Kia Telluride key fob problems

Filed Oct 8, 2026 · Electrical, Transmission · WI

While driving the vehicle on the highway attempting to pass a vehicle at 75 mph the car unexpectedly shut completely off. We had to swerve between 2 vehicles narrowly avoiding an accident and the car would not turn back on. Towed to Kia dealership and was told it was simply a sensor that "talks" to the key fob which caused the car to shut off without warning. Dealership claimed it was fixed but there was no warning lights or notice of the failure. Since the dealership "fixed" the issue now the car is continuously running a check engine failure code and now the dealership claims it's the catalytic converters failing and needing to be replaced. Vehicle was inspected by the Kia dealership that it was purchased from.

Filed Sep 30, 2026 · Wheels · CA

On XXX, I picked up a rental vehicle from the Budget Car Rental branch at [XXX] (SJC) for a family trip. On XXX, while driving through a remote mountain area near [XXX], the rear tire suffered a catastrophic and sudden pressure failure, dropping instantly to 0 PSI. Upon inspecting the failed tire, I discovered severe, pre-existing mechanical negligence: the entire inside edge of the tire tread was completely bald with structural steel belts and cords fully exposed. Most shockingly, upon inspecting the vehicle's keys, I discovered that the rental agency had full, documented prior knowledge of this dangerous defect. The words "Tires Bald" were explicitly handwritten by the fleet maintenance team directly onto the corporate barcode key tag attached to the key fob. The rental agency negligently bypassed their own safety tag and deployed an illegal, unroadworthy vehicle into commercial service. This gross safety violation directly endangered my family, including my [XXX] father, [XXX] mother, and wife, while navigating winding mountain passes in Yosemite National Forest at night. A high-speed blowout under these conditions could have easily resulted in a fatal rollover accident. The rental company has since admitted absolute fault by fully refunding the rental contract (Budget Confirmation: XXX/ Costco Travel Confirmation: XXX). I am filing this official safety report because renting out a vehicle with documented bald tires and exposed steel belts constitutes an extreme public safety hazard and a violation of federal vehicle safety standards. Photographic proof of the tire cords, dashboard system warnings, and the "Tires Bald" corporate key tag are attached to this report for investigation. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 6, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · TN

My 2023 Kia Telluride (VIN [XXX]) has an intermittent no-start/no-crank defect that has occurred on four separate occasions between [XXX] and [XXX] (mileage range 49,850–51,180). In each occurrence, the dashboard and infotainment system power on normally, but the engine will not crank when the start button is pressed, with both key fobs. The fault clears itself with no consistent trigger, making it undetectable by standard diagnostic scans after the fact. The vehicle was taken to Kia of Cleveland (2492 South Lee Highway, Cleveland, TN 37311) three times. On the first two visits (6/18/26 and 7/1/26) the dealer could not duplicate the fault and returned the vehicle unrepaired. On the third visit (7/17/26–7/27/26), the dealer successfully duplicated the no-start condition both on the vehicle and on a bench test after removing the starter, and replaced the starter under warranty (part #36100-3L160). Despite this confirmed and completed repair, the identical no-start condition recurred on [XXX], only 10 days and approximately 250 miles later. This is a safety issue: on [XXX], my wife was attempting to leave for work with our twin 5-year-old daughters in the vehicle when it failed to start. This is the type of defect that could strand occupants in unsafe locations or conditions (heat, cold, traffic, isolated areas) with no warning and no reliable workaround. I have video evidence of the [XXX] incident showing the vehicle's instrument cluster and infotainment fully powered with a no-crank condition, timestamped and showing the odometer reading. I am filing this complaint because the defect has now defeated a dealer-confirmed and dealer-executed repair, suggesting a root cause (such as an immobilizer/smart-key system fault, IBU communication failure, or intermittent wiring/ground fault) that has not yet been correctly identified. I am concurrently requesting a vehicle replacement from Kia America under Case #[XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Feb 26, 2026 · Locks · 25,000 miles · AL

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while attempting to enter the vehicle, it was discovered that the doors failed to open electronically while using the key fob. While attempting to use the key to manually unlock the doors, the contact was unable to unlock the doors. The contact indicated that the hatch back door also failed to open. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 25,000.

Filed Jan 30, 2026 · NC

Vehicle locked while key fob was inside, resulting in infant being locked inside the car. At no point was a lock command engaged. No warning alerts or safety override activated. Incident posed a serious child safety risk. Vehicle required external intervention to unlock. Dealership and manufacturer have been notified, waiting for response.

Filed Dec 23, 2025 · Engine · FL

0n 12-23-2025 I left our Kia Telluride with the engine running for 4 hours in our cul-de-sac. Eventually our neighbors told us the vehicle was running. The car was unlocked and the key fob was not inside. I know, stupid thing to do. I had to move the vehicle for an appliance delivery and accidentally left it is running. Approx nine months prior my wife thought she had pushed the button to turn vehicle off after parking in the garage and shutting the door. I was not home, but I received a notification on my phone from KIA Connect that the engine had been running for nearly an hour. I immediately contacted my wife, and she turned the car off. This is an extremely dangerous condition to ignore. For today's occurrence in the cul-de-sac, I did not receive a notification. I've learned that was because I let the Kia Connect App, Ultimate Tier package expires after the 1-year free trial subscription ended. It's my opinion that the extended, unattended run detection feature should be part of the vehicle and not behind a pay-walling APP. My GMC 2024 Yukon has 15 minute unattended shut down integrated into the vehicle. So, a precedence of a safety concern and of available engineering has been recognized by some auto manufacturers. Please don't ignore this condition.

Filed Nov 11, 2025 · Electrical · NY

After a few months from purchasing (9/2022), I noticed some weird electrical issues occurring. The first thing I noticed was that sometimes the rear wiper blades would turn on automatically when shifting in reverse when the wiper blades were off. I would turn the rear wiper blades on then off repeated times until they finally stayed in off mode. As time went on, then the drivers side window would roll down automatically after starting the vehicle, and it would not shut all the way after pressing the button. I would have to hold the up button when turning the engine off, just so the window would remain completely closed when parked. Sometimes, this would continue for a week or more...then it would go back to normal for a few months. These issues would continue and others started to arise such as the check engine lights, low battery etc. appearing while starting the vehicle. Sometimes it would say that the engine is on, when it wasn't...so I would hear a warning signal when trying to leave the vehicle with my key fob. I would have to press the stop engine button and wait for it to say that the engine is off. This evolved into the car struggling to start...with a repeated clicking noise being heard. All warning and hazard notifications appear on the main screen and the driver's side window rolls down by itself and it takes 5-7 minutes for it to start, but eventually does. This has been going on now for since March of 2024...so it's not a battery issue, or a starter issue...but based on the nature of these malfunctions...it is electrical issues...which can pose a serious safety threat...especially with a potential electrical fire. What are our options for a potential manufacturer recall? As of this writing, it took roughly 20 minutes to start my vehicle, as it is very cold in Rochester, NY. I recently had my vehicle fully serviced (8/25) and it wasn’t acting up at the time so they couldn’t pinpoint any electrical issues. I took videos of the incidents.

Filed Feb 11, 2025 · Electrical · CO

2 Electrical Related Issues: 1. The car's ON/OFF button will not engage with key fob inside the vehicle. Can only start the car with remote start (this first occurred on 2/3/25; Peak Kia Service was called on 2/4/2025 and service scheduled for 2/12/2025) 2. Car battery died unexpectedly and within 3 months of ownership (2/11/2025) - Put my own safety at risk as I was in a dark parking lot and my car, while it would unlock, would not turn on - Car battery dying unexpectedly puts my and my children's safety at risk particularly when confronted with cold temperatures and the inability to use the vehicle unexpectedly AAA was called on 2/11/25 and they found the battery had an unusual drain registering 340/800. The car was jumped and left running for 30 minutes. Peak Kia was made aware of the issue with the non-start issue on 2/4/2025, they gave me verbal confirmation they have had no known issues with this, specific to the Kia Telluride. No warning signs prior to either issue.

Filed Jul 6, 2024 · Electrical · VA

All 4 windows have an Auto up/down feature on the driver door switches. Intermittently the auto up/down feature does not work on 1 of the 4 windows randomly. If I roll all 4 windows down for example and then decide to roll all 4 up, sometimes 3 out of the 4 windows will roll up auto with 1 touch, and the random 1 window that decides to not roll up automatically will work by holding the button up manually and then resetting it by continuing to hold up while the window is all the up for 3-5 seconds. This fixes it temporarily until the next time. I can not recreate the problem, if I use the key fob and hold the unlock bottom to open all 4 windows, sometimes 3 out of the 4 windows will open and the last one has to be manually reset. The dealership looked at it and reset the window they mentioned, the problem still exists. Could go without an issue for a few days or multiple times a day and it's any of the 4 windows at any time.

Filed Jun 19, 2024 · Visibility · KS

The side mirrors don’t fully retract, when the doors are locked or unlocked via the key fob nor depressing the lock/unlock button on the driver door. The side mirrors also stopped working as the driver walks near the vehicle with the key fob. This is a safety issue because when the side mirrors don’t fully release outwards, the driver cannot see vehicles approaching or passing.