2021 Kia Seltos Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 231about this part
- Share
- 61%of 378 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 42,500miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 231 complaints about the engine of the 2021 Kia Seltos, 61% of the 378 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 42,500 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved and 4 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“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.”
NHTSA complaint #11376017, filed 2020-11, 3,400 miles“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“I am requesting a formal review of an engine failure involving my 2021 Kia Seltos LX with the 2.0L engine. At approximately 103,000 miles, the original engine failed after losing nearly all of its oil. There was no obvious external oil leak or oil puddle, suggesting that the engine may have been consuming oil internally. Earlier in my ownership, the vehicle also unexpectedly shut off while operating. I paid out of pocket for a replacement engine and installation. Within approximately one to two hours of receiving the vehicle back, the check-engine light began flashing. …”
NHTSA complaint #11758393, filed 2026-08, 103,000 miles“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.”
NHTSA complaint #11377207, filed 2020-11, 3,600 milesRelated recalls
- 21V259000Apr 13, 2021Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Soul, and 2021 Seltos vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have…Covers: Kia Seltos 2021, Soul 2020–2021
Related service bulletins
- 11022844Sep 4, 2025This bulletin provides instructions to perform an engine vibration inspection using the Kia Diagnostic System (KDS) tablet on certain Kia engine/model vehicles. The piston oil…
- 11022843Sep 4, 2025This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published under SC336 titled “Engine Inspection/Replacement and ECM Logic Improvement”.
- 11017169Apr 4, 2025TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PISTON NOISE SENSING SYSTEM (PNSS) INSPECTION - This bulletin provides instructions to perform an engine vibration inspection using the Kia Diagnostic…
- 11017109Apr 3, 2025TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of…
- 11014912Feb 28, 2025TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of…
- 11001836Jun 17, 2024TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR PISTON RING NOISE DTC 1327 (SC209Y) - This bulletin has been revised to include…
- 10206642Jan 6, 2022TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of…
- 10185016Dec 2, 2020SC199 - Dealer Parts and Service Manager Notice: Notification to Dealer Parts and Service Managers advising them of a Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign to improve the…
Engine: other model years
Other parts of the 2021 Kia Seltos
69 complaintsElectrical system
48 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