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2021 Kia Soul

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Kia Soul do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 225.

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

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Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

All reported categories

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

65 reports with mileage · 167 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 132 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 47 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

12 crash reports3 fire reports4 injury reports

Engine And Engine Cooling complaints

47 reports
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30,000 miles · Sep 17, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the vehicle consumes one quart of engine oil every 1,000 miles. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact …

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The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the vehicle consumes one quart of engine oil every 1,000 miles. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

NHTSA ODI #11687991

30,000 miles · Sep 8, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle shuddered, and there was an abnormal rumbling and clunking sound coming from the engine. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the vehicle was taken t…

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The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle shuddered, and there was an abnormal rumbling and clunking sound coming from the engine. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the piston-ring noise sensing system (PNSS) software was installed; however, the failure recurred and progressively worsened. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road and restart the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure persisted, and the vehicle could not be restarted. Additionally, the vehicle experienced excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the starter was replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The dealer diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact related the failure to the recall, but the dealer informed the contact that the repair could not be covered under the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure several times, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ODI #11685634

81,073 miles · Aug 14, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and repaired under the recall; however, the failure occurred. The contact stated that soon after the recall repair, the failure occurred while driving at…

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The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The vehicle was taken to a local dealer and repaired under the recall; however, the failure occurred. The contact stated that soon after the recall repair, the failure occurred while driving at an undisclosed speed and accelerating. The contact stated that the engine sputtered and stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the recall repair had already been performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 81,073.

NHTSA ODI #11680756

95,000 miles · Jun 10, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact stated that a recall appointment with a local dea…

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The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact stated that a recall appointment with a local dealer was scheduled; however, while driving to the dealer the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while at the dealer. The dealer attempted to restart the vehicle and then ran several tests on the vehicle. The dealer stated that the engine had failed; however, the dealer would not be replacing the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI #11666033

Mileage unknown · Jun 3, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted. The contact was informed that the recall repair was on hold. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceed…

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The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted. The contact was informed that the recall repair was on hold. 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. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI #11664594

68,600 miles · Jun 3, 2025
Electrical SystemEngine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); 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 contact stated that while dri…

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The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); 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 contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle unintendedly decelerated causing the contact to depress the accelerator pedal to continue driving. The contact stated that while stopped at a traffic light the vehicle stalled with the message “Auto STOP Off” and to shift to park to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light, battery failure, and low oil light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle remained with the dealer for a month and the contact was informed that the recall repair had been completed. The failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that the recall repair was on hold. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, Tempe Kia (8005 S Autoplex Loop, Tempe, AZ 85284); and the contact was informed that the first dealer had reported that the vehicle was already repaired under the recall even though the VIN tool indicated that the VIN was still under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 68,600. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI #11664555

46,000 miles · May 28, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the…

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The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); the VIN was included, but the recall repair was denied by the dealer due to poor maintenance record. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 46,000.

NHTSA ODI #11663408

40,000 miles · May 28, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the spark plugs and ignition coils needed to be replaced. The vehicle was…

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The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the spark plugs and ignition coils needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer, and the recall repair was performed. The contact stated the vehicle was not repaired to his expectations. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed the completion of the recall repair. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.

NHTSA ODI #11663371

60,000 miles · May 28, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to a local mechanic and was informed of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Coolin…

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The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to drive to a local mechanic and was informed of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the piston oil rings had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced; however, the manufacturer had placed a hold on the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI #11663331

60,000 miles · May 27, 2025
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that on three occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started shuddering mildly and then stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted after each failure. The vehi…

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The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact stated that on three occasions while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started shuddering mildly and then stalled. The vehicle was able to be restarted after each failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine software needed to be updated. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI #11663135

Official recalls

2

25V099000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:hard Parts Internal/mechanical

Feb 17, 2025

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Seltos and Soul vehicles. The piston oil rings may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in engine damage.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Engine damage can cause a vehicle stall or fire, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Dealers will also install piston-ring noise sensing system (PNSS) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 4, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC336.

21V259000 · Engine

Apr 13, 2021

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Soul, and 2021 Seltos vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which may result in engine damage.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, oil may leak onto hot exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Kia will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. The recall began June 11, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC209.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

AQ25001 · Kia 25V099 Piston Oil Ring Recall Effectiveness

Opened Aug 6, 2025 · Closed Dec 18, 2025

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:hard Parts Internal/mechanical

On August 6, 2025, the Office of Defect Investigation (ODI) opened Audit Query (AQ) 25001 to assess the implementation of Kia America, Inc.’s (Kia) remedy program for Safety Recall 25V099, involving incorrectly manufactured piston oil rings which may damage the engine causing a loss of motive power or fire. This AQ was opened in response to consumer complaints alleging of an ineffective remedy, inconsistent inspection results to determine whether an engine replacement was needed, and the unavailability of recall remedies. On August 11, 2025, an Information Request (IR) was issued to Kia requesting: 1) why the inspection test was revised from requiring a ‘cold’ engine to a ‘warm’ engine; 2) why the recall remedy was suspended from April 30, 2025 to May 7, 2025; 3) how Kia notified customers of the recall remedy suspension and the need to re-test engines that failed the ‘cold’ engine test; 4) the number of post-recall remedy complaints alleging engine or other engine related failures; and 5) the warranty coverage Kia is offering to vehicles that passed either inspection tests. On September 10, 2025, Kia responded to NHTSA’s IR: Kia reported the change in temperature from ‘cold’ to ‘warm’ engine testing was done to increase accuracy. The inspection test uses diagnostic tools that detects abnormal engine vibrations to identify damaged engines. From the initial launch of the Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) on April 4, 2025 through April 28, 2025, ‘cold’ engine testing resulted in a higher-than-expected failure rate when compared to the pre-recall warranty claim rate. This discrepancy led Kia to re-evaluate its inspection test and found that performing the inspection on a ‘cold’ engine can result in imprecise test results due to normal cold-start vibrations. Kia revised the inspection to ‘warm’ engine testing to minimize vibration interference. Kia sampled the field and performed a comparative analysis between ‘cold’ and ‘warm’ engine testing, and validated that ‘warm’ engine testing was more accurate in identifying damaged engines. Kia also reported the suspension of the recall remedy was due to a software error in the diagnostic tool, which was introduced in concert with the April 29, 2025 launch of the TSB that revised the inspection from ‘cold’ to ‘warm’ engine testing. The software error resulted in all inspection tests reporting false positives for a damaged engine. On April 30, 2025, Kia suspended the remedy until May 7, 2025, which was when the software error was corrected with the release of the latest TSB and software update. The recall remedy remains available to eligible customers. Kia reported owners were not mailed letters concerning the suspension to the recall remedy. Kia reasoned since it resolved the issue faster than it would have taken to draft and mail letters, Kia did not want to create unnecessary customer confusion involving an issue that would have already been addressed upon receipt of a letter. Kia also determined that mailing letters about re-testing engines was unnecessary since those vehicles were already at the dealer awaiting engine replacement. In most instances, Kia Customer Care agents would respond to customer inquiries related to the recall, including remedy availability, dealer issues, and questions about differing test results. Kia provided ODI a review of engine related consumer complaints received on post recall-remedied vehicles. Kia did not find any common patterns or trends related to those complaints following completion of the recall, as the complaints included issues that were unrelated to the subject defect. To aid in the diagnosis of whether a complaint is related to the recall, the remedy includes the installation of a software program, the Piston-ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS), that monitors the engine for unusual noise patterns (an indicator of potential damage to the piston oil rings), and alerts the customer by flashing the check engine light and setting Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) P1327. Kia confirmed that it is not offering any specific warranty coverage for this recall. Instead, Kia has instructed dealers to replace the engine, at no cost to the customer, with no time or mileage limitation, following the installation of the PNSS software and the presence of DTC P1327. On September 4, 2025, Kia issued Subsequent Repair Action (SRA) # SC336YZ, which provided engine diagnosis and replacement instructions for vehicles with a potentially related complaint following completion of the recall. Under this SRA, customers whose vehicles set DTC P1327 will have their engine replaced. If DTC P1327 is not set and it is unclear whether the issue is related to the recall, dealers are instructed to contact Kia's Technical Assistance Center to ensure the issue is appropriately handled. Kia notes that any issues determined to be unrelated to the recall are subject to the 10-year / 100,000-mile Powertrain warranty for original purchasers and a 5-year / 60,000-mile Limited Basic Warranty for subsequent purchasers. In summary, Kia identified the insufficiencies of its initial inspection test that led to a pause to its recall campaign, explained why it did not mail letters to affected customers about the paused campaign or revised inspection test, reviewed existing consumer complaints that did not identify any potential trends related to the recall, and identified its warranty coverage for any vehicles exhibiting qualifying engine symptoms. After review of Kia’s response to the IR, ODI has determined that no further action from Kia is necessary at this time, and ODI will close this AQ investigation accordingly. The Agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.