The completely redesigned 2027 Kia Telluride has already delivered strong results for the brand. Last month, the SUV achieved a new all-time monthly sales record in the United States, with 13,198 units sold.
That figure placed it only a few hundred units behind Kia’s best-selling Sportage. However, the model’s early success has been accompanied by a setback, as Kia has issued a recall covering 13,499 Telluride vehicles. The campaign also includes 1,371 units of the 2026 K4 Hatchback due to a seatbelt anchor buckle concern.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), under recall number 26V135, some of the affected vehicles may have been equipped with a center seatbelt anchor buckle that fails to latch properly.
The problem is believed to stem from a manufacturing error by a supplier. If the buckle does not lock as intended, the seatbelt may not properly secure the passenger during a crash, potentially increasing the risk of injury.
In the case of the 2027 Telluride, the defective part may appear in the vehicle’s third row. The latest Telluride represents the second generation of the SUV and is built at Kia’s manufacturing facility in West Point, Georgia for the North American market.
Although the second row can be configured with captain’s chairs, the Telluride still operates as a three-row crossover designed to compete with vehicles such as the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Ford Explorer.
For the K4 Hatchback, the faulty seatbelt anchor buckle is located in the rear seating area. Passengers may become aware of the issue if they experience difficulty securing the seatbelt or notice that the buckle does not latch properly.
According to the recall notice, owners of affected vehicles will be asked to visit a Kia dealership where technicians will inspect the seatbelt anchor assembly. If a defect is confirmed, the dealer will replace the buckle assembly as part of the repair process. Kia has also stated that owners who previously paid out of pocket to correct the issue may be eligible for reimbursement.
Kia plans to begin contacting affected owners on May 5, 2026 to inform them about the recall and provide instructions on how to proceed with the inspection and repair.
This notice will arrive only weeks after owners of the previous-generation Telluride are scheduled to receive recall notifications for a separate issue involving loose front seatbacks. That earlier campaign affects more than 85,000 units from the 2025 model year.
Despite the recall affecting some early examples of the 2027 Telluride, the presence of a safety campaign does not necessarily indicate broader reliability concerns. In many situations, recalls are issued out of caution or are linked to individual components supplied by external vendors rather than indicating a systemic flaw in the vehicle’s design.
