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Kia Telluride headlights problems

194 of the 2,089 owner complaints about the Kia Telluride describe headlights failing or too dim, most of them for the 2020 model year.

owner complaints
194
worst model year
2020
typical repair cost reported
$1,800
typical mileage
12,000
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below

By model year

What owners say

Filed Nov 8, 2026 · Lights · MN

Passenger side headlamp turns on and off intermittently. This is the second time this has happened to my vehicle. First time was melted wiring, was fixed under warranty. Roughly 18 months later the issue is back. Either light turns on and off by itself or I can pop the hood each and every time, wiggle the wires until it turns back on.

Filed Oct 9, 2026 · Lights · MN

My low beam passenger side headlight started turning on and off randomly. Now it’s both low and high beams. Some days it is on when I start the vehicle and then turns off while driving and vise versa. Some days there is a dash light with it, and some days there is not. Some days it is out all day, while other days it works all day. Then I can get in the vehicle the next day and it turns on and off sparatically.

Filed Oct 2, 2026 · Lights · GA

LED running light of driver's side headlamp assembly inoperable On 10/14/24 BOTH headlamp assemblies were under recall warranty and replaced at Sons Kia in McDonough GA. On 10/8/25 I returned to Sons Kia for service and to have the LED checked on the driver's side as it was no longer operable, less than a year after replacement. I was advised there was no warranty on the LED running light but only the halogen bulb. They priced this headlamp assembly replacement cost at $1169. I believe Kia should accept responsibility of the failure of the new assembly that they sent a recall for and replace this one assembly at no charge to the customer. Kia Customer Service stated this was under warranty but denied by dealership service manager

Filed Sep 29, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · MI

Everything with paint that everyone else with the pearl color is dealing with flaked all off .. electrical my seat caught on fire ... lighting headlights constantlyfail have changed multiple.. I can keep going on but there isnt enough time or room

Filed Sep 14, 2026 · Lights · OK

One year ago, my headlight warning came on while driving back to [XXX] from [XXX]. I pulled over and tried wiggling my connector to my light which stopped the waring. I thought maybe just the bad roads had caused the connection to come apart. Throughout the year, the problem has happened. About 4 weeks ago the warning came back on but his time a triangle warning also appeared. I took it into the Lawton Kia dealership to be checked out. I was told it was due to my moister bearing being wet and needed to be changes with my head lights. I approved the work and this was done a week later when the parts were in. With in the week, the light came back on. I took it back in and was told that the headlight along with the pigtail was burnt and both needed to be replaced. the work in going to be over 1300 dollars. My warrant has expired and my extended warranty does not cover replacement of the head lights. At the time this started, my car was still in warranty, and I should have taken it in by I really thought it was loss connections due to the bad roads in [XXX]. I had not driven my vehicle at night since replacing the headlight bulb but if the light burned the pig tail, then this is a defect in the manufacture of this vehicle. I have filled a case Study with Kia but they do not willing to do anything about this because there is not a recall at this time for the headlights. My case is # XXX. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 22, 2026 · Lights · TX

The factory-installed driver/passenger side LED headlight assembly suffered a sudden, total internal electrical failure while driving at night, causing an immediate loss of forward visibility and creating a severe crash hazard. This is a known, systemic manufacturing defect affecting premium trims (SX/SX-Prestige) of the 2020 Kia Telluride. The housing seals degrade prematurely, allowing condensation to become trapped inside the unit. This moisture corrodes the internal circuit boards and shorts out the electrical modules, completely disabling the high beams, low beams, and running lights. Because these LED units are entirely sealed, they cannot be serviced or repaired by changing a bulb; the entire expensive structural component must be replaced. Kia is fully aware of 2020 Telluride headlight failures and issued Safety Recall SC299 (the federal safety agency Campaign 24V148000) to address them. However, Kia arbitrarily limited that safety recall to lower trims utilizing halogen assemblies. Premium trims utilizing LED assemblies are experiencing the exact same catastrophic loss of nighttime illumination due to internal electrical failures, yet owners are being forced to pay out-of-pocket to fix an inherent safety defect. the federal safety agency needs to mandate that Kia expand Campaign SC299 to include all 2020 Telluride trim levels equipped with LED headlight assemblies before this widespread visibility failure causes a fatal nighttime collision.

Filed Jul 3, 2026 · Body, Lights · TX

My right headlight stopped working, even after replacing bulb several times. The exterior paint is chipping from different areas. The middle seat seatbelts middle and behind driver keep getting stuck, they will not retract. My vehicle is only 4 years old it started with the headlight issue within 2 years. Now the seatbelts and paint, this vehicle has been a pain.

Filed Jun 18, 2026 · Lights · PA

SC299 (high‑beam headlight failure) is actually a safety defect tied to visibility and part of a recall which my telluride falls just outside of

Filed Jun 8, 2026 · Airbags, Electrical · 71,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2022 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, the side view mirror's blind-spot system generated phantom alerts while there was no object nearby. Additionally, the headlights inadvertently fluctuated between dim (low beam) and extremely bright (high beam) settings. The instrument cluster displayed that the vehicle unintendedly switched to Smart Drive Mode but failed to display the transmission gears. The trunk button intermittently failed to operate as needed. The back over prevention sensing system failed to alert that there was an object behind the vehicle while reversing. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure, but twenty-six history trouble codes were retrieved, indicating the power steering, ABS, air bags, blind spot collision, front radar, and Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) malfunctions. The contact stated that prior to the failure, a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign: SC357 Engine Control Unit (ECU) was performed on the vehicle; however, the dealer informed the contact that the failure was not related. The dealer recalibrated the front radar, but the failure recurred at night while driving. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

Filed Apr 1, 2026 · Lights · PA

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the high beam headlights failed to illuminate as intended, and the vehicle shuddered before losing automotive power. No warning light was illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the warning lights failed to illuminate as designed when the engine oil level was low. The vehicle was taken to a local Auto Zone, where the relay and high beam headlights were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. An appointment with the dealer was scheduled to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency Campaign: 24V148000 (Exterior Lighting); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.

Related recalls

Exterior lighting: headlightsReported February 26, 2024 · 35,031 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020 Telluride vehicles. The high beam headlights may fail.
Risk
Inoperable high beam headlights may reduce visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and repair or replace the high beam headlights, as necessary free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 9, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1‑800‑333‑4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC299.

Recall number 24V148000 · Recall details

Questions about the Kia Telluride headlights

Which Kia Telluride years have headlights failing or too dim problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2020 (168 complaints), 2022 (11 complaints) and 2021 (10 complaints).

How much does it cost to fix headlights failing or too dim on the Kia Telluride?

Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $1,800 (median of 15 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.

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