[Toddasaurus]

Hi everyone.

We have a 2021 Kia Seltos SX AWD Turbo (1.6 with 7spd DCT) and yesterday while I was driving down the street the check engine light suddenly came on. Shifting became VERY slow, and power delivery isn't linear. Also, when I switch to reverse it doesn't move on its own power (it will roll back if I'm on an incline).

I called a couple of my local dealers and they're over a month out with appointments. This thing feels unsafe to drive, nevermind the fact that it could get stuck since it can't reverse.

I took it to AutoZone to check the code (after making my dealership appointment) and their code reader came up with P0601 - which involves a bad memory checksum. For other makes this usually involves replacing the ECU; but who knows for this car.

I saw that other people have had these same symptoms, but nothing about which troubleshooting code they got. All of which that I read ended up having something replaced in their transmission, or the entire transmission itself replaced. No mention if it was done under warranty.

Our car has 26,000 miles on it. If the dealer doesn't cover it I'm going to be so angry. I had a really bad experience with a new Genesis G70 a couple years ago - Kia/Hyundai have the same parent company, and they are essentially the same. So far the two dealers I've called seem to be acting exactly the same as my old Genesis dealer did (ie they don't care, nor do they take any responsibility for anything, there is no consistency, they lie/make stuff up to get out of doing something, and then they put the blame on me).

Anyway, couple questions. I saw that Kia offers towing/roadside assistance for cars that have less than 60k miles and are less than 60 months old. I'm probably going to use it, as I feel the car is unsafe to drive. My question is if I get it towed to the dealership, will I still have to wait forever for them to start working on it? Second question, for others that went through something similar, did your dealer cover it under warranty?

 

[dougt]

I have same model, only 9000 miles... I am very interested in how things turn out for you. Loaner car??? Might as well have them tow it in as it sounds unusable...? Sorry you have this problem. Wonder if there are any reliable cars sometimes...

 

[Toddasaurus]

I have same model, only 9000 miles... I am very interested in how things turn out for you. Loaner car??? Might as well have them tow it in as it sounds unusable...? Sorry you have this problem. Wonder if there are any reliable cars sometimes...

I appreciate the reply!

As of right now the soonest we can get in to have it looked at is July 1st. So we've got a bit of waiting... I asked a couple of the dealerships about a loaner car, and they went on about how they only have a couple and they're all being used, and that Kia doesn't guarantee loaners, etc. Ugh.

Either way, I'll definitely post the details of what happens on here. I think it's good for people to know what to expect with this car if/when you run into trouble. Of course all dealers are different, but generally I have not been impressed with our local Kia dealers so far (there are 3 in my area), nor am I impressed with this car having such a debilitating problem so early in our ownership.

 

[BernieO]

I appreciate the reply!

As of right now the soonest we can get in to have it looked at is July 1st. So we've got a bit of waiting... I asked a couple of the dealerships about a loaner car, and they went on about how they only have a couple and they're all being used, and that Kia doesn't guarantee loaners, etc. Ugh.

Either way, I'll definitely post the details of what happens on here. I think it's good for people to know what to expect with this car if/when you run into trouble. Of course all dealers are different, but generally I have not been impressed with our local Kia dealers so far (there are 3 in my area), nor am I impressed with this car having such a debilitating problem so early in our ownership.

I have a 21 SXT AWD purchased in April of 2020. I have 29,200 miles on it. March 2022 engine light comes on and no reverse (tranny went into limp mode). Was in the middle of a trip so contacted Kia and I was towed back to my hometown and dealership. I’ve had a loaner since then. The Seltos is still at the dealer with no word on when they will receive the part they have ordered. Once it arrives they will install but do not know if this part will fix it. This is all under warranty. I am lucky as the loaner I have is a 2022 Sportage top of the line except the AWD. Love the loaner but miss the Seltos! Yours should be under warranty and yes if available you should receive a loaner. Maybe you need to become a bit more aggressive with the dealership. Good luck.

 

[Toddasaurus]

I have a 21 SXT AWD purchased in April of 2020. I have 29,200 miles on it. March 2022 engine light comes on and no reverse (tranny went into limp mode). Was in the middle of a trip so contacted Kia and I was towed back to my hometown and dealership. I’ve had a loaner since then. The Seltos is still at the dealer with no word on when they will receive the part they have ordered. Once it arrives they will install but do not know if this part will fix it. This is all under warranty. I am lucky as the loaner I have is a 2022 Sportage top of the line except the AWD. Love the loaner but miss the Seltos! Yours should be under warranty and yes if available you should receive a loaner. Maybe you need to become a bit more aggressive with the dealership. Good luck.

Do you remember how your conversation went with the dealership in terms of getting a loaner? Any tips on what to say if they say no?

 

[BernieO]

Do you remember how your conversation went with the dealership in terms of getting a loaner? Any tips on what to say if they say no?

All conversations were with Kia direct. We told them which dealer we wanted the car to be towed to. Not thinking we would have to wait months; we waited until we received the “verdict” from the dealer. We then contacted Kia direct in regards to a loaner and they instructed us to go to the dealer and they would have something for us. My husband handled all communication and he is quite a persistent person!

 

[Toddasaurus]

Spent a little over 3 hours at the dealer. The service manager told me that "a module" needs to be replaced. He also said that there were a number of software updates and even some recalls that our car hadn't been seen for. He says, "have you ever had this car serviced before?" To which I reply, "not at the dealer." Then he proceeds to feed me a lie about how if I had gotten the software updates then I would have avoided this problem. Utter and complete bs, they are already trying to make this my fault. There is no way a software update would have caused the ECU to fry itself (I assume it's the ECU they'll replace, he wouldn't tell me any more details) - that's LITERALLY just like saying if you don't update your computer the RAM will self destruct. Ridiculous!

They said they hope to have the part in about 1 week.

No loaner, either. He showed me their lot and it's pretty dang empty, to his credit. Anyway, despite me being very persistent (but not entitled or rude - I used to work customer service, I know how it can be, and I'm not a jerk) it's a no go for a loaner car. He did say that if I get a rental car and save my receipts, that Kia's customer service line should be able to reimburse me. They gave me and my kids a ride back home, which I appreciate.

Sigh... I'll post when I have another update. But I can't help but assume that this dealer will end up doing everything possible to make me pay for this. I'm not gonna let that happen.

 

[Toddasaurus]

Spoke with the dealership again today. Customer service left much to be desired, as the person I was speaking to kept questioning if I had the correct dealership because they couldn't find my car! Finally they told me they'd call me back. They didn't call, instead the service manager texted and said they're now expecting the part to arrive on Monday of next week, and plan to have the car up and running on Tuesday.

We will see what happens.

 

[dougt]

What a mess.... Happening on a trip would be the worst, like BernieO above, and we have another one from CO to WA early September. Please let us know how this goes. We have pretty good instructions on the map/software update if you need it (although you're right, I think, about its relevance to your problem!). Hope you're keeping your rental receipts! DT

 

[Toddasaurus]

Okay! The dealership called yesterday and said everything was ready to go. Upon arriving today they said that they did a number of software updates, along with replacing some parts to fix the check engine light.

According to the invoice it looks like they replace the dual clutch actuator assembly, along with new seals for said assembly. This is it, pictured below... (The seals are #41490 in the pic)

They also replaced the TCU. Evidently this was the module that was having the memory checksum error that the code reader at AutoZone showed me. Here it is...

They also performed some software updates. Specifically...

• SA414 Front Radar Logic
• SA417 anv 5 wide update
• SA422 bcw software update
• SA454 DCT DTC logic improvement

And finally, they did a multi-point video inspection. They sent us the video of the inspection and it was pretty dang simple. Everything looked great. Those are the things I'm always aware of when doing oil changes and maintenance on this car anyway. I've taken very good care of this car.

Anyway, I thanked the service manager for his help and brought my car out to my wife (who was waiting in my car with our kids). Haha, first thing she says when I pull up is, "they didn't even wash it?" Lol. Nope, they didn't even wash it. Haha.

She drove it back home and said that it drives "perfectly," so in the end I think everything worked out.

Everything was covered under warranty. We didn't have to pay anything.

Last, but not least, we did not rent a car. Instead we were lucky enough to have my parents let us borrow one of their cars as they don't drive much anymore. It was very generous of them and I really appreciate it.

 

[dougt]

Wow, great news...wish it didn't have to be taken care of but sounds like you got some good treatment.... I'm coming to your dealer next time...............maybe.... And....if the wife says "perfectly", all is well.

 

[Toddasaurus]

Wow, great news...wish it didn't have to be taken care of but sounds like you got some good treatment.... I'm coming to your dealer next time...............maybe.... And....if the wife says "perfectly", all is well.

Agreed, well, except I'm still not very happy with the interaction with their service advisor. That guy went out of his way to be a jerk every chance he could. There is another dealer closer to our home and when I spoke to their service advisor just over the phone he was WAY nicer, understanding, and actually appreciated my perspective on what was going on with the car. So, I figure every 6 months or so we'll bring it to that dealership just to have them check for software updates.

 

[dougt]

Incredible that basic customer interactions have been so lost at so many places. I try to stay away from the dealer but am having a hard time finding a basic alignment - have gone to Brakes Plus for 20 years, but they won't do the Seltos... Dealer says no problem, pretty reasonable. Glad you have options!