2025 Kia Telluride Electrical Problems

We purchased a new 2025 Kia Telluride 17 days ago. Just three days after purchasing the vehicle, I experienced a serious and potentially dangerous failure while driving in heavy traffic in downtown Chicago. The dashboard suddenly lit up, an alarm began sounding, and the following warning appeared: “Engine Off! Shift to P or N and then start engine.” I was forced to pull off the road in VERY congested downtown traffic, put the vehicle in park, turn it off, and restart it. I immediately contacted the dealership. The next day, I took the vehicle to the dealership for an unrelated detailing issue and asked them to check out the car to address what had happened. I was told it was likely a computer fluke and that I would need to wait to see if it happens again. The next day, the exact same thing happened while merging onto the interstate on a tight onramp in congested traffic. This time, I had significant difficulty getting safely to the side of the road and came extremely close to being struck by another vehicle. Again, I had to put the vehicle in park, turn it off, and restart it. The following day, I returned the Telluride to the dealership. It has been there for over a week. They seem to know this is a common issue with Tellurides but they've indicated that KIA has not provided guidance on addressing this specific issue. As a result, they could only respond to the code that was generated- which indicates an electrical control issue. I've contacted KIA and I'm waiting to hear if they can provide a fix that can guarantee I'm not put into another dangerous situation. If an older person or teenager had been in the situations I had been in, I can nearly guarantee there would've been a very serious and potentially fatal accident. Please help us address this issue!

NHTSA ID

11764163

Incident

Sep 3, 2026

When driving, the vehicle will randomly shut off. Every warning light and alarm goes off. A message displays on the dash to put the vehicle on P or N to turn it back on. This happens unexpectedly. It's happened about 16 times on the road and 2 times on the highway. This is a huge safety issue. We notified Kia in February of 2026, it's gone to the service department three times for this specific issue, but they are unable to recreate it and no codes are stored for them to see what it is. We have recorded the vehicle acting up once it's shut off. This is very dangerous that a new vehicle randomly shuts off, and no one knows what is causing it. Now, it's at the shop for the fourth time. This time the Kia engineers have asked the service shop to replace the engine harness along with some sensors and send it to them. We have recordings from Kia Corporate stating they dont know what it is. We even have a service tech stating that there are others with this issue but no solution has been uncovered.

NHTSA ID

11760914

Incident

Aug 20, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that while idling, the vehicle stalled. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle with no issues. The contact stated that while making a left turn on another occasion, the vehicle stalled and was nearly rear-ended. The vehicle was shifted to park(P) and restarted. The contact stated that while making a left turn on a third occasion, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was restarted. The immobilizer, oil, and check engine warning lights illuminated after the failure occurred on each occasion. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 14,000.

NHTSA ID

11760240

Incident

May 1, 2026

Mileage

14,000 mi

2025 Kia Telluride, rental vehicle, 29,450 miles at failure. Driving XXX W toward the [XXX] exit with my wife and two children (ages [XXX] and [XXX]), the cluster lit with simultaneous failures: electric power steering, electronic parking brake, ABS, stability control disabled, tire pressure monitoring, forward collision-avoidance, lane keeping, master warning. I photographed it. Nothing about how the vehicle drove had changed. At highway speed traveling straight, steering effort felt normal. There was no progressive degradation and no warning I could feel. I noticed a slight difference changing lanes for the exit. On the ramp itself, a banked turn taken at speed, the wheel required extreme force to turn. The loss of assist was undetectable until significant steering input was actually required, which happened mid-maneuver on an interstate ramp. I am a large, physically strong adult and forced the wheel through the turn. I do not believe a smaller, older, or weaker driver could have completed it, and a crash at that interchange seems a likely outcome for many drivers. Stopping on an interstate shoulder with two young children seemed more dangerous than continuing two miles to the airport exit, so I continued, with ABS and stability control also inoperative. The vehicle developed harsh, jerky shifting and audible clunking. In the rental return lot the wheel would not turn far enough to complete a tight turn. I shifted to reverse; the vehicle did not move, then shut down completely and would not restart. With the vehicle dead the front doors opened, but the rear doors and liftgate would not, and the windows were inoperable. My children were confined inside roughly 10-15 minutes at 86F until an employee climbed in from the front and released the rear doors from inside. The inability to open rear doors or the liftgate from outside after a total power loss is a serious defect in its own right. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11757766

Incident

Aug 17, 2026

Twice I was making a right hand turn through a green light and an alarm sounded and the dash displayed an ”Engine Off” message. I was able to pull over and restart the car. I took it to the dealership but they were not able to replicate the incident. They told me that they tightened a few connections and sent me on my way. About three weeks later, I was driving straight at about 45mph and it shut off again. Fortunately I was again able to safely pull over and restart the car. This time I recorded it. I will return it to the dealership ASAP. I am afraid this will happen again while I am on the freeway or in heavy traffic and I won’t be as lucky as I have been.

NHTSA ID

11749781

Incident

Jul 11, 2026

All vehicle electronics shut down when ISG / ASG activates

NHTSA ID

11749595

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

The vehicle had been throwing different Electrical Codes for several months around August through December 2025. The last code it through was an engine management system error. On December 22nd 2025 the car caught fire in the engine and exploded while parked in the driveway. Fire investigators are leaning towards in electrical issue in the engine. I currently have an additional 2025 Kia Telluride vehicle which is also starting to display some of the same electrical messages

NHTSA ID

11748732

Incident

Dec 22, 2025

System/Component Malfunction & Availability: The vehicle's electronic safety and engine control systems malfunctioned while driving at speed. This issue has occurred twice under identical thermal conditions, with the first instance occurring on 5/19/26. The vehicle is fully intact and available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: During the first incident, a false dashboard warning triggered, but the physical engine remained running. However, during the most recent incident on 7/2/26, the defect escalated and the engine physically stalled while driving on the road in high 90-degree ambient temperatures. The stall caused an immediate loss of power and a complete loss of power steering assist, making the vehicle incredibly difficult to control and creating an imminent risk of a crash for my family and surrounding drivers. Dealer Confirmation & Inspection: Following the first incident, the vehicle was brought to a certified Kia dealership and left in their custody for 10 days for diagnostic troubleshooting. The service center stated they could not pull a hard diagnostic trouble code (DTC) and could not replicate the failure on a standard test drive. No other entities (police, insurance) have inspected the vehicle yet. Corporate Kia was notified (Case #26160914) but refused to authorize a specialized repair plan because the dealer could not replicate the issue. Warning Symptoms & Messages: There were no mechanical or performance warning symptoms prior to either failure. Both times, the issue began instantly with an audible cabin alarm and a prominent dashboard display message stating: "Engine Off! Shift to P or N, then start engine." During the first incident, the physical engine remained running despite the message, allowing us to safely pull over and reset the vehicle by cycling the ignition. During the second incident, under the same extreme outside heat (high 90s), the engine completely cut out mechanically, creating a severe stalling hazard.

NHTSA ID

11748411

Incident

Jul 2, 2026

On 5/19, while driving over 60 MPH on the highway, I started applying the brakes as traffic started to back up. While braking, the entire car turned off, and experience an unexpected engine stall. The electrical almost immediately turned back on with all dash lights flashing and safety warnings beeping. My car was still moving but I was unable to accelerate and was getting the message “Engine Off! Shit to P or N, then start engine.” This has happened to my vehicle twice in the last month, and I brought it into the Kia Dealership where I purchased it and they were unable to recreate the issue.

NHTSA ID

11741041

Incident

May 19, 2026

on 5 different occasions over the last month, I have had the car go into an engine shut off and said put it into P or N and restart while I am driving on the road!! 05/10-was going to a stop sign and going 5-20 mph. 05/17-happened twice that day, both driving around town 10-30 mph. 05/26- happened driving around town going around a curve 5-20 mph. 05/27 getting off the interstate and getting ready to stop and it happened again. This last time I had 20 cars around me and my car was going into this with all my lights flashing and that popping up. It is such a hazard to be driving this vehicle. The dealership could not find an issue last time I took it in. I just bought this car a little over a month ago. SO disappointing and scary.

NHTSA ID

11740329

Incident

May 10, 2026

Multiple times while driving vehicle with shut off and light will flash on dash. Everytime take vehicle to deal to check always told that it can’t be duplicated everything is working. Started happen last summer and happen about 5 times since then. Last time it happen was in march took it to the dealer and they crash the car and still couldn’t figure out what causing it. Car been in the shop for about 3 months now.

NHTSA ID

11740257

Incident

Mar 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2025 Kia Telluride. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with an EMS warning message displayed. The vehicle was able to restart after multiple attempts. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

NHTSA ID

11735180

Incident

Apr 27, 2026

Mileage

25,000 mi

I lease a 2025 Kia Telluride. This vehicle has experienced three serious safety failures around the one year mark, all with young children in the car. Incident 1: accelerator failure and inability to shift gears approaching a freeway on-ramp — transmission was replaced. Incident 2: complete loss of steering control, brakes would not fully engage, and vehicle moved without accelerator input — dealership found nothing wrong and returned the vehicle with no explanation. Incident 3: accelerator failure and failure to shift in active traffic — another vehicle nearly rear-ended us — dealership said there was a belt loose that can cause issues sometimes. Kia Financial Services, as legal owner, has refused early lease termination despite these documented safety failures. The root cause of a loss-of-steering and brake-failure event has never been identified.

NHTSA ID

11733417

Incident

Feb 3, 2026

While driving about 35 MPH, the vehicle began to alarm and stated "the engine is off; pull over, put in park or neutral, and restart the car". I pulled over and found that the engine had indeed turned itself off in the middle of driving. When the engine turns off, both the braking vacuum system and the power steering go off, making it harder to brake and steer to safety. If I were going highway speeds, this would be a serious safety situation. I don't know exactly what caused the engine shut off, but it seems like a malfunction of the auto stop/start feature, which I had switched off during the incident (so the car should never turn off). The Kia website gives instructions on what to do in this situation [XXX] ), which would imply it is a known issue. There are forums of people reporting the same issue with 2025 Tellurides. My vehicle has not been inspected since the incident, but because it is electrical and there is no engine code, there is likely no evidence a mechanic could find. There were no warnings prior to or after the event. The vehicle has only 1650 miles on it. I expect it to happen again, and I will attempt to produce a video to document. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11732712

Incident

Apr 18, 2026

I am reporting multiple life-threatening safety defects with my 2025 Kia Telluride. The vehicle has experienced Sudden Unintended Acceleration, where it accelerates to excessive speeds without driver input. During these episodes, the braking system fails to respond, only allowing the vehicle to stop once its internal safety systems intervene. Additionally, the vehicle suffers from unpredictable stalling and power loss; the engine frequently shuts off upon parking—followed by the electrical system cycling back on without the motor—and the vehicle consistently struggles to start in the morning. These recurring mechanical and electrical failures pose an immediate danger to myself and others on the road.

NHTSA ID

11725364

Incident

Mar 13, 2026

Purchased a brand new 2025 Kia Telluride SX-Prestige X-Line on May 19, 2025. On or about December 20, 2025, my husband was driving (I was the passenger) in stop/start traffic when the engine shut off and the panel displayed “Put vehicle in Park or Neutral and Restart the Engine.” Since traffic was stopped, he put the vehicle in Park and restarted the engine. The vehicle started right up and we went on our way. However, on Saturday, January 10, 2026, the check engine light came on. I contacted the maintenance department at Buchanan Kia (where I purchased the vehicle). He asked if the vehicle was having any other issues. It was not, so we scheduled a maintenance appointment. I was told we could drive the vehicle, so we did. On our way home, doing 40 mph down, thankfully, a back road, the engine stopped, all systems shut down including steering/braking and the panel displayed “Put vehicle in Park or Neutral and Restart the Engine.” My husband was driving, he coasted the vehicle to a stop, put it in Park and the engine restarted. We were about 10 minutes from our house. In those 10 minutes, the engine shut off and displayed the message two more times. At this point the engine was running rough and would not idle. I again called the maintenance department and the vehicle was towed into the service department. The issue could not be replicated by the service department and we retook possession on February 3, 2026. I have sent a formal notice to Customer Care Center, Kia America, Inc. via certified mail, return receipt requested. I am filing this report as a precaution in the event something happens and someone is injured due to this malfunction.

NHTSA ID

11719838

Incident

Jan 10, 2026

Rodent damage to floor harness of brand new car. Per service advisor this is a common issue with newer cars due to the use of soy based wiring which attracts rodents.

NHTSA ID

11715784

Incident

Jan 14, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11713117

Incident

Jan 24, 2026

The LCD instrument cluster above the steering wheel is all black and not turning on. The map screen to the right turns on, but not the odometer screen. Can’t tell how fast I’m going or how much gas is in the car. I’ve read this was an issue with the earlier models.

NHTSA ID

11713099

Incident

Jan 24, 2026

While driving at highway speed and the adaptive cruise control engaged, the vehicle applied the brakes without driver input. The vehicle slowed gradually over several seconds even though there was no vehicle, pedestrian, or obstacle present in front of the vehicle. Road and environmental conditions were clear and normal, including clear weather, dry roadway, and unobstructed lane of travel. Traffic was flowing normally, and there was no lead vehicle. The driver was attentive and did not press the brake pedal. The braking occurred without any warning, alert, or collision indication and resulted in an unexpected reduction in speed, creating a risk of a rear-end collision from following traffic and on one occasion road rage (which has occurred due to this condition) as the driver thought I "brake checked" him. The vehicle has been inspected by the local Kia dealership (Spitzer Kia of Mansfield) and they could not replicate the condition. Kia has also been notified and a case number assigned (25773402) but with no resolution. This issue has occurred multiple times under similar highway driving conditions, indicating repeatable uncommanded braking behavior. Additionally, KIA issued a “Voluntary Service Campaign” for 2024 Kia Telluride’s on July 31, 2025 for the same vehicle behavior. Unexpected braking at highway speeds creates sudden speed differentials and increases the risk of rear-end collisions, even when deceleration is gradual. The driver has limited ability to anticipate or prevent the event. No warning lights, audible alerts, or collision warnings were displayed. CONCLUSION The vehicle exhibits repeatable false or uncommanded activation of the automatic braking system during highway driving, consistent with a potential defect in the AEB/FCA system. This condition poses a safety risk to vehicle occupants and surrounding traffic and should be reviewed by NHTSA

NHTSA ID

11709481

Incident

Oct 21, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID

11693774

Incident

Oct 3, 2025