First generation (SP2)
2021 Kia Seltos
The most reported problem on the 2021 Kia Seltos is stalling, with 136 complaints, usually around 40,000 miles.
- 371owner complaints
- 2recalls
- 13involved a crash
- 35,200median miles at failure
Newest report Sep 28, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
What is your Seltos doing?
Each one opens a sheet built from the owner reports of that problem on the 2021 model year.
Is the 2021 Kia Seltos reliable?
The 2021 Kia Seltos has 371 owner complaints on file with NHTSA, 1.7 times the median of 216 for 2021 SUVs on this site. Of the 5 Seltos model years since 2021, it has the most complaints. Complaint counts rise with sales as well as faults, so read what owners report below before deciding.
At a glance
- Next to the 2022
- At 62 complaints for each year on the road, the 2021 runs 4.2 times the 2022 (15). That's the only adjacent model year with enough complaints to set beside it.
- Top problem
- One problem takes up much of the file: stalling, named in 136 of the 371 complaints (37%). A quarter of the 63 owners who gave a mileage for stalling saw it by about 6,000 miles, and half by about 40,000.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 20 of the 371 complaints (5%) report a crash, a fire or an injury, about the 6% typical of vehicles on this site. Counted separately (one report can carry more than one), 13 reports mention a crash, 6 mention a fire and 8 people were hurt. The most crash reports, 6 of 13, fall under airbag.
- Recalls behind the top problems
- stalling, engine failure and misfire all have recalls on the same system, and the same campaigns cover them: 21V-259 and 25V-099. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings jumped in 2025, with 120 complaints, 3.1 times the next busiest year. So far in 2026, 96 more have come in.
When each problem shows up
Each bar covers the middle half of the mileages owners reported for that problem. A quarter saw it earlier, a quarter later. The tick is the median. Most reported: engine stalls or loses power while driving, 136 complaints.
middle half of reports, median tick. The heavier grey bars have 75 or more reports.
Behind you
Around your mileage
Ahead of you
How this compares
371 complaints is 2.0 times the median 2021 model on this site and 1.7 times the median 2021 SUV. Among the 1 Seltos model years here it ranks 1st for complaints. Counts follow sales volume as much as reliability, so a truck that sells 700,000 a year draws more reports than a sedan that sells 200,000.
Service bulletins for the 2021 Kia Seltos
Kia filed 134 bulletins and other notices with NHTSA that list the 2021 Kia Seltos. 26 of them deal with a problem owners have reported on this car. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 2 bulletins · 97 complaints
SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR PISTON RING NOISE DTC 1327 (SC209Y) This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published in (SC209A) titled “ECM Logic Improvement for Piston Ring Noise Sensing System”.
SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR PISTON RING NOISE DTC P1327 (SC209Y) This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published in (SC209A) titled "ECM Logic Improvement for Piston Ring Noise Sensing System".
Check engine light or misfire 3 bulletins · 75 complaints
This bulletin provides instructions to perform an engine vibration inspection using the Kia Diagnostic System (KDS) tablet on certain Kia engine/model vehicles.
SERVICE ACTION: MIL ON DTC P0605 AND/OR P2181 ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA463) This bulletin provides the procedure to improve the logic of the Engine Control Module (ECM) on some 2020-2021MY Soul (SK3) vehicles and 2021MY Seltos (SP2) vehicles produced in the date ranges shown below, equipped with NU 2.0L ATK engines, which may exhibit ...
1 more on this problem
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN SERVICE ACTION: MIL ON DTC P0605 AND/OR P2181 ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA463) - This bulletin provides the procedure to improve the logic of the Engine Control Module (ECM) on some 2020-2021MY Soul (SK3) vehicles produced from November 24, 2018 through January ...
Burns oil or oil level rises 3 bulletins · 61 complaints
EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES This bulletin provides information on diagnosing and/or repairing some 2011-2024MY vehicles (refer to the table on pages 9 and 10 for applicable models and engine), which may exhibit a symptom of excessive oil consumption.
EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES This bulletin provides information on diagnosing and/or repairing some 2011-2021MY vehicles (refer to the tables on pages 8-9 for applicable models and engine), which may exhibit a symptom of excessive oil consumption.
1 more on this problem
EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES This bulletin provides information on diagnosing and/or repairing some 2011-2019MY vehicles (refer to table below for applicable model and engine), which may exhibit a symptom of excessive oil consumption.
Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 15 bulletins · 13 complaints
DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0V/AVN5W SOFTWARE UPDATE This bulletin provides information to update the software on Display Audio 2.0 (D2V) and AVN 5.0 Wide (AVN5W) head units on certain 2021-2023MY Kia vehicles (refer to pages 5 and 16).
AVN 5.0 WIDE NON-RESPONSIVE RADIO ICON (AM, FM, SXM) This bulletin provides information to update the software on 5th Generation AVN wide on certain 2020-2024MY Kia vehicles (refer to model list on page 8) to remedy a ‘non-responsive’ or ‘inoperative’ radio (FM, AM, SXM, etc.) concern.
13 more on this problem
DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0V/AVN5W SOFTWARE UPDATE This bulletin provides information to update the software on Display Audio 2.0 (D2V) and 5th Generation AVN Wide (AVN5W) head units on certain 2021-2023MY Kia vehicles.
CLUSTER UPGRADE FOR INTERMITTENT DISPLAY RESTARTING This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Cluster (CLU) software logic on certain 2021-2023MY Seltos (SP2) vehicles equipped with a 7 in. TFT display instrument cluster, produced from November 20, 2019 through March 2, 2023.
AVN 5.0 WIDE SCREEN FREEZING OR MAP DELAY WITH WIRED APPLE CARPLAY This bulletin provides information to update the software on 5th Generation AVN wide on certain 2020-2023MY Kia vehicles to remedy an inaccurate map location, freezing AVN screen, or experiencing a delay when using Google Maps or Waze through wired Apple ...
UNEVEN/SLIPPERY ROAD WARNING DISPLAYED ON INSTRUMENT CLUSTER This bulletin provides information to update the software on 5th Generation AVN wide on certain 2020-2023MY Kia vehicles (refer to model list on page 3) to remedy a warning sound accompanied by a 'Slippery road ahead. Drive carefully' or 'Uneven road ahead.
This bulletin provides information to update the software on 5th Generation AVN wide on certain 2020-2024MY Kia vehicles (refer to model list on page 3) to remedy a 'non-responsive' or 'inoperative' radio (FM, AM, SXM, etc. ) concern.
SERVICE ACTION: DA 2.0V SOFTWARE UPDATE FOR WIRELESS CARPLAY FUNCTION (SA492) This bulletin provides information to update the Display Audio 2.0V software for the wireless CarPlay function on the models listed below that may exhibit disconnection of wireless phone projection due to interference from wireless signals in certain areas.
FRONT VIEW CAMERA REPLACEMENT AND SOFTWARE UPGRADE INSTALLATION This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the Front Camera (FR_CMR) system on the vehicles listed below, which have had a new replacement Front View Camera installed without software upgrade.
PITSTOP: BLUETOOTH MEMORY AND VOICE RECOGNITION CONCERN WITH AVN 5.0/W This Pitstop provides information for resolving a memory concern with the AVN 5.0 Wide head unit while downloading the contact list from a paired phone. The concern also affects Voice Recognition (VR) functionality.
SERVICE ACTION: FRONT CAMERA OPERATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA453) This bulletin provides the procedure to improve the logic of the front view camera software on some 2021MY Seltos (SP2) vehicles, produced from November 20, 2019 through December 31, 2020, to minimize the sensitivity of the Lane Departure Warning (LDW) / Lane ...
SERVICE ACTION: FRONT VIEW CAMERA REPLACEMENT (SA452) This bulletin provides information on the inspection and replacement of the front camera of some 2021MY Seltos (SP2) produced from August 10, 2020 through September 02, 2020, which may exhibit illumination of the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) Lane ...
Plus 3 older ones not listed here.
Multiple warning lights come on at once 1 bulletin · 12 complaints
ABS/ESC LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR DTC C1626 This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the Anti-Lock Brakes/Electronic Stability Control (ABS/ESC) systems on some 2021-2023MY Seltos vehicles, which may experience multiple dash warning lights illuminated and DTC C1626, due to a ...
Battery dies or the car will not start 1 bulletin · 10 complaints
SERVICE ACTION: ICU OPERATION LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA435) This bulletin provides the procedure to improve the logic of the Integrated Central Control Unit (ICU) on some 2021MY Seltos (SP2) vehicles, produced from November 20, 2019 through August 13, 2020, which may exhibit a parasitic draw during long-term storage, ...
Seat belt or seat problems 1 bulletin · 5 complaints
PITSTOP: RATTLE/CLUNK NOISE FROM REAR SEAT This Pitstop provides information regarding a rattle or clunk noise from the rear seat area on some 2021MY Seltos (SP2) vehicles when driving over bumps or uneven road surfaces.
Complaints filed by year
120 complaints came in 2025, 4.4 times the year before. Owners file in waves when a problem gets press or an investigation, so a spike measures attention as much as failures.
NHTSA investigations
Kia 25v099 piston oil ring recall effectiveness. Closed dec 18, 2025.
NHTSA summary
Recalls that include the 2021 Kia Seltos
Whether your car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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 and remedy
Remedy: 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.
Kia 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 been properly heat-treated, which may result in engine damage.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Kia will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. The recall began June 11, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC209.
All 2 recalls on the 2021 Kia Seltos, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
Guide Buying one used? How to research one car’s history before you pay
Questions
What is the most common problem on the 2021 Kia Seltos?
Stalling, with 136 of the 371 complaints. Owners who gave a mileage for it put the median at about 40,000 miles.
At what mileage do 2021 Kia Seltos problems start?
Of the 162 complaints that give a mileage, a quarter came by about 8,000 miles and half by about 35,000.
Is the 2021 Kia Seltos better or worse than the 2022?
Counted per year on the road, the 2021 has more complaints than the 2022: 62 a year against 15.
How many 2021 Kia Seltos complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
20 of them (5%). The typical vehicle on this site is at 6%.
Is there a recall for stalling on the 2021 Kia Seltos?
Yes, NHTSA lists 2 recalls on the same system: 21V-259 and 25V-099. Its summary says which failure it covers, and that isn't always the one owners describe.