2021 Kia Seltos: recalls and complaints
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2021 Kia Seltos. The newest campaign is 25V099000. NHTSA received the report on 17 Feb 2025. The NHTSA record gives the component Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine / Hard Parts Internal/Mechanical. NHTSA has no complaint on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names this model year.
The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.
This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.
Remedy of the newest campaign, 25V099000, in the NHTSA record
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.
Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .
Since the last update
No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks
Recall campaigns
2 campaigns, newest first. 284,505 units in total.
25V099000Received . 137,256 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine / Hard Parts Internal/Mechanical
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Engine damage can cause a vehicle stall or fire, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
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.
Report filed by Kia America, Inc.. Manufacturer campaign number SC336. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
21V259000Received . 147,249 units.
Engine
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Soul, and 2021 Seltos vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which may result in engine damage.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, oil may leak onto hot exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Kia will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. The recall began June 11, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC209.
Report filed by Kia Motors America. Manufacturer campaign number SC209. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.
Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.
Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.
Complaints by component
The NHTSA complaint file has no complaint for this model year.
Investigations
| Number | Type | Subject | Component | Opened | Closed | Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AQ25001 | Audit query | Kia 25V099 Piston Oil Ring Recall Effectiveness | Engine and Engine Cooling / Engine / Hard Parts Internal/Mechanical | 6 Aug 2025 | 18 Dec 2025 |
Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.
Other model years
The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.
A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.
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Official channels
- NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
- NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
- NHTSA page of the 2021 Kia SeltosThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 2021 Kia Seltos: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/kia/seltos/2021/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .
Sources
- Source
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
- Licence
- US government work, public domain
- Recall file through
- 29 Sep 2026
- Complaint file through
- 15 May 2019
- First complaint in the file
- 1 Jan 1995
- Manufacturer in the recall file
- Kia America, Inc.
The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.
Questions
- How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2021 Kia Seltos?
- 284,505 units in 2 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
- How many recall campaigns does the Kia Seltos have for all model years?
- NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the Kia Seltos, model years 2021 to 2024. 2 of them name the 2021 model year.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2021 Kia Seltos open?
- No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.