I have a 2025 Kia Telluride, purchased in Jan 2025. Almost right away, I started having issues with my windshield wipers where they wouldn't work when the lever was pushed - in any setting (High, low, intermittent, etc.). The rear wipers have always worked. After several visits and holding onto my car for several weeks, this was fixed in February 2025, by replacing the wiper motor, by a Kia service center at a dealership. Things were fine for a year and a half. They stopped working again in August 2025. Again, I took it to a Kia dealership where they were able to replicate the problem and also replaced the motor. Now, on October 11th, they did not work on a rainy night when I went to use them.
Kia Telluride wipers problems
23 of the 2,089 owner complaints about the Kia Telluride describe windshield wiper failure, most of them for the 2021 model year.
- owner complaints
- 23
- worst model year
- 2021
By model year
Often reported together
Headlights 2Knocking 2Check engine light 2Windshield crack 1Stalling 1Oil consumption 1Key fob 1Jerking 1
What owners say
Every time the wiper blades are in intermittent mode they randomly stop at various spots on the windshield. I have to switch to low or high or turn them off completely for the motor to engage and work again.
The cluster screen on my 2024 Telluride is BLACK when I turned it on today. No issues prior and turning the car off and on does not help. I cannot see my fuel gauge, speed, winshield wiper speed, tire air levels, what gear I am in nothing. I contacted dealer and they have heard of no issues and cannot get me in for repairs until at least two weeks. I feel this is very unsafe since I am not sure of my speed or my fuel level! There was no warning whatsoever, just a black screen.
Windshield wipers pause during use in intermittent and slow/low setting. Was initially told that the wipers were old and needed replacing and this would fix the issue. Wipers were replaced and still having same issue.
The car randomly has inoperable wipers. Both in auto and non auto mode. Doesn’t happen every time but it has happened to my family on rainy days. The back wipers work fine. We took the car to the dealer and they said nothing was wrong, they blamed it on my cars window tint. Which makes no sense considering it’s not functioning in the non-auto position. After doing my own research it seems to be that multiple other owners have had similar issues, yet no recall has been issued.
Constant jerking and shuttering when accelerating/shifting gears. Oil consumption done last year as dealership thought it was engine related. Engine replaced. Problem continues. Fuel in MAP sensor. Continued shuttering at acceleration, shuttering at parked idle, shuttering at braking idle, engine stalls at red lights but car stays on. When car is started, exhaust is pushing out gusts of strong fuel smell and sputtering little puffs. Replaced engine, MAP, upper intake gaskets, spark plugs, cleaned throttle body, battery. Wiper pauses mid wipe (in driving view) when in intermittent setting and when turning them off.
I purchased a 2025 Kia Telluride on 6/23/2025. In February 2026 I started having issues with the windshield wiper system. When I spray the front windshield, it would leak fluid on the back windshield. Brought the car in for service at the end of February and they said I needed a new motor, but never called me back to replace it. On 5/7/2026, I brought the car in and they couldn’t replicate the issue. On 5/28/2026 I brought it back, they again told me they couldn’t duplicate the issue. The service coordinator repeatedly told me this was a “feature”. When I picked it up, I replicated the issue immediately and they said I had some weird setting on which is why it happened. The issue continued so I brought it back 6/3. They claimed to have opened a tech line case with Kia so they replaced the motor and switch. I went to pick it up on 6/18 and the issue was still there. Again I have the service manager telling me it’s a “feature” and all Tellurides do this. Except the loaner I had for 3 weeks was the same year and model and did NOT do it. Also my car didn’t do this for the first 8 months I owned it. They swapped a piece from the loaner I had and put it on my car because the loaner wasn’t leaking. Swapping this piece did not fix the issue. They have no idea how to fix it and they never actually opened a tech line case with Kia. Confirmed this with Kia Consumer Affairs.
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned? The windshield wiper system failed. The design of the cowl area (under the hood) allows snow and sleet to accumulate and become compacted. This creates a physical obstruction that prevents the wiper linkage from moving, leading to total wiper failure. • Availability: The system is available for inspection upon request. 2. How was safety put at risk? Safety was compromised due to a sudden loss of visibility during inclement weather. The inability to clear snow and sleet from the windshield while driving created a blind operating environment, significantly increasing the risk of a crash or striking an unseen hazard. 3. Has the problem been confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. The problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealership or independent service center. 4. Has the vehicle been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance? No. The vehicle and its components have not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives at this time. 5. Were there any warning lamps or symptoms prior to the failure? No. There were no warning lamps, error messages, or symptoms prior to the failure. The wipers stopped functioning only once the snow had compacted sufficiently under the hood to block the mechanism.
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.
I activated the windshield wipers and noticed no fluid spraying from the nozzles. Upon checking the washer fluid reservoir under the hood, it was nearly empty despite being refilled just two days prior. There were no visible external spills, but I discovered a significant puddle of washer fluid accumulating behind the front-right wheel well liner, indicating an internal leak. Further inspection (guided by online owner forums reporting the same issue) revealed that the ribbed plastic section of the windshield washer hose—specifically at the connection point near the firewall—had cracked and separated. This hose runs as a single assembly from the reservoir, through the engine bay, to both front and rear nozzles. The crack appears to be a manufacturing defect in the brittle plastic material, which is prone to fracturing under normal temperature fluctuations or minor vibrations, rather than wear from high mileage. The failure eliminates the ability to clear the windshield of rain, bugs, or debris, creating a hazardous blind spot and directly contributing to reduced visibility.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Kia Telluride wipers
Which Kia Telluride years have windshield wiper failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2021 (7 complaints), 2020 (5 complaints) and 2025 (4 complaints).
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