2021 Kia Seltos transmission and drivetrain problems
68 of the 372 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2021 Kia Seltos name the transmission and drivetrain (NHTSA’s “Power Train” heading — the transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, axles and differentials — NHTSA files them under one heading). Filed under the same heading: 40 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the transmission and drivetrain
Source: NHTSA complaint database1 of the 68 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2020: 5 · 2021: 8 · 2022: 7 · 2023: 5 · 2024: 9 · 2025: 17 · 2026: 17
Half of the 16 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the transmission and drivetrain problem between 5,000 and 11,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
372 complaints in all about the 2021 Kia Seltos, 17 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Power Train” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Kia Seltos transmission and drivetrain problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the transmission and drivetrain. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
My car Cutts off while driving especially when I’m Turning happening more frequently now it’s shuts off all dash lights come on and I have to put it back in park and start it up agian
Brand new car on Dec 2020. Second time with a transmission problem. Was repaired at 6500 miles in June of this year. Dealer replaced it with a re-manufactured one. At 9300 miles I was driving in cruise control at about 70 miles per hour for a couple hours and while going up a long hill the transmission started slipping again and rpms…
Driving on a busy 4 lane highway where everyone was going over 70mph. Car began to shudder in the transmission and lost most of its power. Rpms went up to 3 or 4 thousand when stepping on gas to pull out out fast traffic and wouldn't go above 35 mph.
On 05/03/21 approx. 2:40 PM ct I was excelling to enter highway mopac north; austin, tx; when my car became sluggish; I pulled over, to shoulder, ironically tx roadside assitance pulled in behind me - we couldn't determine the issue - I was exiting the next exit driving to jiffy lube on anderson/spicewood; dialogue screen stating issue…
The car is unable to shift into drive or park. It takes releasing the shift lock to make it get into reverse or neutral and a very specific sequence to accidentally get it into park. After trying to parallel park into a spot, the car became stuck in reverse and could not be maneuvered.
What is on file about the transmission and drivetrain
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications40 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
The 0 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2021 Kia Seltos names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2021 Kia Seltos
Source: the same files- engine problems 272 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre transmission and drivetrain problems common on the 2021 Kia Seltos?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 68 owner complaints naming the transmission and drivetrain on this model year (18% of everything owners filed about it), and 40 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the transmission and drivetrain on the 2021 Kia Seltos?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 2 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do transmission and drivetrain problems show up on the 2021 Kia Seltos?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 7,400 miles; half of them between 5,000 and 11,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Power Train" heading cover?
The transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, axles and differentials — NHTSA files them under one heading. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.