2024 Kia Seltos

Exhaust starting putting out white smoke and loss of power on accelerator while speeding up. Normally when merging onto highway or taking off after stop. Assumed head gasket with coolant in oil. Took to get oil change, milky/sludgy oil to back up that thought. No coolant in reservoir. Took to dealership, they claim lack of maintenance despite all maintenance records. They will not report records to kia corporate leading to denied warranty. Will not provide testing results. Claimed piston rings were destroyed. Would not give explanation for loss of coolant. Will not speed up going onto highway and continues to put out white smoke. No lights on vehicle.

I need to open a formal safety and warranty complaint regarding my 2024 Kia Seltos. I originally reported an acceleration problem to the dealership when the vehicle was purchased and they said they couldn’t duplicate the issue but they did not resolve it.The vehicle shuts off while I was driving, and afterward would not accelerate beyond approximately 15 mph. I believe the vehicle is unsafe to drive, and I want this documented as an unresolved recurring defect. I did make complaints to Rick case Kia of sunrise and at the time took it back up there three times in the month I purchased it. I’ve been dealing with this randomly since I got the car it shuts off while in motion.

Since November 2025, this vehicle has experienced repeated loss of power, severe shaking during acceleration, jerking between gear shifts, abnormal humming/grinding noises, and multiple check engine light events. The condition is most noticeable between approximately 40-70 mph and has repeatedly occurred while driving on highways. On multiple occasions, the vehicle struggled to accelerate properly and would not respond normally to throttle input. During one occurrence, the vehicle had difficulty accelerating beyond approximately 55 mph while on the expressway. The shaking became severe enough that I feared mechanical failure could occur while driving. I was forced to pull off to the shoulder of the highway because I no longer felt it was safe. The inability to maintain speed and accelerate normally created a safety risk for both myself and surrounding traffic. The vehicle has been returned to the dealership six times for the same recurring issue. Repairs have included replacement of the ECU, catalytic converter, ignition components, fuel injectors, and other engine related components. Despite these repairs, the problem continues to return. The condition has been repoduced and documented by the dealership, and a manufacturer field technician was involved in the most recent diagnosis process. Most recently, after the vehicle was inspected and believed to be repaired, the check engine light illuminated again while the service manager was moving my vehicle to be washed inside of their garage, as I waited (today, June 11th 2026). The recurring loss of power, repeated check engine light events, and inability to permanently correct the defect raise significant safety concerns while operating the vehicle. I have all documentation in my notes, as well as the dealership repair documents.

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Seltos. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle briefly lost motive power before the engine seized. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the valves. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed back to the residence and later to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that several months before the failure, the vehicle was serviced, and the fuel injectors and spark plugs were replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V531000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2024 Kia Seltos. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V531000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool showed no open recall.