2020 Kia Telluride problems & reliability
744 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2020 Kia Telluride, alongside 7 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
8 complaints report injuries (11 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2020 Kia Telluride vehicles were involved in 28 fatal crashes with 11 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting → | 182 | 24% |
| Unknown OR Other | 139 | 19% |
| Engine → | 136 | 18% |
| Visibility/wiper → | 135 | 18% |
| Power Train → | 70 | 9% |
| Electrical System → | 57 | 8% |
| Structure → | 52 | 7% |
| Suspension → | 31 | 4% |
| Visibility → | 17 | 2% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 16 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 7,025 miles (middle 50% between 2,944 and 26,000 miles), based on 173 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I bought my vehicle used around 62,000 miles, I was the second owner. Around 90,000 miles my vehicle suddenly stopped driving. There was absolutely no signs of issues prior to this event. I had it towed to the Kia dealership where they recommended an entire engine replacement, but assured me I was outside of warranty…”
Engine · filed Aug 3, 2026
“**1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request?** The engine failed catastrophically and caught fire while I was driving. The vehicle was towed to the Kia dealership, where it remains available for inspection upon request. **2. How was your safety or the safety…”
Engine · filed Jul 29, 2026
“Vehicle experiences intermittent brake failure at normal and low speeds. No indicator lights are present, no warnings are given.”
Service Brakes · filed Jul 28, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Complete Loss of High Beams
Preliminary Evaluation PE23002 · opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Apr 17, 2024 · led to recall 24V148
Technical service bulletins
145 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2020 Kia Telluride. The 10 most recent:
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: OIL FILTER HOUSING GASKET REPLACEMENT (WTY045) - This bulletin provides information regarding the ‘Warranty Extension Program (WTY045)’ for the inspection and, if…
WTY045_TSB · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Jun 4, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: 4WD COUPLING NOISE/VIBRATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT) - CLOSED & SUPERSEDED BY CHA129 - This bulletin is now closed and superseded by CHA129. This bulletin provides information to upgrade the…
TSB_CHA128_CLSD · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 23, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AWD COUPLER NOISE/VIBRATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the 4-Wheel Drive ‘4WD’ system software on some 2020-2025MY Telluride (ON) vehicles produced from…
TSB_CHA129 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 23, 2026
WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: REIMBURSEMENT FORM (WTY045) - This document is a Reimbursement Request form that was mailed with the customer letter advising them to submit the form if they had paid for repairs for this…
WTY045_REIMB · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Apr 30, 2026
WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (WTY045) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage, to all owners, for certain repairs related to…
WTY045_OWNR · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Apr 30, 2026
WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (WTY045) - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Service managers advising that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty…
WTY045_DPSM · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Apr 29, 2026
WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (WTY045) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage to all owners for certain…
WTY045_DP · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Apr 29, 2026
WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER (WTY045) - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the Warranty Extension Campaign WTY045.
WTY045_QA · Warranty Program/Extension · issued Apr 29, 2026
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC357) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the emissions software logic…
SC357_OWNR · Emissions · issued Feb 21, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: ECU EMISSIONS SOFTWARE LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SC357) - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Engine Control Unit (ECU) system software to improve…
SC357_TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 16, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2020 Kia Telluride has 7 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2020 Kia Telluride?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 7,025 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.