Owners have filed 12 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the electrical and exterior lights. The 7 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2025Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/7 checked
2025 Kia Seltos: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/3
Engine off, key in hand0/1
Ask the seller not to warm the car up first0/1
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/2
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2025's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
Worth adding to your 2025 checks
NHTSA complaints for the 2025 Kia Seltos, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
The instrument cluster stays dark at startup, leaving no speedometer, tachometer, or fuel gauge. Cold weather is one trigger, and some cars need a restart before the display comes back. Some reports also describe dash lights going out while the headlights dim at night, which makes driving in the dark dangerous. Problems start early, within the first couple of months or around 1200 miles. Dealers often can't reproduce the fault and return the car unrepaired. One service department called it a known problem that Kia has not yet traced.
Low-beam headlights don't light enough of the road at night. Reports describe a dull, yellowish beam that seems aimed too low, lighting only a short stretch ahead and leaving roadside and exit signs too dark to read. Switching to high beams makes little or no difference for some drivers. Poor night visibility is the main safety risk. A dealer adjusting the headlight aim is the only repair mentioned, and the reports don't show whether it solved the problem.
Excerpts from complaints Seltos owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
The main instrument cluster will not illuminate on initial start ups. The screen will not illuminate on it's own, a vehicle restart is required after a extended period of driving/engine running. Speedometer, tachometer and fuel gauge are not visible. It is a recurring problem. The vehicle was taken to the dealership and the service department said it is a known problem with the Seltos and other models. They said Kia hasn't identified the problem.
Filed with NHTSA, January 2025
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2025 ranks fifth for owner complaints among 6 Seltos years, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2025 is the fifth model year of the Seltos's first generation (2021–2026).
It includes the 2024 update.
What changed for 2024
Cars shoppers compare with the Kia Seltos, with their own 2025 checklists.
2025 owner complaints, side by side
