2023 Kia Seltos — Known Issues & Recalls

Your car is sputtering and jerking during acceleration, especially at highway speeds, and you're seeing white or grey smoke from the tailpipe. The service engine light came on, and the dealership replaced an intake valve and updated the computer, but the problem got worse—the engine eventually needed full replacement due to cylinder scoring. You discovered that other 2023 Kia Seltos vehicles with the same 2.0L engine have the same symptoms under recall SC336, but your vehicle's VIN wasn't included.

After performing a routine oil change on your 2023 Kia Seltos at 58,000 miles, your car began smoking from the exhaust. The dealer diagnosed failing piston rings and says you need a complete engine replacement. However, there's a recall for 2020-2023 Kia Souls and Seltos with 2.0L engines due to defective rings, and your car has a 1.6L turbo engine instead. The dealer is denying warranty coverage despite your vehicle being under warranty. This issue will likely require engine removal and replacement or complete engine rebuild to address the ring failure.

Your engine is consuming oil much faster than normal — you're having to add 2-3 quarts of oil every 1,000 miles or less. Even though you're changing your oil every 3,000 miles (more frequently than Kia's recommended 5,000-mile interval), the oil level keeps dropping significantly between changes. This excessive oil consumption suggests an internal engine problem that will need diagnostic testing and likely engine repairs or replacement of internal seals.

While driving your 2023 Kia Seltos, you noticed white smoke coming from the exhaust, and then your engine lost power. You were able to pull over safely and restart the vehicle, and the check engine light came on. The dealer diagnosed an engine failure and suggested it might be due to poor maintenance, though you disagree with that assessment. This happened at 80,000 miles.

Your vehicle's automatic stop-start system is causing the engine to shut down unexpectedly when you accelerate from a red light. This has happened four times, requiring you to fully restart the engine each time. The issue poses a safety concern since the engine cuts out while driving. A mechanic will need to diagnose the stop-start system electronics and may need to replace a faulty sensor or control module.

While driving your 2023 Kia Seltos at 10 mph, you noticed a strong fuel smell and saw smoke coming from under the hood. The dealer diagnosed the problem and determined your catalytic converter, turbo, and engine all need to be replaced. Although this issue may be related to an open recall (Campaign 25V099000), your vehicle's VIN wasn't included, and the manufacturer declined to help. The repair will likely involve replacing the catalytic converter, turbocharger, and engine components.

Your 2023 Kia Seltos has been experiencing gray smoke from the exhaust, rough acceleration, engine stalling, and abnormal vibration. The check engine light came on, and the dealer found low oil and engine misfires — they also mentioned an unknown part was clogged but didn't identify it specifically. After an oil change, the problems continued to occur repeatedly during normal driving. Fixing this will likely require a full diagnostic scan to identify the clogged part, possible fuel injector cleaning or replacement, and an engine tune-up to resolve the misfiring.

Your car feels like it's shifting gears unexpectedly while you're driving, and this has happened multiple times over the past few weeks. This could indicate a transmission or powertrain issue that needs diagnosis. A mechanic will need to scan the vehicle's computer and test drive it to identify what's causing the shifting sensation.

Your 2023 Kia Seltos has a recall that hasn't been completed for over a year. You first scheduled a recall repair at Riverchase Kia in Pelham, Alabama on October 9, 2023, but the dealership failed to keep you updated as promised. When you returned for your appointment on October 17, 2024, you learned the wrong part had arrived and the correct part needed to be ordered. As of late October 2024, the dealership indicated the part was still on order with no clear delivery timeline.

While driving 65 mph, your car's lane departure and forward collision avoidance systems suddenly activated all at once, triggering emergency braking that caused you to swerve. After this incident, your horn stopped working and all the safety system alerts (lights and beeping) have stopped functioning, leaving you without these safety features.

Your 2023 Kia Seltos had a recall completed in April 2025, but the dealership later said the test was faulty. Since then, your car has experienced engine shaking, loss of power, and check engine light warnings while driving. Your father discovered the oil level was critically low shortly after a recent oil change, suggesting the engine is consuming oil very quickly. The dealership says they won't guarantee an engine replacement without going through their oil consumption test, but you're concerned the original recall test may have caused underlying engine damage. You'll need the dealership to perform an oil consumption test and potentially replace engine seals or rings if excessive oil burning is confirmed.

While merging onto a highway at high speed, your car's collision avoidance system suddenly applied the brakes on its own, and the power steering assist failed at the same time, making the steering wheel extremely difficult to turn. Multiple warning lights appeared on the dashboard, and even after letting the car cool down and cleaning the sensors, the warnings remained and you had to manually disable the safety systems to drive home. Since then, your car has experienced persistent skidding and traction problems during normal driving and turns, suggesting a deeper issue with the braking and traction control systems. The dealer will likely need to diagnose and possibly reprogram or replace the ABS, traction control, and steering assist modules.

Your engine is shutting off completely while you're driving, with no warning signs like unusual noises or a check engine light. This has happened three times in 24 hours at various speeds, including on the highway at 60 mph, creating a serious safety hazard. The dealership says it's safe to drive because there's no check engine light, but the problem persists. Diagnosis will likely involve connecting a diagnostic scanner to read engine codes and inspecting fuel delivery, ignition, and engine sensors.

Your 2023 Kia Seltos with the turbo engine has stalled three times in hot weather conditions while driving short or long distances, with incidents occurring twice in 2024 and once in 2025. The stalling happens at stop lights or during traffic, and is particularly dangerous on hills because the engine won't restart immediately, causing the car to roll backward when you try to accelerate. The dealer inspected the vehicle in 2024 but found no issues, though the problem persists. The underlying cause could involve the engine's internal components, sensors, or fuel management systems, and may require diagnostic testing and component replacement or reprogramming.

Your car has unexpectedly applied the brakes hard on its own at high speeds on four separate occasions, accompanied by warning messages and lights on your dashboard related to the forward collision avoidance system. When you tried to stop manually, your brakes required you to push the pedal to the floor for an extended period to come to a complete stop. The dealership was unable to identify or fix the problem after six days of service, so the issue recurred three more times. The repair will likely involve diagnosing and repairing the forward collision avoidance system and brake system components.

When you tried to stop at a red light, your brakes didn't work—you pushed the brake pedal all the way down but nothing happened, causing you to hit another car. Your airbags didn't deploy, your seatbelt didn't tighten, and you received no collision warning from the system. Kia is charging you $200 just to diagnose what caused these failures. A brake system inspection and diagnostic scan will be needed to identify why the brakes failed and why the safety systems didn't respond.

While driving at various speeds, your tachometer suddenly dropped to zero and stayed there even though your engine was still running and accelerating. At the same time, your transmission unexpectedly downshifted to a lower gear, your dashboard screen went black, and a passenger side airbag warning light came on. An unknown message also appeared on the display. This suggests an electrical system malfunction affecting multiple components.

Your car is experiencing a loss of power and making rattling noises that feel like misfiring, especially when accelerating or turning — you nearly had a wreck at a traffic light due to insufficient power. The problem started before 40,000 miles and is getting worse, but your dealership says nothing is wrong because no warning light has appeared. The issue may involve spark plugs, ignition coils, fuel injectors, or engine sensors that need inspection and cleaning or replacement.

Your vehicle lost oil due to a cracked oil filter just six weeks after purchase, requiring a $400+ tow bill despite having no obvious cause. Four months later, your brakes felt unresponsive while stopped in traffic—your car seemed to roll forward despite firm pressure on the brake pedal—though the dealership found no issues when inspected. You're concerned about two significant problems occurring so early in ownership without satisfactory explanations from the dealership.

Your car's infotainment screen displayed gibberish, then stopped responding entirely when you tried to turn the radio off and back on. One USB port also stopped working. After trying a hard reset, checking fuses, and disconnecting/reconnecting the battery as your dealer suggested, the screen now shows only a loading symbol. The fix will likely require a software update, radio replacement, or electrical diagnostics by the dealer.