2021 KIA SELTOS Complaints

Traveling WB on SR100 approximately 60mph after picking up dinner in [XXX] , Before reaching the turn for 302, a deer jumped from the southbound side of the road to the northbound side of the road. When it jumped, the right side of the deer impacted the front of my vehicle which in turn ripped the vehicles hood up from locked down position and slammed it into the windshield. I saw the deers midsection from under the raised hood as the impact happened. I immediately put on my hazards and began to decelerate and pull off the road. I dont understand how my airbags didnt deploy with the damage that was incurred from the deer. In that instant, the side and front collision warning indicators never alerted and the airbags never deployed. The vehicle is being towed to Classic Colision in Daytona Beach FL from Roger's Towing in Bunnell FL Had this been a vehicle impacting another vehicle, my mother and I would not be here as the recalled repaired airbags did not deploy upon impact. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

We have a 2021 Kia Seltos. It was purchased 09/2023 as a certified pre-owned vehicle. Purchased from Putnam Chrysler Doge Jeep Kia in Putnam CT. It started using oil, about a quart a week. No oil spill on garage floor. Received notice of recall. We took it to the dealer for the recall in May of 2025. We were told it passed their inspection and the recall was entered as completed. Oil continued to run out. My wife could hear valves clicking and she new the oil was low. All this information was conveyed to the dealer and they had us bring it back in 6/2/2025. At that time an oil consumption test was performed. Die was added to the oil and was told to drive 1000 miles. Returned to dealer on 06/27/2025. Was told the test result showed no oil consumption. On [XXX] we were driving to market. The check engine light came on. I pulled over and checked oil. It was empty. Returned vehicle to dealer. Now they said the head was bad and the engine needed to be rebuilt. Called Kia customer service and was told that they would not replace the engine and my extended warranty would cover the cost to replace the head. This is my wife's car and I do not think it will be safe to drive. My email address is [XXX] . [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

On [XXX], while driving my 2021 Kia Seltos (VIN: [XXX] ) on the highway at approximately 70 MPH, the engine suddenly revved slightly higher and then completely shut off without warning. This caused a loss of power, making the vehicle difficult to control and nearly resulting in a significant accident with surrounding traffic. Fortunately, I was able to coast and pull over to the shoulder safely, avoiding a collision. No warning lights illuminated prior to the incident, and there were no other noticeable symptoms beforehand. The vehicle was towed to Classic Kia in Texarkana, TX, where technicians diagnosed engine seizure with no oil present—a clear symptom of excessive oil consumption and cylinder wall damage linked to faulty piston oil rings. During a call with Kia on September 16, 2025, they confirmed two prior recall repairs in 2021 and 2022: one for Recall SC209 (NHTSA 21V-259, addressing piston oil rings in 2021 Seltos with 2.0L Nu MPI engines) and another related repair not directly tied to SC209 but addressing similar engine issues. These repairs failed to prevent the defect, as evidenced by the seizure. This matches the piston ring defect in SC209 and the expanded Recall SC336 (NHTSA 25V-099, covering 2021–2023 Seltos), which can cause seizure and fire risk. NHTSA’s 2025 audit of Kia’s engine recalls notes ineffective fixes, with owner complaints of post-repair failures. This incident posed a severe safety hazard, as engine seizure at highway speeds risks crashes, injuries, or fatalities. I urge NHTSA to investigate this as part of the audit and compel Kia to provide a permanent remedy, such as engine replacement or vehicle buyback under warranty/lemon laws. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

We bought a 2021 Kia Seltos new from Spitzer Kia Cleveland (June 2020) and kept up with regular maintenance. The vehicle is subject to two NHTSA recalls for defective piston oil rings (21V259000 in 2021 and 25V099000 in 2025; Kia SC209 & SC336). Component/system: piston oil rings and related engine parts. Vehicle is at Spitzer Kia and available for inspection. Timeline: [XXX] – Check engine light illuminated (solid). Dipstick dry. Dealer said likely recall issue. [XXX] – Vehicle brought to dealer. Staff first acknowledged probable piston-ring issue and possible engine replacement. Later same day they switched to an “oil consumption test” requiring us to drive 1,000 miles—possibly three rounds (3,000 miles total)—before they will even consider replacing the engine. We must top off oil ourselves during this time. Safety risk: Driving thousands of miles in a recalled vehicle with known oil-consumption defect could cause engine seizure, stall, loss of power, or fire, endangering us and others. Inspection/confirmation: Dealer inspected the vehicle 9/12/25. Manufacturer (Kia America) also contacted and gave same response. Warning lamps/symptoms: Check engine light appeared [XXX]; low oil level, no external leaks noted. We do not feel it is safe to comply with the driving tests. Dealer threatened to tow our car if we did not pick it up. We have complete service records, recall notices, and correspondence available. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My car has stop many times in highway running 55mph or 30 mph. It will completely stop my car has almost 15000 miles a 2021 kia seltos. I turned in my car to the kia dealershop to get check and they diagnosed a lot for so many things and have me pay to replaced the car’s battery. I had my 3year olf child when that happened The dealer just pushed it that it was the battery but its not. My car has only 15000 miles. they also ordered a pad crash main even whwn there was no accident happened. It is a critical safety of my component. For a very low milage car that has so many problem i think this is not good. The engine will stop when i pressed the brake and automatically refresed all warnings will show mainly engine light. it wont turn on when i pressed the button. It happen many times

Was driving home and vehicle started to sputter shut off. There were no warning lights or messages. Took to the dealership, who was aware that there is history of this with Kia, but my VIN was not included in recalls.

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled but restarted. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the Inspection Station for a yearly inspection, which confirmed an upcoming recall, and was unable to be repaired. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received the notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was contacted and requested the oil change records. The contact was able to provide records for a year. The manufacturer declined the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

In January my husband was driving the Kia and it broke down. We took it to the mechanic and they said it was completely out of oil. Spent $5,000 on getting it fixed in a couple weeks later find out there's a recall. Took the Kia to the dealership in Ocala. They and told us there was nothing wrong with it and that they fixed it. It also makes noises when you turn the car on. to this day we still have to put oil in it almost every day. And it still makes a weird farting noise when you turn it on. I even asked mechanic in Ocala if it made that noise. He looked at me like a was stupid haha. And then I asked him what would happen if we still had to keep putting oil in it. He said we shouldn't have to.

My car just stopped working while driving on the road. It wouldn’t crank up/ the engine wasn’t operating and the car wouldn’t accelerate. It’s been over a year since my car hasn’t been working. I took it to the dealer and they said the engine wasn’t consuming the oil or something of that sort. No lights came on before it’s like it just went out. It has been inoperable ever since. This was June 2024.

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle decelerated. A dealer was contacted. The failure had occurred on two occasions. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (ENGINE); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered to cover half of the repair in January, but recently only offered to cover twenty percent of the repair cost. The failure mileage was 65,000.