Is the KIA Telluride more reliable than the Nissan Pathfinder?

No. The Pathfinder has a clear edge. Both have good standing, but the Telluride drew 23.3 complaints per 10,000 sold against 3.5 for the Pathfinder. Telluride reports also include engine failure from oil consumption and rollaway in Park, which are more serious than most Pathfinder complaints.

Which has more recalls, the Telluride or the Pathfinder?

The Telluride. Federal recall records show 27 recalls across its 6 model years. The Pathfinder has 14 across 8 model years. That puts the Telluride at more than double the Pathfinder's recalls per model year, so check that all open recalls were completed before you buy either.

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

The Pathfinder, but only slightly. Independent repair-cost data shows $542 a year for the Pathfinder and $573 for the Telluride, about $155 over five years. Both average 0.4 unscheduled shop visits a year. The Pathfinder has a 15% chance that a repair is major.

What is the biggest problem with the Nissan Pathfinder?

The CVT. Owners describe judder, slipping, lurching, and sometimes surging forward near a stop. Dealers often found no fault codes, so cars left unrepaired. Reports fall between 60k and 80,000 miles. Power train has 3 crash-linked complaints. Test drive any used Pathfinder carefully at low speed.

Do Kia Telluride windshields really crack easily?

Owner complaints say yes. Visibility is the Telluride's largest problem area with 288 complaints. Windshields crack from small pebbles or with no visible impact, often in the first few thousand miles. Some owners replaced the glass two or three times, and dealers often declined warranty coverage. Inspect the glass before you buy.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Kia Telluride vs Nissan Pathfinder: Reliability Compared

Kia Telluride

Good

More Reliable

Nissan Pathfinder

Good

The Nissan Pathfinder comes out ahead of the KIA Telluride on reliability, with a clear edge. Both rate good, but Telluride owners filed far more complaints per vehicle sold, including cracked windshields, blank gauge clusters, and engine failures, while repair costs stay close.

How Do the Kia Telluride and Nissan Pathfinder Generations Compare?

One generation covers the whole US run of the Telluride, model years 2020 through 2025, with a refresh in 2023. The weakest years, 2020 and 2021, come from the early part of that run, so a 2023 or later car gets the updated design. For the Pathfinder, the fourth generation ran from 2013 to 2020 and was facelifted in 2017, so 2018 through 2020 are late-cycle cars from that design. The fifth generation covers US model years 2022 and 2023, with a facelift in 2023. The 2022 is among the Pathfinder's weakest years.

Verdict

The Nissan Pathfinder is more reliable than the Kia Telluride, scoring 74/100 vs 66/100.

Reliability favors the Nissan by a clear margin. Both SUVs sit in good standing, and repair cost and shop visits are close. The difference is how often owners report trouble. Telluride owners filed 23.3 complaints per 10,000 sold, against 3.5 for the Pathfinder. Telluride reports also run heavier: cracking windshields, blank instrument clusters, and engines that burn oil until they fail. Federal recall records add 27 recalls for the Telluride against 14 for the Pathfinder. The Pathfinder is not clean, mainly because of its CVT.

Key Differences

1Nissan Pathfinder costs $31 less per year to repair
2Nissan Pathfinder has 19.8 fewer complaints per 10k sold
3Nissan Pathfinder has 13 fewer total recalls

Category Scoreboard

0Kia Telluride

—

4Nissan Pathfinder

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair FrequencySafety Rating

Kia Telluride vs Nissan Pathfinder: Which Is More Reliable?

Kia Telluride vs Nissan Pathfinder at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Kia Telluride	Nissan Pathfinder
Reliability Score	66/100	74/100
Years Tracked	6	8
Total Recalls	27	14
Complaints per 10k Sold	23.3	3.5
Annual Repair Cost	$573/yr	$542/yr
Repair Frequency	0.4/yr	0.4/yr
Safety RatingNHTSA overall	2025 NHTSA	2026 NHTSA
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Year Wins	0 (1 tied)	4 (1 tied)

What Are the Common Problems With the Kia Telluride and Nissan Pathfinder?

Early-life defects dominate the Telluride's complaints. Windshields crack from small pebbles or with no impact, sometimes within the first few thousand miles. The instrument cluster goes blank while driving. Oil consumption can end in engine failure. Rollaway in Park is the main power train hazard, with 5 crash-linked reports. The Pathfinder's trouble centers on the CVT, which judders, slips, and sometimes surges forward near a stop, plus brake and cruise control faults. Only the Telluride has crash-linked complaints in electrical and exterior lighting. The Pathfinder's crash links appear in power train and speed control.

Kia Telluride vs Nissan Pathfinder common problem areas comparison
Component	Kia Telluride	Nissan Pathfinder
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	4.4Average	0.5Very Low
VISIBILITY/WIPER	4.2Average	0.1Very Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	2.8Low	0.5Very Low
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	2.5Low	—None
POWER TRAIN	1.7Low	0.5Very Low
ENGINE	1.9Low	0.2Very Low
STRUCTURE	1.6Low	0.1Very Low
VISIBILITY	0.7Very Low	—None
SERVICE BRAKES	0.3Very Low	0.4Very Low
SUSPENSION	0.6Very Low	—None
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	0.2Very Low	0.2Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
STEERING	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	0.1Very Low	—None
SEAT BELTS	0.1Very Low	—None
SEATS	—None	0.1Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	—None	0.1Very Low
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)	—None	0.1Very Low
FUEL SYSTEM	—None	—None
BACK OVER PREVENTION	—None	—None

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

Which Is Cheaper to Maintain: Kia Telluride or Nissan Pathfinder?

Independent repair-cost data puts the Telluride at $573 a year and the Pathfinder at $542. That is $31 a year, or about $155 over five years, so cost alone should not decide this. Both average 0.4 unscheduled shop visits per year. The Pathfinder has a 15% chance that a repair is major. The data gives no matching figure for the Telluride. Owner reports show big single bills on both: a Telluride head unit quoted near $7,500 and a Pathfinder transfer case repair near $4,000.

How Does Kia Telluride vs Nissan Pathfinder Reliability Compare by Year?

Kia Telluride vs Nissan Pathfinder year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Kia Telluride	Nissan Pathfinder	Edge
2025	78/1002R / 32C	78/1001R / 25C	Tie
2024	69/1004R / 180C	74/1002R / 38C	Nissan Pathfinder
2023	68/1005R / 161C	74/1001R / 86C	Nissan Pathfinder
2022	63/1006R / 280C	66/1005R / 119C	Nissan Pathfinder
2020	55/1006R / 667C	78/1000R / 43C	Nissan Pathfinder

Best years to cross-shop: The 2024 Kia Telluride scored 69/100 and the 2020 Nissan Pathfinder scored 78/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Kia Telluride vs the Nissan Pathfinder?

Pick the Pathfinder if you want fewer surprises. Its complaint volume is low for its sales, and its problems are narrower, led by the CVT and some electrical annoyances like key fob locks and a cutting-out backup camera. Target 2020, one of its strongest years, and avoid 2022 and 2018, its weakest. Skip a car that shudders or surges on a test drive, since dealers often could not reproduce CVT faults. Treat 2026 with care, because a new year has had little time to collect complaints. Pick the Telluride if its space and features matter most and you will accept more risk. Aim for 2024 or 2025, but remember that fewer complaints there partly reflects less time on the road. Avoid 2020 and 2021, the weakest years. Check the windshield for cracks, ask for full oil service records, since some owners said warranty claims were denied over missing records, and confirm every open recall was done. Watch the instrument cluster on startup.

Kia Telluride vs Nissan Pathfinder: Common Questions

Is the KIA Telluride more reliable than the Nissan Pathfinder?: No. The Pathfinder has a clear edge. Both have good standing, but the Telluride drew 23.3 complaints per 10,000 sold against 3.5 for the Pathfinder. Telluride reports also include engine failure from oil consumption and rollaway in Park, which are more serious than most Pathfinder complaints.
Which has more recalls, the Telluride or the Pathfinder?: The Telluride. Federal recall records show 27 recalls across its 6 model years. The Pathfinder has 14 across 8 model years. That puts the Telluride at more than double the Pathfinder's recalls per model year, so check that all open recalls were completed before you buy either.
Which costs less to repair, the Telluride or the Pathfinder?: The Pathfinder, but only slightly. Independent repair-cost data shows $542 a year for the Pathfinder and $573 for the Telluride, about $155 over five years. Both average 0.4 unscheduled shop visits a year. The Pathfinder has a 15% chance that a repair is major.
What is the biggest problem with the Nissan Pathfinder?: The CVT. Owners describe judder, slipping, lurching, and sometimes surging forward near a stop. Dealers often found no fault codes, so cars left unrepaired. Reports fall between 60k and 80,000 miles. Power train has 3 crash-linked complaints. Test drive any used Pathfinder carefully at low speed.
Do Kia Telluride windshields really crack easily?: Owner complaints say yes. Visibility is the Telluride's largest problem area with 288 complaints. Windshields crack from small pebbles or with no visible impact, often in the first few thousand miles. Some owners replaced the glass two or three times, and dealers often declined warranty coverage. Inspect the glass before you buy.

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How we score the Kia Telluride and Nissan Pathfinder

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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