2023 Kia Seltos Electrical Problems

To the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), I am writing to formally submit a safety complaint regarding my 2023 Kia Seltos, which exhibits a recurring, dangerous defect involving the engine stalling without warning. This defect results in a total loss of power while the vehicle is in operation or attempting to accelerate, posing a critical safety risk. The failure manifests in two primary scenarios: * **Remote Start Failure:** The vehicle frequently stalls immediately after utilizing the remote start feature when shifting into drive. * **Auto Start/Stop Instability:** The Auto Start/Stop system contributes to the engine shutting down unexpectedly when lifting off the brake or attempting to accelerate from a stop. When this occurs, the dashboard illuminates multiple warning lights (e.g., battery, oil, "key not in vehicle"), and the vehicle loses all forward propulsion. On inclines, this defect causes the vehicle to roll backward, forcing the driver to rely solely on emergency braking to prevent a collision. ### Evidence of Widespread Concern My research indicates this is not an isolated incident; numerous Kia owners report identical, dangerous symptoms: * Drivers across various models report the engine shutting down and the vehicle rolling backward on hills, requiring a full power cycle to resume operation. * Some owners report losing all ability to accelerate at traffic lights, accompanied by critical dashboard warnings. * Others report the vehicle shutting off on its own while driving or refusing to start despite the dashboard indicating it is running. I have attached evidence documenting these experiences: **image.png**, **image_2.png**, **image_3.png**, **image_4.png**, and **image_5.png**. Given the frequency of these reports, I urge the NHTSA to launch a formal investigation into this apparent software or engineering failure. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11746839

Incident

Jun 25, 2026

The gages fall all the way down, I’m not able to accelerate, engine light, traction light, tire pressure light, crash detection light, and other lights come on and prevents me from being able to drive. This happened on the interstate and almost caused an accident.

NHTSA ID

11727703

Incident

Mar 16, 2026

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the tachometer went to zero and remained at zero while the vehicle was still accelerating. The contact stated that the transmission unexpectedly downshifted into a lower gear. There was an unknown message displayed. The contact stated that the screen was black while operating, and the passenger’s side air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,313.

NHTSA ID

11720924

Incident

Feb 17, 2026

Mileage

39,313 mi

Incident Date: October 26, 2025 Summary: On October 26, 2025, while merging onto a highway at high speed, the vehicle experienced a sudden and total electronic safety system failure. Without driver input, the Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA) system engaged the brakes (phantom braking), causing a dangerous, unprompted deceleration in active traffic. Simultaneously, the Electric Power Steering (EPS) assist failed, making the steering wheel extremely heavy and difficult to maneuver while trying to merge. Dashboard Alerts: The instrument cluster displayed a "Check Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist system" message, and the following warning lights illuminated: Master Warning, ABS, Traction Control (ESC), and Forward Safety. Attempted Remediation: I pulled the vehicle over and let it cool down for over an hour, but the warning lights and system failures persisted upon restarting. Per manufacturer-recommended troubleshooting found online, I thoroughly cleaned all exterior sensors and was forced to manually disable the collision-avoidance and alert systems via the vehicle's computer settings just to be able to drive the car home safely. Current Safety Concern: Since this event, the vehicle has exhibited increased skidding and inconsistent traction during normal driving conditions. This instability occurs on any road at any time, specifically when performing routine turning maneuvers, and is not limited to winter conditions. This suggests a deeper mechanical or software failure within the ABS/ESC/AWD control modules that cannot be resolved by the driver. This VIN currently shows no active recalls, but the symptoms match the known defects in the SC275 and SC336 campaigns exactly.

NHTSA ID

11720048

Incident

Oct 26, 2025

Vehicle acts like it’s going to die. No maintenance lights well maintained. Rattle noise and acts like it’s misfiring. Went to turn at traffic light and almost got into a wreck due to no horse power. This has been happening since less than 40,000 miles but car dealership keeps saying “nothing is wrong” because there isn’t a warning light on! It’s getting worse!

NHTSA ID

11697067

Incident

Nov 1, 2025

One night I started my car and my screen on my Kia seltos had a bunch of gibberish on the screen and then I went to power off the radio and tried to power back on and screen wouldn’t turn on and one usb won’t work. Tried to hard reset and check fuses and still no luck. I keep reading a bunch of people saying how they had same issues as I did on my radio . My friend is sales guy at car dealer and he told me not first time a radio on a Kia took a poop. So how comes there is no recall yet on this part of the car. It’s crappy because warranty on radio is only up to 36,000 . And my car I have only had for 3 years almost and I have 50,000 miles on it now . After disconnecting the battery and plugging back in like the dealer told me to do and now I have a loading symbol behind my wheel on the dash

NHTSA ID

11694349

Incident

Oct 12, 2025

Car has stalled 3 times after driving short or long distances in hot weather (near Great Lakes, not even southern heat). Twice in 2024 and once in 2025. It is 2023 Kia Seltos with only 10,000 miles. Dealer inspected it 2024 (possibly not knowing of other recalls) and said nothing wrong. It’s the turbo engine, while I see the regular engine versions have a recall. Could be the rings, crankshaft sensor, ISG, electric oil pump controller, etc. It stalls while at a red light or stop, and is dangerous if on a hill as it does not accelerate and starts to roll backwards when take foot off brake and step onto gas pedal. It has also stalled in traffic on a bridge and then needed to be restarted.

NHTSA ID

11679495

Incident

Aug 8, 2024

On 4 different occasions my vehicle applied the brakes forcefully on its own at high speeds. The dash flashed with the message "check forward collision avoidance assist system." as well as displayed the following icons: master warning light, hill climb assist, traction control, forward collision, and the Auto start/stop was flashing. These continued until I was able to stop and turn the car off. When I was trying to slow down and stop my brakes were not working correctly as I had to push the pedal all the way to the floor for a long period to stop all the way. When the car was put in park the engine was revving up until it was off. The car was towed to the dealership after first incident and the following codes were in the history: C164202 C161308. Dealership had my car for 6 days, opened a tech line case and without an answer of why this happened nor remedy, my car was released back to me resulting in 3 additional instances. It is now going to another dealership to hopefully get an answer and repair.

NHTSA ID

11661689

Incident

Feb 6, 2025

Unknown. Was told there was a recall when i took it in for my first oil change over a year ago, was told that they would call me when the part came in, then never heard from anyone. Just took it back in couple months ago and mentioned it again and nothing was ever said. They did confirm that it had a recall but werent too concern about it

NHTSA ID

11617329

Incident

Nov 25, 2023

The check engine light came on .. for a day then went off. Took it they said they couldn’t find anything.. 2 days later a symbol triangle with exclamation point. Not sure what it means but the orange warning lights wouldn’t come on if nothing is wrong 24 thousand miles on it . All factory warranty service has been done

NHTSA ID

11580580

Incident

Mar 24, 2024

Issues with idle stop and go. On 11/8/23 was at a light and stop and go was on. Light turned green took my foot off of the break and nothing happened then engine staled. Check engine light came on and then all other panel lights. Took two tries to get engine started again. I was in a busy intersection at rush hour. This is a huge safety issue. It has clitched at other times where took foot off break and engine took a moment to restart, but this is first stall. I now have a note in car to turn off every time I drive. I live in a high density area with lots of stop and go traffic and lights and cannot afford to get stuck or worse in an accident because of this. Kia needs to address this issue.

NHTSA ID

11554519

Incident

Nov 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Seltos. The contact stated that while parallel parking her vehicle, the vehicle independently accelerated backward while in the reverse(R) position and crashed into a barrier. The contact did not sustain any injuries as a result of the failure. A police report was filed at the scene. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it remained in the dealer's possession. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11521755

Incident

May 12, 2023

The analog speedometer stopped working on 5/10/2023.

NHTSA ID

11521528

Incident

May 10, 2023

My car sensors go off when they aren’t supposed to. My front collision sensor goes off when cars are 2 cars in front of me. My side sensors will go off when I’m im the only one on a street. My console has electrical issues… internal issues. This car qualifies for Lemon Law. That’s how many times I sent it in and they were unable to repair it. Please investigate Kia 2023 seltos. Thanks

NHTSA ID

11504398

Incident

Dec 1, 2022

I have been having issues with my touch screen in my car. I bought my car new and the console has not worked correctly. I’ve had this issue with the console since 7/22… have been begging KIA America to fix it. Today I was driving backwards and my backup camera was on. Then when I drove forward the backup camera was still on after i put my car in drive. “Ford issued a recall for 47,046 Bronco SUVs from the 2021 and 2022 model years with 8-inch center display screens because their backup cameras might still display a camera image even after the vehicle is no longer backing up. As a result, these vehicles are not in compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standards. “(Google accessed 11/17/22) This car is a safety hazard and it should be recalled

NHTSA ID

11493905

Incident

Nov 17, 2022