AI Damage2022 KIA Seltos: common problems
Owners of the 2022 KIA Seltos filed 76 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine and powertrain. The maker issued 82 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 76
- involving a crash
- 6
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 82
What fails most often
- 1 Engine 53% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 13% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 12% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 11% of all complaints
- 5 Forward collision avoidance 4% of all complaints
- 6 Air bags 4% of all complaints
- 7 Structure 3% of all complaints
- 8 Lane departure 3% of all complaints
- Engine: 40 complaints (53% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 3.
- Powertrain: 10 complaints (13% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 16.
- Engine and cooling: 9 complaints (12% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 17.
- Electrical system: 8 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 49.
- Forward collision avoidance: 3 complaints (4% of all); manufacturer bulletins for this component: 2.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 1.6 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- CVT
- dual-clutch (DCT), 7-speednamed in 2 complaints
Drive: AWD, FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 76 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 40 | 2 | 3 |
| Powertrain | 10 | 1 | 16 |
| Engine and cooling | 9 | 0 | 17 |
| Electrical system | 8 | 1 | 49 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Air bags | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Structure | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| Lane departure | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Wheels | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Backover prevention | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 0 | 0 | 16 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The engine started to fail when I'm driving and on the highway it suddenly loses strength, the oil goes down and I don't know where it's going, the engine starts to make noises and burning smell, the ignition light turns on and minutes later goes out, a triangle signal also sometimes appears for 6 seconds and…
I received my car back and while it was there for service I had them do an oil change I hadn't drove 300 to 400 miles and all of my oil was gone from my car when I [dealer] bring it back in couldn't find anything wrong with it and said they want to do a oil consumption after I had already documented oil that I had to…
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.
Went back outside and car was backed into a ditch with all warning lights illuminated on dash.
As a matter of fact, the cops, ambulance and Tow Driver were all shocked that his airbag did not deploy. Our insurance company had the car towed to its collision center so they could review the extent of the damages.
The contact stated that while driving at 80 MPH, the passenger-side rear window spontaneously shattered with a loud explosive sound, without impact. The failure mileage was 38,341.
The car stalls for no reason at various speeds. So far, the car will restart but I’m obviously concerned about damage to the engine and the safety of passengers when this happens at high speeds. The symptoms appear consistent with the engine recall for faulty piston rings but my vin # is not listed in the recall.
Uneven wear 8/16 ones at 7/16 and one is 6/16 and the other is at 5/16 and has been riding ruff since we purchased them.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 685 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (top 33% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Seltos has 80 complaints (7 years in the data). This year has 76, about average.
What to check before buying
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated…
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE.KIA.COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable Kia vehicles using the Kia Navigation Updater…
- CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN
OWNER NOTIFICATION (CS2312) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting Customer Satisfaction Campaign. A software upgrade that addresses the social media theft method has been made…
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR AND DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2312) - This bulletin provides information to install a Theft Deterrent Ignition Cylinder Protector on certain 2010-2022MY…
- PITSTOP
TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver…
- WARRANTY EXTENSION CAMPAIGN
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: HORN ASSEMBLY INSPECTION/REPLACEMEN (WTY038) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the…
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
IBU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT: This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to…
- This bulletin provides instructions to perform an engine vibration inspection using the Kia Diagnostic…
This bulletin provides instructions to perform an engine vibration inspection using the Kia Diagnostic System (KDS) tablet on certain Kia engine/model vehicles. The piston oil ring(s) in certain Kia engines may, over…
- This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published under…
This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published under SC336 titled “Engine Inspection/Replacement and ECM Logic Improvement”.
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
IBU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides information to upgrade the Integrated Body Control Unit (IBU) software on some 2021-2025MY Seltos (SP2) vehicles produced from November 20, 2019 through January 13. 2025…
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides…
- TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
PISTON NOISE SENSING SYSTEM (PNSS) INSPECTION - This bulletin provides instructions to perform an engine vibration inspection using the Kia Diagnostic System (KDS) tablet on certain 2020 - 2023 MY Kia Soul (SK3) 2021…
NHTSA lists 82 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2022 KIA Seltos?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: engine, powertrain, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 76. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (22%), stalls while driving (21%), smoke, burning smell, fire (17%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2022 KIA Seltos?
NHTSA lists 82 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2022 KIA Seltos from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2022 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.