10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
4,400 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2021 Kia Seltos engine problems

engine problem

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2021 Kia Seltos Owner Comments (Page 2 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #59

Mar 232023

Seltos

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The engine is knocking very lauding and the car is using lots of oil but isn-??t leaking oil anywhere. The car shuts off at random times when the knocking of the engine is very loud. Sounds similar to the other recalls regarding the same year seltos that have had a engine recall

- North Ridgeville, OH, USA

problem #58

Feb 152022

Seltos

  • 36,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while attempting to drive away from a stop light at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was slow to accelerate. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. No warning lights were illuminated prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure; however, the mechanic became aware oil on top of the engine block. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,000.

- Foley, MS, USA

problem #57

Jun 052023

Seltos

  • miles
MY VEHICLE HAS SHOUT OFF ON ME 4 TIMES EITHER WHILE STOPPED AT THE LIGHT/ STOP SIGN. APPROACHING A LIGHT AND OR STOP SIGN WHILE SLOWING TO STOP. IT APPEARS TO BE THAT PART OF THE SYSTEM THAT SHUTS DOWN OR OFF THE VEHICLE IN ORDER TO CONSERVE GAS IS MALFUNCTIONING THIS CLEARLY BECOMES A SAFETY RISK DEPENDING ON WHERE THE CAR IS POSITIONED AT THE TIME OF THE SHUT DOWN, SLOWING TO MAKE TURN OR STOP AT AN INTERSECTION. AT THIS TIME I WILL BE REPORTING THIS ISSUE TO THE DESALERSHIP, THE ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY ANYONE AT THE TIME OF THIS REPORT HERE. THERE WERE NO WARNING LAMPS ACTIVATED PRIOR TO THE VEHICLE SHUTTING OFF. At the time I did not think to copy the dates, times, mph or mileage of the vehicle but the information on the screen instructed me to put the vehicle in park to restart. this a very scary situation in traffic.

- Hollywood, FL, USA

problem #56

May 102023

Seltos

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2021 Kia Seltos S was not a part of the original recall on Seltos & Soul vehicles. My check engine light came on and now my car has been at the dealership for 3 weeks waiting for a new engine. The front collision will randomly activate when there are NO other cars around. It applies the brakes when you are driving at speed on the highway. Luckily no cars were behind me. My seat belt has also malfunctioned. I connect it and the warning light keeps beeping & flashing even after I try repeating the process. This KIA is a keyed Kia. And although Kia has recently created an Anti-theft software update, that comes about 14 months too late. My car was stolen in Jan 2022. This morning I hear that Kia is having exploding air bag issues. Don't know which models are affected yet, but it would not surprise me if my car is included. I do not feel safe driving this car with all of the safety issues I have.

- Norfolk, VA, USA

problem #55

May 182023

Seltos

  • miles
5/18/23 My car shut off with the stop/go feature and would not turn back on. Was able to start once I removed the key and tried again after a few minutes. This again happened to me once I got to a gas station resulting in the same issue today 5/19/23

- Steubenville, OH, USA

problem #54

May 082023

Seltos

  • miles
When driving the vehicle the motor will randomly shut off. This is a safety hazard and has been happening more and more. I thought it was supposed to do this but only when stopped. It now is doing it while driving and I have almost been rear ended 3 times now. The car is not drivable.

- Lancaster, PA, USA

problem #53

Feb 182023

Seltos

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Two issues with my vehicle: 1. When driving and stopped at a red light, the stop/start technology will engage, turning off my engine. Upon the light turning green again, my foot comes off the brake to hit the acceleration but the entire dashboard/electrical system restarts like the car has just been turned on. It has done this mid-driving (foot on the acceleration) as well; killing the entire electrical system. No warning lights or messages appear. 2. When driving longer distances (20+ miles), sometimes the vehicle engine will not turn off. I drove a distance of about 20 miles; got to the destination, parked the car and hit the start/stop button to turn off the engine. The entire interior electrical/dash was off but when I hopped out of the vehicle, the engine was still running. I have to re-enter the vehicle and turn it back on and off just to get the engine to turn off. No warning lights or signals appear. The dealership won't fix my issues; says they can't recreate the problems but I do have video evidence that the problems exist. It has happened periodically since I purchased my vehicle, a 2021 Seltos SX, in March of 2020.

- Slc, UT, USA

problem #52

Feb 092022

Seltos

  • miles
Car has a serious rod knock since 7000 miles. They say nothing is wrong. Plus the engine burns a qt of oil every 600-800 miles.

- Casper , WY, USA

problem #51

Apr 142023

Seltos

  • miles
Bought vehicle new. At 30,000 miles, oil change came up off the stick. KIA did oil consumption test. Said it was within industry standard. Just had another oil change at 36,000 miles. Off the stick again.

- Kenyon, MN, USA

problem #50

Nov 022022

Seltos

  • miles
RECALL INFO: 21V-259 recall for inconsistent heat treating process for piston oil rings. The dates for use of the recalled piston rings Nov 20,1019 -Oct 15, 2020. My Seltos was in production at the time the damaged oil rings were used. I took my Seltos in for the repair, MY VEHICLE WAS NOT repaired. A vibration test was done and a program update was installed to detect vibration. The vehicle still has the recalled damaged oil rings. Received a recall notice for Piston Oil Ring in summer of 2021. I took the car on July 20, 2021 for recall (21V-259). Kia's number for this recall is SC209. Piston Ring Inspection performed; Vibration scan completed. No parts replaced. During one of my oil changes in October 12, 2022, oil change shop had noticed sludge build up and recommend that I receive their engine cleaning service, so I did and thought it was strange as the mileage was at 41,250 and my last oil change on 6/20/2022 the mileage was at 37,723. In November of 2022, the vehicle began stalling at stop lights - no service lights present before or after the car stalled. I called the dealership immediately, they could not look at it until November 2, 2022. Report came back as unable to verify customer concern. BUT the paperwork shows another update regarding the oil piston ring. On January 30, 2023, the car stalled again 3 times on my way to work and then stalled for a final time and would not start. None of the Kia dealerships that I have contacted (including where I purchased the car from) are willing to do anything about this. The car is not drivable and I'm still making payments on a car I can't use. Kia REFUSES to provide me with the tech-line paperwork that determined that my car was not covered under warranty. I've been advised to hire an attorney.

- Clinton Township, MI, USA

problem #49

Feb 162023

Seltos 4-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Our 2021 Kia Seltos with 19K miles, stopped running at 55 mph. The engine also started producing a slight knocking noise. The dealer asked for maintenance records for proof of oil changes. We provide them, but we have been getting the run around from both dealer and Kia Corporate, each telling us that the other has denied our claim and and now have been denied a repair once again after 8 phone calls.. There were no warnings, light or over temp indicated on the dashboard. The engine actually still runs.They have told us that the oil was low and that there was sludge in the valve cover. This engine apparently consumed 4.5 qrts of oil in 4K miles. The warranty oil change for this engine is 7500 miles of which we complied with as indicated by the invoices we submitted. There is known and documented problem with oil consumption with this engine. Please advise...Thnk you [XXX] and [XXX]. [XXX]. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- East Amherst, NY, USA

problem #48

Feb 072023

Seltos

  • miles
I HAD MY OIL CHANGED ON 1/31/23; FULL SERVICE WHICH INCLUDED THE OIL FILTER. ON 2/7/23 I TOOK MY CAR IN TO HAVE THE TIRES ROTATED AND I WAS TOLD AT THAT TIME THAT THE OIL WAS LEAKING (SEE ATTACHED LINK) FOR VIDEO https://59366-3.iserviceauto.com/bb86c72ec423e6b2cf9b4cb7be840d0c071f0280 WHICH WAS RECEIVED FROM LAFONTAINTE TOYOTA HYUNDAI KIA SUZUKI SCION. IF I HAD NOT TAKEN MY CAR IN FOR THE TIRE ROTATION I WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN THE OIL WAS LEAKING AND ENGINE DAMAGE WOULD HAVE RESULTED. NOW I AM GOING TO PANIC EVERY TIME MY OIL IS CHANGED. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL BEFORE OTHERS EXPERIENCE THIS CATASTROPHE. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO OTHERS AND IS NOT A RARE OCCURRENCE.

- Wyandotte, MI, USA

problem #47

Aug 262021

Seltos

  • miles
Engine is consuming or burning oil. 2.0l. Left me stranded on the road.

- Bartlett, IL, USA

problem #46

Jan 252023

Seltos

  • miles
Two weeks after the car was repaired for a misfiring enginer, the car started misfiring again, luckily this time prior to starting to drive on public roads. Car was towed back to dealer and they replaced spark plugs; picked car up from this fix today.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #45

Dec 192022

Seltos

  • miles
The engine started to misfire which caused sever shaking of the car. This resulted in the car being difficult to drive and inconsistent engine power. The car was inspected by a Kia dealer and it recognized the codes upon scanning of the misfire. The Kia dealer moved spark plugs between cylinders and said it was fixed.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #44

Jan 142023

Seltos

  • miles
Re: 11501726 Following up from Friday January 13, 2023 After submitting my first statement, on Saturday January 14, 2023 I went to get an oil change and documents of oil change history. I was advised to go directly to Luther Kia Inver Grove Heights immediately after my oil change appointment was finished. In the entrance of the Kia Luther lot my engine failed and locked up. Gravity allowed my car to coast into the first open parking spot within that lot. Monday January 16, 2023 Kia Luther confirmed the engine will need to be replaced. I was advised to call Kia customer care.

- Brooklyn Park, MN, USA

problem #43

Jan 132023

Seltos

  • miles
While entering a roundabout, the throttle was released and brakes applied. Auto start/ stop light came on. Loud grinding occurred and all light notifications came up on the dashboard. Resulting in the car completely stalling. After putting the car in park it struggled to restart. Once it did, with more loud grinding, the oil was checked by a technician. The oil was almost completely gone. No leaks were present. After replacement of the filter and new oil added, the grinding and whining noises are consistent from the start time, running time till it is shut off.

- Brooklyn Park, MN, USA

problem #42

Jan 112023

Seltos

  • miles
Excessive oil consumption. Oil level is below the dipstick before 3000 miles since last oil change. This issue can lead to engine seizure and vehicle stopping ing traffic. This issue has been identified and recalled in Canada but not yet in the United States.

- Springfield, OH, USA

problem #41

Dec 182022

Seltos

  • 22,000 miles
The contact-??s girlfriend owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while his girlfriend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to stall while idling. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine was consuming an abnormal amount of engine oil. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to have the vehicle towed to the dealer, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #40

Nov 262022

Seltos

  • miles
ON 11/26/22 I was driving down the road my Kia Seltos showed error messages on the dashboard saying ERROR and then Power Train off, the car then shut off at 55 mph and smoke filled my cabin, I got the car pulled over and called the fire department, there was no flames just smoke and smelled like electrical. It was then after 2 weeks taken to a dealership where they inspected the car and stated the fire was in the engine and the engine needs to be replaced. After doing research on this car and the issue there were at least 4 other complaints filed with KIA AMERICA about this issue

- Honesdale , PA, USA

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