained by authorized Kia dealerships. At approximately 60,000–80,000 miles, the engine began consuming excessive oil. I reported the condition to the Kia dealer at approximately 80,000 miles, while the vehicle was still within Kia's 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. The dealer initially recommended a tune-up, but the oil consumption continued. During a later visit, the dealer identified an issue involving the OEM oil-filter housing and replaced the affected component. Despite this repair and continued maintenance, oil consumption progressively worsened. The vehicle now has approximately 160,000 miles

NHTSA complaint 11757571, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SUSPENSION
My 2021 Kia Telluride has suffered two consecutive component failures of the rear suspension's self-leveling shock absorbers. This component is the exact subject of Kia's August 15, 2024 Extended Warranty Program (WTY040), which acknowledges a widespread engineering defect causing premature rear shock failures. The factory-installed original shock failed previously. The official Kia genuine replacement part (redesigned by Kia to permanently address the original defect) has now failed prematurely under the exact same mechanical conditions. The failed replacement component bears a manufacturing date stamp of 11/2023. Kia America Corporate is utilizing an administrative loophole regarding the

NHTSA complaint 11757006, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Sunroof broke when trying to open it. Now it’s in the open, venting, position unable to close. Dealership can’t look at it for a week so I’m risking water damage. Vehicle only has 31,000 miles on it and is just past the 5 yr warranty of course

NHTSA complaint 11756864. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Was low on oil and check oil light don't go on have to put oil very 2 week because it get low and I don't have no oil leak at all I found out because the motor start shaking and making noise tow it home and mechanical came to check it out and didn't have oil he say I was lurking I was not in the highway because it could lock the mortar and cause a accident

NHTSA complaint 11756506. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The sunroof is stuck open and is loose on the tracks, if even on the tracks at all. Very dangerous, as it could fly off while I am driving. This is a common problem with the Telluride, and I believe it should be recalled.

NHTSA complaint 11755668. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
In August 2025, my Kia dealership serviced my 2021 Kia Telluride and billed me for 7 quarts of oil as part of the repair. Approximately four months later, in December 2025, the vehicle developed severe engine problems and became inoperable. The dealership diagnosed the failure as a collapsed timing tensioner and stated the engine required complete replacement. Kia Techline agreed with that diagnosis and used it as the basis for recommending a new engine. Despite acknowledging that engine replacement was necessary, Kia denied warranty coverage, leaving me responsible for an estimated $11,000 repair. I then obtained a second opinion from an independent, reputable repair facility. After

NHTSA complaint 11755247, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Kia Telluride

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2027 16 2
2025 93 3
2024 210 5
2023 201 6
2022 315 7
2020 744 7 1

Other 2021 Kia models

Every Kia on this site — 176 vehicles, 208 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst