Most common 2027 Kia Telluride problems
Share of the 27 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Kia Telluride complaints by model year
Best Telluride years: 2025, 2023. Compare all years →
2027 Kia Telluride recalls (2)
Seat belts › Front
Kia America, Inc (Kia) is recalling certain 2027 Telluride and Telluride Hybrid vehicles. The driver seat belt emergency locking retractor may lock, causing the seat belt strap not to extend. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat belt assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 31, 2026. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC372.
Seat belts › Rear/other › Anchorage
Kia America, Inc (Kia) is recalling certain 2027 Kia Telluride and 2026 Kia K4 vehicles. The rear center seat belt anchor buckle in the 2026 K4 and the third-row center seat belt anchor buckle in the 2027 Telluride may not latch properly.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the anchor buckle assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 5, 2026. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542.
What 2027 Kia Telluride owners say
Seat belts
The second row captain's chair seatbelt buckle stalks on the 2027 Kia Telluride are abnormally tall and rigid, with an angle causing the seatbelt webbing to kink and compress at a sharp angle around any forward-facing car seat base. This compromises the seatbelt's ability to lock and distribute crash forces correctly in the event of a collision. The third row seatbelts are too long to achieve the required less-than-one-inch installation tightness required for a safe car seat install. Three different forward-facing harnessed car seats were tested in all available seating positions with identical results. This is not a car seat compatibility issue - the problem is consistent across all tested seats and all positions. Children who have exceeded the federal 40 lb forward-facing LATCH limit are legally required to use seatbelt installation only. …
This vehicle was sold to me on 4-6-2026 and the recall was never disclosed to me. The recall was not mentioned to me at all. I found out through another dealership in early June that the vehicle had a recall. The recall was put on the vehicle on 3-9-2026 which is almost a month before I purchased it. I was advised that this vehicle was a stop sale vehicle so it should have never been sold to me. I reached out to the dealership who refused to take responsibility for this issue and I also reached out to Kia who admitted on a recorded line that the vehicle was a stop sale vehicle and should have never been sold yet they failed to make this right and take the vehicle back. At this point I do not want the vehicle and I need someone to make it right.
Seats
I am reporting a life-safety defect incident and an illegal vehicle delivery. I purchased a 2027 Kia Telluride HEV subject to Recall SC366 (NHTSA Campaign 26V173000). The dealership delivered the vehicle on April 22, 2026, explicitly stating that the recall service was complete and the vehicle was safe. This was a material misrepresentation. Shortly after delivery, I suffered a physical entrapment incident where the second-row power seat mechanism failed to detect my leg as an obstruction and continued to fold with force, pinning my leg. This is the exact failure described in the recall notice. Following this incident, the dealership called to admit that they never actually performed the required safety fix. By delivering this vehicle, the dealership violated 49 U.S.C. 30112, which prohibits the delivery of a new vehicle with an open safety recall. The defect is active and dangerous. …
"While driving, my KIA Telluride 2027 hybrid sx prestige, the vehicle intermittently detects an occupant in an empty second-row passenger captain's chair and activates the rear seat-belt warning and audible chime. There is no person or object on the seat. I have video documenting the instrument cluster showing the affected seat during the event. The vehicle was inspected by the Kia dealership; no diagnostic trouble code was found and the dealership was unable to reproduce the problem. The problem remains unresolved."
Transmission & drivetrain
vehicles transmission gets stuck in 5th gear. when it happens the problem is fixed after restarting the vehicle. no warning that its stuck in 5th gear. When pulling out into traffic the car is very slow to move and my concern is that someone might get hit when pulling out into traffic not knowing the vehicle is stuck in 5th gear since there are no warning light on. after inspection with KIA, after the first incident they said nothing can be diagnosed since it wasn't throwing a code or check engine light. when the car once again got stuck in 5th gear on our last vacation i drove it for around 2 hours or 120 miles in 5th gear to try and get a check engine light to come, one never came on but i recorded videos of it stuck in 5th gear at highway speeds and at a stop in a drive through. it's happened on 3 different occasions all on longer road trip and has never had a warning light come on. …
While driving the vehicle, the automatic transmission stuck in 5th gear. The paddle shifters would not operate, shifting the vehicle into neutral or park had no effect. The vehicle was being operated on a busy highway with multiple intersections, which put all passengers and the vehicle itself in danger since accelerating in 5th gear was almost impossible. The vehicle had to be completely shut off and restarted to reset the transmission. This happened on several occasions. Additionally, the vehicle would stick in gear and lurch into a lower gear when accelerating from a complete stop. No warning lights or sounds occurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where it was purchased, and they were able to replicate the problem once. The vehicle problem was reported to KIA and they requested the dealer to replace the electric oil pump. …
2027 Kia Telluride engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl turbo hybrid | 6-speed dual-clutch | FWD | 34 / 36 / 35 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl turbo hybrid | 6-speed dual-clutch | AWD | 30 / 32 / 31 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl turbo | 8-speed automatic | FWD | 20 / 26 / 22 |
| 2.5L 4-cyl turbo | 8-speed automatic | AWD | 18 / 24 / 20 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2027 Kia Telluride a good car?
The 2027 Telluride has been on sale for less than a year, so it is too early to compare it with other years. So far owners have filed 27 complaints with NHTSA.
What is the most common problem with the 2027 Kia Telluride?
The seat belts — 8 complaints, 30% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the seats (6) and transmission & drivetrain (6).
How many recalls does the 2027 Kia Telluride have?
There are 2 recalls for the 2027 Kia Telluride, the most recent from June 2, 2026 (front). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Kia Telluride?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2025 and 2023. See the full Kia Telluride years comparison.
At what mileage do 2027 Kia Telluride problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 4,000 miles; 100% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.