Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
The 2021 Kia Telluride has 370 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, with the engine the part owners complain about most at 67. It gets 21 to 23 mpg combined and a 5-year fuel cost of $14,120 to $15,470 at U.S. average prices. NHTSA rates it 5 stars overall. It has 5 recall campaigns covering seats, transmission and drivetrain, trailer hitch, and others, which may apply to a given car.
Written by AI from public EPA and NHTSA data. Not a review.
Fuel economy
21–23 mpgcombined; city 19–20, highway 24–26; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$14,120–$15,470U.S. average; Ohio $12,620–$13,820 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
5 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
5over its history, 1 replaced by a later one; check a VIN for open onesRepaired under campaign 24V407000? NHTSA's record says it still needs the newer remedy of campaign 26V430000.
Owner complaints
370filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales
Trims
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2021 Telluride. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 370 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Telluride. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Unknown or other
102
0
0
5
Engine
67
0
3
0
Visibility/wiper
64
0
0
0
Electrical system
42
0
0
1
Structure
33
0
0
0
Power train
28
0
0
0
Visibility
23
0
0
1
Forward collision avoidance
22
3
0
2
Suspension
20
0
0
0
Service brakes
14
3
0
2
Exterior lighting
10
0
0
0
Seats
9
0
0
0
14 more parts
Fuel/propulsion system
7
0
0
0
Steering
5
0
0
0
Air bags
4
3
0
3
Back over prevention
4
0
0
0
Seat belts
4
0
0
0
Vehicle speed control
4
0
0
0
Lane departure
3
0
0
0
Engine and engine cooling
2
0
1
0
Tires
2
0
0
0
Wheels
2
0
0
0
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
1
0
0
Equipment
1
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
1
0
0
0
Other/i am not sure
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2021 Telluride over its history, 1 replaced by a later one. A replaced campaign is listed at the end as history, not as a separate repair. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Repaired under campaign 24V407000? NHTSA's record says it still needs the newer remedy of campaign 26V430000. A repair under the earlier campaign doesn't complete the later one: check the VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Needed even on cars repaired under 24V407000Park outside
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.
Risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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 number for this recall is SC374. This recall replaces NHTSA recall number 24V407. Vehicles already repaired under the previous recall will need to have the new remedy completed. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will become searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning July 17, 2026.
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.
Risk: A vehicle roll away increases the risk of a crash or injury.
Remedy: 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 mailed May 15, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC303.
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.
Risk: A fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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 notification letters were mailed April 12, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC247.
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."
Risk: In the event of a crash, deployment of the front passenger air bag, with a child in that seat, can increase the risk of injury to the child.
Remedy: 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.
Replaced by campaign 26V430000, as NHTSA's record says: history, not a separate repair. Cars repaired under this campaign still need the newer remedy.
Park outside
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.
Risk: A fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: 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 customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC316.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 102 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2021 Telluride, the latest on Sep 25, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (54), engine (14), forward collision avoidance (13), power train (12), suspension (11).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2021 Telluride.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: small sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 4–5 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Telluride Front-Wheel Drive
3.8 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
20 / 26 / 23
Telluride All-Wheel Drive
3.8 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
19 / 24 / 21
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data