Kia Telluride
Problems & Worst Years
Every reported problem for the Kia Telluride, model year by model year — ranked from 885 federal NHTSA complaints across 2020–2025.
If one complaint defines the Telluride across its entire six-year run in this data, it's windshield cracking without an external impact — a problem that appears among the top five in every single model year from 2020 through 2025. The debut 2020 model carries the highest total complaint count at 461 across 45 distinct problem types, led by a sunroof malfunction (40 reports), paint peeling (34), windshield cracking (33, plus a related cracking-or-chipping-easily complaint at 20), and high beam headlights not working (30 reports, high severity). Two recalls, 19V594 and 20V436, apply to this launch year.
Sunroof trouble intensified in 2021, with a sunroof mechanism failure reported 49 times at high severity alongside continued windshield cracking (36 reports), engine stalling paired with power loss (25), and an infotainment system malfunction (24); no recalls are on file for that year. Windshield cracking remained the top complaint in both 2022 and 2023 (39 and 29 reports respectively), joined by instrument cluster issues that grew more prominent over time — display issues in 2022 (18 reports) and a full instrument cluster malfunction in 2023 (24 reports) — plus a sunroof explosion reported 17 times in 2022. Recalls 21V577, 22V344, and 23V298 cover these two years.
Windshield cracking and instrument cluster failure appear together again atop the 2024 list, each reported 25 times, alongside engine performance issues (12) and trim or adhesive problems (11); recall 24V077 applies. The most recent year, 2025, has the smallest total at 42 complaints but the highest proportion of safety-tagged entries — three of its four problem types — including an engine that reportedly shuts off randomly while driving (15 reports, safety severity) and a sunroof that can explode without impact (9 reports, also safety severity).
Because 2025 is so new, its smaller numbers likely reflect limited time on the road rather than a cleaner design, and across every year here, windshield integrity and sunroof hardware are worth specific attention during a pre-purchase inspection — these counts are owner-filed reports, not a lab-tested failure rate, so a hands-on inspection and documented service history matter more than the model year alone.
Kia Telluride problems by year
Complaint volume by model year (bar = relative to the worst year). Theworst yearsare the most-complained-about, weighted by safety-risk problems.
| Year | Complaint volume | Problems | Safety / High | Most common problem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020worst | 357 | 45 | 0/16 | Sunroof Malfunction Other · 40 complaints |
| 2021worst | 166 | 11 | 0/7 | Sunroof Mechanism Failure Other · 49 complaints |
| 2022worst | 151 | 31 | 0/14 | Windshield Cracking Without Impact Other · 39 complaints |
| 2023 | 83 | 15 | 0/7 | Windshield Cracking Without Impact Other · 29 complaints |
| 2024 | 87 | 9 | 0/6 | Windshield Cracking Other · 25 complaints |
| 2025 | 41 | 4 | 3/0 | Windshield Cracking Without Impact Other · 16 complaints |
Data source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaints and recalls, 2020–2025. Problem clustering and year rankings are derived from the complaint record; complaint volume reflects reports filed, not total incidence or fault rate. Vehicle image is illustrative.