Owners have filed 32 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the wipers and visibility, electrical, and body and structure. The 9 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2025Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/9 checked
2025 Kia Telluride: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/3
Engine off, key in hand0/1
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/4
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2025's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2025 Kia Telluride. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 3.8L 6-cyl | AWD, FWD | 20–22 mpg |
Owners report these failures starting around the mileages below. A car inside one of these ranges deserves a closer look at that part, or records showing it was already fixed.
Sunroof glass shatters while driving
300–5,899 miles
NHTSA complaints for the 2025 Kia Telluride, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
Windshields crack with no visible impact, or a tiny chip from road debris spreads into a long crack within days. Several cracks appear while the car sits overnight in a garage or driveway, sometimes after loud cracking noises. Most reports come within weeks of purchase, one under 5k miles. Cracks often reach the driver's line of sight, which adds glare at night, and at least one warranty claim was refused. A separate report describes wipers working only intermittently in snow, with the dealer needing three visits before replacing a sensor.
The closed sunroof bursts at highway speed, between about 61 and 70 MPH, with a gunshot-like sound and no warning light. Glass blows outward, and shards land in the rear of the cabin, leaving the roof open to rain. One failure came at about 5,899 miles. Dealers report no warranty coverage for sunroof glass and send owners to their insurers, and no diagnosis or repair is offered. The sudden noise and flying glass create a real risk of a crash.
The digital instrument cluster goes completely black at startup, leaving no speedometer, no fuel gauge, and no driver-assist features, in one case at about 430 miles. The engine also shuts off at low speed, in parking lots and at lights, with a warning to shift to neutral or park, and it happens repeatedly. Adaptive cruise control brakes on an empty highway with no warning, creating rear-end collision risk. One car had rodent damage to the floor wiring harness.
Sunroof glass explodes while driving, throwing glass up and out onto following cars and scratching the roof and body panels, in one case at 300 miles. Dealers have pushed owners toward insurance claims instead of warranty. Federal recall records show campaign 25V494000 covers this area, and dealers are completing the repair. Other complaints describe wind noise from both front windows, as if they were open, and a lower grille opening that lets road debris damage the A/C condenser, a repair of 2500 to 2800 dollars.
Headlights fog up inside after a hand wash, and dealers respond by replacing a gasket. Other headlights throw a cut-off beam with dark blind spots, which matters most on unlit roads, and a dealer technician says Kia has no fix. The same reports also mention the forward collision warning sounding nonstop on a clear road, exhaust smoke, and rough, trembling acceleration.
Excerpts from complaints Telluride owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
I was driving on the freeway and the windshield spontaneously cracked. There were no cars even around me. My 2025 Telluride is brand new and has less than 5k miles on it…
Filed with NHTSA, July 2025
I just recently bought a 2025 Kia Telluride. Within two weeks the windshield has cracked. It appears to be a chip but it seemed to happen while sitting in the driveway. Kia says it is not covered u see the warranty. With all of the issues I have read about Kia’s windshields cracking, I am afraid they have not fixed the issue.
Filed with NHTSA, March 2025
The driver screen are all blacked out, when I start my car in the morning, cannot see the speed, fuel gauge and all ADAS functions not working. Car is only a month old with only around 430 miles.
Filed with NHTSA, January 2026
When I was driving in a parking lot on 10/03/25 my car displayed a warning light that my engine was off and I needed to shift to neutral or park. This occurred 2 other times. I was parked at a light on 10/10 and when we left dinner and turned at a light it also shut off. This is a huge safety concern and I have saw others reporting this same issue.
Filed with NHTSA, October 2025
There is excessive noise coming from both passenger and driver side windows. It sounds like the windows are opened. The dealer said all seals are good but the windows aren't fully sealed.
Filed with NHTSA, November 2025
Headlights does not display full visibility. It seems as if the headlights are cut off with blind spots. Headlights doesn't have full visibility. Headlight projection is not 100 percent. Dealership technician have said Kia doesn't have a fix for it. When its very dark outside their are blind spots. Vehicle smokes from the exhaust. Upon acceleration it feels rough with trembling effect.
Filed with NHTSA, September 2025
Front lights gets foggy when it gets hand wash, contacted the dealership and they are willing to replace the “Gasket” because the headlights must have “ventilation”. While driving with nobody in front the collision warning went off non stop, the road was completely clear.
Filed with NHTSA, October 2025
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2025 has the fewest owner complaints of the 6 Telluride years we cover, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2025 is the sixth model year of the Telluride's first generation (2020 on).
It includes the 2023 update.
What changed for 2023
Recall repairs are free at any Kia dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2025 Telluride and 2026 Sorento vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with an incorrect spare tire which, when installed, can impair the anti-lock braking system (ABS) and the traction control system (TCS). As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims.".
Risk: Anti-lock braking or traction control systems that do not function properly can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the spare wheel and tire assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 3, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC355. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning November 13, 2025.
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.
Fix: 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.
Cars shoppers compare with the Kia Telluride, with their own 2025 checklists.
2025 owner complaints, side by side
