Kia installed voluntary safety recall on my car - SC357 ECM SW UPGRADE (VESC). I drive up and down steep mountain roads. Previous to this installation when I downshifted the transmission it would slow down the car. After the installation, going down two or more gears, the car now speeds up instead of slowing down. It shows on the gas mileage indicator that the mileage is going down instead of up. It would be expected that the gas mileage would increase instead of decrease. The accelerator is not being used when this occurs. It would appear that the car's computer system is causing fuel to be added to the engine to accelerate the car at lower speeds. This is especially dangerous going downhill when a downshift is expected to slow the car. It causes increase use of brakes which can cause the brakes to overheat. I have been able to avoid overheating the brakes but this is not a safe situation. Supporting the theory that the car is using fuel to accelerate in lower gears is the fact that my gas mileage has decreased about 1.5 to 2 miles per gallon on a tank full of gas.
The worst 2023 Kia Telluride problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical53
- Visibility38
- Engine27
- Transmission25
- Driver assistance21
- Acceleration15
- Body14
- Fuel system10
- Steering10
- Seat belts8
- Suspension8
- Brakes7
- Airbags5
- Seats4
- Lights1
- Wheels1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2023 Kia Telluride
Windshield crack 27Sunroof shattered 15Fuel gauge 14Adaptive cruise 6Screen failure 6Battery drain 5Loss of power 5Power steering loss 5
Trouble codes owners of the 2023 Kia Telluride mention
P0741 2
Recalls 6
Seats: front assembly: power adjust
- What is wrong
- Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. The front power seat motor may overheat due to a stuck power seat slide knob or an improper recall 24V407 repair, which can result in a fire while parked or driving.
- Risk
- A fire increases the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install an electronic fuse assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 13, 2026. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC374. This recall replaces the federal safety agency recall number 24V407. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on beginning July 17, 2026.
Recall number 26V430000 · Recall details
Structure: exterior trim
- What is wrong
- Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Telluride vehicles. The door belt molding trim can delaminate and detach from the vehicle.
- Risk
- A detached trim piece can become a road hazard for other vehicles, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace the belt molding trim assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800‑333‑4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC347.
Recall number 25V494000 · Recall details
Seats: front assembly: power adjust
- What is wrong
- Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. The front power seat motor may overheat due to a stuck power seat slide knob, which can result in a fire while parked or driving.
- Risk
- A fire increases the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install a bracket for the power seat switch back covers and replace the seat slide knobs, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 30, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC316.
Recall number 24V407000 · Recall details
Power train: driveline: driveshaft
- What is wrong
- Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2024 Telluride vehicles. The intermediate shaft and right front driveshaft may not be fully engaged, which can result in vehicle roll away while in PARK.
- Risk
- A vehicle roll away increases the risk of a crash or injury.
- Remedy
- Owners are advised to manually engage the emergency parking brake prior to exiting the vehicle until the recall remedy is performed. Dealers will update the electronic parking brake software and replace any damaged intermediate shafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 15, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC303.
Recall number 24V214000 · Recall details
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
- What is wrong
- 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.
- Remedy
- 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.
Recall number 23V298000 · Recall details
Air bags: side/window
- What is wrong
- Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Telluride vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the wire harnesses for the second row seat side air bags may become damaged, causing them not to deploy in the event of a crash.
- Risk
- Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect and replace, or secure the air bag wire harnesses, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 28, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC262.
Recall number 23V035000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2023 Kia Telluride 74
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Oil filter housing gasket replacement (WTY045)
- Owner notification (WTY045)
- Reimbursement form (WTY045)
- Question and answer (WTY045)
- Dealer principal memo (WTY045)
- Dealer parts and service manager memo (WTY045)
- Self-leveling rear shock absorber inspection/replacement (WTY040)
- Self-leveling rear shock absorber inspection/replacement (WTY040)
- Request for reimbursement form (WTY040)
- Owner notification (WTY040)
2023 Kia Telluride fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.8L 6‑cyl | FWD | 20 | 26 | 23 |
| 3.8L 6‑cyl | AWD | 18 | 24 | 21 |
What 2023 Kia Telluride owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
My 2023 Kia Telluride started leaking water to the inside of the vehicle headliner and running out the 2nd row reading lights and all the way tobthe back hatch when it rained. This could cause significant electrical shortage in the lights, airbags and rear hatch or any other component the water makes contact with. It will most likely now cause mold in or on the headliner. When the vehicle was recently at the dealer for yet another set of recalls along with an extended warranty repair of the electronic thermostat, the service rep noticed water coming out of the headliner area on the driver side when driving it around to the shop. The service tech then pulled down part of the head liner on the opposite passenger side and borescoped the sunroof/panaramic drain tube on the passenger side and found that a hole was "chaffed" in the drain tube. They did not borehole any others at this time but with the service rep saying she saw water on the driver side it is believed that the drain tube on that side also has a hole. This is a manufacturer defect.
Within the last two weeks the vehicle has died approximately 8-10 times. Dealership checked the battery and found it to be in good condition. Approximately two weeks ago I walked outside and the cooling fan was on after the vehicle was parked for more than four hours. To this day the dealership can’t figure out why the cars battery is constantly dying. I believe the cars cooling fan turns on by itself and drains the battery. I am also concerned the fan turning on randomly on its own will create a fire risk due to it running for an extended period of time while the vehicle is turned off. I have video to support my claim of the fan turning on by itself.
My car just started making a knocking sound when I turn. Brought it in for diagnoses and was told it's the AWD Coupler, WHICH is a part of the powertrain component, but it's not covered under my 100,000 powertrain warranty, and is only covered up to 60,000 miles. This is a known issue according to Facebook, blogs, and reddit and many Kia users have had the same problem on their cars. It should be a recall and fixed if it's happening so frequently.
There was a low-speed collision with a deer (approximately 10-15 mph). The vehicle continued to run fine after the collision and we were able to drive it home. After the next start, the engine was shaking all over and started smoking from behind the engine. The battery was disconnected but it continued to smoke. After further inspection, we were able to find a fire and extinguished it using a fire extinguisher. We had issues with this car prior to the collision where the engine would misfire after the car would get wet, but would only produce temporary codes. This was checked out by the dealer and we were told there's nothing that they can do. A few weeks prior to the collision it happened again and the check engine light went to a confirmed/permanent code and it was related to cylinder misfires. If we would not have had a fire extinguisher or had been able to roll it away from the house, the occupants, vehicle, and house would have been in danger of the fire. The source of the ignition has been confirmed to be the ignition coils, but the root cause of this has not been determined and it has just been assumed that it is related to the collision, without an actual root cause identification.
The vehicle electrical system could be a fire hazard since the vehicle electrical system is incurring parasitic draw down of the battery. Believe there is a class action lawsuit filed relating to the problem. It is well known issue wit KIA Corp while the dealerships play dumb. Thank you.
I was involved in a rear end collision, with the SUV behind me going 65mph and my vehicle only at approx. 20mph. I was then pushed into the car, which I struck in front of me. My airbags did not deploy and though I was wearing my seat belt I was still propelled upward cutting my eye on the visor and bruising on my chin and lower lip from the steering wheel. I am concerned as to why the air bags did not deploy or the seatbelt lock. The damage was significant and my vehicle including the one that rear ended me are both totaled. Can this be looked into?
While driving down a highway, the front sunroof glass exploded.
Screen go black or blanks out. Sometime when shifting from reverse to drive the reverse screen stay on.
Three times over the past year minor debris or small rocks have hit the windshield causing major spidering affects that have run all across the windshield. Even when using the windshield repair kits.
Compare the 2023 Kia Telluride
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Other model years
Questions about the 2023 Kia Telluride
Is the 2023 Kia Telluride reliable?
Owners have filed 214 complaints about the 2023 Kia Telluride, fewer than a typical Telluride model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2023 Kia Telluride?
Electrical system, with 53 complaints, typically around 30,000 miles. Next is visibility (38).
How many recalls does the 2023 Kia Telluride have?
6 recalls, covering seats, structure and power train.
Was there a recall on the 2023 Kia Telluride electrical?
Yes, 1 recall: 23V298000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Kia Telluride have the most electrical problems?
The Kia Telluride model years with the most electrical complaints are 2022 (70 complaints), 2020 (61 complaints) and 2023 (53 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2023 Kia Telluride get?
Official estimates for the 2023 Kia Telluride range from 21 to 23 mpg combined. The most efficient version (3.8L 6-cyl, FWD) gets 20 city and 26 highway.
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