MODELYEARINDEX

Which Kia Seltos years to avoid

No Kia Seltos model year in 2021–2021 falls into the flagged band. The weakest are 2021, and even those sit close to this model’s own median.

Ownership label · Kia Seltos Full report
B
Grade 2021–2021
2021 vs model median 1.0×
Model median3× median
Engine 168
Drivetrain 44
Electrical 36
Weakest

2021

Best

2021

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2021
1.00× 338 B
2022 P
0.33× 99 A
2023 P
0.20× 78 A
2024 P
0.20× 63 A
2025 P
0.05× 20 A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2021 B 338 reports · median 21,000 mi

  1. Engine 168

    Transmission defect , transmission over heats in stop and go traffic , also causes skipping of the gears. Kia know this is a problem and indicated that car will shut down on its own because of this. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Drivetrain 44

    Vehicle was having difficulty shifting between gears, until one time it did not switch from automatic off at stoplight back into gear. Had to turn car off/on to get it into gear. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Electrical 36

    Hvac blower would not blow. Dealer found melted relays. One week after replacing the entire engine wiring harness I started to get a burnt electrical smell through the vents. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

13 crash · 5 fire · 7 injuries

The best year for the Seltos

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2021 is the best-scoring Seltos model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 70 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2021 1.00× 338 B

Recalls

4 campaigns on record, 1 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
21V259000 ENGINE 2021 147,249
25V099000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL 2021–2023 137,256
23V531000 Park it POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:PUMP 2023, 2024 39,765
23V830000 AIR BAGS 2024 2,967

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2021 were reported at a median of 21,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Kia Seltos years should you avoid?
No Kia Seltos model year in 2021–2021 scores in the flagged band. The weakest are 2021.
What is the best year for the Kia Seltos?
2021 is the best-scoring Kia Seltos model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 70 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Kia Seltos have?
4 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Kia Seltos model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2021 Seltos
Complaints in window
338
Severity-weighted
573.5
Model median (weighted)
574
vs model median
1.00×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
2
Open investigations
0
Score 70 B