8.7
pretty bad- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 2,966 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
The car is unable to shift into drive or park. It takes releasing the shift lock to make it get into reverse or neutral and a very specific sequence to accidentally get it into park. After trying to parallel park into a spot, the car became stuck in reverse and could not be maneuvered. It was only able to roll downhill in neutral or reverse with power, both of which would have led to a collision. The vehicle was stationary on the city street and blocked traffic, especially problematic during the snow storm. I received the car back from the dealer 3 days prior from a transmission replacement and seems to be a problem in the same vein.
- Seattle, WA, USA
My Kia Seltos has transmission problems with only a little over 6,000 miles. It needs a new transmission which won't be available until at least February 11th
- Manchester, CT, USA
While driving on the highway, the vehicle failed to accelerate. On a road where the speed limit was 60 mph, the vehicle stopped accelerating at 55 mph suddenly and caused disruption in the traffic until I could cruise to the shoulder in neutral. It was a scary situation where multiple accidents were narrowly avoided. The vehicle was towed to the dealership where the transmission was identified to have a broken transmission with 3000 miles on it.
- Seattle, WA, USA
At 5,800 miles, my Seltos suddenly stopped accelerating while in motion. Rpms shot up to 7 and 8, and the car would not go above 35 mph. The engine was grinding. I got the car to the dealership and was told the transmission needs to be replaced. I was also told there is no transmission in the country so one has been ordered.
- Murfreesboro, TN, USA
In stop and go traffic the transmission temperature too hot warning came on. Eventually got into the red zone, had to pull over and keep foot on brake to disengaged dual clutch system to help dissipate heat. Eventually went back down to normal range of temperature. Dealer stated found no articles or resources for this issue.
- Glastonbury, CT, USA
Vehicle was having difficulty shifting between gears, until one time it did not switch from automatic off at stoplight back into gear. Had to turn car off/on to get it into gear. Later on the highway at ~60mph, as it was trying to downshift to go up a hill, it failed to engage a gear. Engine light came on and had to coast into shoulder to await it being towed. Dealership said it needs a new transmission, was bad from factory - car has ~2K miles on it. Technician said it's not the first he's seen like this.
- Boston, MA, USA
Vehicle will not properly shift gears and will stall randomly at traffic stops.
- Elyria, OH, USA
Major safety problem with the new 2021 Kia Seltos with the dual clutch automatic transmission. It can miss 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th gears. It missed 1st gear while my wife was turning left from a stopped condition... it was nearly an accident, and could have been a fatal accident since there was a passenger. It is my understanding that this transmission is already a recall in South Korea. A website has a video showing the problem my wife also encountered. Please see this website: Https://wheelbhp.com/Kia-Seltos-dct-problems-3119881/ it does indicate an ECU re-flash should fix the issue. (the website indicates a reflash should repair proper transmission shifting.) missed shifts has happened to my wife more than once... the SUV "feels jerky" many time when driving. Reported to dealer no action taken by Kia dealer yet.
- Galesburg, IL, USA
- Austin, TX, USA