2020 Kia Telluride complaints

When I bought the car I wasn’t aware that the bright light will not come on. This is a huge safety issue as I can’t use my brights in the dark. I have almost hit multiple deer as I couldn’t see them in the dark area I was in. Dealership is aware of it.

High Beam lights stopped working at the same time at about 65K miles. I live in a rural area and went to use them and found it odd the light on the dash would come on but lights did not change. Took car in and was told it would be about $1200 - $1500 per headlight to repair. There was no alternative to just changing the bulb the whole mechanism would have to be changed. There were no warnings they were going out, not one at a time just bam! The area I drive in has lots of large wild animals(deer, hog, coyotes) and curves in the road and this makes for a complete driving hazard for me and my family. I try not to drive very late at night when the animals are usually moving due to the fact that I cannot see well with no high beams. This issue is keeping me from doing my normal day to day activities if they happen to go into the night.

This is an addendum to NHTSA tracking # 11508192. Please see attached Kia Dealer repair recommendation which is to Replace both Front headlamps with a cost quote of $1,682.54!!!! This vehicle is a 2020 with less than 65,000 miles.

Complete loss of high beam headlight function without warning. The failure occurred on completely dark rural roads at night. It is a huge safety issues as it compromises navigation and increases the risk of hitting deer or other large animals. The car is dangerous to the occupants of the vehicle in these conditions. The high beam indicator dashboard light illuminates, but the high beams do not engage. This is a mechanical issue with the shutter or headlight assembly not lifting into the high beam position. The mechanic at a non Kia affiliated service and repair location observed that you can clearly see the head light assembly sticking and when it tries to transition from low beam to high beam. Kia dealerships are keenly aware of and clearly informed of this factory defect. They offer no solution other than to replace the entire headlight assembly with the same defective assembly with no assurances it will not occur again. The cost to replace both headlight assemblies is significant and creates a hardship for me as a fixed income retiree. As previously stated, there was no warning and the high beam indicator light illuminates as if the high beams are working.

High beams just stopped working and won't turn back on. The bulbs were changed and a new relay was tried out, both did nothing. The dealer is looking into it further but I have read that this is a problem with similar year/make/model. We drive on desert roads every weekend where there is limited visibility and no street lights for very long distances. Our high beams are a critical safety element.

High beams stopped working. When I called with issue the dealership stated that it was a safety issue. Took car to dealership and they stated that the actuator lighting system more than likely has a short. They recommended that it would be $1700 for them to replace the system and then retest to see if that was the issue. Upon further research it was found that other owners with the 2020 model were experiencing the same issue after 60,000 miles.

SYSTEM FAILURE: High beam headlights don't illuminate. When switch is activated, the blue dash indicator light illuminates, but the high beams don't come on. Initially a flicker was noted in the low beams when the switch was activated. Problem was first noted some time in Oct 2022. RISK: During mountain driving I am unable to utilize the high beams to help illuminate unlit roadways at night. DEALER: Car was taken to the dealer and inspected 1/31/23. Initially I was told that both headlamp bulbs were defective. I authorized replacement at my expense. Replacement was made, but the problem was not corrected. I was not charged for the bulbs. Kia technical reps apparently approved the warranty replacement of both headlamp assemblies, but one was not in stock. Neither have been replaced yet.

Loss of high beam function in both headlights at same time - fuses/relay switches are not burned out. Low beams will turn on, but the curtains for the high beams will not activate in both headlights. Lights on the dash show that high beams are on, but the curtains in the assembly will not activate. Had the issued looked at at a sister dealership (Hyundai) as the Kia dealerships couldn't schedule an appointment for several months. They could not diagnose an issue specifically, only recommended that both high beam assemblies had failed, and would need replacement (at an almost $2500 cost, happening just outside of warranty at 70k miles). I live and work in a very rural area with a lot of wildlife, and have nearly hit several animals (deer, elk) because there is not enough light to see them without the high beams.

Headlight Hi-beams stopped working and is very dangerous at night with a lot of wild animals where I live.

The contact owned a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that after getting off the freeway, the vehicle behind him informed him that there was smoke coming from beneath the vehicle. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle, and it caught fire. The origin of the fire was unknown. The location of the fire was the front of the vehicle and the contact stated that the fire extinguished itself. A fire department report was not available. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V626000 (Trailer Hitches). The manufacturer was not yet made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

High beam lights suddenly stopped working on both front headlights.

The vehicle lost both high beams randomly together. Shows indicater on dash but you can see lights do not get brighter. This is a huge safety concern for my wife and children not being able to see well!!!! We went to dealer and they quoted us $1800 for both new headlights and said warranty will not cover this! I’ve read it’s an issue across the board with these cats and it’s time Kia does something to fix it!

The high beams headlights no longer function correctly. Low beams work fine but when toggle the shaft from low to high- there is no change in visibility. I do feel like this is a danger to myself and my growing family because in some rural areas, visibility is very limited at night. Warning lamps did not appear before high beam failure. It began about 3 months ago and still running into issues. I have talked to my local dealership and with my warranty close to running out, I’m afraid I will have to replace both assemblies out of pocket.

Both high beams suddenly stop working. Kia systems report high beams are functional. Also low beams have reduced brightness resulting dangerous driving conditions at night. Kia claims both headlight assemblies need to be replaced at an estimated repair of $2370

My high beam lights have stopped working. The system says it is working fine as the notifications for high beams come on but the lighting does not change.

High beams fail to light No warning lights, H beam indicator light functions but no activation. No codes on OBD2 reader. Have not taken to dealer for this problem because no recall. Very likely to replace on my own if no recall as I am a mechanic.

High Beam issues. It started out with one high beam out, and I figured the bulb needed replaced. When I looked into it, I learned the low beam and high beam share a single filament bulb. Later on, the high beam seemed to work again. And now it is not working again. Apparently it has to do with the mechanical "curtain" inside the housing that everyone is having issues with.

In short, Kia is putting inferior rear self leveling shocks on at least their Telluride model with tow packages. We are one of many (per Kia blog posts) who have been forced to drive our vehicle for thousands of miles with ceased shocks. Kia has been aware of this safety issue since the model was released in 2020 but done nothing aout it. Then they're just replacing with the same inferior shocks, which I've seen from others posts are failing a 2nd time. We had our vehicle in several times before they finally agreed to replace (over 5K miles from 1st shop visit) ours, which did repair the issue, but it's the principle. Come to find out from multiple Kia employees, Kia makes their dealer repair shops jump through hoops to perform warranty work and why this took so long. I reached out to Kia corporate in the midst of this fiasco to see what they're doing about this and they told me ONLY the NHSTA could issue recalls (your site says otherwise), to which I replied "that's not acceptable". I also asked Kia corporate how in the world elderly or less driven individuals could navigate this, no response. They did offer restitution with a sign off for the issues, which I declined because all I want to do is help the next guy and hold Kia accountable. Kia needs to be exposed for their negligence on this issue and lack of proper customer service due to their ridiculous warranty policy and the mindset they've instilled into the minds of their techs to perform the bare minimum. I've attache

Left headlight is stuck in high-beam mode.

One day with approximately 58,000 miles on the car it would not start. No warning lights had appeared prior to not starting. The car was towed to a Kia dealership. They claimed there was no oil in the car. Kia refused any warranty work and the dealer filled with oil and said everything was fine. Three weeks later the car stalled at highway speed in a dangerous situation on the highway. Again no lights were present until the stall. The car would not restart and was towed back to the dealership. The dealer says Kia is refusing to cover under warranty and claiming the car was not maintained unless I can find every oil change receipt from purchase. They want to disassemble the engine and have me be responsible for the cost to prove I did not maintain the car which makes no sense. Kia does not accept any responsibility and fails to see the seriousness of the car stalling at speed on a highway three weeks after they did nothing to properly diagnose and fix the issue.

The all wheel drive and antilock break are not working. Also, the dashboard has no indicator lights on and the diagnostic app says nothing is wrong. So the computer system has failed too. This is an all wheel drive KIA Telluride with less than 15,000 miles. It all started this snow season, when there is the least bit of snow or ice we have no control of the vehicle. Our 2 wheel drive Prius handles better. This resulted in my wife losing control on a roundabout and hitting the curb, which in turn damaged the a TIE rod and alignment. We were lucky she was driving in our neighborhood, just 1/2 a mile from our house and was driving slowly. The vehicle is no longer safe to drive. It is currently being serviced at a Kia dealership. At this point the service provider says there's nothing wrong with the AWD and the antilock breaks because the computer's is telling them it's fine. Service person is blaming it on the ice however at the time of the incident there was snow and slush. I and my oldest son have also driven it recently and noticed the same issues as my wife when driving in snow. We didn't take it in because the app says the car is fine. Initially thought maybe we had accidentally pushed a button that deactivated AWD, but further reading indicated AWD is always on. The initial plan was to address the way it felt driving it in snow at next oil change (which was due in about 100 miles) but we trusted the computer system.

My high beams quit working for no reason. Dealer said I must replace the complete housing assembly at $680 a piece. I have 80 thousand miles in the car with zero accidents. $1360 for headlights?? This is not acceptable.

Severe vibration at highway speeds between 60-80 mph on intermittent basis. Low frequency vibration at speeds 40-50 mph on intermittent basis. 10/11/2022 Reviewed by service at Wasatch Front Kia, no issues found. Problem continues. 12/16/2022 Reviewed by Costco Tire Center, Draper, UT. Screw/nail found in tire. Tire repaired. Wheel/tire balance performed. Problem reduced but not eliminated. 01/04/2023 Vibration occurred at similar intensity as to prior to 12/16 service.

Attempt to open sunroof via sunroof button/normal operation resulted in failure of sunroof track and snapping of support bars. Total amount of times sunroof used less than 10.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that the second-row rear driver’s side seat would intermittently recline and move forward independently with an occupant in the seat. The vehicle was taken to a dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened an investigation. The contact was informed that unless the dealer replicated the failure, the vehicle could not be repaired. The failure persisted and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it remained. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

As the owner of this 2020 KIA Telluride, I have noted that the headlamps on both din and bright are very poor and are a safety concern when driving on a dark road, particularly when wet or no other lights around. I did some online research and found that many Kia owners had the same concern so I reached out to KIA Care or Kia America (Case # 15236897). Twice I was directed to my local dealer who basically did an inspection and stated" the lights work as designed" With that, I said that this was a poor or bad design and that Kia America should have safety people look and get a resolve. The internet has many complaints regarding the OEM lights for this vehicle but i would like someone to physically do a road test and do a comparision. The headlamps on this vehicle are a major safety concern and need evaluation.

High beams went off. Not showing any errors on dash. Switch seem to be working. High beam sign goes on and off when you try to switch between the low and high beams, But only low beam lights working.

Bright lights stopped working! Replaced bulbs and no change. I have read many stories of people having the same problem and the dealer charging them $1300 to &2000 to repair them and some did not fix the problem.

The high beams have stopped working. I have brought the car to the dealer and they report the related lighting systems are fine and working as they should. I have replaced the bulbs and the high beams still don't work. There are multiple reports of this same issue in other Kia Tellurides ( 2020) on the web. I am left with out a solution and need my high beams.

The windshield cracked in the vehicle within the first few thousand miles of owning it. It was replaced by Kia via goodwill. The replacement windshield cracked less than a year later, and happened rapidly without the ability to repair before it spread. After research, it appears to be a widespread issue with the Kia Tellurides.

I recently bought the Kia used at approximately 75000 miles. The high beams do not work and the only way to repair them is an expensive complete headlight assembly replacement. Headlights should not become defective so soon and I have read forum after forum of those with the Telluride who have experienced the same problem.

Hooded projector lights provide very limited vision on dark roads. We hit a deer and have significant damage to our vehicle due to this issue. Our brights do not come on either. Nothing happens when we select the bright option.

The High Beams have stopped working. This is a known issue as it can be found on many forums across the internet.

High beams not working

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 20V436000 (Electrical System, Forward Collision Avoidance, Exterior Lighting) and 22V626000 (Trailer Hitches) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the brake pedal was firm while attempting to stop the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

My Telluride mileage just passed 30K. The rear suspension seems like no shock-absorbing capability since the car is so bumpy. The front suspension looks fine though. I went to a service center, but they told me they couldn't find any symptoms. I was shocked when I heard about that because I could see an apparent difference even with pushing it with my hand! Strangely, there's no squicking noise. And they told me no oil leakage. But, it's bumpy. I'll try to visit the service center for the recall and ask them to check the suspension together with me. The rear suspension has the optional self-leveling shock that has a noise concern. I may need to replace them with a normal suspension.

Dim Headlights. Vehicle is available for inspection.Headlights do not illuminate the road resulting in not being able to see while driving at night. High beam lights no longer function. Vehicle was inspected and it was determined headlights would need to be replaced at owners expense. There were no warning messages that high beams no longer worked.

At about 45,000 miles on the vehicle both bright lights no longer worked suddenly at the same time. I figured they had burn out so I purchased brand new bulbs for both sides at advanced auto parts. advanced auto parts installed the lightbulbs, and when I flipped the switch for brights again no bright lights. Apparently there’s an issue on the 2020 tellurides for some reason, the bright lights quit working. This is a serious safety issue, especially with it getting darker earlier and with deer running at this time of the year.

Sunroof exploded while driving. Nothing hit it, heard a loud noise while driving, thought it was a tire. Took car to KIA dealership in Chula Vista CA, they said someone from KIA headquarters is coming to inspected since they dont believe the fact that nothing hit it. Car has been there for 2 days with no answer. This claim remains to be resolved as of 11/21/22.

The high beams stopped working which is very dangerous & sounds like several others have had same issue.

My 2020 KIA Telluride has faulty suspension related to KIA's factory installed towing system. This makes the vehicle very noisy while everyday driving and unsafe when towing. Yes the problem has been confirmed by the dealer, KIA has put out a service bulletin, but hasn't extended the warranty to cover their known defect. This started a couple months ago.

High beams stopped working

Vehicle was in for an oil change and safety system upgrade/fix(?) and now the high beams no longer work on our vehicle. The blue indicator light shows up but neither on of our high beams turn on. I have contacted the dealership and they claim they've never heard of such a thing happening, but I have seen many complaints online about it. We do not feel it is safe to drive out in the country, at night.

My vehicle is having issues with its digital readings of the temperature and gas miles. I went to get 25$ in fuel yesterday. When I got to the station I had 75 miles to the gallon on the monitor. After adding the 25$ the analog meter changed but not the digital. I had a similar incident in the summer with my temperature Guage reading 84 degrees when it was actually 103 degrees outside. It did however pick back up later in the day but now I'm concerned because there's other drivers reporting the same issues on the telluride forum. I also just had a recall fixed on my vehicle about 2 weeks ago that was an electrical problem as well.

Headlights high beams have not been working for over a year. When the high beams trigger is pulled/turned to on you can see a slight lift in the low beam attempting to transition to high beams but it fails. No high beams are activated.

High Beam lights do not work when activated making night driving very dangerous. I have read repeatedly online that this is a known problem. Essentially, the high beams are activated by the bulb housing moving around the bulb to enhance illumination. However, this housing STOPS working on many Kia Tellurides and the only solution is to replace them according to online reports. However, this is not a guaranteed fix as the problem has not been addressed by the manufacturer and is subject to reoccurence.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while his fiancé was driving at an undisclosed speed, she attempted to close the sunroof however, the sunroof became inoperable. The contact stated that upon inspection, he noticed that the sunroof was off track and in a bind. As a result, he was unable to close the sunroof cover. The contact was concerned that the glass would shatter and cause an injury. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was able to schedule an appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was able to leave a voicemail but had not yet received a response. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000. The contact stated that since the sunroof is not securely attached, it could fly off the vehicle at any moment regardless of the speed.

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Telluride. The contact stated that the front driver’s side door handle mechanism had failed and his wife was unable to open the door from inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the door hinge had failed due to wear and fatigue and needed to be replaced. The door handle was replaced but several months later the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 18,000.

My car has heated/air conditioned seats. They have started coming on by themselves. My passenger side mirror opens and closes when it wants to. The the auto off works when it wants to. I have the option of turning that feature off but it will turn off anyways. I can also hear my air condition loud and clear when I turn my car off (decompressing I am guessing) it just started when all these other problems started.

While driving on the highway my headlights didn’t illuminate the roadway. I pulled over to check them and it appears the headlights were so dim, and possibly stuck somehow. They’re telescopic lights. The issue continued the entire 11 hour drive. The lights would work then go off again. I thought they might be stuck in the wrong position. I couldn’t see the highway well and we had inclement weather. I haven’t had the dealer look at the vehicle yet because they don’t have any rentals available. I can’t afford to miss work. No warning lights or chimes were displayed by the vehicle on the dashboard.