2020 Kia Telluride: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
744 NHTSA owner complaints · 7 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
744 NHTSA owner complaints · 7 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 124.0
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
instrument cluster began failing intermittently (tachometer first, then other gauges), and the dealer determined the entire cluster had to be replaced at a cost of about $3,000. The vehicle had 78,000 miles, so it was outside Kia's 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty.
Vehicle experiences intermittent brake failure at normal and low speeds. No indicator lights are present, no warnings are given.
I attempted to open the moonroof on our 2020 Kia Telluride. When it opened, it was cockeyed and off track. I pushed the button to close it, and I heard a plastic piece break and the moonroof remained stuck open. I took this car to Kia of Olympia, Kia of St. Cloud and Horne Kia, all confirmed that the plastic parts that broke are related to to their issued TCB#BOD319. This is well known and frequent issue on 2020-2022…
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 26V430000 | Seats:Front Assembly:Power Adjust | Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. The front power seat motor may overheat due to a stuck power seat… |
| 24V407000 | Seats:Front Assembly:Power Adjust | Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. The front power seat motor may overheat due to a stuck power sea… |
| 19V594000 | Seat Belts:Rear/Other | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020 Telluride vehicles. The seat belt assemblies in the front passenger, second, and/or thir… |
| 22V626000 | Trailer Hitches | Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Telluride vehicles potentially equipped with a Genuine Kia 4-pin tow hitch harness in… |
| 24V214000 | Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft | Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. The intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft may not be ful… |
| 24V148000 | Exterior Lighting:Headlights | Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020 Telluride vehicles. The high beam headlights may fail.… |
| 20V436000 | Electrical System:Wiring | Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020 Telluride vehicles equipped with Smart Cruise Control (SCC). When a trailer is connected… |
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Exterior Lighting (182 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is AVOID with a reliability score of 22/100, computed from 744 NHTSA complaints and 7 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 7 recall campaign(s) for the 2020 Kia Telluride, 2 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 02/07/2026. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.