Kia Seltos Complaints (2024)

47 consumer complaints on file.

#11690242September 29, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Rear window shattered due to heat
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11688806September 22, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My car smells like fire since day 1 of purchase. When driving the smell gets so bad I think the car will go on fire. Not sure if it’s faulty electrical or something else. I have read many reviews and too many people have experienced the same thing. What is going on? Other Kia Seltos models have caught fire. Why hasn’t this been addressed. This is a matter of safety. Why do I smell smoke or fire when driving?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11676977July 29, 2025
SEAT BELTS
Issue: Defective Seatbelt Sensor - Refused Warranty Repair Vehicle: 2024 Kia Seltos EX Make/Model/Year: Kia Seltos, 2024 Mileage (approx.): 12,033 I am filing a formal safety complaint regarding a malfunctioning seatbelt sensor on my 2024 Kia Seltos EX. The front passenger seatbelt alarm goes off repeatedly even when there is no one sitting in the seat, and this behavior is unpredictable and distracting while driving. When I contacted the Kia dealership (Summit Place Kia, Auburn Hills, MI), they refused to inspect or repair the issue without charging me $180 upfront, even though my vehicle is fully under warranty and this clearly relates to a safety system. They claimed they would only waive the fee if they determine it’s covered, which gives them the option to deny responsibility arbitrarily. Kia Consumer Affairs was contacted and gave the same answer: pay up front or we won’t look at it. This raises major concerns about Kia’s warranty practices and possible violations of federal law requiring free repairs of safety-related defects under warranty. I am reporting this to request investigation and to hold the manufacturer accountable for failing to honor federally mandated coverage.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11676008July 24, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On July 9 while waiting at a red light car randomly turned off, had to put car in park and restart On July 19 while driving about 55mph on an extremely busy interstate highway car shut down completely. I could not restart or shut the car off, car was in drive and we had full power, no issue with battery, no warning signs, we were nearly killed by an 18-wheel truck traveling at normal high speed on this highway. We were eventually pushed off to the side where we sat for 2 hours until family members came. In the car were 2 seniors, 1 battling dementia and another anxiety and a young man who suffers from paranoia schizophrenia. Both trying to recover. In addition, Kia roadside assist wanted to tow us 2 hours past our dealership and home and charge us $661 when we were fully covered. Kia dealership said if they could not repeat the stall they could not really determine what is wrong. This is the 3rd serious issue I have had with this vehicle and each occurrence I was made to feel like the issues did not exist. 1 week into ownership I complained about a knocking noise, was told that the struts came from the factory loose, a month ago the differential gear box needed to be changed. I am now told that it could take a very long time to repair, and I would need to rent a car at my expense and if approved will be reimbursed at some point. I am terrified to drive my new car.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11670573July 1, 2025
AIR BAGS, LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Our vehicle was in an accident with extensive damage to the entire front end. The accident warning senors did not go off and the air bags did not deploy. The insurance adjuster said the entire engine was pushed back towards the driver area so it's surprising the air bags did not deploy. In our Kia Access app, only the "passenger turn signal" has a critical error detected. The car has been deemed totaled.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11667141June 16, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Seltos. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH and attempting to depress the horn there was no sound coming from the horn. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the failure began in 2023. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated that the horn was previously replaced, and the vehicle was repaired three times for the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 11,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11665491June 7, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Rear view camera collects rain drops obstructing the rear view while backing up during rainy weather
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11665420June 6, 2025
ENGINE
My car, over the last few oil changes has had very little to practically no oil. It also has been having the noise when it is low oil. This is already a recall, and when taken to a local dealer, they claimed the piston rings, which is the issue for the oil consumption, were not a problem and within spec. They have performed a test to check oil levels after 1000 miles and am still waiting on the results for the first test. This problem, as written by the recall, can cause an engine fire, or even grenade the motor causing catastrophic damage, potentially to my life.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11664693June 3, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Seltos. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly lost motive power before the engine seized. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the valves. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed back to the residence and later to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that several months before the failure, the vehicle was serviced, and the fuel injectors and spark plugs were replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V531000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11660548May 12, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The vehicle rolled backwards and hit a predestination with no one in the vehicle on level ground. I don't know why it rolled backwards since it has never done this before unless someone had hacked into the computer system and caused it to go backwards. I also don't know if this car has the lvl of technology that can be hacked as in the completely driverless vehicles. I only know the theory of computer science and smart technology, I don't know if my car has advanced enough technology for someone to remotely hacking into the car causing it to move backwards or not.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11651615March 30, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Over the last year that I have had my car, I noticed that things as little as gravel, bugs, and small rocks chip my windshield easily. I worry that I have defective glass considering I have over 10 chips on my windshield.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11647896March 12, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
There is a coffee symbol alert that randomly comes on regardless of driving on long trips saying to take a break. These messages are super abrupt and disruptive to my attention while driving, there is no option to remove the alert or sound. Could cause an accident
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11646065March 3, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The cruise control only works properly on level roads. When going downhill the car can go as much as 8 mph faster than the cruise control is set at. Going uphill the speed varies back and forth with the tachometer fluctuating up and down. I use cruise control to control my speed as well as reduce gas consumption. This cruise control system does neither. I believe this is unsafe. I did take the vehicle back to the dealer and showed him exactly what it is doing. He took a test ride in another Seltos and it did the same thing. The manufacturer said this is the way it is supposed to work. I have owned many vehicles in my 76 years and no other vehicle with cruise control worked like this. I believe this makes the vehicle unsafe when using cruise control.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11638644January 26, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
On Wednesday [XXX], at [XXX]. I started to drive to work. I noticed the instrument cluster on my 2024 Kia Seltos SX was completely dark. I couldn't see the speedometer, fuel gauge, engine temperature, or any other function that should show on the instrument cluster. I turned around and returned home. I called the Kia dealer's service department and got an appointment for the car to be checked that afternoon. This service center is about 30 miles from my home. I drove there with a totally black screen for the instrument cluster--not able to see my speed or any other information about the car. I left the car running when I arrived at the service center. The service manager confirmed the issue. I also told her I'd been getting warnings that the key fob batteries were drained. She checked the key fobs and told me the batteries were sending strong signals. She also told me the odometer mileage had been deleted and that it was illegal to drive the car in that condition. She said that the instrument cluster unit had to be replaced but there wasn't a replacement unit anywhere in the U.S. She gave me a loaner vehicle but warned me she had no idea when she could get a new instrument cluster. I notice in online searches that instrument cluster failures for Kias are not unusual. I also notice that some Kia models have been recalled for this reason. Why isn't the Seltos on the list of recalled vehicles? It doesn't appear that Kia knows how to correct the problem. My instrument cluster screen has been repeatedly dimming and brightening for no obvious reason. That problem is longstanding and intermittent. When the car was restarted at the Kia dealership on Wednesday, the screen suddenly came back up with the service manager with me. I am unwilling to drive the car if it is not reliable or safe to drive. It has about 34,000 miles on the odometer and is less than two years old. Is this a design problem or the result of faulty components? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOI
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11637877January 23, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that the horn failed to produce a sound while being pressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the horn needed to be replaced. The horn had been replaced. The failure occurred twice; however, the contact stated that the failure only occurred in freezing temperatures. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The vehicle had not been repaired a second time. The manufacturer had not been made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11634720January 7, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
The front brakes prematurely failed at 5,000 miles and this is a brand new vehicle. We had 3 miles or so at purchase (purchase date: August 7, 2024). By January 4, 2025 or so, the front brakes began making grinding noises. We had a licensed, independent shop inspect this and then replace the worn brakes on January 6, 2025. We have driven the vehicle as we have driven other vehicles and we have never seen brand new brakes wear out after 5,000 miles with standard driving. We believe it could be due to the driver assistance technology and would like this to be thoroughly reviewed. Hopefully, Kia can reimburse us with some discount on other routine maintenance as this is a cost we did not expect so soon with a brand new vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11632250December 24, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicles instrument cluster not showing any display. Unable to see speedometer or any indicator lights. Vehicle has not been in for service yet appointment needs to be made. Issue was resolved temporarily by disconnecting battery and reconnecting battery and issue went away. There was no indication that this issue would happen.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11616115September 24, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Issue Description: I am reporting a crack that has suddenly appeared in the windshield of my vehicle. This crack aligns with the rearview mirror and has spread quickly. Details: Date of occurrence: The crack was first noticed on the morning of [XXX]. Recent vehicle use: We recently drove the car to Dallas (7 hours from home) and Lake Charles (1 hour from home), and during that trip, we thoroughly cleaned the windshield, which was covered in bugs. At that time, we inspected it closely and noted no cracks or damage. Location of crack: The crack is located very high up on the windshield, making it highly improbable that it resulted from any fault of our own. Impact on Safety: The crack obstructs my view and poses a safety concern while driving. 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
#11610962August 26, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Junction box malfunction. This part is available for inspection upon request. My safety was at risk because my car was locked on Park, power steering lost, windows locked closed, decrease in acceleration after manually over riding the Park shift. Problem has not confirmed by the dealer. The component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representative. All the warning lamps lit up when the car was manually overridden by the Park shift lock. This problem appeared 5 weeks after purchase as a brand new vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11586993May 4, 2024
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION:SUMP/TANK:DRAIN PLUG
Daughter driving back to college from home in her new 2024 Kia Seltos. We leased this vehicle for her for reliability and dependability throughout her years at college. 9 months into lease, 10,000 miles her car started smoking from engine. She immediately pulled over to notice the car had completely dumped out oil everywhere. We have pics and video to prove this. She had to wait on side of highway for 3.5 hours waiting to be towed. 6 days have passed and we have gotten zero answers and no help from corporate Kia only to be told for us to call dealerships to work it out. Now I’m working with the Kia dealership that it was towed to AND the previous Kia dealership that performed last oil change. I’m getting conflicting comments on both ends from dealership and no help from corporate Kia. 1 week and no answers, my daughter has no car not to mention the mental stress this has put on her. This incident caused her to miss her D1 lacrosse practice due to a 6 hr unplanned and unexpected mechanical/ defective oil plug that came out from the oil pan. Dealership of towing has informed us that the engine of this new car needs to be replaced. Kia dealership that performed last oil change wants to see new oil put in it and run full diagnostic and if all checks out, call it good. We feel this car had a defective part and we should at the very least have a new engine put in it or we should be put into a new lease! My daughter’s safety was at jeopardy on the highway that morning and the concern for others that are driving a 2024 Kia seltos. It has come to our attention that this had been an ongoing issue of Kia’s cars that “fits” the description exactly as to what had happened to us. We need a car ASAP are looking for advise on how to move forward from here.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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