Component/System Failed: Engine — excessive oil consumption and oil leaks leading to complete engine failure requiring full engine replacement. Vehicle is currently at my home and available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: My vehicle became completely inoperable while in use as my primary family transportation. As a parent of three children this has left my family without safe reliable transportation. An inoperable vehicle also creates safety risks related to emergency situations where transportation is critical. Confirmed by Dealer: Yes. An authorized Kia dealership confirmed the engine defect and approved a full engine replacement. The repair has not yet been performed. Inspections: Vehicle has been inspected exclusively at an authorized Kia dealership where all service and maintenance has been performed. Warning Symptoms: This is the third time this vehicle has become inoperable due to what was previously identified as an oil issue but is now confirmed to be an engine defect. Prior to complete failure the vehicle exhibited ongoing oil leaks and excessive oil consumption over an extended period. AAA roadside assistance was contacted and identified possible starter and battery failure believed to be connected to the engine condition. Additional Note: I have identified the federal safety agency complaints from other 2020 Kia Telluride owners reporting identical engine oil consumption and failure issues suggesting a pattern defect.
2020 Kia Telluride driver assistance problems
14 complaints (2% of all complaints for this car). 1 crash reported.
- owner complaints
- 14
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- crashes
- 1
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Warnings8
- Adaptive cruise control4
- Automatic emergency braking2
- Warning1
- Sensing system: camera1
- Blind spot detection1
- Assist1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Kia Telluride driver assistance problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2020 Kia Telluride driver assistance
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Forward collision avoidance: adaptive cruise control
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 20V436000 · Recall details
What 2020 Kia Telluride owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
In February 2026 my vehicle had a front parking sensor error. When i broght it in for repair my shop found a corroded cable in the front parking sensor harness. The mechanic was able to repair the harness...$280 In May 2026 my vehicle this time had a rear parking sensor error. The shop discovered a rear parking sensor harness completely corroded & had to be replaced along with one parking sensor...$715. (The invoice does not include the cost of the sensor as it was purchased separately when diagnosing the front sensor failure) I purchased this vehicle in January 2020 & it has spent its entire life garaged in New York State or in Florida. It has only been driven one winter(2025-2026) in NY State. This is unacceptable! The cost of rear harness alone including tax was over $300!
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.
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.
Vehicle's paint located on the front of the hood and top of roof close to the front windshield has started to delaminate and peel away. The dealer said the vehicle is out of warranty for paint concerns. I know this is a large problem from Kia/Hyundia white vehicles. My son's 2015 Sonata, daughter's 2012 Sorento and now my wife's 2020 Telluride! All thease vehicles are white and all are peel or have been peeling for some time. I just want to get my wife's Telluride repaint to be paid for by Kia since they know this is a know problems and have fixed others.
The pearl white paint on my car started chipping off about a year ago. This morning the roof started peeling heavily. This is ridiculous as the car is just now 4 years old. I’ve never had a car peel ever. The forward collision sensor randomly comes on and says it’s not working. Please fix these issues.
Light always appears on dashboard
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated while her grand-daughter was driving with adaptive cruise control (ACC) mode set at 40 MPH, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and the steering wheel seized, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into a road sign. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that the diver was able to veer to the side of the road as the steering wheel became operable. The vehicle was towed to an autobody repair shop, who informed the contact that the EDR failed to display crash data. The grand-daughter went to the hospital later, and was informed that she had sustained a minor concussion, a disc in the back and the neck. A police report was filed. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure, The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Had my seven year old Granddaughter in my vehicle and was momentarily distracted and the traffic in front of me stopped for geese crossing. I was in cruise control and my forward collision warning system failed to work! No accident as I took the ditch. KIA America Inc. had a voluntary recall for this problem and I took it in to my dealer and they reprogrammed the system. Did not work so I called KIA to see when there would be a recall? They told me to take my vehicle to a different dealer? As this is a safety issue I am concerned and even though they acknowledged it is a problem they seem to not want to do anything!
While I was driving my forward collision warning indicator started flashing on my dashboard while a dinging sound went off. There was nothing around me, then my tire pressure warning started going off while my pressure was fine. The indicators would switch back and forth between both warnings, then my mirror sensors were indicating that something was next to both of my mirrors while nothing was there. Then all of my warning indicators began flashing and continued to flash. Once these issues started my back up camer no longer worked while I was in reverse. I brought my vehicle days later when the issue persisted to the place I bought it and they are ordering a new back up camera with no real explanation. Considering this relates to a collision warning something in the vehicle meant to prevent a collision, not working properly my opinion is this is a safety issue.
Questions about the 2020 Kia Telluride driver assistance
Does the 2020 Kia Telluride have driver assistance problems?
Owners have filed 14 complaints about the driver assistance of the 2020 Kia Telluride, 2% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2020 Kia Telluride driver assistance problems start?
Not enough complaints include the mileage to tell.
Was there a recall on the 2020 Kia Telluride driver assistance?
Yes, 1 recall: 20V436000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Kia Telluride have the most driver assistance problems?
The Kia Telluride model years with the most driver assistance complaints are 2024 (35 complaints), 2021 (26 complaints) and 2023 (21 complaints).
Other 2020 Kia Telluride problems
Lights 185Engine 160Visibility 152Transmission 71Electrical 61Body 56Suspension 33Fuel system 19Brakes 17Acceleration 13Seats 13Steering 10Airbags 4Seat belts 4Locks 1Wheels 1
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