Kia Seltos Complaints

532 consumer complaints on file.

#11744878June 17, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that the vehicle was intermittently overheating and losing motive power while driving. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate properly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the spark plugs and ignition coil packs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact returned the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11744857June 17, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY, WHEELS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving, the vehicle suddenly began handling abnormally. In response, we safely pulled over as quickly as possible. Before we could fully stop, the wheel catastrophically failed. The rim cracked around the entire circumference, the tire completely separated from the vehicle, and the vehicle lost stability and struck the guardrail. As a result of this incident, the vehicle sustained substantial damage, including but not limited to: •Complete destruction of the wheel/rim; •Tire separation; •Axle and suspension damage; •Body damage to the driver-side front and rear panels; and •Additional mechanical damage that is still being assessed. Photographs taken immediately after the incident clearly show that the wheel fractured around the rim itself. The damage pattern is consistent with a catastrophic wheel failure, not ordinary cosmetic damage or curb rash. When I initially contacted the Kia dealership, I was told that they had "never seen anything like it." However, after the vehicle was towed to the dealership, the explanation changed, and I was informed that Kia now believes the vehicle must have struck something and that the impact caused the wheel to fail. That explanation is inconsistent with what occurred. At no point prior to the failure did we strike debris, a pothole, a curb, or any other object that would reasonably explain a complete structural fracture of the wheel and the tire separating from the vehicle. The wheel failed first. The collision with the guardrail occurred only after the catastrophic wheel failure and loss of control while attempting to safely pull over.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11744606June 16, 2026
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
While driving at night with the Headlights on Low Beam the light that is projected onto the road is a dull yellowish color, not a bright white color. When the High Beam Lights are turned on there is no difference of the light being projected onto the road. While driving from [XXX] to [XXX] on [XXX] I noticed that I was unable to see or read the Exit Signs for any of the Exit Off Ramps or even the Mileage Signs the show the mileage to the next Towns. When I switched from Low Beam to High Beam it made no difference on Illuminating the Road Signs. When I returned to my home I took the car into the Kia Dealer with the complaint that the Headlights were not working properly. They adjusted the Headlights up higher, so now the Low Beam did Illuminate the Road Signs, but they seemed to High and still had the yellowish color. When the High Beams were turned on it still made no difference in Illuminating the Road. Again I took the car back to the Kia Dealer and they Readjusted the Headlights back to what they said was the Factory Settings. I was then told that if I was not satisfied I could try purchasing some Aftermarket Headlight Bulbs from an Independent Parts Store. This is an Unsafe Condition because I can't see obstructions that may be in the roadway and have enough time to safely maneuver around it. Since this happens at Night the Dealer doesn't have personal to replicate the problem due to the Dealer Service Department is only open during daylight hours. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11743542June 11, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Since November 2025, this vehicle has experienced repeated loss of power, severe shaking during acceleration, jerking between gear shifts, abnormal humming/grinding noises, and multiple check engine light events. The condition is most noticeable between approximately 40-70 mph and has repeatedly occurred while driving on highways. On multiple occasions, the vehicle struggled to accelerate properly and would not respond normally to throttle input. During one occurrence, the vehicle had difficulty accelerating beyond approximately 55 mph while on the expressway. The shaking became severe enough that I feared mechanical failure could occur while driving. I was forced to pull off to the shoulder of the highway because I no longer felt it was safe. The inability to maintain speed and accelerate normally created a safety risk for both myself and surrounding traffic. The vehicle has been returned to the dealership six times for the same recurring issue. Repairs have included replacement of the ECU, catalytic converter, ignition components, fuel injectors, and other engine related components. Despite these repairs, the problem continues to return. The condition has been repoduced and documented by the dealership, and a manufacturer field technician was involved in the most recent diagnosis process. Most recently, after the vehicle was inspected and believed to be repaired, the check engine light illuminated again while the service manager was moving my vehicle to be washed inside of their garage, as I waited (today, June 11th 2026). The recurring loss of power, repeated check engine light events, and inability to permanently correct the defect raise significant safety concerns while operating the vehicle. I have all documentation in my notes, as well as the dealership repair documents.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11743082June 9, 2026
ENGINE
Usually the car would be taken to a shop for an oil change and I did it myself last time and realized the oil was pretty low. I checked over the weekend and noticed the dip stick marked the oil as 2/3 full after waiting 10 minutes for it to cool down a bit. This is alarming because when I filled the oil it was close to the max level.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742548June 7, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The infotainment head unit display system suffers from persistent firmware connectivity defects that cause severe system lag, complete screen freezing, and constant Bluetooth/phone disconnections. This directly compromises vehicle safety by rendering mandatory hands-free voice operations completely inoperable while driving, creating an intense electronic driver distraction. Furthermore, the system instability occasionally causes the central display screen to lag or fail to transition, impacting the reliability of the backup camera display. The manufacturer (Kia America) does not provide a functional consumer download path to patch the firmware build, and the local franchised dealer (Arapahoe Kia) explicitly refuses to service or update the component, leaving the vehicle with an ongoing electronic defect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11742348June 5, 2026
POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The car is available for inspection upon request. Safety was put at risk due to the cars potential to break down, or catch fire, due to high volumes of oil consumption and leakage from the piston rings. This was part of a recall campaign (#SC336 PISTON OIL RING), where we had two authorized Kia dealers inspect and claim the car "passed" their test. Recently, we had a catastrophic engine failure due to the piston rings, where we feel the fix was insufficient given the failure point (piston rings). There were no warnings or symptoms prior to failure, when driving at a low speed the car stalled and the oil pressure warning light came on briefly. After that, we parked the car immediately and had it towed for inspection. Our concern is the fix was allegedly implemented in July 2025, but there is no note in our maintenance record that the fix was even implemented.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11741476June 2, 2026
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that days after the engine oil was changed the check engine warning light had remained illuminated. The vehicle as taken to the local auto service center who replaced the replaced the crank shaft sensor and camshaft sensor but the failure continued to occur. The cause of the failure was not determine. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000(ENGINE). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740941May 29, 2026
ENGINE
Kia Dealership did nothing with engine recall in 2025 they said nothing was wrong despite the oil consumption and engine noise that could be heard without using any tools, and then in March they would not honor the 10 year 100,000 mile warranty when both VVT solenoids failed, we had to replace them ourselves. It's a good thing my boyfriend is a mechanic!!!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740799May 29, 2026
STRUCTURE
The contact owns a 2025 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving in snowy, inclement weather; the entire rear end of the vehicle would become covered in snow. The contact stated snow would become to heavy for the rear windshield wiper which would obstruct his vision while driving in the snow. In addition, the contact stated that the rear tail lights would also become covered in snow which made it difficult for fellow motorist to see his tail lights. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and suggested that the contact purchase an aftermarket spoiler. The contact was also given a case number. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 8,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11740703May 28, 2026
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2026 Kia Seltos. While driving across an intersection, another vehicle ran a stop sign and collided with the contact's vehicle. The impact occurred on the driver-side door, causing extensive damage to the vehicle. No property damage reported. The vehicle came to a complete stop after being struck. The contact stated no air bags were deployed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard but was than brought to the residence. No warning lights were illuminated before the crash. A police report was filed. The vehicle will be fixed. The contact stated she was the driver and had a passenger (son) in the front. The contact sustained a severe head impact and was knocked unconscious. The head trauma caused total numbness across the right side of her face and directly impaired her peripheral vision. Additionally, the contact sustained deep contusions to her neck and severe structural disc damage to her lower back. The contact's son, who was also an occupant in the vehicle, experienced acute head pain following the crash. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unavailable.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11740429May 27, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My 2022 Kia Seltos out of nowhere started smoking, losing power, total control and braking. There were no lights on the dashboard warning of any kind complete stall than a little bit of power hesitation stall no brakes. I managed to coast it into a parking space at a hotel with it smoking so bad I couldn’t see. It then burst into flames and golfing the entire Engine bay and melting the front of the car about 90 seconds after I got out of the car all of the symptoms here are completely aligned with the recall on this vehicle and the soul. In fact, my son soul had all the same issues except the fire and Kia refused to replace the Engine claiming that his lack of a recent oil change caused the problem that we all see reported here this vehicle was not in the recall VIN group but failed catastrophically just as described in the recall
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739855May 25, 2026
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
While in the middle of driving on the highway, the vehicle has powered off then back on. The vehicle “slips” when revving up.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11739126May 20, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed an unusual knocking sound and the engine seized. In addition, several warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle started. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the oil was three quarts low. The contact stated that the vehicle was scheduled for a service appointment for an oil change the following week. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11738064May 15, 2026
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The engine started to fail when I'm driving and on the highway it suddenly loses strength, the oil goes down and I don't know where it's going, the engine starts to make noises and burning smell, the ignition light turns on and minutes later goes out, a triangle signal also sometimes appears for 6 seconds and disappears, when this triangle appears the car starts to fail and give strong jolts, this has already happened on the highway and I almost lost control of the car due to the jock. I looked for a Kia store on 08/04/25 to recall and reported the problem, they said at the time that there was no vacancy to do the recall service 25v099 mileage 44232, so they managed to meet me only on the date 03/19/26 and said that the car was with the recall problem corrected, but 2 months later the engine power problems, oil lowering, noise and burning smell were intensifying, so today 05/15/25 I looked again the KIA 11295 Rosevelt blvd store and they informed that I could not do the service because the vehicle was no longer in the warranty of up to 60000 miles, but when I took the car to the store it was with 44000 miles and in addition to scheduling months later something that puts my life at risk, they simply told me that in the recall was fixed, but the problem that appears today from what I researched are characteristics of the errors caused by this problem and that at the time of the recall they did not
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11737236May 12, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
This vehicle burns oil excessively. From everything I've seen says this should be under recall but the Kia dealership tells me it's not because it's over 60,000 miles and I'm the second owner. They offered to do a oil consumption test for $900. I've already read complaints about this engine locking up and people being seriously injured. I have to put oil in it every thousand miles or so. For a newer vehicle this is unacceptable and Kia should be taking care of this. This is absolutely going to get someone killed when their engine seizes. The transmission on this vehicle also has issues that have complaints littered through the message boards. KIA knows it's going to fail and get someone killed as well. They dont care as long as they get your money. Unacceptable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11735970May 6, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Under extremely cold temperatures, approx 10° the main display does not work. The MPH & other vehicle information will not display. KIA service requires the vehicle to be brought to the facility while condition exists in order to troubleshoot, however once the vehicle warms up, the non functioning display begins to operate normally and the problem does not exist. Speaking with the service advisor and service manager in charge, they are aware of the problem and know of other vehicles with this display problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11735938May 5, 2026
ENGINE
The engine catastrophically failed on an 45 mph road. There was no warning leading up to this incident at any time previously. The engine lost all power and the car shut off on this road. My husband was able to pull it over and tow it into a mechanic. The mechanic said the oil was disappearing somewhere without any residue, and without triggering any warning light of any kind. In essence the oil is not low enough to trigger the light but it is also escaping somewhere. The mechanic said it seemed like the engine had a fault in it. Because of the open recall on the piston rings, we had it towed to the dealership who then claimed this problem has nothing to do with the faulty piston rings. Instead they said there is a rod knock. The car is currently at Doug Smith Kia in Lindon, Utah and can be inspected there.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11735526May 4, 2026
ENGINE
Engine seized and was smoking. No warning lights on dash until engine siezed and then it was ESC light that came on. Engine started smoking when seized. Checked oil and there was none however we had just had the vehicle in for a state safety inspection 2 weeks prior to this happening. Have had regular oil changes thru dealership and car was scheduled for oil change prior to this incident happening. This year and model of car already has a recall for piston rings overheating and burning oil which causes Engine failure and fire. Warranty claim was denied due to no oil in Engine and Kia doesn't include oil consumption with their warranty. Car is currently at First Team Kia Dealership in Suffolk, VA
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11735147May 1, 2026
ENGINE
My car stalls in the middle of traffic. I took the vechile for diagnostics with a mechanic and was informed my piston rings were bad. Currently a recall in progress. I take my car in for recall of faulty piston oil rings that can cause engine damage, stalling, or fire. The dealers inspect and stated it was not the right sound. I take it back to mechanic and was informed I should contact you all Cause they are refusing to do the right diagnostic.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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