Kia Telluride exterior lighting problems, 2020–2027
184 of the 2,028 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the Kia Telluride 2020–2027 name the exterior lights (NHTSA’s “Exterior Lighting” heading — as ODI groups the complaints it receives). The loudest year: 2020 (184). Filed under the same heading across these years: 1 recall campaign, 1 NHTSA investigation. Every figure is a linked federal record; none is a failure rate, none a repair cost, and none a verdict on one car.
Kia Telluride exterior lighting problems by model year
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsOne row per model year on file, newest first. A year marked in depth has its own page: the complaints, the owners’ words and every document under this heading for that year.
| Model year | Complaints naming the exterior lights | Share of the year’s | Typically at | On file under the heading | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
| 2025 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
| 2024 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
| 2023 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
| 2022 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
| 2021 | 0 | — | — | — | the year → |
| 2020 in depth | 184 | 24% | 12k | 17 TSBs · 1 recall · 1 investigation | the record → |
Two things the counts carry that are not the car: how many of each year were sold, and how long each has been on the road — an older year out-counts a newer one before anything is wrong with it. The share column is the honest comparison across years: what part of that year’s complaints named the exterior lights. Nothing here is a rate.
When the exterior lighting complaints were filed, and at what mileage
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled per calendar year, every model year together: 2019: 5 · 2020: 16 · 2021: 10 · 2022: 24 · 2023: 97 · 2024: 20 · 2025: 7 · 2026: 5
Across the model years, half of the 35 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the exterior lighting problem between 2,000 and 68,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the exterior lights, from the model years with the most to say. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
The headlights on this car are dangerous at night and are especially dangerous when it's raining. The lights do no illuminate speed limit signs, stop signs, caution signs, yield signs etc... The headlights do not illuminate far enough ahead on the roads. If your going up or down a hill to see a safe driving distance ahead
When driving at night in the ex trim, the halogen lightbulbs are ineffective for lighting the roadway ahead. Outside of city driving where outside lighting is minimal, it is nearly impossible to see a safe distance ahead of the vehicle.
What is on file about the exterior lights, across the years
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsRecall campaign filed under this heading, any model year
- 24V148000 ModerateFeb 26, 2024 · 35,031 vehicles
- Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2020 Telluride vehicles. The high beam headlights may fail.
NHTSA investigation
- PE23002 Complete Loss of High Beamsopened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Apr 17, 2024
- On January 27, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23002 to investigate allegations of loss of high beams with no warning and no re-engagement resulting in reduced visibility at night in the 2020 Kia Telluride. The investigation revealed that the halogen bi-function projector beam, used in vehicles built between January 2019 and November of 2019, is composed of one halogen bul…
Other systems with a record on the Kia Telluride
Source: the same filesEvery system, every model year: Kia Telluride problems by year →
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsWhich Kia Telluride years have the most exterior lighting complaints?
2020, 184. Raw counts, and an older year has had longer to collect them; by share of each year's own complaints the loudest is the 2020 (24%).
Is there a recall for the exterior lights on the Kia Telluride?
Yes — one campaign is filed under this heading across these model years: 24V148000 (2020). A recall is matched by VIN, and applies to specific years; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
When do exterior lighting problems show up on the Kia Telluride?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 12,000 miles across the model years; half of them between 2,000 and 68,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Exterior Lighting" heading cover?
The area of the vehicle ODI files the complaint under. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.