KIA Telluride Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 295 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the KIA Telluride across 7 model years. The 2022 model year has the most (69). The words owners use most often: “instrument cluster” (11% of reports).
- 295electrical system complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 6mention a crash
- 4mention an injury
- 4related recalls
- 35%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Instrument cluster: mentioned in 33 of 295 complaints (11%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 26 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 295 complaints, 6 mention a crash, 7 a fire, 4 an injury.
KIA Telluride electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 Telluride | 4 | 15% | — |
| 2025 Telluride | 22 | 18% | 19,500 |
| 2024 Telluride | 49 | 22% | 1,748 |
| 2023 Telluride | 49 | 24% | 19,500 |
| 2022 Telluride | 69 | 21% | 28,000 |
| 2021 Telluride | 42 | 11% | 2,950 |
| 2020 Telluride | 60 | 8% | 26,488 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (4)
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
Model years: 2023
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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.
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
Model years: 2022
Problem: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2022 Telluride vehicles. Excess adhesive in a circuit board within the instrument cluster may cause the instrument cluster display screen to be blank. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Control and Displays."
Risk: A blank instrument cluster display screen will not show critical information, such as the odometer, which can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the instrument cluster assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 15, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC237.
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
Model years: 2022
Problem: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2022 Telluride vehicles. The LCD display screen may remain blank after startup. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 101, "Control and Displays."
Risk: A blank LCD display may be missing information, such as the digital speedometer, gear selection indicator, and odometer, which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the instrument cluster's software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 3, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC215.
Forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control; exterior lighting:brake lights; electrical system:wiring
Model years: 2020
Problem: 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."
Risk: Inoperative trailer brake lights can fail to warn other drivers that the vehicle is slowing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The digital instrument panel cluster went completely black and dead upon vehicle startup, leaving me with zero visibility of my speedometer, safety alerts, or fuel levels while trying to operate the vehicle. Even with completing a short drive, turning off the car for a few minutes and turning it…
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with an electrical bleeding…
Vehicle was sitting all night and entered the garage in the morning and found the radiator fan at full speed. Car was not running, so backed it out, turned it off and the fan turned back on. Took it to a KIA dealer and kept it for a few days and just stated they couldn't duplicate the issue…
While driving the vehicle on the highway attempting to pass a vehicle at 75 mph the car unexpectedly shut completely off. We had to swerve between 2 vehicles narrowly avoiding an accident and the car would not turn back on. Towed to Kia dealership and was told it was simply a sensor that "talks" to…
Power seats malfunction
Frequently asked questions
Do all KIA Tellurides have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 295 owner complaints about electrical system for the KIA Telluride. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the KIA Telluride electrical system?
Yes: 4 safety recalls list electrical system. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the KIA Telluride?
The most frequent phrase is “instrument cluster”, in 33 of 295 complaints.
Other KIA Telluride problems
- Visibility/wiper problems (349)
- Engine problems (334)
- Exterior Lighting problems (209)
- Power Train problems (178)
- Structure problems (157)
See all KIA Telluride problems.