Is the KIA Telluride more reliable than the Dodge Durango?

No. The Durango comes out clearly ahead. Telluride owners filed 23.3 complaints per 10,000 sold, against 5.4 for the Durango. The Telluride also needs unscheduled shop visits twice as often. Early windshield cracks and blank instrument clusters are common Telluride complaints.

Which has more recalls, the Telluride or the Durango?

They are even at 27 recalls each in federal recall records. The Telluride reached that total over 6 model years, while the Durango took 9. That means the Telluride has more recalls per model year, but the raw totals match.

Which costs less to repair, the Telluride or the Durango?

The Telluride costs less. Independent repair-cost data estimates $573 a year for the Telluride and $675 for the Durango. Over five years that is roughly $510 in the Telluride's favor. The Durango makes up some ground by going to the shop less often.

What goes wrong with Telluride windshields?

Owners report windshields cracking from small pebbles, and sometimes with no visible impact, even while parked. The cracks spread fast, so the glass must be replaced. Many failures come in the first few thousand miles. Some owners replaced it two or three times, and dealers often decline warranty coverage.

What is the common Durango tail light problem?

Water leaks into the liftgate racetrack tail light and burns out sections of the LEDs. The license plate lights usually fail too. Single bulbs cannot be replaced, so the full assembly is quoted at roughly $1,500 to $2,000. Failures showed up as early as 17,000 to 28,000 miles.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Dodge Durango vs Kia Telluride: Reliability Compared

More Reliable

Dodge Durango

Good

Kia Telluride

Good

The Dodge Durango is more reliable than the KIA Telluride, with a clear edge in owner complaints per vehicle sold. The Telluride costs less to repair, though. Its cracking windshields, blank instrument clusters, and oil-burning engines drive a much larger complaint count.

How Do the Dodge Durango and Kia Telluride Generations Compare?

One generation covers the Telluride in the US, running from the 2020 model year through 2025. It got a refresh for 2023, so used shoppers will see both pre-refresh and refreshed cars. The two weakest years, 2020 and 2021, both came before the refresh. The Durango sits in its third generation, which ran from 2011 through 2023 and was facelifted in 2014 and again in 2021. Shoppers looking at 2018 to 2023 cars are in this generation. The 2018 and 2021 model years rank weakest, and 2021 was a facelift year.

Verdict

The Dodge Durango is more reliable than the Kia Telluride, scoring 72/100 vs 66/100.

A clear edge goes to the Durango. Both rate good, but Telluride owners filed about four times as many complaints per vehicle sold, and Telluride owners make twice as many unscheduled shop visits each year. Recall totals are even, so they do not separate the two. The Telluride's problems start early and hit daily use: windshields that crack within the first few thousand miles and instrument clusters that go blank. The Durango's weak spots are real, but fewer owners report them. The Durango's higher yearly repair cost is the one point in the Telluride's favor.

Key Differences

1Kia Telluride costs $102 less per year to repair
2Dodge Durango has 17.9 fewer complaints per 10k sold
3Dodge Durango scores 6 points higher in reliability

Category Scoreboard

3Dodge Durango

—

2Kia Telluride

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair FrequencySafety Rating

Dodge Durango vs Kia Telluride: Which Is More Reliable?

Dodge Durango vs Kia Telluride at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Dodge Durango	Kia Telluride
Reliability Score	72/100	66/100
Years Tracked	9	6
Total Recalls	27	27
Complaints per 10k Sold	5.4	23.3
Annual Repair Cost	$675/yr	$573/yr
Repair Frequency	0.2/yr	0.4/yr
Safety RatingNHTSA overall	2026 NHTSA	2025 NHTSA
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Year Wins	5 (1 tied)	0 (1 tied)

What Are the Common Problems With the Dodge Durango and Kia Telluride?

Glass, electronics, and the engine dominate Telluride complaints. Windshields crack from small pebbles or with no visible impact. The instrument cluster goes blank while driving. Some engines burn oil until they fail, with no low-oil warning. Rollaway in Park is the crash-linked power train hazard. Water and hydraulics dominate Durango complaints. Rain gets into the racetrack tail light and ruins the assembly. Brake hydraulic recalls have left owners waiting on parts. Transmission faults include stalling and slipping into neutral. Service brakes are crash-linked on the Durango, with 2 crashes. The Telluride's list shows no crash-linked brake area.

Dodge Durango vs Kia Telluride common problem areas comparison
Component	Dodge Durango	Kia Telluride
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	0.2Very Low	4.4Average
VISIBILITY/WIPER	—None	4.2Average
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	1.3Low	2.8Low
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	1.3Low	2.5Low
POWER TRAIN	0.5Very Low	1.7Low
ENGINE	0.3Very Low	1.9Low
STRUCTURE	0.1Very Low	1.6Low
SUSPENSION	0.1Very Low	0.6Very Low
VISIBILITY	—None	0.7Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	0.3Very Low	0.3Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.2Very Low	0.1Very Low
STEERING	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	—None	0.2Very Low
SEATS	0.1Very Low	—None
BACK OVER PREVENTION	0.1Very Low	—None
SEAT BELTS	—None	0.1Very Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	—None	0.1Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	—None	—None
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	—None	—None

Complaints per 10,000 units sold, aggregated across all tracked model years from NHTSA owner reports.

Which Is Cheaper to Maintain: Dodge Durango or Kia Telluride?

Lower running costs go to the Telluride. Independent repair-cost data puts it at $573 a year against $675 for the Durango. That gap is $102 a year, or about $510 over five years. The Durango visits the shop less often for unscheduled repairs, at 0.2 times a year versus 0.4 for the Telluride. The data gives a 13% chance of a major repair for the Durango only. A single Durango tail light assembly, quoted at roughly $1,500 to $2,000, can erase the five-year savings.

How Does Dodge Durango vs Kia Telluride Reliability Compare by Year?

Dodge Durango vs Kia Telluride year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Dodge Durango	Kia Telluride	Edge
2025	78/1000R / 5C	78/1002R / 32C	Tie
2024	78/1000R / 6C	69/1004R / 180C	Dodge Durango
2023	75/1002R / 27C	68/1005R / 161C	Dodge Durango
2022	71/1006R / 47C	63/1006R / 280C	Dodge Durango
2021	65/1007R / 159C	63/1004R / 280C	Dodge Durango
2020	72/1003R / 62C	55/1006R / 667C	Dodge Durango

Best years to cross-shop: The 2024 Dodge Durango scored 78/100 and the 2024 Kia Telluride scored 69/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Dodge Durango vs the Kia Telluride?

Pick the Durango if you want the lower odds of trouble. It has far fewer complaints per vehicle sold and half the unscheduled shop visits. Look at 2024, which ranks among the strongest, but remember that newer years have had less time to collect complaints. Avoid 2018 and 2021, the weakest years. Before buying, ask whether the brake hydraulic recall work is done, because owners reported dealers having no parts for a year or more. Pick the Telluride if a lower annual repair bill matters most and a midsize body fits your needs. Its estimated yearly cost is lower than the Durango's. Target 2024 or 2025, the strongest years, and stay away from 2020 and 2021. Ask how many times the windshield has been replaced, since some owners went through two or three. Have a mechanic check for oil loss between changes, and ask for service records. Some owners said Kia denied engine warranty claims over missing records.

Dodge Durango vs Kia Telluride: Common Questions

Is the KIA Telluride more reliable than the Dodge Durango?: No. The Durango comes out clearly ahead. Telluride owners filed 23.3 complaints per 10,000 sold, against 5.4 for the Durango. The Telluride also needs unscheduled shop visits twice as often. Early windshield cracks and blank instrument clusters are common Telluride complaints.
Which has more recalls, the Telluride or the Durango?: They are even at 27 recalls each in federal recall records. The Telluride reached that total over 6 model years, while the Durango took 9. That means the Telluride has more recalls per model year, but the raw totals match.
Which costs less to repair, the Telluride or the Durango?: The Telluride costs less. Independent repair-cost data estimates $573 a year for the Telluride and $675 for the Durango. Over five years that is roughly $510 in the Telluride's favor. The Durango makes up some ground by going to the shop less often.
What goes wrong with Telluride windshields?: Owners report windshields cracking from small pebbles, and sometimes with no visible impact, even while parked. The cracks spread fast, so the glass must be replaced. Many failures come in the first few thousand miles. Some owners replaced it two or three times, and dealers often decline warranty coverage.
What is the common Durango tail light problem?: Water leaks into the liftgate racetrack tail light and burns out sections of the LEDs. The license plate lights usually fail too. Single bulbs cannot be replaced, so the full assembly is quoted at roughly $1,500 to $2,000. Failures showed up as early as 17,000 to 28,000 miles.

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How we score the Dodge Durango and Kia Telluride

Scores weight complaint severity at 35%, repair costs at 30%, recall impact at 20%, and the spread of complaints across systems at 15%, with complaint counts adjusted for US sales. Read the full methodology.

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