CSR
Check a VIN

Look up

About

Kia · NHTSA safety record

2025 Kia Telluride

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

93

Complaints

3

Crashes

2

Fires

4

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2025 Kia Telluride have filed 93 safety complaints with NHTSA between November 2024 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 29 of them (31%). The typical failure was reported at 6,500 miles, the median across the 9 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering this vehicle.

Recalls (3)

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

26V105000 · February 23, 2026

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Telluride vehicles, equipped with power front seat(s). Due to a manufacturing error, the driver and passenger seat back frame assemblies may fail to properly restrain occupants in a crash.
The risk
A seat back frame that fails to properly restrain an occupant during a crash increases the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the front seat back frame assemblies, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning April 24, 2026. Owners may contact Kia Customer Service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC362. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 9, 2026.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 85,515 vehicles across all model years covered

TIRES:TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE

25V745000 · October 31, 2025

The defect
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Telluride and 2026 Sorento vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with an incorrect spare tire which, when installed, can impair the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and the traction control system (TCS). As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
The risk
Anti-lock braking or traction control systems that do not function properly can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the spare wheel and tire assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 3, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC355. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning November 13, 2025.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 45 vehicles across all model years covered

STRUCTURE:EXTERIOR TRIM

25V494000 · July 28, 2025

The defect
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Telluride vehicles. The door belt molding trim can delaminate and detach from the vehicle.
The risk
A detached trim piece can become a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the belt molding trim assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC347.

Kia America, Inc. · up to 201,149 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 93.

ENGINE 29 31%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 19 20%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 17 18%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 15 16%
POWER TRAIN 7 8%
SEATS 7 8%
STRUCTURE 6 6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 6 6%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5 5%
STEERING 5 5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 4 4%
VISIBILITY 4 4%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 68.

2024 2026
2024 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

On Sunday January 18th 2026, my daughter and I were involved in a multi-car accident in St Paul, MN on WB I-94. The weather was very cold and windy and it was snowing lightly. Traffic was moving slowly at about 40-45 miles per hour due the possible icy road conditions. A 2020 GMC Terrain, driven by a [XXX] male, was driving at excessive speeds and weaving in an out of traffic when he struck the back of a semi which in turn caused the vehicle in front of our vehicle to hit him and then we struck that vehicle traveling at approximately 40 to 45 miles per hour. There was no time to respond it happened so quickly. Neither my nor my daughters air bags deployed nor did either of your seatbelts

NHTSA complaint 11720120, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured · fire · crash · towed

I was driving down the highway at approximately 70 mph, and a deer ran into the front driver's side corner of the car. The airbag fortunately didn’t deploy, but the hood flew up and covered the windshield, blocking my ability to see. I was somehow able to pull the vehicle over without being able to see. Within 30 seconds of pulling over—and while I was still in the driver's seat—I noticed flames coming out of the engine compartment. I screamed to my son to get out of the car, and within minutes the car was completely engulfed in flames. The car burned to the ground and is a total loss. I have no idea how this could have possibly happened. This shouldn't have happened from a deer. The

NHTSA complaint 11735759, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

LANE DEPARTURE

1 injured · crash · towed · 33,000 miles

The contact rented a 2025 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that there was damage to the rear bumper upon retrieval. While using lane assist, traveling around a curve at 55 MPH, the steering wheel was pushing and pulling, and failed to turn and continued going straight; the vehicle crossed the highway and crashed into a ditch. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact sustained injuries to his back and had bruises, but no medical assistance was provided. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The air bags deployed. There was no reported fire. A police report was filed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The rental company was notified of

NHTSA complaint 11705157, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

fire

The vehicle had been throwing different Electrical Codes for several months around August through December 2025. The last code it through was an engine management system error. On December 22nd 2025 the car caught fire in the engine and exploded while parked in the driveway. Fire investigators are leaning towards in electrical issue in the engine. I currently have an additional 2025 Kia Telluride vehicle which is also starting to display some of the same electrical messages

NHTSA complaint 11748732. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
While driving, car alerted “Engine Off! Shift to P or N, then start engine”. I had to immediately pull to the side of the road and follow instructions. Due to previous unresolved issues car has had I recorded the message car was giving.

NHTSA complaint 11755708. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
During less than 25 mph vehicle Emergency Alarm stating "Engine Off Shift to P or N Then Start Engine". This causes loss of acceleration capabilities in active traffic and forces the car to stop to clear alarm in active traffic. At no time is the engine off during the alarm and I believe this is a false alarm caused by electronics. Video of alarm in real time available upon request.

NHTSA complaint 11755769. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
On four different occasions the car starts flashing red saying to immediately put in park. We lose all control of the car, have to slowly coast to the side of the highway and turn the car off. When we turn it back on, drive again, it will happen shortly after. It has happened two different days about a month apart, two times each day. Our car has been at the dealership for two months and since they can’t duplicate it Kia consumer affairs says we have to go get the car and deal with it.

NHTSA complaint 11753874. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY:BUMPERS:ACTIVE SHUTTERS/GRILL

7,000 miles

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, road debris damaged the A/C condenser. The contact stated that the front grill setup failed to adequately protect the part from road debris. The dealer was contacted and determined that there was a hole in the A/C condenser. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and denied the warranty coverage due to the condenser being damaged by an external force. The manufacturer advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.

NHTSA complaint 11751629. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VISIBILITY/WIPER
The car randomly has inoperable wipers. Both in auto and non auto mode. Doesn’t happen every time but it has happened to my family on rainy days. The back wipers work fine. We took the car to the dealer and they said nothing was wrong, they blamed it on my cars window tint. Which makes no sense considering it’s not functioning in the non-auto position. After doing my own research it seems to be that multiple other owners have had similar issues, yet no recall has been issued.

NHTSA complaint 11751344. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
clear coat is coming off of 2025 white kia Telluride

NHTSA complaint 11751220. 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 —
2024 210 5 —
2023 201 6 —
2022 315 7 —
2021 349 5 —
2020 744 7 1

Other 2025 Kia models

Carnival 121 Sorento 69 Carnival Hybrid 57 EV6 53 K5 49 Sportage 49 K4 44 Sorento Hybrid 39

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