Common Failures Of The Kia Seltos: Problems, Breakdowns, Opinions And Criticisms
When it comes to spacious and comfortable subcompact SUVs, the Seltos offers a spacious cabin area, stylish and advanced technology and infotainment features, and an exhilarating driving experience. But not everything is rosy, in this post you will learn about the common failures of the Kia Seltos .
Although the vehicle can sometimes offer a less than perfect experience when driving on a bumpy road or surface such as railway tracks, it still offers a smooth ride overall. The Seltos sometimes has a few intermittent glitches in its seven-speed automatic transmission, but overall it’s considered a great vehicle.
Common failures of the Kia Seltos
While the Kia Seltos is a very popular vehicle, like most cars, trucks, and SUVs, this make and model has also experienced some issues over time.
When it comes to the Kia family of vehicles, the Kia Seltos is one of the newest and is becoming one of the most popular. Read on to learn about three major problems and how they’re being resolved.
1. Oil leakage and sudden shutdown
This issue has affected nearly 150,000 Kia Seltos models. The main complaint from car buyers is that the vehicle dies when stopped at red lights and stop signs.
The drivers then experienced the vehicle using an excessive amount of oil and the oil warning lights coming on and making their alert sound, as well as other signs of oil leakage. In April 2021, Kia Seltos were found to have a problem with the piston oil rings because they were not properly heat treated.
Possible causes and solutions:
The result was a recall of the nearly 150,000 vehicles that Kia recalled to fix the problem under the hood. The incident rate was quite low, but the severity of the problem was at the higher end, as if not repaired, serious damage could occur due to an inadequate amount of oil after oil leaked from the vehicle preventing proper operation.
2. Kia Seltos turns off and won’t turn on again
A fuel-saving feature on the Kia Seltos that allows the vehicle to shut off at a stop sign or traffic light to avoid using gas while idling has led to some vehicles not starting again.
Obviously, when this feature works, it’s a great advantage as it can save the driver buying gas, but if it doesn’t start up again, drivers end up stranded during these short, temporary stops.
Cars using this feature should restart the engine as soon as the driver lifts their foot off the brake pedal, but in a small number of 2021 Kia Seltos, the engine doesn’t restart as it’s supposed to.
Although this is one of the common Kia Seltos failures, you should keep in mind that it has only occurred on some examples of the 2021 models. In some situations, the entire car will simply shut down and stay that way due to an electrical problem.
Possible causes and solutions:
In most cases, the driver of the vehicle can simply hit the ignition and get the car going again, but this is not something anyone wants to do at every stop sign they come to.
Like the situation with the oil leak, this problem has only occurred on a small number of Kia Seltos, but unlike the oil leak situation, this has not led to a recall or even an investigation.
3. Problems with parking change
A small number of drivers have reported that their Kia Seltos will not shift from being in Park mode and one driver reported that the vehicle would not stay in park.
When the vehicle gets stuck in parking lot, the driver is not able to get it to shift into neutral or drive, which is the more common problem of the two. These shift failures are most likely due to transmission issues on the Kia Seltos.
There is no recall for this as it has only affected a very few Kia Seltos owners, but if it does happen to you, take it to a Kia workshop to see what can be done to fix the problem.
Advantages and disadvantages of the Kia Seltos
The Kia Seltos has carved a place for itself in the Kia family of vehicles and wows drivers with its charming chassis and a cabin that comfortably seats five people. When it comes to Kia’s family of vehicles, it fills the small amount of middle ground between the Kia Soul in the Kia Sportage and the automaker’s lineup of subcompact SUVs.
Its looks, style, and class mix well with practicality when it comes to its size. The Seltos also has a platform and powertrain similar to that of a Hyundai Kona which allows it to offer a great driving experience as well as decent fuel economy.
While the base Seltos models offer a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, the turbocharged 1.6-liter pumps out around 175 horsepower from its engine. Base models come with standard but popular features used to assist the driver and the vehicle offers a large list of entertainment features and is highly satisfying to most SUV buyers.
The vehicle offers automated emergency braking, high beam headlights that are automatic, and even lane keeping assist. The Seltos also gives you a larger 10.3-inch screen and plenty of color schemes for buyers to choose from.
- Great security features
- engine options
- four wheel drive available
- comfortable and spacious
- good starting price
- Large oil leak and sudden shutdown
- The Seltos turn off and do not turn on again at stops
- Fail to leave parking change
Kia Seltos Reviews
According to feedback from the majority of customers who have purchased a Kia Seltos, more than 80 percent of them are happy with the vehicle and would recommend it to friends and family who are looking to purchase a new subcompact SUV.
They emphasize the fact that it is a mid-size SUV, but that it is very spacious and spacious, as well as comfortable and very elegant looking. They enjoy the fact that many of the exterior color options are two-tone and available in a wide range of color combinations.
Customers also appreciate the fact that there are a variety of optional extra features at purchase to add to the Kia Seltos, along with the fact that there are several different models to choose from when it comes to the Kia Seltos.
The complaints the reviewers left behind were similar to the key issues we’ve discussed in this article, as they were in the minority who experienced such issues with their Kia Seltos vehicles.
Here are some opinions and comments:
“I traded in my Mazda CX5 for the new KIA Seltos. I have to say I love it! Compared to my Mazda Touring model, the Seltos really offers quality, features and comfort for almost the same price. The ride is very smooth.
“The Kia Seltos is stylish, roomy, and available with plenty of tech and safety features. It’s also pretty quick, provided you get the optional turbocharged engine. Comfort is lacking, and it’s not an especially fun SUV to drive. But overall, the Seltos is worth a look alongside other popular models like the Honda HR-V, Hyundai Kona and Mazda CX-30.”
To end
Overall, the Kia Seltos is a great option when it comes to a mid-size subcompact SUV. If you’re looking for a mid-size SUV that has decent gas mileage, and looks good, this may be the vehicle for you.
It has a lot of space not only for the driver and passengers in the cabin area, but also in the storage area. The reliability of this make and model of vehicle is generally very good, with the exception of the few issues that we discuss in this article.
