2024 Kia Seltos Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: August 1, 2025 · Filed: October 22, 2026

2nd defective horn failure on my 2024 Seltos. (1st occurrence 08/2025 car backing up into me attempt to use horn to alert that driver and it did not work/ was covered and replaced by KIA as a noted defect ) 2nd occurrence, noticed when another car pulling out in front of me/did not stop at stop sign, I attempted to use horn to alert that driver, horn did not work. I have taken car to KIA dealership, evaluated horn, noted it is defective. Now going on 3rd week of waiting for part for 3rd horn

Incident: September 24, 2026 · Filed: October 3, 2026

Traveling on XXX in [XXX] in the left lane with a semi right beside me and the car engine died. The screen showed out in D or N to start engine. Was able to pull off to the right. The car would start but sounded awful and when put into D it died. Had to have it towed. The Kia dealer said it was from moisture on the thermostat. The screen was showing many different errors while sitting on the interstate. Very scary!!!! There was no warning it just died going 72 MPH in the left lane! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: July 13, 2026 · Filed: September 16, 2026

Exhaust starting putting out white smoke and loss of power on accelerator while speeding up. Normally when merging onto highway or taking off after stop. Assumed head gasket with coolant in oil. Took to get oil change, milky/sludgy oil to back up that thought. No coolant in reservoir. Took to dealership, they claim lack of maintenance despite all maintenance records. They will not report records to kia corporate leading to denied warranty. Will not provide testing results. Claimed piston rings were destroyed. Would not give explanation for loss of coolant. Will not speed up going onto highway and continues to put out white smoke. No lights on vehicle.

Incident: September 9, 2026 · Filed: September 10, 2026

The vehicle has experienced two separate episodes of severe engine/propulsion malfunction approximately two months apart. During the first incident, the vehicle began shaking and idling roughly and had very little acceleration. Pressing the accelerator caused the engine to rev, but the vehicle would barely move. A diagnostic scan performed afterward showed DTC P0171 (System Too Lean), but the code was subsequently cleared. The vehicle later returned to normal operation and a Kia dealer was unable to reproduce the condition. During the most recent incident, the vehicle again began idling very roughly and then stalled while being driven. The engine was restarted but stalled again. After another restart, shifting the vehicle into Drive caused the engine to stall again. A tractor-trailer was traveling behind the vehicle during the incident, creating a serious risk of a rear-end collision. The truck driver was able to recognize that the vehicle was having a problem and avoided a collision. There were no warning lights or messages on the instrument panel during the most recent incident. The vehicle is currently at a Kia dealership for inspection. The dealer has not identified the cause and is retaining and road-testing the vehicle in an attempt to reproduce the intermittent failure. The vehicle is available for inspection. Two incidents in less than two months.

Incident: September 3, 2026 · Filed: September 3, 2026

I need to open a formal safety and warranty complaint regarding my 2024 Kia Seltos. I originally reported an acceleration problem to the dealership when the vehicle was purchased and they said they couldn’t duplicate the issue but they did not resolve it.The vehicle shuts off while I was driving, and afterward would not accelerate beyond approximately 15 mph. I believe the vehicle is unsafe to drive, and I want this documented as an unresolved recurring defect. I did make complaints to Rick case Kia of sunrise and at the time took it back up there three times in the month I purchased it. I’ve been dealing with this randomly since I got the car it shuts off while in motion.

Incident: July 23, 2026 · Filed: July 27, 2026

My 2024 Kia Seltos (leased, approximately 19,800 miles) received an over-the-air (OTA) software update on [07/03/2026]. The vehicle's screen prompted me to approve the update and stated it would complete with the ignition off. I approved it and exited the vehicle as instructed by Kia's on-screen directions and owner's manual. Immediately after this update, the vehicle developed an intermittent no-start condition, and the 12V battery went completely flat, accompanied by an ESC (Electronic Stability Control) warning. The vehicle had no electrical or starting problems of any kind before the update. The vehicle was disabled and could not be started without a jump start, which is a safety concern — this could strand a driver in an unsafe location or in extreme weather. The dealer (Car Pros Kia Glendale, RO #531279, dated 07/25/2026) performed a full system scan, found no DTCs, and confirmed the 12V battery failed testing. The dealer's repair order documents the customer complaint as "intermittent no start condition and battery went completely flat after the software update." The battery was replaced at my expense. The vehicle's software version after the update was NNK-02-0118 (previous resident version NNK-02-0108). Kia America has acknowledged partial responsibility by approving a 50% goodwill reimbursement. I am reporting this because a manufacturer-initiated OTA update that discharges the battery and disables the vehicle is a safety defect that may affect other vehicles.

Incident: May 9, 2026 · Filed: June 17, 2026

While driving, the vehicle suddenly began handling abnormally. In response, we safely pulled over as quickly as possible. Before we could fully stop, the wheel catastrophically failed. The rim cracked around the entire circumference, the tire completely separated from the vehicle, and the vehicle lost stability and struck the guardrail. As a result of this incident, the vehicle sustained substantial damage, including but not limited to: •Complete destruction of the wheel/rim; •Tire separation; •Axle and suspension damage; •Body damage to the driver-side front and rear panels; and •Additional mechanical damage that is still being assessed. Photographs taken immediately after the incident clearly show that the wheel fractured around the rim itself. The damage pattern is consistent with a catastrophic wheel failure, not ordinary cosmetic damage or curb rash. When I initially contacted the Kia dealership, I was told that they had "never seen anything like it." However, after the vehicle was towed to the dealership, the explanation changed, and I was informed that Kia now believes the vehicle must have struck something and that the impact caused the wheel to fail. That explanation is inconsistent with what occurred. At no point prior to the failure did we strike debris, a pothole, a curb, or any other object that would reasonably explain a complete structural fracture of the wheel and the tire separating from the vehicle. The wheel failed first. The collision with the guardrail occurred only after the catastrophic wheel failure and loss of control while attempting to safely pull over.

Incident: November 10, 2025 · Filed: June 11, 2026

Since November 2025, this vehicle has experienced repeated loss of power, severe shaking during acceleration, jerking between gear shifts, abnormal humming/grinding noises, and multiple check engine light events. The condition is most noticeable between approximately 40-70 mph and has repeatedly occurred while driving on highways. On multiple occasions, the vehicle struggled to accelerate properly and would not respond normally to throttle input. During one occurrence, the vehicle had difficulty accelerating beyond approximately 55 mph while on the expressway. The shaking became severe enough that I feared mechanical failure could occur while driving. I was forced to pull off to the shoulder of the highway because I no longer felt it was safe. The inability to maintain speed and accelerate normally created a safety risk for both myself and surrounding traffic. The vehicle has been returned to the dealership six times for the same recurring issue. Repairs have included replacement of the ECU, catalytic converter, ignition components, fuel injectors, and other engine related components. Despite these repairs, the problem continues to return. The condition has been repoduced and documented by the dealership, and a manufacturer field technician was involved in the most recent diagnosis process. Most recently, after the vehicle was inspected and believed to be repaired, the check engine light illuminated again while the service manager was moving my vehicle to be washed inside of their garage, as I waited (today, June 11th 2026). The recurring loss of power, repeated check engine light events, and inability to permanently correct the defect raise significant safety concerns while operating the vehicle. I have all documentation in my notes, as well as the dealership repair documents.

Incident: January 24, 2026 · Filed: May 6, 2026

Under extremely cold temperatures, approx 10° the main display does not work. The MPH & other vehicle information will not display. KIA service requires the vehicle to be brought to the facility while condition exists in order to troubleshoot, however once the vehicle warms up, the non functioning display begins to operate normally and the problem does not exist. Speaking with the service advisor and service manager in charge, they are aware of the problem and know of other vehicles with this display problem.

Incident: February 10, 2026 · Filed: February 15, 2026

Came out of work to a cracked windshield. There was no crack in my windshield prior to this. The crack spans across half of the windshield requiring a full replacement which is going to come completely out of pocket for me because I had a $1000 deductible. Had I known this was such a common issue with this year make and model, I would’ve opted for the $0 glass deductible. As many others have reported and stated, this was never an issue I’ve had with any other vehicle I’ve owned. It is clearly a manufacturing defect and SHOULD be covered by Kia. I’ve had this car for 7 months.