Kia Seltos Complaints
532 consumer complaints on file.
- #11572537February 17, 2024POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My Transmission Temp light goes on when I am in slow traffic going on an uphill road. I need to pull over and let it cool down, This has happen in Mountains in Colorado , So it is cold outside. Both times i need to get a tow due to the fact there are no places to pull over on single lane road. it takes approx. 1 hour to cool down and i can only drive 100 yards before light comes back on. I have brought to Dealership twice in last several months and they tell me there is nothing they can do about it. This is a Major safety hazard.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11572363February 16, 2024ENGINE
Engine is burning excessive oil have to add a quart every 3000 miles
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11571607February 13, 2024UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FIRERELATED
A flapping sound started in the engine, then no acceleration when I used the gas pedal. Pulled to the side of the road and black smoke and sparks began coming from the engine. I exited the car and it burst into flames. The was no warning icons that appeared to alert me to any problems. Car was total ingulfed.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11569853February 4, 2024POWER TRAIN
Car cannot operate in reverse. Error code P060194. Forward gears are questionable.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11568193January 27, 2024ENGINE
Car is burning oil to the point the engine light comes on between oil changes. This is the second engine they have put in this car and still doing it. They did engine oil consumption test and say it's not burning over a quart every 1000 miles. I've never in my life had a car burn oil like this. They said Kia won't do anything about it.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11567862January 25, 2024POWER TRAIN
After about a hour and a half of driving the car began to surge between 2,000 and 3,000 RPM. This has happen and few times but the last time the transmission lost high gear. The car had to be towed to the dealerships. The dealership is stating there is nothing wrong. I feel this is a safety issue.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11567792January 25, 2024SEAT BELTS
I was in a car crash [XXX]. My 8 year old child was buckled in the backseat on the driver's side. Her seat belt failed and let her be thrown across the car into the passenger side floorboard face down. She was unconscious and lifeless, I had to pull her from the vehicle. She was life flighted to Memorial Hermann Children's in Houston, TX. She has a concussion, fractured pelvis, had a bleeding/bruised spleen, knocked her lower teeth all loose, plus bleeding and bruised gums, sore neck from whiplash and just general body pains. The police officer came to the hospital and told me they tested all the seat belts and the two back seat belts in the Kia Seltos FAILED to engage. The pediatrician physicians said this could have killed her and I need to report this to prevent more tragedies from happening. There needs to be an immediate recall done to protect the backseat passengers in these cars. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 3
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11564959January 11, 2024FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
The vehicle was sputtering and then shut off and would not start. I called KIA and had it towed to Dealership. They called several days later stating there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. Then several weeks later getting on the turnpike it sputter and shut off. I was able to get it started again and repeated the same sputter and shutting off an additonal 2 times on the turnpike. I was able to get the vehicle home to my drive way. The tow truck came and could not get it to start. He towed it back to the dealership. This time they replaced the fuel injector. The mechanic advised KIA that this issued caused scoring on the cylinders. KIA authorized replacing the fuel injector. KIA claimed scoring on the cylinders is normal. You don't have to be a mechanic to know this is. not normal and over time will lead to engine failure. KIA will not replace the engine. My case # is 15929784
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11563366January 3, 2024ENGINE
My wife went to work 11/23/23 and the car died in the intersection, she would have been going 5 to 10 mph, the engine light came on. She was able to start it and return home. I made the appointment at Bob Lanpheres Beaverton Kia and the inspected the issue. It is reported to me that, “Boroscoped cylinders and found vertical scoring on the cylinders. Performed compression test and all cylinders are under spec” They replaced the engine, The total costs was 6486.65$. My research has shown me that a recall was issued for Seltos engines from this year and after talking to Kia and online my engine is not qualified for engine reimbursement because the manufacturer date was beyond the range of the recall. I feel this is wrong as the description from the repair shop and recall notice are identical and that the recall should be expanded. This page will not let me upload photos, I have a copy of the dealers findings.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11562127December 27, 2023ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
esta quemando aceite de motor muy rapido y antes de tiempo. mientras se utiliza esta lento y cuando sube cuestas muy pesado tiene que hacer mucha fuerza.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11560018December 13, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
All systems failed, including all lights, speedometer, ALL ADAS - this happened in more than one occasion. When I put the car in park it still registered to be in drive mode. Safety of myself and others at risk- the headlights and brake/taillights went out while driving in the dark. Brake assist went out while I was on a steep downgrade, the speedometer went out completely. Also the car indicated that my air bags were off and my seat belt malfunctioned. This occurred on snow and ice covered roads and in the fog. I took it to the dealership 3 times and it registered the failures within the computer but not as an incident. I demanded a new vehicle and the dealership charged me more money and created a trade in- when it was a manufacturer issue and not because I didn’t want the car. I only had the vehicle for 3 months 6339 miles on the odometer. I also detected dragging brakes and the smell of burning oil that again, the dealership said wasn’t happening. I have detailed videos and photos of the entire vehicle malfunctioning.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11559122December 8, 2023POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Seltos. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V531000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool showed no open recall.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11558806December 6, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Car stalled when at complete stop (at lights or stop signs) The auto restart feature seems to fail. Then it progressed to stuttering while driving and unable to drive above certain speeds (more than 40 mph). Service engine light on. Code by dealer P0017.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11558321December 4, 2023ENGINE
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated while driving 78-80 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated depressed the accelerator pedal to the floorboard however, the vehicle failed to respond. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine threw a rod through the oil pan, which drained the oil, and caused the engine to seize. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced under warranty; however, the part was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the part to repair the vehicle was not available. The failure mileage was approximately 49,281.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11554594November 10, 2023ENGINE
Engine began knocking and would stall on turns. Check oil light briefly flashed. No oil visible on dipstick about 2000 miles after oil change. Placed 4 quarts at home and was full. Stalling and knocking resolved. Brought to dealer and they said nothing wrong. Changed oil and did 1000 mile return to dealer to check oil consumption rate. The oil was about a quart or less low and they said this was normal, nothing to do. After 2000 miles oil level again checked and no oil visible on dipstick. Took photos of oil level each of these times. Called dealer and they towed it in. They confirmed that it is burning excessive oil and said it’s several quarts low. They say that they will now try to perhaps “soak” the engine? They have to check with Kia for approval. Not sure what this means. It is now with the dealer and we have no car to drive. They are not sure how long they will have it and have no loaner. We are obviously concerned about the safety of this engine/car which has just over 30000 miles and is running out of oil prior to recommended oil changes and was stalling intermittently when this was first discovered. Obviously concerned that engine will seize and be ruined at some point in essentially a brand new vehicle. The dealer (Preston Kia) denied any issue initially. I have read about ring issues in seltos engines requiring engine replacement. It seems that a similar problem is occurring here and I hope that Kia will do the right thing and repair/replace the faulty parts/engine. There are many similar complaints on line.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11554519November 10, 2023UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Issues with idle stop and go. On 11/8/23 was at a light and stop and go was on. Light turned green took my foot off of the break and nothing happened then engine staled. Check engine light came on and then all other panel lights. Took two tries to get engine started again. I was in a busy intersection at rush hour. This is a huge safety issue. It has clitched at other times where took foot off break and engine took a moment to restart, but this is first stall. I now have a note in car to turn off every time I drive. I live in a high density area with lots of stop and go traffic and lights and cannot afford to get stuck or worse in an accident because of this. Kia needs to address this issue.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11553358November 3, 2023ENGINE
My 2021 Kia Seltos EX is eating oil.......... 1/2 quart a week at least and I have read online that it can lead to the engine overheating, stalling, etc. So far my car is not listed on the piston recall or any other recall, but how can Kia state it can go 7,000 miles between oil changes when it only holds 4 1/2 quarts of oil and goes through it so fast? I change my oil every 3,500 miles because of it but am still afraid of something bad happening to my car.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11553331November 3, 2023POWER TRAIN
While driving I noticed my Seltos felt like it was shifting hard. I then attempted to put it in reverse. There was NO reverse. I had to get bystanders to push me off the road. This is a safety risk because there were no warning signs that reverse would fail to engage. Kia states there is no recall, but several of same instances were found in forums. My car is scheduled at dealership next week. No rental, no recall, no warranty. I will have to pay out of pocket for something that has been known to fail. Supposedly an actuator of some sort. This repair will be costly and I feel it is a manufacturer responsibility. This is not normal wear and tear item. I bought this used, it was practically new. Now I know why someone traded it in. Kia should disclose their warranty limitations when they advertise. The 10 year, 100,000 mile is not a true representation.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11552638October 30, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Tried to remote start vehicle and it would not work. Went and manually started car so it could warm up and returned to house. Went back outside and car was backed into a ditch with all warning lights illuminated on dash.
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11551926October 25, 2023ENGINE
Engine valve making a loud noise ( assuming it might be an engine oil leak) I just acquired the vehicle last month Sept 2023. Brand new. I informed the dealership, and they want me to drive it back to the service department, to be checked. I told the sales agent that i am afraid to drive it because it might damage the engine. He said its up to me, to figure it out, . Very disrespectful Thank you
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0