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.
2023 Kia Seltos: check engine light
7 of the 47 complaints about the 2023 Kia Seltos describe check engine light.
- owner complaints
- 7
- of this car's complaints
- 15%
- recalls
- 1
Check engine light by model year
What owners say
In April 2025 my vehicle had a recall (1: SC336 or 25V099), I brought it into a Kia dealership, they said it failed the test, and needed a new engine (i was without a vehicle for weeks, dealership said they did not have any loaners until after 14 days). They then call back weeks later saying the test was faulty, and i could have my car back. They said to keep an eye on it if there are any issues regarding the recall to come back. One morning i started my car, and was driving luckily in a 30mph, my car started to shake, would not speed up/move much, the check engine light came on, almost coming to a complete stop in the middle of a busy road. I was able to move it to the side, turn it off for a bit, once turned back on it was fine. My father who has a background in automotive mechanics checked the oil and noticed there was barely in it- (although just having it been changed) which looks like the oil consumption is fast and going somewhere. I immediately took it to a Kia dealership and they said I would have to go through a whole oil consumption test but it would not be a guarantee fix for engine replacement due to me not going to a dealership, or oil change business. Although my father who changes it, has all the receipts of oil purchase and capability of changing it himself. My oil is changed always in the proper timeline/miles. Which i have a alert on my car to notify me of this. I have noticed the kia does not give an alert when there is "low" oil. I have to drive around with extra oil, and check it almost daily just incase. I am worried that it will stop again but on a busy highway and result in a accident. I am concerned that the recall test was faulty and is resulting in major car issues, for something that is not even that old. As of yesterday i turned my car on and it was shaking and the engine light came on. I have not turned it on since, i will be returning to the dealership today.
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was gray smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled on the drive back to the residence. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the RPM fluctuated, and the engine revved with gray smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road and waited ten minutes before restarting the vehicle; however, the failure reoccurred a short distance afterwards, with the vehicle vibrating abnormally, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was pulled into a parking lot and stalled. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the workplace where the vehicle stalled after being parked. After work, the contact drove the vehicle to the residence. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle jerked and vibrated, and gray smoke was coming from the exhaust pipe, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The RPM fluctuated, and the engine revved. The contact was able to arrive at the residence, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil level was low and that there was a misfire in the engine. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The contact was informed that an unknown part was clogged. The dealer changed the oil. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance in covering the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was while smoke coming from the exhaust, after which the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine due to possible poor maintenance, which the contact disputed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
3 times in the last 24 hours my vehicle has completely stopped while in motion. Once on the highway and twice in residential areas. There was no precursor problem to let me know this would happen, no strange noises and no check engine light. It just fails and the engine stops while I’m driving. It’s extremely dangerous and quite frankly very scary. When I called kia today to tell them what happened all they said to me was that since the check engine light wasn’t on, that it was safe to drive and they couldn’t get my car in for several weeks. Then the other kia dealership in the area said they would get me in next week but again that my car was safe to drive. It is most certainly NOT safe to drive!! This is happening while I’m driving and in motion. Twice at about 10 mph and once going 60 (thank god nobody was behind me)
The check engine light came on .. for a day then went off. Took it they said they couldn’t find anything.. 2 days later a symbol triangle with exclamation point. Not sure what it means but the orange warning lights wouldn’t come on if nothing is wrong 24 thousand miles on it . All factory warranty service has been done
Issues with idle stop and go. On 11/8/23 was at a light and stop and go was on. Light turned green took my foot off of the break and nothing happened then engine staled. Check engine light came on and then all other panel lights. Took two tries to get engine started again. I was in a busy intersection at rush hour. This is a huge safety issue. It has clitched at other times where took foot off break and engine took a moment to restart, but this is first stall. I now have a note in car to turn off every time I drive. I live in a high density area with lots of stop and go traffic and lights and cannot afford to get stuck or worse in an accident because of this. Kia needs to address this issue.
Service bulletins that may apply
- This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published under...
- This bulletin provides instructions to perform an engine vibration inspection using the Kia Diagnostic...
- Piston noise sensing system (PNSS) inspection
- Coolant reservoir cap inspection & replacement (SA527)
- Data collection: extract california emissions data from ECU (DC23)
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical
- What is wrong
- 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.
- 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.
Recall number 25V099000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2023 Kia Seltos check engine light
Is check engine light a common problem on the 2023 Kia Seltos?
7 of 47 owner complaints about the 2023 Kia Seltos (15%) mention check engine light. The model year with the most reports is 2021.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2023 Kia Seltos?
There is 1 recall and 5 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2023 Kia Seltos
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