2023 Kia Seltos problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (9) · Service Brakes (3) · Power Train (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Kia Seltos model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:hard Parts Internal/Mechanical 2025-02-17 · campaign 25V099000 · 137,256 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Seltos and Soul vehicles. The piston oil rings may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in engine damage.
Risk: Engine damage can cause a vehicle stall or fire, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Dealers will also install piston-ring noise sensing system (PNSS) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 4, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC336.
Power Train:automatic Transmission:fluid/Lubricant:pump 2023-07-31 · campaign 23V531000 · 39,765 vehicles ⚠ PARK OUTSIDE
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Soul, Sportage, and 2023-2024 Seltos vehicles. The electronic controller for the Idle Stop & Go oil pump assembly may contain damaged electrical components that can cause the pump to overheat.
Risk: An electric oil pump assembly that overheats increases the risk of a vehicle fire.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect and replace the electric oil pump controller, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 28, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC275.
Service bulletins (51)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Electrical System 2026-05-28 · TSB_ELE422 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: infotainment system software update using update.kia.com - this bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable kia vehicles using the kia navigation updater available at update.kia.com. the software update may impr
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2025-12-09 · PS797 · Other
pitstop: technical operations: external damage to ultrasonic sensor: this pitstop provides information related to parking distance warning (pdw) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. the pdw system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal
Electrical System 2025-10-22 · TSB_ELE382_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: ibu logic improvement: this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides information to upgrade the integrated body control unit (ibu) software on
Electrical System 2025-10-21 · WTY038_TSB_R1 · Warranty Program/Extension
warranty extension campaign: technical service bulletin: horn assembly inspection/replacemen (wty038) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides information associat
Engine 2025-09-04 · SST082_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this 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 ring(s) in certain kia engines may, over time, damage the surface of the engine cylinder wall. this may lead to increased oi
Engine 2025-09-04 · SC336YZ_TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information related to the technical service bulletin previously published under sc336 titled “engine inspection/replacement and ecm logic improvement”.
Showing the 6 most recent of 51 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-19 · Service Brakes“my 2024 kia seltos, with approximately 50,000 miles, experienced a sudden shutdown while traveling at highway speed, cannot accelerate. the dashboard warning appeared as no key not detected and the brake pedal became extremely hard, making the vehicle difficult to stop. the vehicle subsequently restarted normally. this is a serious safety concern…”
2026-09-04 · Engine“car was taken in for service and tech noted was low on oil and looked as if was burning oil and advised of a recall. my vin for my 2023 didn’t come back as effected but clearly is having same issue as the recall on the others with same year and make.…”
2026-08-23 · Engine · 💥 crash“i had two incidents with the kia listed above involving the feature where the engine stops when at a light, and then turns back on when foot is removed from brake. the first instance happened in a parking lot while i was maneuvering into a spot. the accelerator sensor sent my car forward at a high rate of speed, and i missed a brick wall by inche…”
2026-06-26 · Unknown Or Other“to the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa), i am writing to formally submit a safety complaint regarding my 2023 kia seltos, which exhibits a recurring, dangerous defect involving the engine stalling without warning. this defect results in a total loss of power while the vehicle is in operation or attempting to accelerate, posing…”
2026-06-22 · Unknown Or Other“paint bubbling and chipping off. dull blotches …”
2026-03-28 · Unknown Or Other“the gages fall all the way down, i’m not able to accelerate, engine light, traction light, tire pressure light, crash detection light, and other lights come on and prevents me from being able to drive. this happened on the interstate and almost caused an accident. …”
2026-03-14 · Lane Departure: Blind Spot Detection“driving 65mph on [xxx] and all the lights came on flashing and alerting me causing the emergency braking to occur while driving causing me to swerve on the road and lucky i didn’t crash but i had my [xxx] old in the car and it scared the hell out of me, on top of all that my horn gave out and hasn’t worked since that incident and now all the ligh…”
2026-03-14 · Engine“car burns/ consumes oil constantly having to top off 2-3 quarts every 1,000 miles maybe even less i do my oil change every 3,000 miles kia auto contract state i need to do oil change every 5,000 …”
2026-03-03 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 62,000 mi“the contact owns a 2023 kia seltos. the contact stated that while driving at 10 mph, there was an abnormal fuel odor coming from the vehicle. the vehicle was stopped, and the contact became aware of smoke coming from the engine compartment. a dealer was contacted. the vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the …”
2026-02-27 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 39,313 mi“the contact owns a 2023 kia seltos. the contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the tachometer went to zero and remained at zero while the vehicle was still accelerating. the contact stated that the transmission unexpectedly downshifted into a lower gear. there was an unknown message displayed. the contact stated t…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.