The 2020 Kia Telluride is the year to avoid. Per vehicle built, its owners have filed NHTSA complaints at more than twice the rate of any later model year, with cracked windshields, failed headlights and engines burning oil leading the list. For a used Telluride, the 2022 is the best year: it draws the fewest engine and transmission complaints of any year old enough to score, at 7.5 out of 10 against similar full-size SUVs, where 7.0 means the same number of complaints.
Kia built 698,672 first-generation Tellurides for the 2020 through 2025 model years in West Point, Georgia, every one with the 291-hp 3.8-liter V6. I matched NHTSA’s complaints, as of November 2, 2026, to that production by model year and read them for the patterns behind each year. The reliability scores come from The Weekly Driver’s Kia Telluride reliability database, built on NHTSA data fetched October 9.
Key Takeaways
- 2020 draws the most complaints: 777 for 86,920 built, or 8.9 per 1,000, with a powertrain reliability score of 4.0 out of 10.
- 2022 scores highest at 7.5, the only first-generation year above the 7.0 class average, though it carries seven recalls, two of them for a blank instrument cluster.
- Oil consumption is concentrated in 2020 and 2021: 87 and 26 complaints tagged for it, then 10 for 2022 and none for 2023 through 2025.
- Stalling stands out on the 2025: 35 of its 124 complaints describe the engine shutting off, several at speed, and no recall or investigation covers it.
- The power-seat fire recall covers 2020 to 2024: 462,869 Tellurides need the 26V430 fuse, including those already repaired under 24V407.
- 2024 had a valve spring recall (24V077) that replaced the engine in 2,872 SUVs.
- There is no 2026 Telluride. Kia went from the 2025 to the redesigned 2027 with a 2.5-liter turbo four and a hybrid.
Kia Telluride Reliability by Model Year
| Model year | Built | NHTSA complaints | Per 1,000 built | Powertrain complaints | Reliability score | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 86,920 | 777 | 8.9 | 210 | 4.0 | 7 |
| 2021 | 91,953 | 374 | 4.1 | 91 | 6.0 | 5 |
| 2022 | 124,700 | 329 | 2.6 | 51 | 7.5 | 7 |
| 2023 | 80,450 | 211 | 2.6 | 50 | 5.6 | 6 |
| 2024 | 147,589 | 226 | 1.5 | 33 | Not yet scored | 5 |
| 2025 | 167,060 | 124 | 0.7 | 54 | Not yet scored | 3 |
A 2020 has been on the road six years longer than a 2025, so the raw counts fall with each year. The reliability score corrects for that by comparing each Telluride year with full-size SUVs of the same age, counting only engine, transmission and drivetrain complaints per vehicle built.
The 2024 and 2025 have not been on the road long enough to score.
The methodology page explains the scale and its limits; the score counts complaints owners filed, which is different from the share of SUVs that fail.
2020 Kia Telluride Reliability: Windshields, Headlights and Oil
The 2020 Telluride holds 777 of the generation’s 2,041 complaints from only 12% of its production. I counted 131 that mention a cracked or chipped windshield, some from owners who say nothing struck the glass, and 106 about headlights.
The headlight complaints led NHTSA to open preliminary evaluation PE23002 in January 2023 into 2020 Tellurides losing their high beams without warning. Heat from the single halogen bulb in the projector headlamps fitted from January to November 2019 damaged the gear that moves the high-beam shutter. Kia recalled 35,031 SUVs under 24V148 in February 2024 and dealers clip the gear to its shaft or replace the headlamp.
The database tags 87 of the 2020’s complaints as oil consumption and 59 as an engine that failed or was replaced, against 27 failed engines for the 2021 and seven for the 2022. Fifty-two of them mention quarts of oil added or missing between changes. Another 46 report paint peeling from the hood and the roof above the windshield, 30 of them on white or pearl SUVs. The 2020 scores 4.0.
2021 Kia Telluride Reliability: Oil Complaints Fall by More Than Two-Thirds
Oil-consumption complaints drop from 87 for the 2020 to 26 for the 2021, while production rose to 91,953. Windshield cracks continue at 59, and the headlight count falls to 10. The 2021 has five recalls, including 21V164, in which the passenger occupant-detection unit may not register a child seat, and it scores 6.0.
2022 Kia Telluride Reliability: The Highest Powertrain Score in the Generation
At 7.5, the 2022 is the one first-generation year that draws fewer powertrain complaints than similar SUVs of its age. It had the largest production run of the early years, 124,700, and owners filed 51 engine, transmission and drivetrain complaints, with 10 tagged for oil consumption and seven for a failed engine.
Two of its seven recalls, 21V577 and 22V344, cover an instrument cluster screen that can stay blank after startup, and 22V509 covers an incorrect spare tire that can upset the anti-lock brakes once fitted. Windshield complaints rise again to 84, the most of any year after 2020.
2023 Kia Telluride Reliability: The Refresh Year
Kia refreshed the Telluride for 2023 with new front and rear styling, available dual 12.3-inch screens and two new trims, the X-Line and the off-road X-Pro, which raised the tow rating to 5,500 pounds. Production fell to 80,450 for the year, the smallest of the generation.
Oil-consumption complaints disappear in the 2023’s data, and only one describes a failed engine. It scores 5.6 because its 50 powertrain complaints are high for its age and production; 10 of them report a loss of power and four a failed transmission. Recall 23V035 covers second-row side air bag wiring damaged at the factory in 31,943 SUVs, and 25V494 covers door belt molding that can peel off 2023 through 2025 models.
2024 Kia Telluride Reliability: Check the Valve Spring Recall
Recall 24V077 covers 2,872 Tellurides from the 2024 model year whose engine valve springs can break, which can cut drive power and put a hole in the engine block. Dealers replace the engine sub-assembly. Owners have filed 226 complaints on the 2024, 1.5 per 1,000 built, and 33 of them concern the powertrain.
2025 Kia Telluride Reliability: Stalling Complaints
Thirty-five of the 124 complaints filed on the 2025 Telluride describe the engine stalling, more than a quarter of everything owners have reported on it, against 6% for the 2020. Owners have already filed 54 powertrain complaints on the 2025, more than the 50 the 2023 drew over two more years on the road.
Their accounts have the engine shutting off while slowing for intersections, in turns and at 45 to 50 mph, with the dash showing “Engine Off! Shift to P or N then start engine.”
In 18 of the stalling complaints, the owner says the dealer could not reproduce it or found no fault.
No recall or NHTSA investigation covered the 2025’s stalling when I checked on November 2, 2026. Its three recalls cover the door molding, an incorrect spare tire (25V745) and front seat-back frames that may not hold occupants in a crash (26V105, 85,515 SUVs).
Recalls That Cover Several Telluride Years
Under 24V407, the largest campaign, a stuck power-seat slide knob can overheat the front seat motor in 2020 through 2024 Tellurides, and Kia told owners of 462,869 SUVs to park outside until repaired. In July 2026, Kia replaced that remedy with 26V430, which adds an electronic fuse, and SUVs already fixed under 24V407 need the new repair too. The power-seat fire recall page has the dates and the remedy.
| Recall | Model years | Problem |
|---|---|---|
| 26V430 (replaces 24V407) | 2020-2024 | Front power seat motor can overheat and start a fire |
| 24V214 | 2020-2024 | Intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft may not be fully engaged; can roll away in Park |
| 22V626 | 2020-2022 | Debris in the 4-pin tow hitch harness can short and start a fire |
| 25V494 | 2023-2025 | Door belt molding can delaminate and detach |
| 24V148 | 2020 | High beams can fail |
| 19V594 | 2020 | Seat belts may not hold a child seat tightly |
| 20V436 | 2020 | Trailer brake lights do not light when Smart Cruise Control brakes |
| 21V164 | 2021 | Occupant detection may not register a child seat |
| 21V577, 22V344 | 2022 | Instrument cluster screen can stay blank |
| 22V509 | 2022 | Incorrect spare tire can affect anti-lock brakes |
| 23V035 | 2023 | Second-row side air bag wiring may be damaged |
| 23V298 | 2023 | Digital instrument cluster may fail |
| 24V077 | 2024 | Engine valve springs can break |
| 25V745 | 2025 | Incorrect spare tire can affect anti-lock brakes |
| 26V105 | 2025 | Front seat-back frames may not restrain occupants |
The 24V214 driveshaft campaign covers 427,407 Tellurides. Until it is done, Kia tells owners to set the parking brake before getting out, and dealers update the electronic parking brake software as part of the repair.
What to Check on a Used Telluride
- Run the VIN at NHTSA’s recall lookup and ask for paperwork showing 26V430, not only 24V407, on a 2020 to 2024.
- On a 2024, confirm 24V077 was checked or the engine replaced.
- Read the oil-change history on a 2020 or 2021 and pull the dipstick; a level well below full between changes matches the complaint pattern.
- Look along the windshield edges for chips and running cracks, and check whether the glass has been replaced.
- Test the high beams on a 2020 and look at the paint on the hood and roof edge of a white or pearl one.
- Drive a 2025 through slow turns and stops and ask whether the dealer has a service record for stalling.
- Confirm the instrument cluster lights on every start of a 2022 or 2023.
The redesigned 2027 has two seat belt recalls, 26V135 and 26V356, also covered in my 2027 Telluride X-Pro SX-Prestige review.
Verdict
The 2022 Telluride is the strongest first-generation year in the complaint data, scoring 7.5 for powertrain complaints, with oil-consumption complaints down to 10 and two instrument cluster recalls to confirm. A 2023 brings the refreshed styling and the X-Pro with a 5.6 score and no oil-consumption complaints. The 2020 carries 777 complaints from 86,920 built, a 4.0 score and the most oil, windshield and headlight complaints, and a 2025 should be driven with its 35 stalling complaints in mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Kia Telluride years should you avoid?
The 2020 Telluride has the most NHTSA complaints of the generation, 777 for 86,920 built, and the lowest reliability score, 4.0 out of 10. Its complaints center on cracked windshields, failed high beams and oil consumption. The 2025 has a cluster of 35 stalling complaints that no recall covers.
What is the best year for the Kia Telluride?
The 2022 scores 7.5 out of 10 for powertrain complaints, the only first-generation year above the 7.0 class average for full-size SUVs. Check that its two instrument cluster recalls, 21V577 and 22V344, have been done.
Is the Kia Telluride reliable?
The first-generation Telluride scores 2.9 out of 10 as a generation, pulled down by complaints of oil consumption and overheating that run well above similar full-size SUVs. Individual model years score from 4.0 for the 2020 to 7.5 for the 2022.
Do Kia Tellurides burn oil?
Oil-consumption complaints concentrate on early models: the database tags 87 for the 2020, 26 for the 2021 and 10 for the 2022, and none for the 2023 through 2025. Fifty-two complaints on the 2020 mention quarts of oil added or missing between changes.
Why do Kia Telluride windshields crack?
Owners describe windshields that chip easily or crack with no clear impact, and no recall or investigation has named a cause. I counted 131 windshield complaints on the 2020 and 59 to 84 a year on the 2021 and 2022.
Does the 2025 Kia Telluride have stalling problems?
Thirty-five of the 124 complaints filed on the 2025 Telluride describe the engine stalling, including at 45 to 50 mph, with an “Engine Off! Shift to P or N” warning. No recall or NHTSA investigation covered it as of November 2, 2026.
What is the Kia Telluride seat fire recall?
Recall 26V430 covers 462,869 2020 to 2024 Tellurides whose front power seat motor can overheat and start a fire. It replaces 24V407, and SUVs repaired under the earlier recall need the new electronic fuse as well.
Is there a 2026 Kia Telluride?
No. Kia skipped the 2026 model year and moved from the 2025 Telluride to the redesigned 2027, which uses a 274-hp 2.5-liter turbo four or a 329-hp hybrid in place of the V6.
What engine is in the 2020 to 2025 Kia Telluride?
Every first-generation Telluride uses a 3.8-liter V6 making 291 hp, paired with an eight-speed automatic. Kia built 698,672 of them for the 2020 through 2025 model years.
How many recalls does the Kia Telluride have?
NHTSA lists 17 recalls across the 2020 to 2025 Telluride: seven for the 2020, five for the 2021, seven for the 2022, six for the 2023, five for the 2024 and three for the 2025. Several campaigns cover more than one year.
Michael Kahn
Michael Kahn is the writer, photographer, and publisher behind The Weekly Driver. He cares about how cars drive and what they're like to own. He covers automobile industry news, car shows and events, and new car reviews. The reviews come from behind the wheel: day trips that favor back routes, treating a good meal as half the reason to go. He directs and produces the visual media, matching each car to a setting and mood that fit it. When he's not reviewing new cars, Michael races paddleboards, camels, and ostriches, along with the occasional exotic car on the racetrack, and has driven in every state and country visited.
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