2020 Kia Telluride: engine knocking or ticking

Filed Oct 1, 2026 · Engine · MI

On September 24th, 2026, while traveling with my family in my 2020, KIA, Telluride, the vehicle began experiencing an unusual engine vibration approximately 200 miles into our trip. About five miles later, I exited the freeway and stopped to inspect it. Once stopped, the engine began knocking loudly. I checked the engine oil and coolant levels; both appeared normal, and the temperature gauge was at its usual reading. After waiting about five minutes, I restarted the vehicle, but the knocking became worse with each start. I stopped running the engine and had the vehicle towed to a Kia service center. The vehicle had approximately 99,350 miles. The shop has described the engine problem as a “catastrophic failure.” The cause and specific failed components are cannot be identified in this kind of failure. This sudden failure during freeway travel with my family created a serious safety concern and I am sure this needs to notified so that it doesn't happen to anyone who own's the same car. There are particles of metal shavings found in Oil filter which concludes engine failure with no explanation. Only option I am given is get the engine swap which is ~70% of the total cost of the car. Kia support just says since the car is out of warranty they cannot do anything about it. This is a serious durability issue. I totally understand that the car warranty was reduced for the 2nd owner, but first user could also get this problem on the freeway and can be dangerous for everyone driving in the car as i am still under 100,000miles. I am trying to spread awareness, Kia already acknowledges that consuming 1qtz of oil every 1000 miles is normal, which means the engine has a issue that Hyundai/Kia needs to fix before more family starts facing this with even worse situation than ours. Please look into this so that they can acknowledge fix the problem and opens a recall for fixing it.

Filed Oct 1, 2026 · Engine, Suspension · NC

Purchased vehicle 8/31/2021 - 32k miles 10/18/21 - first mention of oil consumption (opened case with Kia) 2023,2025,2026. 3 more cases filed and DENIED with Kia customer care. Filed BBB claim, filed BBB anutoline claim, also hired lemon lawyer. Kia offered $6k to go away (I declined). *July 18,2026 Kia finally diagnosis and recommends engine replacement. Bore scope was used to discover scoring on cylinders from significant oil consumption. Vehicle is now smoking at take off (112k miles), current open case with Kia customer care again. Requesting buyback or settlement for the 3rd time in 5 years. Still paying $600 a month Safety concern: on a trip out of state vehicle dash lit up every icon and went dead in the middle of a packed 4 lane highway , started with power steering, no lights, no horn , couldn't roll window down.(video avail) Vehicle towed to dealership. Had replaced battery 2 times already. This has happened twice and my family was in the vehicle once on the large highway, very scary no one knew we were broke down bc we had no way to show it. People blowing and zooming by mad. Low oil light doesn't exist on this vehicle, I've been bone dry with no indication EVER. I now ride around with a 5 quart jug of oil and funnel in the back of my car since 72,000 miles. This should be illegal. Rear suspension: 4 times the rear suspension has been replaced (7 times in the shop to be fixed one time over 30 days) and has never been fixed , now making the same knocking noise it's always made. The car is a lemon and Kia knows it and will not stand behind their product. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE, kia has been notified numerous times in every avenue and every way I could communicate, they say "we will call you with an update when we have one" that call NEVER happens.

Filed Sep 6, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · UT

My engine failed from burning oil, even though the car has been maintained its whole life, 14 documented oil changes, roughly every 5,000 miles. • Jiffy-lube shop found the crankcase completely bone dry, only 4,344 miles after the last oil change. No reading on the dipstick. They added 6 quarts. Engine was knocking before and after. • No oil warning light ever came on, and no low-oil warning, just a check engine light and the knocking. • Towed same day to an independent shop. They found code P0524 (engine oil pressure too low) and say the internal noise is probably a rod bearing. Engine needs to be replaced. • The car goes into limp mode while driving. On the highway it dropped from 60 mph to 20 mph in live traffic with no warning. I couldn't safely get to an exit. • That's about 1.4 quarts per 1,000 miles, Kia's own bulletin ENG222 calls 1 quart per 1,000 excessive. • The car is not drivable, hasn't been repaired. This happened around 3 months after purchasing it second hand. Lots of other 2020 Telluride owners are reporting the same oil consumption problem.

Filed Jun 8, 2026 · Engine · MD

Vehicle experienced catastrophic engine failure while traveling approximately 70 mph on a highway. I heard a loud popping noise and immediately lost power. The vehicle would no longer accelerate normally and I was forced to pull over. White smoke was visible from the engine compartment, and a large amount of engine oil leaked from the vehicle. This failure created a safety risk because it occurred at highway speed, resulting in sudden loss of power while traveling with surrounding traffic. The vehicle required towing and could not be driven from the scene. Prior to the failure, the vehicle had exhibited symptoms beginning around May 11, 2026. A check engine light illuminated and an independent mechanic diagnosed a cylinder 3 misfire and replaced the ignition coil. Following that repair, the check engine light returned. Additional symptoms included stalling at idle, knocking noises from the engine, and intermittent oil pressure warning lights. The vehicle was subsequently inspected by an independent mechanic who diagnosed a thrown connecting rod with damage to the engine block, including a hole in the engine near the transmission area. The mechanic advised that the engine requires replacement. The damaged engine is currently available for inspection. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer. No injuries or crash occurred, but the sudden engine failure and loss of power at highway speed created a significant safety concern.

Filed May 22, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · OH

Following a recent $9,000 engine replacement performed by an authorized Kia dealership, my vehicle suffered a catastrophic, simultaneous mechanical and electronic systems failure while in operation. Without warning, the vehicle triggered the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) and entered "Limp Home Mode," severely restricting vehicle power. Immediately following this, the vehicle experienced a total loss of essential safety and driving controls: Steering Failure: The power steering completely locked up, creating an imminent crash hazard. Dashboard & Gauge Failure: All dashboard warning lights illuminated simultaneously, and the speedometer completely stopped functioning, leaving me unable to monitor vehicle speed. Powertrain & Shifting Malfunction: When brought to a stop and placed into "Park," the vehicle's electronic systems failed to recognize the gear change, indicating on the dashboard that the vehicle was still in "Drive." This created a severe vehicle roll-away risk. Ignition Failure: The vehicle completely refused to shut off or power down when the ignition button was pressed. This event represents an extreme safety hazard involving sudden loss of vehicle control, steering immobilization, roll-away risk, and primary electronic communication failure immediately following a major manufacturer warranty/recall repair. The vehicle is currently un-driveable.

Filed May 9, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · KS

I had my most recent oil change on 2/20/26, and on 5/2/26 , the check engine light came on and I heard a knocking sound. I checked the dipstick and it was below the “low” mark. I hadn’t driven 3k miles yet!! I had to purchase 2 quarts of SAE 5w 30 oil to put into it. My vehicle is consuming more than 1 quart per 1000 miles.

Filed Mar 12, 2026 · Engine, Transmission · KS

The engine is stalling, knocking and the check engine light will occasionally come on. You can smell carbon monoxide and hot oil. We are having to add a quart of oil weekly.

Filed Dec 2, 2025 · Engine · OK

I was driving down the road and the engine started suddenly making a loud knocking noise. The car was immediately pulled over and put in park and towed to mechanic shop. Mechanic shop stated there was no oil on the engine dipstick and the engine was ruined due to lack of oil. No oil leaks were found. The car is kept in the garage and there is no oil on garage floor that would indicate a leak. The car was maintained with full synthetic oil changes every 6,000 miles. There was no indicator light on dash to alert to an oil problem. I called Kia to report concern, as there is a class action lawsuit for this engine issue in other models, but was told there was no lawsuit or recall with the specific model of engine in my car.

Filed Aug 22, 2025 · Engine · OR

Vehicle burns oil, current mileage at 169k. User manual indicates 7500-10000 miles between changes, I am original owner. Dealership service set for 5k intervals since purchase and done on time. At 99k noticed noises from engine, light rattling but couldn't replicate and couldn't pinpoint at dealership service. At 112k noticed burning oil and rattling noises when accelerating from stop. Changed to 3k oil change intervals, began using premium fuel. 1quart of oil at 0-1000 miles from oil change (had a consumption test at dealership and confirmed "normal" at 112k), sub sequential mileage burns more than 1quart between 1k intervals, can easily burn through 4-5quarts between 3k oil changes. Oil smells slightly like gasoline closer to oil change time. Outside mechanic confirmed rattling as detonation. Concerns of oil not "burning" but mixing with fuel either through oil vapors getting through PCV valve and diluting fuel octane causing rattling. Knock sensor suppresses from causing engine damage, but still happens. Fuel may be getting into the oil, not sure how, but wouldn't explain detonation. No codes, no other issues. Only check engine light since rattling noticed at 99k was failing O2 bank 2 sensor which was replaced by licensed mechanic with OEM parts. The amount of additional oil maintenance and changes were not disclosed on expected maintenance costs sheet posted on vehicles, nor is it communicated in the users manual. Personal opinion is the additional maintenance between changes is unreasonable, and oil isn't "burning" but leaking into the combustion chamber.

Filed Jul 7, 2025 · Engine · TN

Our Kia Telluride had engine failure and a leaking oil pan. There were no warning messages or lamps at all.We noticed a blue smoke coming from the engine upon acceleration and a knocking noise from engine. We took it to a local repair shop and they said the engine was shot. We needed a new engine and a new oil pan as well as an oil change.

Filed Oct 8, 2024 · Engine, Transmission · FL · fire

We contacted Kia US after taking the Kia Telluride to a Kia service station for an oil change.The service tech told us that they were not going to do an oil change because,”the Telluride was a ticking time bomb.” This was said in front of the Kia service Mgr.We were very nervous driving the vehicle because no one explained what that meant.Shortly after the service appointment, the Telluride’s engine caught on fire.We call Kia US that same day to open up a case.We explained all the issues we had with the Telluride (windshield issues, headlight issues, main display screen issues, luggage rack issues, sunroof, drive shaft, wiper fluid filter issues), to include the engine. After paying an attorney to provide all documents that Kia US requested from us, including every oil change receipt for the Telluride, Kia US only offered to only pay for the parts for the driveshaft/engine fire issues. To make matters worse, the Kia service department said that the 100+ parts needed to repair the engine, were on back order. Our Telluride’s engine caught fire in April and Kia US has done nothing for us, even though the issues are under 2 recalls. This is unacceptable for a manufacturer to ignore recalls, especially when it comes to the safety of people, families and children. We contacted Kia US for 6 months with no help from them. We sent registered/certified letters to Kia US executives, legal Dept, Kia Finance and the last communication from Kia US was that they are not doing anything for us- no repairs for the recalls, even though we mentioned the recalls associated with our Vin/Telluride. They are completely disregarding the entire situation. Since then, we have had to find another option for transportation since we have been without the Telluride for 6 months. Kia US needs to take back the Telluride and either provide us with a safe/working vehicle or reimburse us for what we have spent on the Telluride. Thank you for your assistance. Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (

Filed Aug 2, 2024 · Engine · 78,000 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated while driving at slow speeds, the contact had driven over the tire tread from a tractor trailer. Due to the failure, several warning lights appeared on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was serviced; however, the warning lights appeared back on the instrument panel soon after return of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic where it remained for over two weeks. The contact reached out to the mechanic and was informed that an abnormal knocking sound was coming from the engine. The mechanic then towed the vehicle to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed. The contact was later informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.