Is the Ford Explorer more reliable than the KIA Telluride?

No, they are effectively tied, and both stand as good. The Explorer makes fewer unscheduled shop visits and draws fewer complaints per vehicle sold. The Telluride costs less to repair each year and has far fewer recalls. Weigh which kind of problem worries you more.

Which has more recalls, the Explorer or the Telluride?

The Explorer has far more. Federal recall records show 117 recalls across 9 model years for the Explorer, against 27 across 6 model years for the Telluride. The Explorer has also been on sale for more model years, which gives recalls more time to pile up.

Which is cheaper to repair, the Explorer or the Telluride?

The Telluride is cheaper. Independent repair-cost data estimates $573 a year for the Telluride and $732 for the Explorer. Over five years that is roughly $795 saved. The Telluride does go to the shop more often, at 0.4 unscheduled visits a year against 0.2.

Do Telluride windshields really crack easily?

Owner complaints say so. It is the largest Telluride problem area. Windshields crack from small pebbles, and sometimes with no visible impact. Many failures came within the first few thousand miles. Some owners replaced the glass two or three times, and dealers often declined warranty coverage.

What are the worst Ford Explorer problems?

Power train trouble leads the complaints. Owners describe harsh or skipped shifting, sudden downshifts, and cars that lose power while driving. Electrical faults come next, including stalling traced to wiring harnesses. Engine failures are fewer but costly, with replacement quotes of $11,000 to $12,000.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Ford Explorer vs Kia Telluride: Reliability Compared

More Reliable

Ford Explorer

Good

Kia Telluride

Good

Ford Explorer and KIA Telluride are effectively tied on reliability, and both stand as good. The split is in the type of trouble. The Telluride costs less to repair each year, while the Explorer has far more recalls and more crash-linked complaint areas.

How Do the Ford Explorer and Kia Telluride Generations Compare?

One generation covers every Telluride sold so far, 2020 through 2025, with a refresh in 2023. That splits used shoppers into two groups: the cars built before the refresh, which include the weakest years of 2020 and 2021, and the refreshed 2023 to 2025 cars, which have had less time to collect complaints. The Explorer data runs from 2018 to 2026. The 2018 and 2019 cars belong to the fifth generation, which received a facelift in 2016. The sixth generation began in 2020 and ran through 2023, and its first two years rate weakest.

Verdict

The Ford Explorer is more reliable than the Kia Telluride, scoring 67/100 vs 66/100.

Effectively tied. Both stand at a good level, and neither pulls clear. The Telluride is cheaper to keep running, but it draws far more owner complaints for each vehicle sold. The Explorer carries a much heavier recall load and more crash-linked complaint areas, but makes fewer shop visits. Each trades one weakness for another. The deciding factor is which risk you can live with: windshield and instrument cluster problems on the Telluride, or transmission and wiring faults on the Explorer.

Key Differences

1Kia Telluride costs $159 less per year to repair
2Kia Telluride has 90 fewer total recalls
3Ford Explorer has 16.5 fewer complaints per 10k sold

Category Scoreboard

3Ford Explorer

—

2Kia Telluride

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair FrequencySafety Rating

Ford Explorer vs Kia Telluride: Which Is More Reliable?

Ford Explorer vs Kia Telluride at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Ford Explorer	Kia Telluride
Reliability Score	67/100	66/100
Years Tracked	9	6
Total Recalls	117	27
Complaints per 10k Sold	6.8	23.3
Annual Repair Cost	$732/yr	$573/yr
Repair Frequency	0.2/yr	0.4/yr
Safety RatingNHTSA overall	2026 NHTSA	2025 NHTSA
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Year Wins	3	3

What Are the Common Problems With the Ford Explorer and Kia Telluride?

Glass, displays, and lighting dominate Telluride complaints, while drivetrain and power loss dominate the Explorer's. Telluride windshields crack from small pebbles or with no visible impact, and the instrument cluster goes blank. Its most serious cases are oil-burning engines and rollaway in Park. Explorer owners describe slamming or skipped gears, stalling, and wiring harness faults, plus broken timing chains and a dropped intake valve. The Explorer has crash-linked reports in its engine and structure areas. The Telluride lists none for its engine or windshield complaints, but its power train area has crash-linked rollaway reports.

Ford Explorer vs Kia Telluride common problem areas comparison
Component	Ford Explorer	Kia Telluride
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	1.1Low	4.4Average
VISIBILITY/WIPER	—None	4.2Average
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	0.7Very Low	2.8Low
POWER TRAIN	1.6Low	1.7Low
STRUCTURE	1.1Low	1.6Low
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	0.1Very Low	2.5Low
ENGINE	0.4Very Low	1.9Low
SUSPENSION	0.1Very Low	0.6Very Low
VISIBILITY	—None	0.7Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	0.2Very Low	0.3Very Low
STEERING	0.2Very Low	0.1Very Low
BACK OVER PREVENTION	0.2Very Low	—None
AIR BAGS	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	—None	0.2Very Low
SEATS	0.1Very Low	—None
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	0.1Very Low	—None
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	—None	0.1Very Low
SEAT BELTS	—None	0.1Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	—None	—None

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

Which Is Cheaper to Maintain: Ford Explorer or Kia Telluride?

Annual repair bills run lower on the Telluride: $573 a year, against $732 for the Explorer. That gap is $159 a year, or about $795 over five years. The Explorer makes fewer unscheduled shop visits, at 0.2 a year against 0.4 for the Telluride. Independent repair-cost data puts the chance of a major Explorer repair at 14%. No matching figure is available for the Telluride. Expect a cheaper bill with the Telluride, but more trips to the shop.

How Does Ford Explorer vs Kia Telluride Reliability Compare by Year?

Ford Explorer vs Kia Telluride year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Ford Explorer	Kia Telluride	Edge
2025	72/10014R / 65C	78/1002R / 32C	Kia Telluride
2024	73/1006R / 14C	69/1004R / 180C	Ford Explorer
2023	71/10012R / 84C	68/1005R / 161C	Ford Explorer
2022	65/10021R / 208C	63/1006R / 280C	Ford Explorer
2021	62/10022R / 354C	63/1004R / 280C	Kia Telluride
2020	54/10029R / 1066C	55/1006R / 667C	Kia Telluride

Best years to cross-shop: The 2024 Ford Explorer scored 73/100 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 Ford Explorer vs the Kia Telluride?

Choose the Telluride if lower running costs and a lighter recall history matter most. Its estimated repair bill is lower, and it avoids the Explorer's long list of recall repairs. Accept that windshield cracks and blank instrument clusters are common complaints, often within the first few thousand miles. Skip 2020 and 2021, the weakest years. Keep every oil change record, because owners said Kia denied engine warranty claims over missing service records. Choose the Explorer if fewer shop visits matter more and you can tolerate a heavier recall history. Test drive it for harsh shifting from a stop, and confirm the rear camera recall repairs are done, since owners reported long waits for parts. Avoid 2020 and 2021 here too. The 2024 and 2025 years rate strongest, but they have had less time to collect complaints, so treat that as an early read. Have a shop check for open recalls before you sign.

Ford Explorer vs Kia Telluride: Common Questions

Is the Ford Explorer more reliable than the KIA Telluride?: No, they are effectively tied, and both stand as good. The Explorer makes fewer unscheduled shop visits and draws fewer complaints per vehicle sold. The Telluride costs less to repair each year and has far fewer recalls. Weigh which kind of problem worries you more.
Which has more recalls, the Explorer or the Telluride?: The Explorer has far more. Federal recall records show 117 recalls across 9 model years for the Explorer, against 27 across 6 model years for the Telluride. The Explorer has also been on sale for more model years, which gives recalls more time to pile up.
Which is cheaper to repair, the Explorer or the Telluride?: The Telluride is cheaper. Independent repair-cost data estimates $573 a year for the Telluride and $732 for the Explorer. Over five years that is roughly $795 saved. The Telluride does go to the shop more often, at 0.4 unscheduled visits a year against 0.2.
Do Telluride windshields really crack easily?: Owner complaints say so. It is the largest Telluride problem area. Windshields crack from small pebbles, and sometimes with no visible impact. Many failures came within the first few thousand miles. Some owners replaced the glass two or three times, and dealers often declined warranty coverage.
What are the worst Ford Explorer problems?: Power train trouble leads the complaints. Owners describe harsh or skipped shifting, sudden downshifts, and cars that lose power while driving. Electrical faults come next, including stalling traced to wiring harnesses. Engine failures are fewer but costly, with replacement quotes of $11,000 to $12,000.

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How we score the Ford Explorer 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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