2025 Kia Telluride Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: September 19, 2026 · Filed: October 28, 2026

Formal Safety Complaint – 2025 Kia Telluride I am filing a formal safety complaint regarding my 2025 Kia Telluride due to ongoing mechanical issues that have now escalated to a serious and potentially life-threatening situation. Multiple warning lights are illuminating on my dashboard, and the engine is now shutting off while I am actively driving the vehicle. This is completely unacceptable and puts my safety and the safety of others on the road at risk. I have already made multiple attempts to address ongoing mechanical issues with this vehicle, including a persistent shudder while driving. Despite seeking assistance from Kia dealerships and involving the companies responsible for my vehicle’s accessibility conversion, the issues remain unresolved and have now escalated. My Telluride has been converted with a rear-entry wheelchair ramp through Freedom Motors, but I have been advised that the conversion is unrelated to the drivetrain concerns. I need Kia to take these complaints seriously and conduct a thorough investigation into the vehicle’s mechanical and electrical systems. I purchased this vehicle expecting it to be safe and reliable, especially given that it is an accessible vehicle used to accommodate my family’s needs. Instead, I am now dealing with a vehicle that is shutting off while in motion, which creates an extremely dangerous situation. I am requesting immediate escalation to Kia Consumer Affairs, a comprehensive safety inspection, and a clear resolution to these ongoing problems. I also want this complaint formally documented due to the severity of the safety concerns. I should not have to fear that my engine will shut off while I am driving a vehicle I recently purchased. This is a serious safety issue, and I expect Kia to take responsibility, investigate the cause, and provide a prompt resolution before someone gets hurt.

Incident: October 24, 2026 · Filed: October 26, 2026

Vehicle: 2025 Kia Telluride, VIN [XXX] Description: While driving, the engine shuts off without warning. An alarm sounds and the dash reads “Engine Off! Shift to P or N, then start engine.” Power steering and power brakes are lost until the engine restarts. This has happened 5 times: [XXX]: about 25 mph in creeping traffic. [XXX]: low speed, slowing down on a slight downhill. [XXX]: three times within minutes on [XXX]. The first was in creeping traffic while slowing, the second while changing into a slower lane, and the third while slowing for merging traffic. Traffic was on all sides, and losing steering and brakes nearly caused a collision. Every event happened at low speed or while slowing, braking or changing lanes. There was no warning beforehand. Kia case number [XXX]. The vehicle is going to for warranty diagnosis at a dealership INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: October 19, 2026 · Filed: October 19, 2026

The car shuts down and displays the same message a lot of the other complaints are saying. Engine shut off, please put in P or N and restart engine. It shuts down while driving! I have 2 kids under [XXX] and I bought this for safety. It seems Kia is aware of this issue and none of the dealerships across the U.S. have a fix for it yet. And they keep sending the vehicles back out on the roads since they can’t fix it! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: October 18, 2026 · Filed: October 18, 2026

Engine shut off while idling. Had to shift into Park and restart engine.

Incident: October 15, 2026 · Filed: October 15, 2026

The sunroof on my 2025 telluride spontaneously exploded this morning. It sounded like a gunshot went off. No other vehicles were around and wasn’t near anything that could fall on the vehicle

Incident: October 11, 2026 · Filed: October 11, 2026

I have a 2025 Kia Telluride, purchased in Jan 2025. Almost right away, I started having issues with my windshield wipers where they wouldn't work when the lever was pushed - in any setting (High, low, intermittent, etc.). The rear wipers have always worked. After several visits and holding onto my car for several weeks, this was fixed in February 2025, by replacing the wiper motor, by a Kia service center at a dealership. Things were fine for a year and a half. They stopped working again in August 2025. Again, I took it to a Kia dealership where they were able to replicate the problem and also replaced the motor. Now, on October 11th, they did not work on a rainy night when I went to use them.

Incident: October 1, 2026 · Filed: October 9, 2026

Vehicle is shutting down while driving or idling.

Incident: October 8, 2026 · Filed: October 9, 2026

2025 Kia Telluride engine shut down on highway in construction zone with no shoulder. Engine shut off, alarms sounded and it displayed to put the vehicle in park or neutral and restart. I had to coast to an exit ramp. Vehicle did restart and seems to be intermittent.

Incident: July 7, 2026 · Filed: October 1, 2026

The airbag warning light came on at about 4,000–4,500 miles in July 2026. The selling dealer found active code B142900 and a damaged yellow SRS connector under the driver-side second-row seat. The green wire is pulled out of the terminal, with exposed copper. The connector is hanging loose under the seat, in the path of the seat frame. The dealer wiring diagram identifies it as connector F49, Rear Side Airbag LH. The failed connector is still on the vehicle and available for inspection. Dealer case 26238900 was opened July 7, 2026 and closed July 8. Techline said it only handles engines, transmissions, and high-voltage batteries, and directed the warranty question to the service manager, DPSM, and warranty department. The dealer did not issue a written warranty decision, called the damage owner-caused, and quoted a main-harness replacement above $6,000. This is the same second-row driver-side side-airbag circuit recalled under SC262 / NHTSA 23V-035 for harness damage from seat-frame contact during normal seat movement. The SRS light is still on at 6,182 miles, so that airbag will not deploy. A warranty review was submitted to Kia Customer Care Center on October 1, 2026. No crash, fire, or injury. Photos of the pulled wire, the under-seat location, and the F49 diagram are attached.

Incident: September 26, 2026 · Filed: September 30, 2026

On XXX, I picked up a rental vehicle from the Budget Car Rental branch at [XXX] (SJC) for a family trip. On XXX, while driving through a remote mountain area near [XXX], the rear tire suffered a catastrophic and sudden pressure failure, dropping instantly to 0 PSI. Upon inspecting the failed tire, I discovered severe, pre-existing mechanical negligence: the entire inside edge of the tire tread was completely bald with structural steel belts and cords fully exposed. Most shockingly, upon inspecting the vehicle's keys, I discovered that the rental agency had full, documented prior knowledge of this dangerous defect. The words "Tires Bald" were explicitly handwritten by the fleet maintenance team directly onto the corporate barcode key tag attached to the key fob. The rental agency negligently bypassed their own safety tag and deployed an illegal, unroadworthy vehicle into commercial service. This gross safety violation directly endangered my family, including my [XXX] father, [XXX] mother, and wife, while navigating winding mountain passes in Yosemite National Forest at night. A high-speed blowout under these conditions could have easily resulted in a fatal rollover accident. The rental company has since admitted absolute fault by fully refunding the rental contract (Budget Confirmation: XXX/ Costco Travel Confirmation: XXX). I am filing this official safety report because renting out a vehicle with documented bald tires and exposed steel belts constitutes an extreme public safety hazard and a violation of federal vehicle safety standards. Photographic proof of the tire cords, dashboard system warnings, and the "Tires Bald" corporate key tag are attached to this report for investigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)