2022 Kia Seltos Problems & Owner Complaints

Engine 37 2 crash 1 fire

“My 2022 Kia Seltos out of nowhere started smoking, losing power, total control and braking. There were no lights on the dashboard warning of any kind complete stall than a little bit of power hesitation stall no brakes. I managed to coast it into a parking space at a hotel with it smoking so bad I couldn’t see. It then burst into flames and golfing the entire Engine bay and melting the front of the car about 90 seconds after I got out of the car all of the symptoms here are completely aligned with the recall on this vehicle and the soul. In fact, my son soul had all the same issues except the…”
NHTSA complaint #11740429, 2026 · fire

“The engine started to fail when I'm driving and on the highway it suddenly loses strength, the oil goes down and I don't know where it's going, the engine starts to make noises and burning smell, the ignition light turns on and minutes later goes out, a triangle signal also sometimes appears for 6 seconds and disappears, when this triangle appears the car starts to fail and give strong jolts, this has already happened on the highway and I almost lost control of the car due to the jock. I looked for a Kia store on 08/04/25 to recall and reported the problem, they said at the time that there wa…”
NHTSA complaint #11738064, 2026 · crash

“My vehicle was sent to the Kia dealership for service after a front-end collision there was minor body damage however the car wouldn't move so long story short a modular had to be replaced on the transmission there was multiple issues trying to program it I was told there was an issue with my computer they had to reach out to Kia manufacturer for help. I received my car back and while it was there for service I had them do an oil change I hadn't drove 300 to 400 miles and all of my oil was gone from my car when I called Kia they had me bring it back in couldn't find anything wrong with it and…”
NHTSA complaint #11704100, 2025 · crash

Unknown Or Other 17 3 crash 1 fire

“A flapping sound started in the engine, then no acceleration when I used the gas pedal. Pulled to the side of the road and black smoke and sparks began coming from the engine. I exited the car and it burst into flames. The was no warning icons that appeared to alert me to any problems. Car was total ingulfed.”
NHTSA complaint #11571607, 2023 · fire

“I pulled into the drive and put the car in park I left it running for the air conditioner.I got out opened back door to adjust the babies car seat shut the door and went into the house. My in-law told me my car was moving so I ran outside and the car had run into the garage door.The drive has a upward slope so the car was going uphill and seemed to be picking up speed”
NHTSA complaint #11748057, 2026 · crash

“The engine started to fail when I'm driving and on the highway it suddenly loses strength, the oil goes down and I don't know where it's going, the engine starts to make noises and burning smell, the ignition light turns on and minutes later goes out, a triangle signal also sometimes appears for 6 seconds and disappears, when this triangle appears the car starts to fail and give strong jolts, this has already happened on the highway and I almost lost control of the car due to the jock. I looked for a Kia store on 08/04/25 to recall and reported the problem, they said at the time that there wa…”
NHTSA complaint #11738064, 2026 · crash

Power Train 10 1 crash

“My vehicle was sent to the Kia dealership for service after a front-end collision there was minor body damage however the car wouldn't move so long story short a modular had to be replaced on the transmission there was multiple issues trying to program it I was told there was an issue with my computer they had to reach out to Kia manufacturer for help. I received my car back and while it was there for service I had them do an oil change I hadn't drove 300 to 400 miles and all of my oil was gone from my car when I called Kia they had me bring it back in couldn't find anything wrong with it and…”
NHTSA complaint #11704100, 2025 · crash

“Certified shop said my timing chain was going as well as other associated components. My car is always low on oil even when mileage has not been met. Found my car is part of piston ring recall. Dealership stated my car is not affected however the issues the shop found most certainly confirm my issue which is going to cost over $2k to fix is associated with this. Dealership not only says my car passed piston ring recall but wanted $175 to diagnose what has already been diagnosed and then another $175 on top of that to "dig into the engine". Check engine light came on and car began making n…”
NHTSA complaint #11718581, 2026

“My 2022 Kia Seltos repeatedly stalls and shuts off while driving, including in traffic and at stop signs. The vehicle has also had multiple electrical failures and an emergency brake malfunction. A few weeks ago, October 26th, while going through a Starbucks drive-through, My car completely stopped. I got stuck in the Starbucks line and multiple people had to help me push my car out of the drive through. I can get the name of the lady at the Starbucks and maybe her co-workers to collaborate if need be plus I have text messages with my family because I didn't know what to do. The vehicle ha…”
NHTSA complaint #11702868, 2025

Engine And Engine Cooling 9

“The contact owns a 2022 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated and stalled while driving at various speeds with the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact was provided information associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact was advised to take the vehicle to a dealer for service. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and the contact was informed that a software update needed to be performed; however, no additional repairs were performed on the…”
NHTSA complaint #11753088, 2025

“The contact owns a 2022 Kia Seltos. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the contact had scheduled a recall appointment and was advised by the dealer that the recall had been placed on hold. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and advised the contact that the recall was on hold. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH and ascending a hill, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator peda…”
NHTSA complaint #11663619, 2025

“The contact owns a 2022 Kia Seltos. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shut off without warning. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer where an unknown sensor was replaced; however, the failure returned soon after the repair. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact informed the dealer of the recall, and the dealer acknowledged the recall and that the piston oil rings had failed; however, the dealer informed the contact that the manufacturer had ordered the dealer not to p…”
NHTSA complaint #11661306, 2025

Electrical System 8 1 crash 1 fire

“My 2022 Kia Seltos out of nowhere started smoking, losing power, total control and braking. There were no lights on the dashboard warning of any kind complete stall than a little bit of power hesitation stall no brakes. I managed to coast it into a parking space at a hotel with it smoking so bad I couldn’t see. It then burst into flames and golfing the entire Engine bay and melting the front of the car about 90 seconds after I got out of the car all of the symptoms here are completely aligned with the recall on this vehicle and the soul. In fact, my son soul had all the same issues except the…”
NHTSA complaint #11740429, 2026 · fire

“Tried to remote start vehicle and it would not work. Went and manually started car so it could warm up and returned to house. Went back outside and car was backed into a ditch with all warning lights illuminated on dash.”
NHTSA complaint #11552638, 2023 · crash

“My 2022 Kia Seltos is equipped with Idle Stop & Go (ISG), which shuts the engine off when stopped and restarts it when the driver releases the brake/presses the accelerator. ISG stopped functioning about a year ago (the engine stayed running at stops). I didn't think anything of it because the ISG had worked sporadically from the day I bought the car. (I purchased it new.) It began working again, sporadically, about a week ago. Since then, on 3 occasions, when stopped at a red light with the engine auto-shut-off via ISG, pressing the accelerator to proceed causes the engine to fail to restart…”
NHTSA complaint #11746914, 2026

Air Bags 3 2 crash 2 injury

“The contact owns a 2022 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 55 MPH, they crashed into a buck. The hood came ajar and shattered the front windshield. The front end was smashed, and the radiator was leaking. The airbags did not deploy. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire. The contact sustained injuries to her neck with spasms and reversed neck and back pain; medical attention was provided. The collision alert was illuminated. The collision message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The towing company referred her to the NHTSA…”
NHTSA complaint #11695999, 2025 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“We purchased a new factory 2022 Kia Seltos for our child, because of its 6 standard airbags and its other safety features. Our child was in a vehicle accident on Black Friday were he hit his head and suffered a severe head concussion. It was a frontal crash and none of the airbags deployed. Because of this our son could not complete his Firsts Semester of College and had to take an “Incomplete”. Before the accident there were no malfunction warnings, and we received nothing from his Kia App stating nothing wrong with his vehicle. As a matter of fact, the cops, ambulance and Tow Driver wer…”
NHTSA complaint #11502075, 2022 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“This is a problem that has occurred in several Kia models. While driving all of a sudden all the warning lights from every safety related item come on and at the same time the power steering goes off as well as the air conditioner. Sometimes if you stop the car and restart the engine everything returns to normal other times it does not and occasionally the shifter locks itself in park. I have taken it to the Kia dealer twice and they "repaired" it one time and the problem continued. The second time no problem codes were shown in the OBD and they said there was nothing they could do. We ha…”
NHTSA complaint #11608514, 2024

Forward Collision Avoidance 3 1 fire

“Summary: Failure of Vision system causes unpredictable computer behavior, and such failure may not be known by vehicle operator. 3 Separate Incidents on same car . Occurance 1, 10/22: Brakes locked (with smoke) and stalled in heavy traffic; fortunately traveling only 5MPH so no accident. Restart allowed car to run, although rough. NOTE: Front collision Avoidance turned OFF but computer reset system anyway on camera failure. Kia towed to nearest dealer, admitting that it is NOT SAFE to drive. Once computer went blind, the front vision system reset defaults-including braking contro…”
NHTSA complaint #11503833, 2022 · fire

“This is a problem that has occurred in several Kia models. While driving all of a sudden all the warning lights from every safety related item come on and at the same time the power steering goes off as well as the air conditioner. Sometimes if you stop the car and restart the engine everything returns to normal other times it does not and occasionally the shifter locks itself in park. I have taken it to the Kia dealer twice and they "repaired" it one time and the problem continued. The second time no problem codes were shown in the OBD and they said there was nothing they could do. We ha…”
NHTSA complaint #11608514, 2024

“Car is giving codes C162604/ C164202 stating there is an issue with the electric stability control as well as lane keeping assistance. Emergency break lines came on (abs) as well. There was no incidents before this happened. This was a previous issue with the 2021 Kia Seltos that may have not been addressed properly while making the 2022. I am unsure if I am able to drive the vehicle safely to the dealership due to the stability control issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11478006, 2022

Lane Departure 2

“This is a problem that has occurred in several Kia models. While driving all of a sudden all the warning lights from every safety related item come on and at the same time the power steering goes off as well as the air conditioner. Sometimes if you stop the car and restart the engine everything returns to normal other times it does not and occasionally the shifter locks itself in park. I have taken it to the Kia dealer twice and they "repaired" it one time and the problem continued. The second time no problem codes were shown in the OBD and they said there was nothing they could do. We ha…”
NHTSA complaint #11608514, 2024

“Car is giving codes C162604/ C164202 stating there is an issue with the electric stability control as well as lane keeping assistance. Emergency break lines came on (abs) as well. There was no incidents before this happened. This was a previous issue with the 2021 Kia Seltos that may have not been addressed properly while making the 2022. I am unsure if I am able to drive the vehicle safely to the dealership due to the stability control issue.”
NHTSA complaint #11478006, 2022

Wheels 2

“When the car goes 75-80mph on the highway, there is a metallic "ticking" noise coming from the front two sides of the car, around the area where the tires are. KIA is refusing to do anything about it because they claim they cannot drive the car that fast due to speed limits. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? --unknown How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? It is unknown what is causing the issue since KIA is refusing to look further into the issue. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or…”
NHTSA complaint #11695072, 2025

“I had a flat tire and replaced it with the spare tire that came with the car. Because the vehicle is AWD, the tires need to be the same size, however, the spare tire was smaller. As a result, the car started smoking and driving very rough within 10 miles of the spare being put on. It turns out that the differential went out because the spare tire was rotating faster than the others.”
NHTSA complaint #11488903, 2022

Back Over Prevention 1

“The backup camera has failed twice in two months. When vehicle was put in reverse the camera would flash off and on and stated no signal for the backup camera. The problem clears when next trip is made. Dealer said they are not aware of this problem and cannot diagnose unless it is happening. This is a fairly common problem as a number of others have reported this on the Facebook Seltos owner's page. This creates a hazard when in reverse.”
NHTSA complaint #11465086, 2022

Firerelated 1 1 fire

“A flapping sound started in the engine, then no acceleration when I used the gas pedal. Pulled to the side of the road and black smoke and sparks began coming from the engine. I exited the car and it burst into flames. The was no warning icons that appeared to alert me to any problems. Car was total ingulfed.”
NHTSA complaint #11571607, 2023 · fire

Fuel/Propulsion System 1 1 fire

“My 2022 Kia Seltos out of nowhere started smoking, losing power, total control and braking. There were no lights on the dashboard warning of any kind complete stall than a little bit of power hesitation stall no brakes. I managed to coast it into a parking space at a hotel with it smoking so bad I couldn’t see. It then burst into flames and golfing the entire Engine bay and melting the front of the car about 90 seconds after I got out of the car all of the symptoms here are completely aligned with the recall on this vehicle and the soul. In fact, my son soul had all the same issues except the…”
NHTSA complaint #11740429, 2026 · fire

Structure 1

“I would like to express that in December 11 they gave me the vehicle at the car dealer and I had not been driving for even 20 minutes, when I heard a noise and looked and my glass had shattered. I turned to the dealer and they replaced him on March 11. Today April 21st I am driving on the highway with no car near me and I come back I hear a noise and I look and again my glass is broken. It is incredible that it is already twice in less than 5 months that in different scenarios that the glass shatters. I am very worried and I fear that in an accident my glass will not be strong enough.”
NHTSA complaint #11461606, 2022

Suspension 1

“When the car goes 75-80mph on the highway, there is a metallic "ticking" noise coming from the front two sides of the car, around the area where the tires are. KIA is refusing to do anything about it because they claim they cannot drive the car that fast due to speed limits. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? --unknown How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? It is unknown what is causing the issue since KIA is refusing to look further into the issue. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or…”
NHTSA complaint #11695072, 2025