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Electrical systemPart report

2021 Kia Seltos Electrical system Problems

Complaints
48about this part
Share
13%of 378 total for the year
Median mileage
8,750miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 48 complaints about the electrical system of the 2021 Kia Seltos, 13% of the 378 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 8,750 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 2 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“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.”

NHTSA complaint #11374712, filed 2020-11, 9,500 miles

“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. …”

NHTSA complaint #11361711, filed 2020-09, 900 miles

“Odometer Fraud. The contact stated that the used car dealer had provided a 2021 Kia Seltos loaner vehicle to the contact while the contact's vehicle was being serviced. The contact stated that the loaner vehicle was returned to the used car dealer for service with an odometer reading of 111,000 miles; however, after the loaner vehicle was returned to the contact, the odometer reading was 69,014. The VIN was not available.”

NHTSA complaint #11677788, filed 2025-08, 69,014 miles

“When driving the vehicle the motor will randomly shut off. This is a safety hazard and has been happening more and more. I thought it was supposed to do this but only when stopped. It now is doing it while driving and I have almost been rear ended 3 times now. The car is not drivable.”

NHTSA complaint #11522743, filed 2023-05

“I pulled up to a busy intersection which had a stoplight that had just turned red. As I was waiting there, all of a sudden my car just died. The engine stopped and no electrical was working either. There were no warning lights or messages at all. I tried to start it, but to no avail. The cars shifter was also locked in the drive position. I turned the hazard lights on as I was trying to figure out what was going on. …”

NHTSA complaint #11448413, filed 2022-01

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2025323%
20241838%
20231634%
2022811%
20214813%

Other parts of the 2021 Kia Seltos

Engine
231 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
69 complaintsOther or unknown
47 complaintsEngine cooling
45 complaintsFuel system
28 complaintsVehicle speed control
11 complaintsAir bags
6 complaintsBrakes
6 complaintsForward collision avoidance
6 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
6 complaintsSeat belts
5 complaintsSteering
5 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2021 Kia Seltos

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology