The glass-and-screens year against the settled one. The Highlander asks one question; the Telluride asks seven.

This is the loudest thing in the 2022 file and the accounts are consistent enough to be worth taking at face value. "The contact stated that while driving at 66 MPH, the sunroof unexpectedly exploded. There was no impact on the sunroof to cause the failure." "While driving our 2022 Kia Telluride under normal operating conditions, the panoramic sunroof glass suddenly and spontaneously shattered outward with a loud explosion-like noise." "Sunroof glass exploded while traveling down the interstate at 75 MPH. All occupants were covered in broken glass but there were no injuries. All of the windows were closed at the time." And, more mundanely: "Went to the carwash and the sunroof exploded." There is no recall for this on any Telluride year and no campaign in Kia's Telluride bulletin file that addresses shattering glass. It is documented on the mechanically identical Hyundai Palisade too, where a reviewer notes the manufacturer "has not issued a recall for the issues that come up the most frequently, which have to do with the sunroof's explosion and the windshield's cracking". If the sunroof is important to you on this car, price a replacement into the purchase rather than assuming it will be covered.

Sources: NHTSA complaints and recalls, 2022 Kia Telluride, plus recalls/campaignNumber for 26V430000 (pulled 2026-07-30) · Mechanic teardown of a 3.8L Lambda II G6DN V6 at 92,000 miles, plus independent reliability-review and owner transcripts, 2020-2024 Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade

Separate from the glass, the mechanism fails. The wind deflector — the air dam that lifts at the front when the roof opens — snaps off and jams or wrecks the track. "Sunroof is stuck in an open position unable to be closed. Upon attempting to open the sunroof, the deflector snapped off the assembly and the sunroof track broke." The bills that follow are the point: "The only fix according to the dealer was to replace the entire unit which cost more than $5k with parts and labor." "The dealership indicated the sunroof is beyond repair and requires installation of an entirely brand new sunroof assembly at a cost of $5,730 because it occurred outside the warranty (warranty expired at 60,000 miles and the car had 70,463 miles when sunroof broke)." One owner was quoted "close to $400 JUST to find the problem", found the broken deflector himself in ten minutes, and priced the parts at "close to $4,000! Without labor!!" Kia has a bulletin for this covering 2019 to 2022 Tellurides built between 15 February 2019 and 19 January 2022, instructing dealers to perform "a partial replacement of the sunroof wind deflector and mechanism arms" where "the sunroof open/close operation [is] inoperative and/or the sunroof wind deflector function [is] inoperative". That is a parts-level repair. It is worth asking for by description before any assembly is quoted.

Sources: NHTSA complaints and recalls, 2022 Kia Telluride, plus recalls/campaignNumber for 26V430000 (pulled 2026-07-30) · NHTSA manufacturer communications, Kia Telluride (WTY045 oil filter housing gasket extension, SC252A/B/C HECU voluntary service campaign, SA490 ECU and TCU acceleration logic, SA569 head-unit software, the sunroof wind deflector and mechanism arms bulletin, the 1 November 2019 windshield Customer Satisfaction Initiative, SC303Z driveshaft follow-up)

Kia recalled the 2022 Telluride's instrument cluster twice, for the same symptom and two different causes. Recall 21V577, Kia code SC215, covers 2022 cars whose "LCD display screen may remain blank after startup", failing the federal control-and-displays standard FMVSS 101 — a blank screen means no digital speedometer, no gear indicator, no odometer. The remedy was a cluster software update, letters mailed 3 August 2021. Then recall 22V344, Kia code SC237, covers 2022 cars where "excess adhesive in a circuit board within the instrument cluster may cause the instrument cluster display screen to be blank", and this time the remedy is to "replace the instrument cluster assembly", letters mailed 15 July 2022. That is Kia trying software first and hardware second on the same model year. Owners still report the symptom afterwards: "Upon starting car, digital odometer cluster is blank. While the cluster is down, the gas tank cap is also unable to be opened." "Driver LCD screen went blank." Ask which of the two campaigns this VIN received, and note that a car that has had the hardware replacement is in better shape than one that only got the reflash.

Sources: NHTSA complaints and recalls, 2022 Kia Telluride, plus recalls/campaignNumber for 26V430000 (pulled 2026-07-30)

Recall 26V-128 (2021–2024 Highlander/Highlander Hybrid) covers second-row seat backs that may fail to lock into position during adjustment, so a seat back might not properly restrain an occupant in a crash. Dealers replace the recliner return springs free; interim owner letters went out in 2026 with the final remedy to follow. Confirm the second-row seats latch firmly in every position during your inspection, and verify the recall by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2022 Highlander + Highlander Hybrid · NHTSA manufacturer communications (recall documents, CSP 22TE09)

Recall 23V-720 (2020–2023) covers a front lower bumper cover that a minor impact can loosen or detach, becoming a road hazard; the remedy is free repair or replacement. It's the most common structure item in the gen-four complaint files. Verify it shows completed by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2022 Highlander + Highlander Hybrid · NHTSA manufacturer communications (recall documents, CSP 22TE09)

The 2022 uses the same eight-speed as the rest of the generation. In this generation the mechanic source says it 'does not have a problem' the way the 2017 launch unit did — but it is a busy, downshift-happy transmission by design (it shifts to high gears early and revs on hard acceleration), which is normal, for emissions and economy. Because this transmission family produced the whine complaints in louder years, test-drive a 2022 across speeds and listen for any acceleration whine; a clean-driving example is the goal.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2022 Highlander + Highlander Hybrid · Independent mechanic channel transcripts (Car Care Nut current-Highlander review)