Kia · Known Issues
2020 Kia Telluride Problems: 21 Known Issues
2020 model year · 456+ owner reports · Updated September 2026
2020 · All trims · All engines
Choose the year and equipment for your written issues and visual request.
2020 model year · 456+ owner reports · Updated September 2026
2020 · All trims · All engines
Choose the year and equipment for your written issues and visual request.
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According to Au7o's analysis of 456+ owner reports, the 2020 Kia Telluride has 21 documented known issues, with 6 rated critical. The most serious are Tow Hitch Wiring Harness Module Fire Risk, Piston Oil-Control Ring Coking Causing Excessive Oil Consumption (3.8L Lambda II GDI) ($600-$9,000 repair), Panoramic Sunroof Glass Spontaneously Shattering ($900-$2,500 repair), Front Power Seat Motor Overheating / Fire Risk, Middle-East-Spec Seat Belts Without Automatic Locking Retractor Installed in US Vehicles (Recall SC181 / 19V594) ($0-$0 repair) and Intermediate Shaft / Driveshaft Disengagement (Rollaway). The most commonly reported issue is Premature Windshield Cracking with 456 owner reports. Across all issues with published estimates, repair costs range from $50 to $9,000. DIY maintenance guides at au7o.io.
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Telluride vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the wire harnesses for the second row seat side air bags may become damaged, causing them not to deploy in the event of a crash.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage Plug-in Hybrid, Niro Hybrid, Niro Plug-in Hybrid, Soul, and Telluride vehicles equipped with a digital instrument cluster containing a 4.2" LCD screen. The instrument cluster may fail to display any information when the vehicle is started. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays," and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."
POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
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.
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST
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.
STRUCTURE:EXTERIOR TRIM
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Telluride vehicles. The door belt molding trim can delaminate and detach from the vehicle.
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According to Au7o's analysis of 456+ owner reports, the 2020 Kia Telluride has 21 documented issues. The most frequently reported are: Tow Hitch Wiring Harness Module Fire Risk, Piston Oil-Control Ring Coking Causing Excessive Oil Consumption (3.8L Lambda II GDI), Panoramic Sunroof Glass Spontaneously Shattering. Of these, 6 are rated critical and should be addressed promptly.
The 2020 Kia Telluride has 21 known issues documented across 456+ owner reports. 6 issues are rated critical: Tow Hitch Wiring Harness Module Fire Risk and Piston Oil-Control Ring Coking Causing Excessive Oil Consumption (3.8L Lambda II GDI) and Panoramic Sunroof Glass Spontaneously Shattering and Front Power Seat Motor Overheating / Fire Risk and Middle-East-Spec Seat Belts Without Automatic Locking Retractor Installed in US Vehicles (Recall SC181 / 19V594) and Intermediate Shaft / Driveshaft Disengagement (Rollaway). Prospective buyers should inspect for these issues and factor potential repair costs into their purchase decision. Regular maintenance following the manufacturer's schedule helps prevent many common problems.
Repair costs for known Kia Telluride issues range from $0 to $9,000, depending on the specific problem and whether you choose DIY or professional repair. Au7o provides step-by-step DIY maintenance guides that can help reduce repair costs.
NHTSA recall 22V626000 (Kia SC247) covers certain 2020-2022 Telluride vehicles potentially equipped with a Genuine Kia four-pin tow-hitch harness. Debris and moisture on the harness-module circuit board can cause an electrical short and a fire while parked or driving. Severity: high.
Owners of early-build 3.8L Lambda II GDI Tellurides report consuming roughly one quart of oil per 1,000 miles or worse, with several forum cases of the engine running effectively dry between scheduled changes. The root cause discussed repeatedly in the owner community is the low-… Repairs typically run $600-$9,000. Severity: high.
Telluride owners report the fixed or sliding panoramic sunroof glass exploding without any impact — typically while driving, described consistently as sounding like a gunshot followed by glass raining into the cabin. The failure mode is characteristic of tempered panoramic panels… Repairs typically run $900-$2,500. Severity: high.
NHTSA recall 26V430000 (Kia SC374) covers certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. A front power-seat motor may overheat because of a stuck slide knob or an improper earlier 24V407 repair, causing a fire while parked or driving. This recall replaces 24V407. Severity: high.
Roughly 30,168 early-build 2020 Tellurides left the plant with front passenger, second-row and/or third-row seat belt assemblies intended for the Middle East market. Those assemblies lack the automatic locking retractor (ALR) that US regulation requires for securing a child restr… Repairs typically run $0-$0. Severity: high.
NHTSA recall 24V214000 (Kia SC303) covers certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. The intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft may not be fully engaged, which can allow the vehicle to roll away while in Park. Severity: high.
The 3.8L Lambda II V6 in the Telluride experiences fuel dilution of the engine oil when driven primarily on short trips (under 10 miles). Fuel washes past the piston rings during cold starts and does not fully evaporate because the oil never reaches full operating temperature. Th… Repairs typically run $50-$500. Severity: medium.
The 8-speed automatic exhibits torque-converter (damper clutch) shudder felt as a vibration around 45 mph and during uphill gear changes, plus hesitation and weak pickup on re-acceleration and merges. Early 2020 units could log P0741 damper-clutch faults; some required full trans… Severity: medium.
Tellurides fitted with the rear self-leveling (load-leveling) shock absorbers — standard on tow-package and higher trims — develop a distinct knock, thump or pop from the rear of the vehicle over bumps and expansion joints, often accompanied by a harsh, stiff ride. Kia first addr… Repairs typically run $0-$1,400. Severity: medium.
Tellurides repeatedly go dead overnight or after a few days parked, with owners jump-starting and replacing perfectly good batteries only to have the problem return. The Telluride's always-on cellular telematics modem (Kia Access / UVO remote start and remote climate) never fully… Repairs typically run $200-$1,200. Severity: medium.
The Smart Power Liftgate on EX and above fails in two related but distinct ways. The gas struts on either side of the gate weaken — often within the first year or two, and much faster in cold climates — so the gate stops closing fully, reverses partway, or drops. Separately, the… Repairs typically run $180-$1,500. Severity: medium.
On roughly 86,921 2020 Tellurides equipped with Smart Cruise Control, the factory wiring does not route a brake-light signal to the trailer connector when the SCC system — rather than the driver's foot — applies the brakes. Towing a trailer with adaptive cruise engaged, the vehic… Repairs typically run $0-$0. Severity: medium.
AWD-only defect on 2020-2021 Tellurides built from start of production through 28 February 2021. Owners report a vibration that builds between roughly 60 and 75 mph and — the diagnostic tell — appears specifically when the powertrain is applying steady throttle, such as with crui… Repairs typically run $1,200-$2,200. Severity: medium.
On 2020 Tellurides fitted with the halogen (non-LED) headlamp assemblies, the projector's mechanical high-beam shield is moved by a small plastic gear on a shaft. Heat radiated by the halogen bulb progressively deforms that gear until it slips on its shaft, so the shield no longe… Repairs typically run $0-$1,400. Severity: medium.
Telluride owners report the air conditioning blowing warm air due to A/C compressor failure, with some vehicles having the compressor replaced more than once (often with a remanufactured unit). Common root causes are internal compressor mechanical/electrical failure or refrigeran… Severity: medium.
Telluride owners report unusually high rates of windshield cracking from minor road debris that would not crack windshields on other vehicles. Over 46% of NHTSA visibility complaints for the Telluride relate to windshield cracking. Cracks typically originate from the lower passen… Repairs typically run $250-$1,000. Severity: low.
A large share of Telluride owners report that Idle Stop & Go essentially never works, or works for a while and then stops. The system requires a state-of-charge threshold at the 12V battery (dealers commonly quote roughly 68 percent or better), adequate brake vacuum, and settled… Repairs typically run $200-$400. Severity: low.
Tellurides develop paint bubbling and peeling at body panel seams, particularly the hood leading edge, roof rail joints, and rear liftgate seams. The issue is caused by insufficient e-coat coverage at spot-welded seams, allowing moisture to penetrate under the paint. The bubbling… Repairs typically run $0-$1,500. Severity: low.
The third-row seat fold-down mechanism in the Telluride jams, preventing the seats from folding flat or locking back into the upright position. The latch mechanism uses a cable-actuated release that stretches and binds over time. When the latch jams in the released position, the… Repairs typically run $50-$500. Severity: low.
Owners across multiple model years report the center infotainment (UVO) screen freezing, going black, showing a blue 'reset' screen, or rebooting on a loop while driving, sometimes accompanied by phantom-touch behavior and loss of the backup camera. The unit often becomes unrespo… Severity: low.
Content on this page was compiled with AI assistance using NHTSA complaints, TSBs, owner reports, and public automotive data. While we strive for accuracy, this information may contain errors. Always verify repair procedures and specifications with your vehicle's service manual or a qualified mechanic.