Reliable Auto DB

2020 Kia Telluride reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 761 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Kia Telluride over 7 years — 82 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 5 Telluride years on this site. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Power adjuster, Driveshaft, and Headlights.

2020 Kia Telluride
Photo by Gold Pony, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY 3.0
Complaints

761

Per year

82

Recalls

7

Years on the road

7

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Exterior lighting (183 of 761), then Engine (145) and Visibility and wipers (135). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 9 that report a fire, 8 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2021

The 2021 Telluride has 365 complaints, 47 per year. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2020 Kia Telluride. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (7)

Recall seats, front assembly, power adjuster 2026-07-02 · NHTSA campaign 26V430000
Summary 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.
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 repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning July 17, 2026.
Recall seats, front assembly, power adjuster 2024-06-05 · NHTSA campaign 24V407000
Summary 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.
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.
Recall Driveshaft 2024-03-20 · NHTSA campaign 24V214000
Summary 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.
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 this recall is SC303.
Recall exterior lighting, headlights 2024-02-26 · NHTSA campaign 24V148000
Summary Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020 Telluride vehicles. The high beam headlights may fail.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and repair or replace the high beam headlights, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 9, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC299.
Recall trailer hitch 2022-08-15 · NHTSA campaign 22V626000
Summary Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Telluride vehicles potentially equipped with a Genuine Kia 4-pin tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Remedy Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install a new fuse and a wiring harness extension. Dealers will also inspect and replace the tow hitch harness assembly, as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 12, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC247.
Recall electrical system, wiring 2020-07-28 · NHTSA campaign 20V436000
Summary Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020 Telluride vehicles equipped with Smart Cruise Control (SCC). When a trailer is connected to the vehicle, the trailer brake lights will not illuminate when the SCC applies the brakes. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Remedy Kia will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional wire harness to the main fuse box to signal the trailer brake lights, free of charge. The recall began September 10, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC194.
Recall seat belts, rear or other 2019-08-13 · NHTSA campaign 19V594000
Summary Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020 Telluride vehicles. The seat belt assemblies in the front passenger, second, and/or third row seats may not tightly secure a child restraint system in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace any incorrect seat belt assemblies. The repair will also include replacing the driver's seat belt which has a non-U.S. specified label, with a U.S. specification seat belt. The repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began August 30, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC181.

Complaints by component (761 total)

Exterior lighting
183
Engine
145
Visibility and wipers
135
Powertrain
70
Electrical system
58
Structure
55
Suspension
31
Fuel and propulsion system
17
Visibility
17
Service brakes
13
Speed control
13
Seats
12
Steering
10
Forward collision avoidance
9
Engine and engine cooling
8
Back-over prevention
4
Seat belts
4
Air bags
3
Lane departure
3
Trailer hitch
3
Parking brake
2
Child seat
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Wheels
1
Show 17 more Show less
Crash-flagged

8

Fire-flagged

9

Injury reports

8

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

7320197120205220215020221512023122202412620251162026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "My 2020 Kia Telluride experienced progressive and severe engine oil consumption that ultimately required a full engine replacement. Beginning well before the failure, the vehicle required frequent manual oil top-offs…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-24
  • "I am the original owner of a 2020 Kia Telluride that was purchased new in December 2019 and currently has approximately 98,000 miles. The vehicle has been routinely serviced, including regular maintenance performed…"
    Structure, Engine · filed 2026-09-23
  • "The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled in the middle of an intersection. The vehicle was restarted; however, the low oil warning light…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-18
  • "Loss of oil that is going out the heads and exhaust. This causes loss of power. Oil light doesn’t come on. This happened twice. Once in March and we took it to the dealership to have it fixed. Unfortunately, the issue…"
    Engine · filed 2026-09-15
  • "In March of 2025 I noticed that my Kia Telluride had a quarter size piece of paint missing in the middle of the roof near my windshield. As the past year has progressed paint delamination has occurred across the roof of…"
    Structure · filed 2026-09-15

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2020 Kia TELLURIDE SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2020 Kia TELLURIDE SUV FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Telluride all-wheel drive 3.8L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) All-wheel drive 19 24 21 MPG $3100
Telluride front-wheel drive 3.8L, 6-cyl Automatic (8-speed) Front-wheel drive 20 26 23 MPG $2800

Specs and fitment

ON generation, 2020–present
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 (3.8L V6) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 245/60R18 to 245/50R20 (trim dependent)
Towing capacity 5,000 lbs

Known issues for this generation

Owner complaints for the 2020 launch year concentrate on exterior lighting and visibility/wipers. Safety recall 19V-594 covers certain 2020 Tellurides whose front-passenger, second-row, or third-row seat belts may not tightly secure a child restraint (FMVSS 208); dealers inspect and replace incorrect assemblies. Safety recall 22V-626 covers certain 2020-2022 Tellurides with a Genuine Kia 4-pin tow-hitch harness where debris and moisture on the module PCB can short and cause a fire; dealers install a fuse and harness extension and replace the assembly as needed, and owners should park outside until remedied. Safety recall 24V-214 covers certain 2020-2024 Tellurides whose intermediate shaft or right front driveshaft may not be fully engaged, allowing rollaway in Park; dealers update electronic parking-brake software and replace damaged shafts, and owners should set the parking brake until repaired. Safety recall 24V-407 covers certain 2020-2024 Tellurides whose front power-seat motor can overheat from a stuck slide knob and cause a fire; dealers install a switch-cover bracket and replace the knobs. Safety recall 21V-164 covers certain 2021 Tellurides among other Kia models whose OCS/ODS may not detect a child restraint in the front passenger seat; dealers replace that unit.

Compare

Next year 2021 Kia Telluride See every Kia Telluride model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 Kia Telluride reliable?

Owners have filed 761 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Kia Telluride over 7 years — 82 per year. That is the most complaints per year among the 5 Telluride years on this site. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Power adjuster, Driveshaft, and Headlights.

What are common problems with a 2020 Kia Telluride?

The complaints owners file most often name Exterior lighting (183 of 761), then Engine (145) and Visibility and wipers (135). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 9 that report a fire, 8 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2020 Kia Telluride more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2021 Telluride has 365 complaints, 47 per year. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

Has the 2020 Kia Telluride been recalled?

The 2020 Kia Telluride has 7 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2020 Kia Telluride?

Owners have filed 761 complaints about the 2020 Kia Telluride with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2020 Kia Telluride get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2020 Kia Telluride is 22 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Telluride take?

Viscosity and capacity depend on engine and model year; use the generation specs here and confirm in the owner’s manual.

When did the Kia Telluride launch in the US?

The first US Telluride model year is 2020 (ON generation on this site).

What tire sizes does a Kia Telluride use?

Common US sizes run about 245/60R18 to 245/50R20 depending on trim.