2021 KIA TELLURIDE Complaints

My stationary sunroof exploded with no Impact while driving. You can tell from. Photos the hole is inside to outside. This happened May 1st, I had it repaired with OEM glass on 5/10 and from day 1 after the repair had the shade vented to alleviate hot air getting trapped as they say they could be a factor. Well then it happened again today on Dec. 17th !! Something is wrong with either frame or the glass KIA is using !

Rear shocks unstable. When on rough roads or small imperfections in the road it’s hard to control vehicle and items/people get abruptly jostled. The dealership has been notified but says it’s not a recall and will look at it but can only take pictures and send it off to main office. No warning of this failure.

The oil filter housing is made of plastic and it cracked causing a major oil leak. There were no warning lights on the dash. Our family had just gotten into the car to visit family for Thanksgiving. I ran back into the house to get something and when I came back I first saw a large puddle of oil where the car was parked then I looked at the car and could see oil streaming out. At first I thought the filter or the oil drain plug had come loose. We had our local mechanic look at it and he said it was a common problem they see with plastic housings instead of metal. We called the closet KIA dealership and they said it was a known problem but KIA has not issued a recall. I searched online and found many complaints. If I had not noticed the leak we could have either had a fire or major damage to the engine.

The door belt molding trim detached. It is available for inspection. If not caught before it completely detached it would have caused a road hazard. Models from 2023-2025 have already been recalled but not my 2021 model which has the same issue. The vehicle was inspected by the dealership I bought it from but they were unwilling to take responsibility since the recall didn't encompass my 2021 model. Kia Corp also was unwilling to take responsibility after I brought the issue to their attention. I noticed the trim pealing off the car. It took little effort to remove it completely and I'm glad I did because it would have fallen off while we were driving.

On 11/01/2025, while traveling on the highway traveling at a speed of 80mph, my vehicle suddenly would not accelerate beyond 60 mph. I managed to exit safely, but this created a dangerous situation for both me, my daughter and other motorists . The next day, Firestone inspected the vehicle and informed me the engine contained zero oil—yet no oil light, check-engine light, temperature warning, or sensor alerts were triggered at any point. There were no visible oil leaks, suggesting internal oil consumption, which I had reported to Kia in October of 2024. On 10/21/2024, I paid $3,300 for a flywheel/ignition repair at a Kia dealership. When I dropped off the vehicle for that repair, I specifically reported abnormal oil consumption and requested it be checked. Kia did not diagnose or remedy the concern. The combination of: -Complete oil loss -No warning indicators -Sudden loss of power and inability to accelerate -Occurring at highway speed constitutes a critical safety defect. Drivers cannot take preventative action if the vehicle provides no indication of catastrophic engine failure until it is already occurring. This defect exposes drivers, passengers, and surrounding motorists to severe risk of collision or injury. Additionally, the dealership later provided a Carfax entry simple stating "car maintenance" on 10/22/2024. No record of what was repaired, indicating inaccurate or incomplete documentation. I am requesting that NHTSA: -Review this incident as a potential engine safety defect. -investigate whether other 2021 Kia Telluride owners are experiencing similar catastrophic oil -loss or lack of warning indicators. -Assess whether current recalls adequately address this failure pattern. -Determine whether an additional recall or investigation is warranted.

After having a rear brake replacement on 10/14/25 - was driving to work on 10/28/25, hear a clunk noise that repeated at random. When pulling thru a parking lot I lost my brakes completely. When I parked the car I looked at the brake and the newly installed caliper had fallen apart. Towed to shop to have the vehicle looked and then replaced the caliper with the same brand caliper from the dealership.

I tried to open the sunroof and it made a loud "popping" sound then would not close. I took it to the Kia Service center in SC (Fred Anderson Kia Greenville, SC)and the tech informed me this would be a $7000 fix. They also informed me to report this incident since they have also had numerous sunroof issues with this make and model. KIA also released a technical service bulletin " This bulletin provides information to perform a partial replacement of the sunroof wind deflector and mechanism arms on some 2019-2022MY Telluride (ON) vehicles produced from February 15, 2019 through January 19, 2022. The affected vehicles may experience the sunroof open/close operation inoperative and/or the sunroof wind deflector function inoperative. " A this is a known defect, this should be issued recall as it could result in sunroof glass break, causing injury to drivers, passengers.

The trim pieces on the outside of the doors are not properly on and are flapping.

After warranty work was performed on my Kia Telluride at an authorized Kia dealership, I discovered that the rear driver-side seatbelt had not been bolted back down. It was completely loose and hanging under the seat. This means my family could have been driving with no seatbelt protection at all. This is a serious safety failure and clear negligence. A seatbelt is one of the most basic, life-saving components in any vehicle. For a dealership to return a car to a customer without confirming all seatbelts are installed correctly shows a complete breakdown in safety inspection and quality control. When I contacted the dealership, I received no apology, explanation, or acknowledgment of responsibility. No one followed up or offered to inspect the vehicle. I also contacted Kia America Customer Relations, but I have not received any response. If such a fundamental safety step can be missed, I am extremely concerned about what other oversights may occur during Kia service work nationwide. This situation should be formally investigated by the NHTSA. I’m requesting a full investigation into Kia’s service procedures, technician training, and inspection protocols to ensure that no other vehicles are returned to customers in unsafe condition. Please treat this as a formal safety complaint. A loose seatbelt is not a minor error, it’s life-threatening negligence. I want this fully investigated and documented under my VIN, with confirmation of corrective action. My family’s safety, and that of other Kia owners, depends on it. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

While driving at highway speed, The moon roof cracked and blew outward with out any reason.