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Kia Seltos collision warning problems

11 of the 576 owner complaints about the Kia Seltos describe false forward collision warnings, most of them for the 2021 model year.

owner complaints
11
worst model year
2021
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.

By model year

  • 2025
    1
  • 2024
    1
  • 2023
    2
  • 2022
    2
  • 2021
    5

Often reported together

No deployment 3Stalling 1

What owners say

Filed Jan 27, 2026 · Driver assistance, Steering · OR · crash · 1 injury

During the incident in question, the vehicle’s lane‑assist system malfunctioned in a manner I have never previously experienced. As I approached an area with multiple lane markings, the system appeared to become confused—possibly due to low‑light conditions—and abruptly pulled the steering wheel with significant force. This deviation was severe enough that I temporarily lost control, causing the vehicle to drift toward the left-side ditch. When the steering suddenly released and became limp, I attempted to correct the trajectory, but the response window was too narrow to avoid impact. The vehicle struck a wooden signpost, resulting in damage to the right headlight assembly and the complete detachment of the right fog light. No lane‑departure warnings were issued at any point. Under normal circumstances, the vehicle provides audible alerts regardless of whether lane assist is active, and I am familiar with the areas where such alerts typically occur. Additionally, the forward‑collision warning system failed to activate, despite its usual tendency to trigger even in non‑hazard situations. This inconsistency has been present since I acquired the vehicle. Prior to this event, I had also been experiencing intermittent electrical issues. I attempted to seek service at the nearest Kia dealership; however, reaching it requires traveling through a national forest during winter conditions, which is unsafe unless absolutely necessary. I attempted to file an incident report with local law enforcement, but was informed that a report could only be taken if another motor vehicle was involved. I then attempted to file a report with the DMV, but the online system requires an Oregon‑issued driver’s license. I currently hold a valid Oklahoma license and have been unable to update it due to financial constraints and an anticipated move later this year. I have experienced neck pain between my shoulders since the incident.

Filed Oct 28, 2025 · Airbags · 100,000 miles · NY · crash · 1 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 federal safety agency hotline. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Filed Sep 24, 2025 · Airbags, Driver assistance · FL · crash

Traveling WB on SR100 approximately 60mph after picking up dinner in [XXX] , Before reaching the turn for 302, a deer jumped from the southbound side of the road to the northbound side of the road. When it jumped, the right side of the deer impacted the front of my vehicle which in turn ripped the vehicles hood up from locked down position and slammed it into the windshield. I saw the deers midsection from under the raised hood as the impact happened. I immediately put on my hazards and began to decelerate and pull off the road. I dont understand how my airbags didnt deploy with the damage that was incurred from the deer. In that instant, the side and front collision warning indicators never alerted and the airbags never deployed. The vehicle is being towed to Classic Colision in Daytona Beach FL from Roger's Towing in Bunnell FL Had this been a vehicle impacting another vehicle, my mother and I would not be here as the recalled repaired airbags did not deploy upon impact. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jul 15, 2025 · Brakes, Driver assistance · MI · crash

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The braking system appears to have failed. When I attempted to slow down for a stop sign, the brake pedal went straight to the floor and did not respond as expected. I began pumping the brakes out of panic, but they only engaged at the last moment—approximately one foot or less from the vehicle in front of me. The vehicle is currently totaled, but I believe the braking system could still be inspected upon request, pending insurance and tow yard access. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My safety was significantly at risk. I had no control over stopping the vehicle despite repeated brake attempts. To avoid a direct collision, I was forced to swerve at the last second, hitting the rear edge of the truck ahead and deploying my airbag. Had I not swerved, the impact could have been more severe and potentially endangered the other driver. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Not yet. My insurance is working to determine whether an inspection is possible due to the extent of the damage. I intend to have the braking system inspected to confirm the failure if it can be safely accessed. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? The accident has been reported to my insurance, and they are aware that I believe the brakes failed. I’m waiting to hear whether an inspection by their representatives or a third party will be conducted. To my knowledge, the manufacturer has not inspected the vehicle. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No brake-related warning lights or messages appeared before or during the failure. However, the forward collision alert did pop up—but it only appeared a couple of seconds before the impact, far too late to help avoid.

Filed May 18, 2025 · Brakes, Driver assistance · IL

On 4 different occasions my vehicle applied the brakes forcefully on its own at high speeds. The dash flashed with the message "check forward collision avoidance assist system." as well as displayed the following icons: master warning light, hill climb assist, traction control, forward collision, and the Auto start/stop was flashing. These continued until I was able to stop and turn the car off. When I was trying to slow down and stop my brakes were not working correctly as I had to push the pedal all the way to the floor for a long period to stop all the way. When the car was put in park the engine was revving up until it was off. The car was towed to the dealership after first incident and the following codes were in the history: C164202 C161308. Dealership had my car for 6 days, opened a tech line case and without an answer of why this happened nor remedy, my car was released back to me resulting in 3 additional instances. It is now going to another dealership to hopefully get an answer and repair.

Filed Oct 6, 2024 · Airbags, Brakes · FL · crash

Went to stop at a red light and I had no breaks pushed break pedal all to the floor and nothing hit another car no air bags seat belt never tightened no collision warning nothing I was was at fault and charge wreck less driving and ticked. And Kia wants to charge me 200 for a diagnostic fee to figure out what happened I just had the oil changed 2 months ago

Filed May 10, 2023 · Airbags, Driver assistance · WV · crash

A deer was hit at 60mph with frontal impact. The collision warning did not alarm, however after the collision, the light was illuminated. The airbags did not deploy. The front end damage was estimated at nearly $11,000 but no airbags deployed with this high rate of speed and impact.

Filed Jan 26, 2023 · Driver assistance · PA · 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 control. The Camera system was replaced, seamingly fixing situation. *Occurance 2, 12/29/22 HOA cruise control set at 65, traffic moving 50- car started to accelerate, not seeing car in advance. Braking put up a dashboard message "HOA Disabled, Radar blocked", then "Conditions not met, radar blocked". I also discovered that Front Collision Avoidance was not functional. NOTE THERE IS NO CONSISTANT WARNING TO OPERATOR, only periodically, a "FCA disabled, Radar Blocked" message appeared, but would disappear within 5-10 minutes (but system was still offline). visit 1, 1/10 > No problem found, reset default settings visit 2, 1/17 > took back to dealer again- problem replicated, camera ordered visit 3, 1/24 > vehicle dropped off for camera replacement *Occurance 3, 1/24, System failed on test drive after repair. Dealer did not provide details. Dealer arranged rental "This car is not safe to drive"

Filed Jun 15, 2022 · FL

When driving long distance, (over 5 hours) all of the emergency lights and collision warnings appear on the dashboard. The traction control begins to activate on its own. In dry, good conditions with no rain, I believe it’s the drivers side front wheel that’s engaging traction control while at high speeds of 60-70 miles per hour. The vehicle was dropped off at the dealership and they attempted to replicate the issues but could not, they mentioned that another customer had the same issue, we left it with the dealership for about a week. Our safety was at risk due to the fact that the brakes are engaging sporadically at high speeds.

Filed Aug 24, 2020 · Driver assistance · 100 miles · CA

Forward collision avoidance assist (fca), radar sensor do not work, never get alarms or warning when an collision is eminent. Contacted kiausa and dealer, problem not solved.

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the Kia Seltos collision warning

Which Kia Seltos years have false forward collision warnings problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2021 (5 complaints), 2022 (2 complaints) and 2023 (2 complaints).

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