Despite being warned about the brand, a woman purchased a Kia Telluride. She decided that it looked great and decided to give this three-row SUV a chance. However, it only took two weeks for frustrating problems to spread like wildfire. 

Why one woman regrets buying her Kia Telluride 

TikTok user and 2024 Kia Telluride owner, @melissadesm, is here to share the problems she’s faced with her SUV. 

She likes the way it looks, and her friends have one; they love it. So, despite people warning her not to buy a Kia, she decided to buy the Telluride. 

Then, as little as two weeks later, frustrating issues started up like a plague. The rear-passenger door handle broke and was hanging by a wire. A week later, her entire dash lit up, and the speedometer stopped working. 

The lights on her shifter went out, so she doesn’t know what gear she’s in. Also, sometimes the power steering goes out, making it difficult to maneuver. 

On her way to a service appointment to diagnose some of these weird problems, she lost power. The Kia Telluride got stuck in drive, but wouldn’t move.  

People warned her about a recall involving the seats catching on fire. But her dealership told her that it’s illegal to sell vehicles under recall before they’re fixed. Then she got a letter in the mail about her SUV being included in the recall. 

Here’s the kicker. While things are being repaired under warranty, her loaner vehicle is the Nissan Rogue that she traded for the Telluride. 

I’ve reached out to melissadesm to see what the dealership found. 

How reliable is the Telluride? 

According to J.D.Power, the 2024 Kia Telluride has a reliability rating of 86 out of 100. This is a pretty high score. Anything between 70 and 80 is average, while scores between 81 and 91 are above average. Rankings between 91 and 100 are best. 

It also has a high dependability score, and critics often praise this SUV for its quality. An average Telluride model is expected to last between 200,000 and 250,000 miles. That’s not as long as Toyota SUVs can make it, but it’s also not bad. 

What are common Telluride problems?

Kia Telluride owners have complained of electrical problems. The dashboards suddenly go black, the GPS fails, the speedometer goes blank, and cruise control stops working. 

There are also a fair number of complaints related to windshield cracking. Reportedly, large cracks form despite not being hit by rocks or other debris. 

Other drivers complained about the transmission slipping, cracks in the oil pan, coolant leaks, breaking trim pieces, and exploding sunroofs. 

It seems like Melissa may only be struggling with electrical issues, but perhaps she will respond to my message with more information!