2021 Kia Seltos: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 432 complaints
432
Total Complaints
20,000mi
Median Mileage
Engine
Top Issue
18
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

4,837 25th Percentile
20,000 Median Mileage
58,136 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Engine
178
Power Train
56
Unknown Or Other
40
Electrical System
38
Engine And Engine Cooling
36
Fuel/Propulsion System
21
Vehicle Speed Control
9
Service Brakes
6
Seat Belts
5
Air Bags
5

Severity Assessment

18
Crashes
8
Fires
10
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM WITH THE NEW 2021 KIA SELTOS WITH THE DUAL CLUTCH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. IT CAN MISS 1ST, 3RD, 5TH AND 7TH GEARS. IT MISSED 1ST GEAR WHILE MY WIFE WAS TURNING LEFT FROM A STOPPED CONDITION... IT WAS NEARLY AN ACCIDENT, AND COULD HAVE BEEN A FATAL ACCIDENT SINCE THERE WAS A PASS..."
"FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE ASSIST W/ PEDESTRIAN DETECT (FCA), SYSTEM DO NOT WORK, NEVER GET ALARMS, IN A NEAR COLLISION SITUATIONS OR A PERSON CROSSING IN FRONT OF VEHICLE. CONTACTED KIA USA CASE # 13716568), RETURN CAR TO DEALER AS INSTRUCTED, PROBLEM NEVER FIX. KIA NOT PROVIDING ANY INFORMATION ..."
"FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE ASSIST W/ PEDESTRIAN DETECT (FCA), SYSTEM DO NOT WORK, NEVER GET ALARMS, IN A NEAR COLLISION SITUATIONS OR A PERSON CROSSING IN FRONT OF VEHICLE. CONTACTED KIA USA CASE # 13716568), RETURN CAR TO DEALER AS INSTRUCTED, PROBLEM NEVER FIX. KIA NOT PROVIDING ANY INFORMATION ..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Engine 178 complaints
25th: 9,375 mi Median: 30,000 mi 75th: 65,250 mi
Power Train 56 complaints
25th: 4,375 mi Median: 6,700 mi 75th: 12,925 mi
Unknown Or Other 40 complaints
25th: 85 mi Median: 100 mi 75th: 1,912 mi
Electrical System 38 complaints
Median: 2,000 mi
Engine And Engine Cooling 36 complaints
25th: 40,000 mi Median: 55,273 mi 75th: 85,250 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

TX: 45 OH: 41 FL: 39 NY: 31 IL: 27 PA: 23 CA: 19 MA: 15 MD: 14 NJ: 14

Who Files Complaints?

0.2%
Original Owners
99.8%
Second+ Owners

Kia Seltos — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
2022846
2023715
2024567

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28