2021 Kia Seltos problems
Owners have filed 530 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Kia Seltos. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 52% of complaints. After that come drivetrain & axles (13%) and electrical system (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 530 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 52% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 23 and 10
- Injuries and deaths
- 12 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 36,000 miles 110 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 47 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 9 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 18 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 17 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 7 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 3 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 110 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 36,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 55,000 miles (66 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 23 complaints mention a crash; 10 complaints mention a fire; 12 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2021 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 4 model years of the Kia Seltos with enough data (530 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I was traveling at approximately 50mph straight through an intersection. The opposing car made a left turn directly in front of me and I T-boned the other vehicle (gray Kia Optima). There was sufficient front end damage that my car was totaled. The airbags on my vehicle failed to deploy.
The car initially had electrical and engine issues since may of 2022. The engine would fail mid drive and the car would turn of in the middle of driving and would lock up until engine would restart on its own. It stayed at the dealership for repairs until march of 2023. After many modifications and alterations and several new engines and transmission changes they returned the car to me on march of 2023 assuring me it was fixed and there would be no issues.
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 contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 65-70 MPH on the highway, the engine was revving but the vehicle failed to respond as needed before shutting down. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, opened a case, but provided no additional assistance.