10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 3,291 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
Im on my 2nd kia and im so over it. I have a 2021 kia seltos and i took it in for the recall and my scheduled maintenance for july 9th 2021, I scheduled my app a week out and i had been noticing my engine running strange off and on for awhile but its a new car so i thought i was being paranoid until i saw the recall. Then the day before my appointment the check engine light comes on. I checked the oil and it didnt even register on the stick, had my dad also check it to confirm! He added 2 quarts to it just to get me to the next day. Take it in and tell them my light has come on now and that its been running rough. When they call they say nothing, pick up my car they tell me nothing! The notes say the piston oil ring was performed" What was performed? It passed the recall test? What are they looking for? Why was my check engine light on"! And then i read in the notes that the oil was dirty and 3/4 of a quart below fill mark. It also says.i have a maintenance package on a new car..i take it in when im supposed to and only to kia. It also said cel is not on at this time and ran fault code "p0011- intake timing over advanced" stored as history and that they cleared dtc reset adaptive values and further diag will bbe required if dtc returns..no one seems concerened why i have a code stored in history or why the light was on one day and off another. It still sounds terrible most of the time and the oil level is magically decreasing and no signs of a leak took it in 10/6/21 and they say they check it out and that nothing is wrong and send me on my way. 12/6/21 go in for oil change multi point inspectionand winterization and they tell me they also need to check a recall...all good again. 12/30/21 driving my car and my check engine light starts flashing while im driving about 55. Its at the shop now! Im beyond stressed and heated over this. I have 2 toddlers i drive around in this car. I need it to be SAFE and RELIABLE! Im paying way to much for this car to be dealing with
- Belleville, IL, USA
The car shut off completely while driving without warning. The car was restarted and the check engine light turned on.
- Chicago, IL, USA
July 2021, While my son and daughter were driving the car engine shut off, the brakes, the gas pedal and steering wheel locked. The vehicle was on a slight incline and rolled backwards. My son quickly pulled the emergency brake in order to stop the vehicle from going into the vehicle behind him. The vehicle was restarted and all the problems were gone. We brought the vehicle to the dealer. They checked and found nothing wrong and could not recreate the problem. At the same time the dealer performed the recall 21V259 (letter dated 6/11/2021) which was rectified by performing an engine vibration inspection which passed. At that time we also reported a ticking sound coming from the engine which the dealer stated is a normal noise from the injectors. A NY state inspection was also performed and passed.
- Poughkeepsie, NY, USA
The engine shut off while driving.
- Terryville, CT, USA
My locked Kia Seltos was stolen from my driveway while I was home. No alarm went off despite a broken window. This is a major problem with Kia/hyundai vehicles in Milwaukee where thieves are plugging in USB devices that start the car. Kia knows about the issue (look up news reports in Milwaukee) but is doing nothing to solve it. No recall! Now I have no car and Kia won-€™t compensate me at all.
- Wauwatosa , WI, USA
on June 21st I took my car to be inspected for a recall on the engine. I was told it would take 1-2 hours, it took a total of 6. When I picked up the car not one person explained to me what was done, if my car passed the inspection or if work was done. On July 11th my car stalled on a main street with my child in the car. The oil light, check-engine light and battery light all turned on. On July 13th I took my car back to Kia where they had it for 5 hours. They told me the car had zero oil in it and accused me of not getting frequent routine oil changes, although I have taken my vehicle for every single one, except for the one needed in about 700 miles. Instead of performing the oil change, they topped off the oil and stated I needed to drive it for another 1000 miles so they can examine it again and do that a total of 3 times. They admitted what my car is experiencing is signs of the recall, but they can not just request that I receive an engine replacement. When I mentioned the risk of the car catching on fire and my concerns, the service associate replied, "That is not likely to happen", as if that is supposed to make me feel better. My vehicle does not drive well and honestly, it is terrifying to drive, but it is my only car. Since leaving the dealer on the 13th, my car has a hard time making it to 40 MPH and the RPM sometimes goes to 6 while slowly trying to get to 40 MPH. It has stalled again and sounds very loud while running. My gas also gets used extremely fast, a tank used to last me about 2 weeks and now sometimes it barely lasts a week. I have reached out to Kia customer service multiple times, but I do not get a response.
- Sylmar, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was driving very rough and stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that there was no oil was present in the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced, and the failure was remedied. The contact later received a recall notification for the failure that had occurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 24,000.
- Conway, SC, USA
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V259000 (engine) however when attempting to schedule the recall repair appointment with the local dealer they were not attempting to schedule the repair appointment in a timely manner. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
- Fort Wayne, IN, USA
While driving on the local street prior to entering the freeway, the vehicle completely stalled without any notice. Attempted to step on the brake pedal, however, there was no response. Had to use the emergency brake to stop to a safe spot. Had I been driving on the freeway, the end result would have resulted in possibly a fatal crash. While the vehicle stalled, I noticed 3 light indicators were lit: Charging System Warning Light, Engine Oil Pressure Warning Light, Malfunction (Engine Malfunction) Indicator Lamp. Keep in mind, all maintenance and services were up to date including oil change, which had been performed at KIA dealership service. The gears were then changed from "drive" to "park" and attempted to restart the engine. Engine turned back on without any light indicators on the dashboard and assumed that it might have been a minor electrical issue. Attempted to drive back onto the road and then the engine completely stalled again, however, this time the brake pedals responded. Not to mention, there were consistent rumbling sounds coming from the engine after the initial engine stall. Called KIA's roadside services for tow services and after 6 hours, the car was towed to a local KIA dealership to Valley-Hi KIA located in Victorville, CA. Received a call today from the dealership (June 4th, 2021) this morning and was informed that there was no oil in the vehicle and was charged $44.99 for the oil fill. Was told that there was no evidence of oil leakage and was advised to drive the vehicle 75 miles back home to take to a local KIA dealership to run an "Oil Consumption Test." Texted "Stacey Keen" at the dealership the article regarding this recall for 2021 KIA Seltos for a defect in the Piston Oil Ring and asked to speak to the service manager. Current status: Did not receive any text or call back from the dealership and was told that I will receive another update this upcoming Monday to see if the vehicle will have oil left in the vehicle.
- Fullerton, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that when she took her vehicle in for an oil change, she was informed that there was no oil in the engine. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking oil and there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that nothing needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the issue to NHTSA campaign number: 21V259000 (engine) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,122.
- Dorset, OH, USA
Going on a slight incline my engine felt like it was surging slightly and after 5 min the engine was really surging and the no matter how hard you pressed on the accelerator the speedometer would max out at 65. And then after 10 min no matter how much you pressed on the accelerator there would be about a 5 second delay in the rpms. Which would go from 1 to 8 max. And it finally died on the freeway. When I finally got it to the dealership they said the transmission blew on it and to get a new one they would have to order it from Korea. I will be without a car for almost 2 full months.
- South Cle Elum, WA, USA
Car has 3000 miles, car had been surging when accelerating, it revved up when in drive, wouldn't go as I was exiting off of interstate. Was towed to dealer, they couldn't find anything wrong, sent me home. I made it 47 miles when it stopped accelerating and stopped going. Was towed back to dealer, where it has been for over 2 weeks. They are putting in a new transmission.
- Osage Beach, MO, 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
HVAC blower would not blow. Dealer found melted relays. One week after replacing the entire engine wiring harness I started to get a burnt electrical smell through the vents. I looked in the engine fuse box and there were melted relays again.
- Mesquite, NV, USA
Car was parked with auto off feature disabled. Vehicle stalled 2-3 times while parked.
- Mesquite, NV, USA
My Kia Seltos with only 900 miles has done the following twice: When at a stop and I step on the gas the car turns off. The first time it happened I was at a stop light and when I stepped on the gas the car turned off and took a couple of minutes before I was able to turn the car back on. The second time it happened I put the car in reverse and stepped on the gas and it turned off. I was told by the dealer that it appears to be a problem with the engine control unit. Now my car has been in the shop for 15 days so far with no knowledge of when the car will be returned because the part is on "back order". I'd like to add that while at the car rental place I met another person with the same car and exact same issues.
- Norwalk, CA, USA
Transmission defect, transmission over heats in stop and go traffic, also causes skipping of the gears. Kia know this is a problem and indicated that car will shut down on its own because of this.
- Spring Hill, FL, USA
- St. Albans City, VT, USA