Is the Toyota Grand Highlander more reliable than the KIA Telluride?

Yes, by a large gap. Owners filed 8.2 complaints per 10,000 Grand Highlanders sold, against 23.3 for the Telluride. The Telluride's reports include engine failure, rollaway crashes, and blank instrument clusters. The Grand Highlander has had fewer model years on the road, so its record is shorter.

Which has more recalls, the Grand Highlander or the Telluride?

The Telluride has more. Federal recall records show 27 across six model years, against 10 across three for the Grand Highlander. The Telluride has had more years on the road, so part of the gap comes from time. Check any VIN for open recalls before buying.

What are the biggest problems with the KIA Telluride?

Windshield cracking is the most reported, with 288 complaints, often within the first few thousand miles. Next come blank instrument clusters, foggy or cut-off headlights, oil consumption that leads to engine failure, and rollaway in Park. Some owners say warranty coverage was denied for glass and engine claims.

What goes wrong on the Toyota Grand Highlander?

Power train complaints lead, mainly hesitation, lurching, and power loss when pulling away. Dealers often could not duplicate it. Air bag reports are next, mostly about a wait for parts under recall 24V461000. Some owners also report a fuel gauge that reads empty with several gallons left.

Which Telluride model years should I avoid?

Avoid 2020 and 2021, the weakest years in owner complaints. The strongest are 2025 and 2024. The 2023 refresh split the generation, and both weakest years came before it. Whatever the year, confirm recalls are complete and ask for full service records.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Kia Telluride vs Toyota Grand Highlander: Reliability Compared

Kia Telluride

Good

More Reliable

Toyota Grand Highlander

Good

Reliability favors the Toyota Grand Highlander over the KIA Telluride by a wide margin. Owner complaints run 8.2 per 10,000 sold, against 23.3. The Telluride also carries more recalls and more serious reports, including engine failure and rollaway crashes. The Grand Highlander's record is shorter, though.

How Do the Kia Telluride and Toyota Grand Highlander Generations Compare?

Each model is still in its first generation, so you are not choosing between designs. The Grand Highlander covers model years 2024 to 2026, which means every used car is the same basic vehicle and the record is short. The newest year has had the least time to collect complaints. The Telluride ran from 2020 through 2025 and received a refresh for 2023. Its weakest years, 2020 and 2021, came before the refresh, and its strongest, 2025 and 2024, came after it. That makes refreshed cars the safer place to shop.

Verdict

The Toyota Grand Highlander is more reliable than the Kia Telluride, scoring 79/100 vs 66/100.

Reliability clearly favors the Grand Highlander, and the gap is large. Owners filed far fewer complaints per vehicle sold, and its recall count is much lower. The Telluride's record includes engine failure from oil consumption, rollaway crashes, and blank instrument clusters. The Grand Highlander's worst reports are hesitation, a slow airbag recall fix, and a misleading fuel gauge. It has also had less time on the road to collect complaints, so its record is shorter. Even so, the difference is wide enough to favor it clearly.

Key Differences

1Toyota Grand Highlander has 17 fewer total recalls
2Toyota Grand Highlander has 15.1 fewer complaints per 10k sold
3Toyota Grand Highlander scores 13 points higher in reliability

Category Scoreboard

0Kia Telluride

—

3Toyota Grand Highlander

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateSafety Rating

Kia Telluride vs Toyota Grand Highlander: Which Is More Reliable?

Kia Telluride vs Toyota Grand Highlander at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Kia Telluride	Toyota Grand Highlander
Reliability Score	66/100	79/100
Years Tracked	6	3
Total Recalls	27	10
Complaints per 10k Sold	23.3	8.2
Safety RatingNHTSA overall	2025 NHTSA	2026 NHTSA
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Year Wins	0 (1 tied)	1 (1 tied)

What Are the Common Problems With the Kia Telluride and Toyota Grand Highlander?

Severity and volume separate these two. The Telluride's windshields crack from tiny pebbles or with no impact. Instrument clusters go blank while driving. Engines burn oil, and some fail or catch fire. Rollaway in Park has caused crashes and an injury. Its power train, electrical, and lighting areas all have crash-linked reports. The Grand Highlander's complaints center on hesitation and power loss, a recall wait for curtain airbag parts, and a fuel gauge that reads empty with gallons left. Its one crash-linked area is air bags, with a single report of side airbags not deploying in a T-bone crash.

Kia Telluride vs Toyota Grand Highlander common problem areas comparison
Component	Kia Telluride	Toyota Grand Highlander
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	4.4Average	1.7Low
VISIBILITY/WIPER	4.2Average	0.1Very Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	2.8Low	0.6Very Low
POWER TRAIN	1.7Low	1.4Low
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	2.5Low	—None
STRUCTURE	1.6Low	0.5Very Low
ENGINE	1.9Low	—None
AIR BAGS	0.1Very Low	1.1Low
SUSPENSION	0.6Very Low	0.4Very Low
VISIBILITY	0.7Very Low	—None
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	0.2Very Low	0.4Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	—None	0.6Very Low
STEERING	0.1Very Low	0.2Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	0.3Very Low	—None
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	0.1Very Low	—None
SEAT BELTS	0.1Very Low	—None
SEATS	—None	—None

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

How Does Kia Telluride vs Toyota Grand Highlander Reliability Compare by Year?

Kia Telluride vs Toyota Grand Highlander year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Kia Telluride	Toyota Grand Highlander	Edge
2025	78/1002R / 32C	80/1003R / 33C	Toyota Grand Highlander
2024	69/1004R / 180C	69/1007R / 171C	Tie

Best years to cross-shop: The 2024 Kia Telluride scored 69/100 and the 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander 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 Kia Telluride vs the Toyota Grand Highlander?

Choose the Grand Highlander if you want the lower-risk record. Complaints are far fewer and no engine-failure pattern shows up. Check that the recall on the curtain airbags has actually been done, since one owner was told it was complete when it was not. Test drive for stutter when pulling away. The 2024 and 2025 years show the most complaints, and 2026 only looks good because it has had the least time to collect them, so do not favor it on that basis. Choose the Telluride only if you find a good price and a clean history. Target 2025 or 2024, the strongest years, and avoid 2020 and 2021, the weakest. Ask for full service records, since some owners say Kia denied engine claims over missing ones. Check the windshield for chips, confirm the cluster never blanks, and make sure open recalls are done before you buy.

Kia Telluride vs Toyota Grand Highlander: Common Questions

Is the Toyota Grand Highlander more reliable than the KIA Telluride?: Yes, by a large gap. Owners filed 8.2 complaints per 10,000 Grand Highlanders sold, against 23.3 for the Telluride. The Telluride's reports include engine failure, rollaway crashes, and blank instrument clusters. The Grand Highlander has had fewer model years on the road, so its record is shorter.
Which has more recalls, the Grand Highlander or the Telluride?: The Telluride has more. Federal recall records show 27 across six model years, against 10 across three for the Grand Highlander. The Telluride has had more years on the road, so part of the gap comes from time. Check any VIN for open recalls before buying.
What are the biggest problems with the KIA Telluride?: Windshield cracking is the most reported, with 288 complaints, often within the first few thousand miles. Next come blank instrument clusters, foggy or cut-off headlights, oil consumption that leads to engine failure, and rollaway in Park. Some owners say warranty coverage was denied for glass and engine claims.
What goes wrong on the Toyota Grand Highlander?: Power train complaints lead, mainly hesitation, lurching, and power loss when pulling away. Dealers often could not duplicate it. Air bag reports are next, mostly about a wait for parts under recall 24V461000. Some owners also report a fuel gauge that reads empty with several gallons left.
Which Telluride model years should I avoid?: Avoid 2020 and 2021, the weakest years in owner complaints. The strongest are 2025 and 2024. The 2023 refresh split the generation, and both weakest years came before it. Whatever the year, confirm recalls are complete and ask for full service records.

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Decided between Kia Telluride and Toyota Grand Highlander? Run a VIN check before you buy — uncover hidden accidents, title issues, and open recalls.

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How we score the Kia Telluride and Toyota Grand Highlander

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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