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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2021 Kia Telluride — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 370 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

370
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
7
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
4
Involved Fire
owner-reported
9
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Kia Telluride — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

0 complaints

0 complaints

0 complaints

0 complaints

0 complaints

0 complaints

773 complaints

370 complaints

327 complaints

207 complaints

221 complaints

120 complaints

0 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Unknown Or Other 102 reports
Engine 67 reports
Visibility/wiper 64 reports
Electrical System 42 reports
Structure 33 reports
Power Train 28 reports
Visibility 23 reports
Forward Collision Avoidance 22 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Engine ODI 11707979 12/31/2025

Bought the vehicle in February. The vehicle is burning oil too fast. In 1 week 5 qts. I don't drive much as I work from home. Kia dealer wants thousands of dollars. I paid for extended warranty.

Power Train ODI 11707761 12/30/2025

I purchased the 2021 Telluride (former owner of a Sportage, Rio and Sorento). I have our local mechanic handle maintenance and service. After paying $1,400 for a tune up to address misfiring, we quickly concluded the transmission was shot and my engine was burning theough every drop of oil before it was due for a change. I went to Kia of Des Moines, since it is covered unde…

Electrical System ODI 11633021 12/30/2024

Anytime going through the car wash the front and back parking sensors don’t work and gives an error. It is now permanently stuck with this error.

Electrical System ODI 11633204 12/30/2024

My engine started jerking when stopped. Then the electrical started acting up, like the windows wouldn't roll back up. Then the engine just shut off while I was driving.

Vehicle Speed Control ODI 11562706 12/30/2023

The front wiper blades get stuck when in use. This most often occurs when they are at their upper most point, but happens in a lower position as well. I had a previous issue where the left blade components had to be replaced because of stripped nuts/gears. This does not appear to be the same issue. I’ve taken it to the dealer and to another mechanic, neither of who could r…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2021 Kia Telluride, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2021 Kia Telluride reliable?
Owners have filed 370 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2021 Kia Telluride, most often about unknown or other. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Kia Telluride years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.