2023 Kia Telluride Transmission Problems

Your 2023 Kia Telluride is experiencing three serious drivetrain and electrical issues that started around 48,000 miles and have worsened. The transmission shudders and stutters during acceleration, the vehicle randomly enters limp mode (limiting power to 30 mph) without warning—creating a dangerous highway condition—and your instrument panel periodically goes completely dark while driving, blocking your view of speed and fuel level. These issues require professional transmission diagnosis, transmission fluid service or torque converter replacement, electrical system troubleshooting, and instrument cluster repair.

The AWD couplers continue to fail. We are waiting for the dealer to get parts in so they can be replaced again. The tech stated KIA continues to install defective parts.

In July of 2024 (when the vehicle was a year old) our 2023 KIA Telluride was diagnosed with a faulty 4WD Coupler. We were told to go home with it (320 mile round trip) and return to have it repaired in August. We dropped it off on Aug 5th. On Aug 14th we were told that the new coupler was either faulty from the factory or failed immediately on their test drive. Again we were told to go home with the faulty 4WD Coupler and return in September to replace it again. We traveled back to KIA service Sep 10th and had another new coupler installed. The 4WD Coupler failed again in the early Summer of 2025. On July 9th we dropped the vehicle off for repair. On the 24th we traveled back to pick it up after they had installed the fourth 4WD Coupler this vehicle has had. I have negotiated with KIA Customer Care for a couple months now asking for a replacement vehicle since they are unable to find the underlying cause of these drivetrain failures. They have offered me a 2,199.99 compensation check if I would sign an agreement releasing them from any liability concerning this issue, as well as any other issue that might ever arise with this vehicle. I would also be forbidden to publicize this problem or reveal the settlement details. I am disinclined to accept it. The 4WD coupler is an important component in this vehicle's drivetrain. It is important in safe handling and control. KIA service has sent us on the long round trip home and back again knowing we were driving with a faulty drivetrain component. Judging for some online posts, this problem does not appear to be uncommon. It is reasonable to expect this issue to continue. KIA's plan seems to be to just get me past my warranty period (only about 8,000 more miles) and then any repair costs will be mine. The current and future safety issues obviously are of no concern to them. I currently have no good options. I don't like the idea of selling a vehicle with known safety issues. The repair history will show it to be a "Limon"

Vehicle began to shake when approaching 40mph or greater. Mechanic at dealership stated bolt from driveshaft to rear coupler was missing with two other bolts loose. Missing bolt threads were rusted as if bolt was never installed from factory as vehicle only has 12,000 miles. No warning messages displayed, only symptom was vibrations when approaching 40mph or greater.

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Telluride. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V214000 (Power Train) however, the contact believed that the recall repair did not address a fundamental issue with the transmission and that the transmission should have been the focus of the repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had not performed a reasonable recall repair. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the recall repair was completed. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Placed the car in park then it started rolling backwards and crashed

On about 5 occasions, when I have set the drive mode to "Snow Mode", after a stop, the accelerator pedal has no effect. I can push down the accelerator pedal all the way to the floor and nothing happens. There is no indication that the engine is revving and the vehicle does not accelerate. This leave me stranded in the middle of the road at a stop until I change to a different mode other that snow mode. Then I can accelerate again. This has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer. The dealer asked that I video record it happening, which I have not done yet. There were no warning lights or messages when this happens.

On 4 separate occasions my 2023 Kia Telluride has failed to accelerate from a stop. First occurrence was [XXX] while turning left at a light. RPMs went at high as 3,000 while car slowly idled about 5-8mph through the intersection and would not accelerate. Same thing occurred 2 days later after trying to accelerate from a stop sign. Most recent occurrence was [XXX]. 3/4 occurrences vehicle was in "Snow" mode. Brand new winter tires were placed 12/18/23. Most recent occurrence vehicle was not in thick snow but in "Snow" mode. No warning lights or messages ever came on with any of the 4 occurrences. After repeated attempts of stepping on and off the gas peddle vehicle eventually accelerates. Acceleration delays have lasted as long as 90 seconds. I am VERY grateful that first left turn when this happened no cars were coming through the intersection as it may have resulted in a T-bone accident where by baby was in the back seat passenger side. Car is going to the dealer at Campbell, Missoula MT tomorrow but they already told me if they cannot reproduce the occurrence then there's nothing they can do which seems like a MAJOR liability to Kia and even greater SAFETY concern to drivers and their families. Similar complaint can be found with ODI#11560843. Here is a link to Kia Telluride drivers all with the same complaint. [XXX] Please help us get Kia to rectify this major safety issue! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The issue concerns my 2023 Telluride SX X-line (AWD) when driving in the "snow mode" setting. The issue has occurred on several occasions, approximately 2-3 times last winter when I was driving the vehicle and at least one time this winter when my wife was driving in snowy conditions. The issue is that the vehicle accelerator basically becomes unresponsive when driving in snow mode under a set of conditions that are not easily defined. The issue seems to occur fairly randomly. When this issue has occurred, the vehicle either will not accelerate at all when the accelerator is depressed or the power will severely be limited and the vehicle will slow down if moving. This has happened to me in parking lots (thankfully) but did happen to my wife on the road, which could cause a huge safety risk when trying to maneuver with traffic or making a left turn against oncoming traffic. The ways in which I have found to resolve the issue are to either switch the drive mode to another setting using the selector or turning the vehicle off and on again. Shifting from park back to drive does not resolve if snow mode remains engaged. I have not taken the vehicle to a dealership to look into this issue as I have found information on forums that have indicated Kia dealerships do not acknowledge the issue. It is also not easily reproducible. There are no warning indicators on the instrument cluster to notify the driver that anything is wrong. As I said before, the issue arose immediately after the purchase of the vehicle in Dec. 2022 and within the first few thousand miles of the vehicle life. Also, true Michelin snow tires have been equipped on the vehicle when this issue has occurred. I switch between all season tires and the snow tires in between the summer and winter months.

It had snowed in DC area. Vehicle was in snow mode, idle at stop light. When light turned green, slow acceleration turning left and then when pressing down on pedal, all acceleration stopped. Roads were cleared with no signs of snow or ice. Frightened driver and children in vehicle. Were able to coast to the side of the road, turned off vehicle and restarted and able to drive off. Clearly seems to be an issue with “snow” mode.

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that on two separate occasions while driving the vehicle in Snow Mode and attempting to accelerate while making a left turn, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stopped and restarted the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

Telluride was in snow mode with 4 wheel lock activated due to snow covered roads. I was at a stop light, when light turned green I removed my foot from the break. My vehicle began to roll forward slightly as it always does. I gently pressed the gas to continue forward but vehicle did not gain speed, it continued to slowly roll as if my foot was not pressing the gas. I removed my foot from the gas and again pressed the gas gently, my vehicle was not advancing. I deactivated the 4 wheel lock feature but remained in snow mode, gently pressed the gas and my vehicle advanced as normal. The same incident happened with my husband the day prior. Several complete stops were made prior to the incident while in snow mode with 4 wheel lock activated and no issues occurred. After research and reading other incidents like mine it appears this is a common issue. Most people stated this was normal to prevent sliding and spinning. If this is a normal feature then KIA needs to revisit this and consider safety. It is not safe to be rolling into an intersection and having no power when pressing the gas. KIA owners should not have to switch drive modes or deactivate a feature to have the ability to advance their vehicle out of an intersection. This feature could result in serious accidents.

When put into Snow Mode the car won't accelerate from a stop at normal speeds. It feels like the car is stuck in neutral and I'm just coasting. It won't accelerate normally until I switch it into another driving mode like Eco. This has caused a few close calls when turning out of driveways or onto busy streets.

The horn quit working on the vehicle after pushing on it. Both the low and high horn had to be replaced. The vehciles rear differential was replaced due to continued loud sounds coming from the rear and constant wheel slippage. The Rear differential replacement did not fix the issue.

Purchase brand new 2023 Telluride EX X line. Currently have 500 miles on the dash and it still shifts very rough from 1 to 2 gear while going at low speeds around 5-15 mph. I have tried changing the drive settings from comfort, smart, sport, eco and it still has jerky gear shift in every setting. Also getting very low gas mileage. I thought it jusy needed few miles to break in but problem is still there. Also does not even give you warning sounds of when getting to close to car infront when parking like it does in the rear. Not what I expected from a BRAND NEW CAR that cost around $55,0000. Wish I would have just sticked to the Acura or Lexus.

Lack of acceleration when in snow mode. The car decreased speed and I couldn’t get it to increase The car is at dealership now It has happen 7 times and I haven’t even had my first payment. No warning was given I have a video of it. It will not let me upload it.

THE CAR IS BRAND NEW. A WEEK AFTER PURCHASE, I WAS DRIVING IN SNOW MODE. I WAS STOPPED AT A STOP LIGHT, TURNING LEFT. I PROCEDED FORWARD WTIH MY LEFT TURN. I LOST ALL ACCELRATION POWER, CREATING A RISK OF BEING HIT OR CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. IT WAS LIKE THE CAR WAS IN NEURTAL. IT DOES NOT MATTER HOW MUCH YOU PUSH THE GAS PEDAL. IT DOES NOTHING NOR DOES THE RPM'S MOVE. SWITHING OUT OF SNOW MODE, THE CAR ACCELRATED AS IT SHOULD. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME MORE THAN 5 TIMES. EVERY TIME, IT HAS BEEN ON LEFT HAND TURNS FROM A STOP, IN SNOW MODE. I HAVE SOME ON VIDEO. AFTER SOME RESEARCH, OTHER KIA TELLURIDE AND HYUNDAI PALISADE OWNERS HAVE THE SAME ISSUE. I BROUGHT THE CAR INTO THE DEALER AND THEY TEST DROVE IT BUT COULD NOT DUPLICATE IT. SCANNED FOR DTC'S, NONE PRESENT. THEY SAID THE CAR OPERATES AS IT SHOULD. NEVER HAS A WARNING LIGHT SHOWN. ON THE LAST 2 TIMES IT HAPPENED, AFTER ALL ACCELARATION LOST, I HEARD A "CLUNKING NOSE" AND THE CAR JERKED. I THEN SWITCHED OUT OF SNOW MODE AND THE CAR OPERATED AS IT SHOULD. THIS HAS BEEN ONGOING SINCE 100 MILES ON THE NEW CAR. I NOW HAVE AROUND 600.

This has happened twice in the same day. We have less than 200 miles in the car. Wile accelerating uphill, the rpm’s drop and the acceleration dies and we have had to turn on hazards as it slows down while we pull over to the side of the road. Then it will turn back on and jerk forward and continue to accelerate. The car was in snow driving mode. Works fine but this happened twice. We are taking it to the dealership tomorrow but this stopped traffics behind us and was a huge safe concern as you need to be able to accelerate uphills.