Kia Seltos overheating problems

Filed Sep 1, 2026 · Transmission · CO

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact became aware several years ago that the transmission was not shifting properly and the vehicle was shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the technicians found no failure. The contact stated that on another occasion while in traffic, the engine overheated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the brakes locked up while the vehicle was on a hill, forcing the contact to steer to the side of the road and turn the vehicle off. The vehicle was restarted and driven back to the residence, but the following day the vehicle stalled. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and requested that the contact return the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was returned to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the transmission was replaced 3 times within 3 years. The contact was informed by the service manager that the dual clutch was not ideal for driving in the mountains. The contact stated that during the first failure, there were several unknown warning lights illuminated with audible alerts to exit the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The dealer confirmed the transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure continued with reduced power.

Filed Jun 17, 2026 · Engine · 106,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that the vehicle was intermittently overheating and losing motive power while driving. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate properly. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the spark plugs and ignition coil packs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact returned the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.

Filed May 4, 2026 · Engine · VA

Engine seized and was smoking. No warning lights on dash until engine siezed and then it was ESC light that came on. Engine started smoking when seized. Checked oil and there was none however we had just had the vehicle in for a state safety inspection 2 weeks prior to this happening. Have had regular oil changes thru dealership and car was scheduled for oil change prior to this incident happening. This year and model of car already has a recall for piston rings overheating and burning oil which causes Engine failure and fire. Warranty claim was denied due to no oil in Engine and Kia doesn't include oil consumption with their warranty. Car is currently at First Team Kia Dealership in Suffolk, VA

Filed Jun 21, 2025 · Transmission · OK

I own a 2022 Kia Seltos that has experienced a persistent coolant leak. I’ve brought the vehicle in multiple times, but each time I was told the issue couldn’t be duplicated. The coolant reservoir was consistently dropping week after week. Dealership had even marked the reservoir with a line for tracking purposes. Despite keeping the vehicle for several days, the technicians were still unable to locate the source of the leak. I was then informed that any further diagnostic work would incur a service charge. When I expressed concern about this, Mark responded by saying, “The mechanics do not work for free.” Before I picked up the car, Dealership called to let me know a technician had accidentally broken a part, which they replaced. He stated the broken part was unrelated and that the original issue still had not been identified. I retrieved the vehicle and, interestingly enough, for over a year afterward, the coolant level remained stable. After this I contacted KIA corporation and I was advised they could not help in the matter and I'm have to work with the dealership. While changing the oil on [XXX]—roughly three months since I last checked the reservoir—I noticed the coolant level had dropped again, below the “low” mark. I refilled it to avoid potential damage, but it appears the original issue has returned. Ive notified the dealership on 6/19/2025 the issues has returned, I haven't heard back from as of today. The vehicle is still under it's 100K mile warranty and I need help getting KIA to honor it's warranty and not force me to pay for diagnoses. I'm being told this should fall under the lemon law and get a lawyer. I'd rather not go this route , as it's still forcing me to spend money. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Jul 18, 2024 · Engine · OH

The Engine. No? The engine blew up at night in the middle of a busy highway. Leaving the vehicle powerless and overheating. Yes. No, there was no immediate indication of an issue until it occurred.

Filed Nov 3, 2023 · Engine · MD

My 2021 Kia Seltos EX is eating oil.......... 1/2 quart a week at least and I have read online that it can lead to the engine overheating, stalling, etc. So far my car is not listed on the piston recall or any other recall, but how can Kia state it can go 7,000 miles between oil changes when it only holds 4 1/2 quarts of oil and goes through it so fast? I change my oil every 3,500 miles because of it but am still afraid of something bad happening to my car.

Filed Aug 30, 2023 · Fuel system · CA

I've owned this car since it was new. I've been disappointed with the transmission. At low speeds, it will hesitate and shudder. This is especially true if I'm making a turn. This has been a consistent problem. Secondly, twice my transmission has overheated. The first time we were in a Halloween event during the Pandemic 2020. It was a drive-through event that was stop-and-go. The warning light came on with the gauge showing one bar over the limit. As luck would have it, the traffic started to move towards the end and it lowered the bar to just under the overheating bar. The second time this happened it was much more serious. I had four people in the car. We had just left a restaurant and were heading towards the freeway. Unfortunately, we got stuck on a hill in Hollywood Bowl traffic. We were stuck there long enough that my car shut down on the hill. We were blocking traffic and my wife got out to direct traffic around us. I tried to put the car in neutral and coast towards an open curbside parking space. It wouldn't budge. We spent what felt like an eternity blocking traffic. It was probably 4-5 minutes where we were unable to start or roll backward.

Filed Jul 29, 2023 · Engine, Transmission · NY

On June 10, 2023 I was driving and in stop and go traffic. My 2022 Kia Seltos transmission over heated. I pulled over, let it cool, and cautiously drove home. I made an appointment with the dealership I purchased the car from and requested that they inspect the transmission and explained what happened. This is when I was informed that my vehicle had a "design flaw" in the dual clutch system and that if I did not put my vehicle in park or neutral while on stop and go traffic, my vehicle would overheat. I was given the all clear, but a month later I had to have my car towed to the dealership for further transmission issues.

Filed Nov 17, 2022 · Engine · FL

Motor stalled while driving down the road almost causing an accident with my son and wouldn’t run again on my brand new Kia Seltos right under 37,000 miles. Towed the car to the dealership & they said the motor was blown they insist it’s my fault because I can’t provide a receipt for an oil change in a 10month period. I purchased brand new with and extended premium KIA warranty and they won’t do anything, sorry we can’t help you. They say all they can do is replace the motor while charging me $7,600. The motor never had lights flashing with oil pressure, overheating or any alerts it just died while driving down the road.

Filed Sep 28, 2022 · Engine · NJ

transmission overheats in stop and go traffic as well as daily driving