2020 Kia Telluride Electrical System Problems

Oil leak that I’ve put so much effort in getting fixed or replaced and nothing is working. The seat belts suck. The seats are ripped.

Vehicle fire causing a total loss to vehicle and home

Vehicle manufacturers have certain basic rules and procedures that must be followed. When a vehicle manufacturer sells a vehicle, it has a duty to ensure that the vehicle functions properly and safely for its advertised use and is free from defects. When a vehicle manufacturer discovers a defect, it must explicitly disclose the defect and make it right or cease selling the vehicle. When a vehicle manufacturer provides a warranty, it must stand by that warranty. I believe Kia has breached its duties and rules as follows. Specifically, these Class Vehicles (Tellurides and Others) have malfunctions regarding their incorrectly manufactured piston oil rings which can result in engine damage and failure, and even potentially cause a fire known internally and secularly as an ("Oil Ring Defect”). Now, I purchased this car in January of 2023. Based on Kia’s active and persistent promotions touting the quality of its vehicles and my partners admiration of Kia vehicles, we considered Kia a quality company with a strong reputation for producing reliable vehicles. In addition to Kia's reputation through its marketing and promotion. We decided on the 2020 Kia Telluride because we believed it was a high-quality vehicle, after a salesman convinced us that the vehicle was highly reliable and came with great technological features. Since purchasing this vehicle it has only taken the vehicle to the certified dealership for its routine maintenance as recommended by both the vehicle alert system and the Service Department at Courtesy Kia. However, through all our consistent visits to dealerships, we had never been told of any recalls or defects related to his vehicle’s oil ring system. Since 2015, KIA has designed, manufactured, distributed, sold, and leased the Class Vehicles with this problem. As discussed earlier and in more detail below, the Class Vehicles contain a defect that causes a serious safety concern. The unresolved defect with the Telluride engine is an attack on owners.

When parked on an incline, the vehicle will not start and has to have the battery jumped. When attempting to start the vehicle, you can hear a clicking sound and an error message pops up saying "Check ESP". After this happens, the windows will roll down to about a 1/8 crack and will not roll up even after the car has been jumped and is on. Also, when driving down the road with the heat on, it will stop blowing heat and will start blowing cold air.

After a few months from purchasing (9/2022), I noticed some weird electrical issues occurring. The first thing I noticed was that sometimes the rear wiper blades would turn on automatically when shifting in reverse when the wiper blades were off. I would turn the rear wiper blades on then off repeated times until they finally stayed in off mode. As time went on, then the drivers side window would roll down automatically after starting the vehicle, and it would not shut all the way after pressing the button. I would have to hold the up button when turning the engine off, just so the window would remain completely closed when parked. Sometimes, this would continue for a week or more...then it would go back to normal for a few months. These issues would continue and others started to arise such as the check engine lights, low battery etc. appearing while starting the vehicle. Sometimes it would say that the engine is on, when it wasn't...so I would hear a warning signal when trying to leave the vehicle with my key fob. I would have to press the stop engine button and wait for it to say that the engine is off. This evolved into the car struggling to start...with a repeated clicking noise being heard. All warning and hazard notifications appear on the main screen and the driver's side window rolls down by itself and it takes 5-7 minutes for it to start, but eventually does. This has been going on now for since March of 2024...so it's not a battery issue, or a starter issue...but based on the nature of these malfunctions...it is electrical issues...which can pose a serious safety threat...especially with a potential electrical fire. What are our options for a potential manufacturer recall? As of this writing, it took roughly 20 minutes to start my vehicle, as it is very cold in Rochester, NY. I recently had my vehicle fully serviced (8/25) and it wasn’t acting up at the time so they couldn’t pinpoint any electrical issues. I took videos of the incidents.

The infotainment system which includes the backup video system has turned to a green screen intermittently on these models. We just started experiencing this issue in the past week. After searching the Kia user forums, it appears that many people are having a similar issue. When we took it to Kia they stated that car is out of warranty and the part cost alone was over $5000 to repair the head unit. It seems they know they have an issue but don't want to acknowledge it and quickly revert to the warranty. I'd like someone to investigate this as it's a safety risk when you a backing up the car.

Sunroof malfunctioned on opening, went off the tracks and is now stuck in an open position. There were no obstructions causing the sunroof to be lifted and dislodged from the tracks. The integrity of the vehicle and its passengers are compromised due to being openly exposed to the elements. Risk of theft, further damage, and injury. Dealership unable to service the vehicle in a timely manner. Problem has been confirmed and inspected by an independent servicer. No warnings or other symptoms.

Wind deflector snapped on Sun roof causing. Sun roof to get lodged and get off track. Unable to close Sun roof now opening it to all types of weather. Safety issue not being able to close the Sun roof while transporting passengers especially children. Kia dealership aware and refusing to help. Wind deflector is a known issue for the 2020 telluride sunroof as found by the NHTSA bulletin on this defective part. Dealership refusing to help since out of warranty even though it is a known issue.

Folding outside mirrors get stuck randomly, Back up Camera functions erratically, and worst of all, the Sun Roof jammed open.

My 2020 Kia Telluride completely stalled on me on my way to work. The vehicle was not smoking and it seemed like it went on accessory mode. I had the vehicle towed to Kia Dealership in Perris to get it checked out and was told by Olivia that no codes were read when doing a diagnostic and that my engine seized. I had purchased an extended warranty through AGWS. AGWS reached out to me to request the vehicle service records which I emailed over as Subject: [XXX] to [XXX] Today March 21, 2024 we receive a call from Olivia stating that my warranty will not cover the cost as they're claiming that we failed to service the car. Our vehicle was services as advised and stated using the appropriate Synthetic oil. I was informed that they would be breaking down my engine to see where it went wrong as there were no codes read. They also stated I had to pay for the engine breakdown $200 per hour and it would most likely take 8 hours (According to Kia). Now, I've gone on many online forum and many people have experienced this problem with their 2020 Kia Tellurides all under 75,000.00 miles. I contacted Kia Corporate as well but that got me nowhere. I don't understand how these vehicles don't have a recall as of yet for these seized engines. I also don't understand how following the oil recommendations for oil changes is suddenly considered "Lack of service". No one is willing to work with me and suddenly it's my fault that I bought a faulty vehicle. Thank [XXX] I was able to putt to the shoulder of the freeway safely as this is my family vehicle where I drive with my [XXX] and [XXX] . Please investigate as it could be a possible recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Driver side power folding mirror is malfunctioning. It will sometimes get stuck in one position and won’t retract unless manually repositioned. It has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer. No warning lamps have appeared. A Google search of the issue suggests this may be a common issue with the vehicle make and model.

Our vehicle was flagged for a service campaign recall for the power seat control switch and seat slide knobs. According to the service campaign, the power seat switch back cover can be dislodged resulting in an internal misalignment of the seat motor control switch in certain conditions. When taken to the certified KIA dealership for repair on this recall, we were told the service campaign recall ONLY applied to the passenger side front power seat. The dealership therefore only made the repair to the passenger side seat. Less than 6 weeks after this repair (in Nov 2024), we discovered the driver side power seat stopped functioning in the reverse position. We could move the left driver power seat forward, but the seat would not move backward. This became a significant safety issue as once a shorter person drove the vehicle, a taller person had no means to move the seat aft to safely allow sufficient space for legs/feet on the gas/brake pedals. All other seat position functions worked normal, except for sliding the seat aft on the driver side. It simply would not move aft. The car became unsafe to drive for taller individuals and we had to take it back to our dealership to repair at our cost. The KIA dealership verified the seat failed to move in the aft position and they replaced the driver side switch assembly. The recall campaign details seemed to match the symptoms we had on the driver seat; however, our vehicle VIN only correlated the campaign to the passenger side, NOT both seats. The KIA service manager informed us to contact KIA Customer Care as he felt both seats should have been part of the recall given our issues. KIA Customer Care took note of our issue, but said there is nothing they can do since the recall was only specific to the passenger side of our vehicle. We hope this issue can be resolved for future Telluride owners who may have similar problems given KIA would only repair (as part of the recall) the passenger side & not both seats.

For the past year at least I've had check engine light come on and turn off before being able to get in for a diagnostic. Along with the entire engine shutting down while idling, parking, turning. Whole electrical system failure. Can't move the steering wheel. Have to restart the car and it takes a few tries. Sometimes the car will be off and will not start back up for a while.

OCTOBER 2024 Before the main incident Oct 2024, I started noticing slight changes in the way my KIA was operating: - Delayed response to accelerate when at a light - Tire sensors/ crash collision sensors - Lane assist pulling my off the road or into on coming traffic (random) - Intermittent Power loss while driving. - Lights not working properly. - High beams failed to operate in Sept and was told by Burlington WA KIA there was not a fix for the recall, while there for service/oil change. - Car going into parking brake when not activated. - When stopped in car is in drive, when starting to accelerate the car went in reverse causing me to hit a stump and partially tearing front bumper off. About a week after that incident I was driving home from store and car started randomly pulling car into oncoming lane. Thankfully there was not a vehicle at that time. Car then started having weird fluctuations with speedometer and dash info. Went from 24.7 miles to gal to 38 and kept jumping, experienced more instances of power loss while in drive. Then all of sudden dashboard went haywire. Whole dash lit up and was switching from different drive modes. I started noticing an electrical burning smell and smoke coming from hood. I pulled over not even a mile from home and started to pull everything important from vehicle. Think the car was on fire under the hood. After several minutes of accessing the situation and smoke dissipated, I decided to try and get car home. As I put car in drive it again went in reverse. I put car in park again and then drive and was able to proceed and limp car home. I parked car and took video of the dash light party and video of putting car in drive and it changing randomly. There still was an electrical burn smell on outside and in cab of vehicle. When my husband arrived home I tried to start vehicle to show him and it wouldn't start. So, he thought maybe the battery fried and took bat in to Napa and bought a new battery.

Continues to have issues with dealership to remedy/correct recalls. Have waited for 60+ days since recall remedy was initiated in August 2024 Headlights continue to be a hazzard and due to this we had unfortunate incident of a deer running out and inability to see in the dusk of 6am due to lack of head lights. This has caused immense hardship regarding finances and maintaining a job as we are down one car and Kia has not offered and:or received all parts for any repairs of the recall. Advised if we attempted to fix one recall (power seat) then our “ticket will be closed and you will need to pay out of pocket for the headlights”. However this is not consistent or within the regulations of Recalls and good faith attempts. I have already contacted an attorney to pursue legal counsel. I feel KIA will need to apologize and really earn trust from all consumers as Telluride has been an issue to this day, even newer models. Attached is Allstate claim of the incident on 10/18/24 AND attachments reflecting recall announcements via postal and several follow up appointments since remedy was offered, however no action nor diligence made to correct recalls or follow up as appropriately with us to keep us updated about parts etc. .

the center infotainment screen has turned green. sometimes a hazy green, othertimes almost a solid green which affects the back up camera system when you are trying to back up and not hit anyone or anything. I have brought to the dealership and they stated the head unit is defective and needs replacement. I elevated to Kia Customer Care and they stated that because it is out of the 36,000 mile warranty they would not help. I even stated that as car is not a newer car was not asking for a brand new unit, but asked if they would at least put in a cheaper re-manufactured unit due to the safety issue and they denied that as well. I am on the kia telluride forum and multiple other people are having this issue. this is a defective part and as it is related to a safety issue needs to be replaced and covered by KIA. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My check engine and oil lights have come on more than once around the time of needing an oil change. During that time, the engine bucks, and the RPM revs high and low. The Kia Service Dealer, both times, stated that the light was coming on because the oil was low. The first time they replaced the spark plugs as a precaution, since the check engine light state miss-firing. That didn't fix the problem, because the light came one again right before the next oil change was needed. And this time, the car actually stalled out at a red light. They said the oil was really low the second time. I asked where the oil could be going. They said it wasn't leaking that they could tell, and that Kia says its ok to lose about a quart every 1000 miles. I don't agree with that, especially with a 4 year old car. So I had another family member drive the car while I followed, and sure enough I saw black smoke coming out of the tail pipe. So, the engine is burning the oil. On top of all this, I noticed that the screen (which they just did a software update on) right side compass keeps appearing suddenly and then disappearing, without anyone touching the screen. Then I noticed yesterday, after I parked. The Emergency Brake turned out all by itself, without me pulling the button up. The red light indicator came on also, then turned off and on and off. Lastly, the forward movement button on the driver side button doesn't work, which I thought was supposed to be repaired as part of the last recall. All in all, I am afraid to drive this car because I think the engine or seat is going to catch fire at any moment.

Sunroof went off track and will not close. Took it to the dealership and it will need a totally new sunroof assembly totaling $5,000 because the sunroof got off track on its own.

On Friday [XXX], my vehicle began failing to brake after being in traffic for about 45 minutes. I had to punch the brake with my foot, hitting the floor, and it would continue to roll. It was towed to Courage Kia in Gastonia on [XXX]. On 5/14, they identified an issue with the HECU. Since then, they have been “running tests” with engineering to try to identify the issue. However, I’m seeing years of these complaints online and this can’t be the first time this has happened. I do not have any paperwork yet, because nothing has been done. There were no warning lights on in my car. It is currently available for inspection at Courage Kia in Gastonia. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My 2020 Kia Telluride SX model won’t start, I get an error “Check ESC“. It will also have other warning ligts come on also. The failure from the start seemed like the bad battery and a (TOC TOC) sound was heard when trying to turn it on several times Had the checked the battery and replaced because it was bad, after a month days it began to have the problem again Jumpstarting the car worked but only temporarily. The next day, or within a few hours the same issue of not turning over.