The Lemon Index

All cars · Kia Telluride · 2023

2023 Kia Telluride. Advanced data.

The raw numbers: engines, recall campaign numbers, failure mileage and manufacturer communications.

Lemon Index158100 = average car
Complaints208NHTSA, first 3 years
Sold110,765U.S. model year
Per 100K sold188complaints

Engines and drivetrains 2

EngineTransmissionDriveCity / hwy / combinedFuelFuel cost/yr
3.8L 6-cylAuto (S8)FWD20 / 26 / 23Regular$2,700
3.8L 6-cylAuto (S8)AWD18 / 24 / 21Regular$2,950

EPA test versions for this model year. Fuel cost is the EPA's current estimate, not the price in that year.

Failure mileage by system

Half of owners who gave a mileage reported the problem between 1,000 and 35,100 miles. Median 20,000, from 15 complaints with a mileage.

SystemMedianMiddle halfComplaints
Electrical19,5006,000–46,8006

Mileage owners typed into their NHTSA complaint, all complaints for this model year. People report some problems late, so read it as a range.

Complaints by system

SystemShare of complaints
Electrical25%
Wipers & visibility14%
Transmission & drivetrain12%
Engine11%
Automatic emergency braking8%

One complaint can name more than one system, so shares can add to more than 100%.

Severity, all complaints

TotalCrashesFiresInjuriesDeathsTows
20862406

As reported by owners to NHTSA. Not verified.

Recall campaigns 6

  • 26V430000 Jul 2026 Seats / Front Assembly / Power Adjust

    Defect. 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 or an improper recall 24V407 repair, which can result in a fire while parked or driving.

    Risk. A fire increases the risk of injury.

    Remedy. Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install an electronic fuse assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 13, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC374. This recall replaces NHTSA recall number 24V407. Vehicles already re

  • 25V494000 Jul 2025 Structure / Exterior Trim

    Defect. Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Telluride vehicles. The door belt molding trim can delaminate and detach from the vehicle.

    Risk. A detached trim piece can become a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Dealers will inspect and replace the belt molding trim assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC347.

  • 24V407000 Jun 2024 Seats / Front Assembly / Power Adjust

    Defect. 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.

    Risk. A fire increases the risk of injury.

    Remedy. Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install a bracket for the power seat switch back covers and replace the seat slide knobs, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 30, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC316.

  • 24V214000 Mar 2024 Power Train / Driveline / Driveshaft

    Defect. 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.

    Risk. A vehicle roll away increases the risk of a crash or injury.

    Remedy. Owners are advised to manually engage the emergency parking brake prior to exiting the vehicle until the recall remedy is performed. Dealers will update the electronic parking brake software and replace any damaged intermediate shafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 15, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for th

  • 23V298000 Apr 2023 Electrical System / Instrument Cluster/Panel

    Defect. 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."

    Risk. A blank instrument cluster display will not show critical information, such as tire pressure, warning messages, and warning lights, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy. Dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC270.

  • 23V035000 Jan 2023 Air Bags / Side/Window

    Defect. 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.

    Risk. Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

    Remedy. Dealers will inspect and replace, or secure the air bag wire harnesses, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 28, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC262.

Manufacturer communications 73

Kia filed 73 service communications for this car with NHTSA.

  • AWD SYSTEM CONCERN DUE TO TIRE CIRCUMFERENCE - This Pitstop provides information regarding…
  • TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin provides…

Crash ratings by version

VersionOverallFrontSideRollover
Kia Telluride SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆
Kia Telluride SUV FWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆

Safety equipment

Electronic stabilityForward collision warningLane departure warning
StandardStandard & OptionalStandard

Nearby model years

YearLemon IndexComplaintsSoldTop system
2020317397133,733Lights
202120421293,705Wipers & visibility
202221826799,891Wipers & visibility
2023158208110,765Electrical
2024223222115,504Electrical
2025162121123,281Engine

Sources: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications; EPA fuel economy data; YouTube video titles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.

Updated

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