2021 Kia Seltos Complaints

ENGINE — Filed 05/01/2024

The contact's daughter owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that one quart of engine oil or more needed to be added after an oil change had been performed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — Filed 07/06/2026

My 2021 Kia Seltos 1.6L Turbo GDI is experiencing a severe safety hazard involving catastrophic internal engine failure. The vehicle aggressively consumes its oil supply, running critically low within 1 to 2 weeks. On July 6, 2026, a certified Kia dealership pressure-tested the engine and formally documented "NO EXTERNAL LEAKS," while confirming the spark plugs are entirely "OIL COATED" due to severe internal burning. The dealership noted on the invoice that the vehicle was "9,000 miles due" for service. I must explicitly clarify that this mileage gap occurred because the engine burns through its oil so rapidly that standard interval changes became meaningless; I was forced to continuously top off the engine manually out-of-pocket with store-bought oil just to keep it from running dry and seizing while driving. Otherwise, all other oil changes were consistently done at Kia dealerships, and this excellent service history was even explicitly acknowledged and noted by a Kia Consumer Care representative on a recorded line. Furthermore, the engine builds extreme crankcase blow-by pressure that actively forces oil vapor out of the oil filler cap. This defect creates an immediate risk of sudden engine seizure, highway stalling, or an engine bay fire. Kia Corporate Consumer Affairs has refused to authorize safety repairs or diagnostic testing under TSB ENG222, issuing a blanket denial while ignoring an imminent safety failure diagnosed by their own technician.

ENGINE — Filed 06/17/2026

My engine is damaged and needs replacement. My car starting stalling, when I put the car in reverse the car would stop working, the car starting vibrating and my check engine light came on. When I took it to Southwest Kia dealership, they pulled the recall and stated that the symptoms I was experiencing were what was described in the recall. However, the warranty has refused to repair the recall. I have been without a car for almost 6 weeks. The warranty keeps saying my VIN is not associated with the recall.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING — Filed 06/27/2026

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving uphill at 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to pull over, and the vehicle experienced engine failure. An independent mechanic or dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer to be diagnosed. The contact checked the oil, and there was no oil on the dipstick even though the vehicle had received an oil change two months earlier. The contact called a friend to top off the engine oil. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The contact was informed that the vehicle had been repaired in 2021 before owning the vehicle. The approximate failure mileage was 96,070.

ENGINE — Filed 07/04/2026

The car has less than 50,000 miles on it and the transmission is malfunctioning. Something about the dual clutch system losing protection. It has lost more than 70%. I knew there was a problem when the car reported transmission temp hot.

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — Filed 11/13/2025

My Kia has been stalling, shaking, and just driving extremely badly for the past year. This day, I was driving on 55, and the car just stopped and stalled in the middle of highway near Berwyn, IL. This was extremely dangerous and could have honestly been life threatening. I pulled over, turned the car off and on, and was safely able to drive it to Berwyn Kia. Unfortunately, this was not the only time that this has occurred and I’m assuming will not be the last. In addition, I was charged $500+ to replace piston rings that were recalled on other models that were not recalled on my model, even though the same year was recalled.

ENGINE — Filed 10/05/2024

The oil pan is consistently out of oil. It burns up. Causing the engine to stall, shake or grind at times. We have been having this problem for 2 years now. Taken it to 2 different dealerships. They confirmed it needs a new engine however Kia will not replace it for us. It is a known problem with these vehicles and there is a lawsuit currently going on. We have receipts from dealerships, we have been stranded on the side of the road many times and can not drive it due to risk of fire or engine seizing. We used to keep oil in the car at all times and check it frequently. Now we are afraid to drive it and damage it any more. We have done all the recalls and because the one recall was a piston ring system update, we aren't covered under the recall then. The system must be faulty. We do get a check engine light or oil light on when the car stalls, otherwise we just have to keep watching the oil that keeps disappearing. Kia has denied us the new engine after asking for an Out-of-Warranty Goodwill Breakdown for the car. The first owner went 10,000 miles without seeing a dealership and we did as well when we first bought it. The problems started at 57,700 miles. The car is junk and they wanted to give us a deal on the new engine $7,750 out the door. WOW, it's not our fault the engine or the piston rings burn the oil and are burning the engine up. Kia is at fault, their cars are crappy.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 03/31/2026

I am unsure what part of my car malfunctioned. I had my foot on the brake when my car began to surge forward and accelerate itself, crashing me into a tree because the steering completely stopped working as well. It is available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others was put at risk because I was in the middle of the street. The problem has been confirmed by an independent service center. A couple days after the incident, the same exact malfunction happened to an employee at the independent service center. The vehicle was lightly inspected by the manufacturer but there isn't a concise conclusion as to what caused the issue. There was not any warning lamps or messages before the incident. My airbags did not deploy during the incident even though there was significant damaged to the body of the car. A couple days prior to the incident, I was at a complete stop at a traffic light. As I had my foot on the brake, the car began to surge and jerk forward itself.

ENGINE — Filed 06/24/2026

I was driving on the highway at 63 mph. I went to change lanes and pass the vehicle next to me so I gradually went up to 75 mph. Then there was an explosive metal sound and white smoke filled my cabin and under my hood. I could smell oil from inside the vehicle. I pulled over, opened the hood and let it cool off. After it cooled off I checked the oil and found there was none. I then called roadside assistance through my maxcare extended care plan. They sent a tow truck to pick up the vehicle and sent it to the nearest auto shop which is called precision tune auto roughly 1.8 miles away from where the car was parked. The tow truck dropped it off at 11pm. I called the next day in the afternoon to provide my contact information and wat happened. They ran a diagnostic on the vehicle and said either a piston or rod blew through the oil pan which caused all the oil to leak out from underneath the car and said the engine needed to be fully replaced.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 03/31/2026

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at a complete stop with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated and crashed into a tree, where the vehicle came to a stop. The contact stated that the brake pedal remained depressed during the failure. While being placed on the tow truck, the vehicle violently jerked. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the collision center for repair, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated while being moved. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed during the failure, with both feet on the brake pedal; however, the vehicle continued driving. The failure had occurred a second time while stopped at a red traffic light with the brake pedal depressed, and the vehicle had unintendedly accelerated. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. No warning lights were illuminated during the failure; however, the engine was revving unexpectedly. A Police report was filed during the crash. The vehicle was deemed unsafe to drive but the insurance company towed the vehicle to a Kia dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. During the crash, the contact sustained injuries to the abdomen, left knee, and left thigh, with severe pain in the lower back. Several days following the crash, the contact had pain in the chest. The contact received physical therapy for the injuries. The contact previously suffered from PTSD. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.