2021 Kia Telluride
Recalls, most-reported problems, crash-test ratings, fuel economy and what a 2021 Kia Telluride is worth — from official NHTSA and EPA data. 9 on record.
2021 Kia Telluride at a glance
Included: that car's specs and build sheet, model-year recall campaigns and a fair price.
2021 Kia Telluride recalls 5
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.
Fix: 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 n…
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.
Fix: 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 custom…
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.
Fix: 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 ma…
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Telluride vehicles potentially equipped with a Genuine Kia 4-pin tow hitch harness installed as original equipment, or purchased as an accessory through a Kia dealership. Debris and moisture accumulation on the tow hitch harness module printed circuit board (PCB) may cause an electrical short, which can result in a fire.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install a new fuse and a wiring harness extension. Dealers will also inspect and replace the tow hitch harness assembly, as necessary. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner no…
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021 Telluride, K5, and Forte vehicles. The Occupant Classification and Detection System (OCS/ODS) unit may not detect the presence of a child restraint system in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCS/ODS unit, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC207.
Source: U.S. NHTSA, checked 4 Nov 2026. A campaign covers the model year; to see whether a particular car still needs the repair, check its VIN on NHTSA.gov or ask a franchised dealer.
2021 Kia Telluride common problems
The most-reported problem areas across all 365 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — and what to check before you buy.
2021 Kia Telluride safety ratings
Rollover risk: 15.5% — NHTSA's estimated chance of rollover in a single-vehicle crash (dynamic test: no tip).
Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP), tested as the 2021 Kia Telluride SUV FWD. Ratings can differ by body style and drivetrain.
2021 Kia Telluride MPG & running costs
Source: U.S. EPA / DOE fueleconomy.gov. The EPA lists 2 versions of this model year; combined is shown as a range and the other figures are averages.
Estimated 5-year cost to own
A rough guide to what running a 2021 Kia Telluride costs over five years and 75,000 miles.
How this is estimated: fuel is the U.S. EPA annual cost at 15,000 miles a year. There aren't enough comparable listings to estimate depreciation for this model, so it is left out. Not included: insurance, maintenance, repairs, taxes, registration and finance costs. Treat it as a comparison guide, not a quote.
Dimensions & weight
Manufacturer-reported figures for the 2021 Kia Telluride. Source: Transport Canada vehicle specifications via NHTSA.
Investigations & service bulletins
Manufacturer service bulletins 102
Technical notes the manufacturer sent to dealers about known issues and fixes. Useful to mention to a mechanic — they are not recalls and repairs may not be covered. Showing the 10 most recent of 102.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION: This bulletin provides information on diagnosing and/or repairing a 2020-2025MY Telluride (ON) vehicle's engine, which may exhibit a symptom of excessive oil consumption. Follow the flowchart on pag…
Bulletin TSB_ENG270 · Engine · Sep 2026WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: REIMBURSEMENT FORM (WTY049) - This document is a Reimbursement Request form that was mailed with the customer letter advising them to submit the form if they had paid for repairs for this same matter prior to the warranty extension…
Bulletin WTY049_REIMB · Visibility/wiper · Sep 2026WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (WTY049) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage to owners for specific repairs related to the front sunroof wind deflector on certain 20…
Bulletin WTY049_OWNR · Visibility/wiper · Sep 2026TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AWD COUPLER NOISE/VIBRATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (Revision 1) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin prov…
Bulletin TSB_CHA129_R1 · Power Train · Sep 2026WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER (WTY049) – This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding Warranty Extension Campaign WTY049.
Bulletin WTY049_QA · Visibility/wiper · Sep 2026WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO (WTY049) - This document is the announcement to dealer Parts and Service managers advising that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage to owners for specific repairs related…
Bulletin WTY049_DPSM · Visibility/wiper · Sep 2026WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (WTY049) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that Kia is extending the New Vehicle Limited Warranty coverage to owners for specific repairs related to the front sunroof wind d…
Bulletin WTY049_DP · Visibility/wiper · Sep 2026TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN: OIL FILTER HOUSING GASKET REPLACEMENT (WTY045) - This bulletin provides information regarding the ‘Warranty Extension Program (WTY045)’ for the inspection and, if necessary, replacement of the oil filter…
Bulletin WTY045_TSB · Engine · Jun 2026TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE.KIA.COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable Kia vehicles using the Kia Navigation Updater available at upda…
Bulletin TSB_ELE422 · Electrical System · May 2026TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: 4WD COUPLING NOISE/VIBRATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT) - CLOSED & SUPERSEDED BY CHA129 - This bulletin is now closed and superseded by CHA129. This bulletin provides information to upgrade the 4-Wheel Drive ‘4WD’ system software on certain…
Bulletin TSB_CHA128_CLSD · Power Train · May 2026Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, listed for the TELLURIDE AWD. Model-year data, not specific to one car.
Canadian recalls 6
Transport Canada recall campaigns for the 2021 Kia Telluride. Relevant if the car was first sold in, or imported from, Canada.
Electrical
Issue: On certain vehicles, the recall repairs completed by a Kia dealer during service campaign RC207 (Transport Canada recall number 2024-323) may not have been done correctly and/or may not be effective. As a result, another repair is required. Under certain conditions, the switch for the driver- and/or passenger-front power seat motor(s) could become stuck and cause the sea…
Transport Canada #2026327 · Jul 2026Label
Issue: On certain vehicles, the compliance label may be missing information in French. The words listed on the label for "Tires", "Rims", "Front" and "Rear" appear in English only, when they should be listed as "Tires/Pneus", "Rims/Jantes", "Front/Avant" and "Rear/Arriere". Canadian regulations require this information to be listed on the label in both English and French. Safet…
Transport Canada #2024549 · Aug 2024Electrical
Issue: Under certain conditions, the switch for the driver- and/or passenger-front power seat motor(s) could become stuck and cause the seat motor(s) not to stop. If this happens, the motor(s) could overheat. Safety Risk: A seat motor that overheats can create a fire risk, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off. Corrective actions: Kia advises that you should park your…
Transport Canada #2024323 · Jun 2024Powertrain
Issue: On certain vehicles, the axle shaft(s) may not have been manufactured properly. As a result, the axle shaft(s) splines could become damaged. If this happens, the vehicle could move when it's parked and the parking brake isn't applied. Safety Risk: A parked vehicle that moves suddenly could create the risk of an injury or a crash. Corrective Actions: Kia will notify owner…
Transport Canada #2024187 · Mar 2024Accessories
Issue: Certain vehicles may be equipped with a 4-pin accessory trailer wiring harness kit that could fail. Over time, this could result in a short circuit that can cause the control module to overheat. Note: This recall only affects Kia Genuine 4-pin tow hitch wiring harness kits with the part number S9F67AC000. These kits may have been ordered at the time of a vehicle purchase…
Transport Canada #2022468 · Aug 2022Other
Issue: On certain vehicles, the owner's manual is missing information for how a person can contact Transport Canada to report a safety concern. As of September 1, 2020, Canadian regulations require all companies to provide this information in the owner's manual. Safety Risk: This error does not affect vehicle safety. Corrective Actions: This is not a recall. Kia has corrected t…
Transport Canada #2021187 · Mar 2021Source: Transport Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Recalls Database.
About the Kia Telluride
The Kia Telluride is a mid-size crossover SUV with three-row seating manufactured and marketed by Kia since 2019.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Describes the model line in general, not this model year specifically.