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2023 Kia Soul

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2023 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

Limited mileage data: 6 of 50 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

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.

  • Electrical System. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Steering. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

5 crash reports1 fire reports6 injury reports

What owners actually said

50 reports
Mileage unknown · Mar 12, 2024
Engine And Engine Cooling

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA ODI #11576829

Mileage unknown · Feb 29, 2024
Lane Departure

After a rear end collision I noticed the blind spot monitoring on the passenger side intermittently malfunctioned. Drivers side has no issues. The symptoms were, ghost vehicle, no signal when a vehicle is obviously in the blind spot. Usually when passing a vehicle that is on the passenger side. Again, the driver side is …

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After a rear end collision I noticed the blind spot monitoring on the passenger side intermittently malfunctioned. Drivers side has no issues. The symptoms were, ghost vehicle, no signal when a vehicle is obviously in the blind spot. Usually when passing a vehicle that is on the passenger side. Again, the driver side is fine. 1 trip to the boby shop and 3 to the Kia dealer, I am told that it is functioning fine. It is designed this way. See page 12 in the owners manual, reminders in small print. Also , I am not the only one experiencing this, see internet forums. The intended malfunctioning of this system is a significant design flaw. The intermittent factor just enhances the danger. I contacted corporate Kia and recieved no response. This is dangerous. The rear end collision made me aware of this issue but I think it is not secondary to the accident. Thank you

NHTSA ODI #11574718

Mileage unknown · Dec 30, 2023
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

[NHTSA SITE NOT ALLOWING ME TO UPLOAD DOCUMENTS - CONTACT ME FOR PICS/VIDEOS] All safety and driver assist malfunction warning lights display in succession - see pictures and video if upload-able. Had two Kia dealership service centers inspect and neither could replicate malfunctions nor would they document the issue. Inciden…

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[NHTSA SITE NOT ALLOWING ME TO UPLOAD DOCUMENTS - CONTACT ME FOR PICS/VIDEOS] All safety and driver assist malfunction warning lights display in succession - see pictures and video if upload-able. Had two Kia dealership service centers inspect and neither could replicate malfunctions nor would they document the issue. Incident has occurred sporadically between August and December 2023. If these aren't safety concerns (according to both dealerships), then when can a driver discern between fake and real malfunctions and safety failures. 8.23-24.23 - Spitzer Kia - purchased from and reported malfunctions on same/next day; told the windshield camera (sealed no less) is dirty or obstructed. Neither the case. Reported to salesman Caleb who consulted with service department. Told not a safety concern. 9/26/23 - Halleen Kia; Repair order 1709180/1 - Can't replicate; no diagnostic codes. Told not a safety concern. Dealership did not document on repair order. 11/8/23 - Spitzer Kia; Invoice - [XXX] Can't replicate. Told not safety concern unless warnings remain constant (not flashing). Dealership did not document on invoice. Asked if Spitzer reports these concerns to Kia. I got no response. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11562729

Mileage unknown · Oct 19, 2023
Unknown Or OtherCrashInjury

Event Summary: The incident involved a 2023 Kia Soul, a relatively new vehicle, which had been in use for only three months at the time of the incident. The driver, hereafter referred to as the "operator," was attempting to park the vehicle in a parking space. SUA Occurrence: Right before the operator intended to park, an unex…

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Event Summary: The incident involved a 2023 Kia Soul, a relatively new vehicle, which had been in use for only three months at the time of the incident. The driver, hereafter referred to as the "operator," was attempting to park the vehicle in a parking space. SUA Occurrence: Right before the operator intended to park, an unexpected and rapid acceleration of the vehicle occurred. This acceleration was not initiated or controlled by the operator in any way. It is important to highlight that the operator did not intentionally press the accelerator pedal. Collision and Airbag Deployment: As a consequence of the sudden acceleration, the vehicle collided with a front wall. The impact of the collision was significant, leading to the deployment of the vehicle's airbags. EDR Data Retrieval: Event Data Recorder (EDR) data from the vehicle has been obtained. This data is anticipated to provide insights into the sequence of events leading up to the SUA incident and is a crucial component of the investigation.

NHTSA ODI #11550927

Mileage unknown · Oct 6, 2023
Power Train

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V531000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and…

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The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V531000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ODI #11548674

Mileage unknown · Sep 28, 2023
Air BagsService BrakesUnknown Or Other

I have had my car to the dealership 3 times and scheduled for a4th time for this same issue. It is intermittent which I realize makes it hard to diagnose however the dealership kept it overnight in 2nd visit to try to reproduce it and they did. When driving, the car will randomly start beeping and errors cycle thru in the dash.…

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I have had my car to the dealership 3 times and scheduled for a4th time for this same issue. It is intermittent which I realize makes it hard to diagnose however the dealership kept it overnight in 2nd visit to try to reproduce it and they did. When driving, the car will randomly start beeping and errors cycle thru in the dash. It tells me that my braking system needs to be checked then lighting system, airbag system failing etc. It goes thru about 5 or 6 system errors. Not always same sysyems and not going at same rate of speed when it happens. I have been told it isn't a safety issue however they apparently do not know what it is causing it to do that so I'm not sure how they can definitively say that. 1st visit I was told they did a software update and that"fixed the problem". After a few weeks it started again. Then I was told that the front camera needed to be recalibrated. 3 weeks after that when the part arrived I was told that fixed the issue. A week later, It is again intermittently alarming while driving. It is very distracting not to mention scary when it happens. The fact that the part was backordered for 3 weeks that they thought would fix it leads me to believe it is happening to a lot of kia cars. It is also on some online forums where others are talking about the same issue. My car has less than 5000 miles on it and I have owned it for 9 months. I am afraid to drive it because it scares me when this happens. This has been ongoing since June.

NHTSA ODI #11547162

Mileage unknown · Sep 9, 2023
Air BagsEnginePower TrainCrashFireInjury

Air bag new

NHTSA ODI #11543530

Mileage unknown · Aug 28, 2023
Steering

Out of no where and without warning, the steering wheel pulls in opposite direction and stability control light turns green and stays on the dashboard. Cannot move steering wheel. Simultaneously, the HD radio will get very staticy and abruptly shut off. After about a minute, the radio will come back on and the steering no longer…

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Out of no where and without warning, the steering wheel pulls in opposite direction and stability control light turns green and stays on the dashboard. Cannot move steering wheel. Simultaneously, the HD radio will get very staticy and abruptly shut off. After about a minute, the radio will come back on and the steering no longer has that pressure. It is terrifying.The car has less than 100 miles on it. I bought it 8/15/23. This has happened twice. Trying to get a service appointment for this week.

NHTSA ODI #11541289

Mileage unknown · Aug 16, 2023
EngineSteeringInjury

On 8/15/23 I received my car back from the dealership after almost a month of repairs, trying to fix the issue where it would turn itself on and where it shut down while driving 45 miles an hour; at various points I was told it was the crankshaft, camshaft, spark plugs, fuel injectors, the pcm and a connector that was overheatin…

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On 8/15/23 I received my car back from the dealership after almost a month of repairs, trying to fix the issue where it would turn itself on and where it shut down while driving 45 miles an hour; at various points I was told it was the crankshaft, camshaft, spark plugs, fuel injectors, the pcm and a connector that was overheating. Yesterday, 8/15/23 the car was stuck in a long crank cycle. I notified the dealership. They told me to call kia. I drove the car to pick my husband up from the airport. While driving home the car suddenly accelerated, cars lights shut off, and the steering wheel made a hard turn to the left, the steering wheel then locked, sending us towards a ditch, and the car shut off, and the brakes locked. Right as we hit the edge of the irrigation ditch the car turned back on, the brakes went soft, and the steering wheel unlocked. While trying to correct the car the lane assist turned on (I never use it) causing us to further fishtail and almost drive into a telephone pole and another ditch. The back and forth motion caused me to pull a muscle in my neck, and I have had a migraine since the incident. I have been unable to seek medical care. When the car was stopped, the oil cap started sucking and blowing hot air, and the engine had a light knocking noise, somewhere between a lifter tick and a rod knock. When trying to use the Kia assist in the car it could not locate where we were, resulting in Kia trying to charge us for a tow. I have had the car a month, but ive only had it in my possession 5 days because of it returning to the shop for the same issues. The kia dealership says they have never seen this and don't know what is wrong. They have encouraged me to reach out to kia to see about a buy back, but kia is 3 weeks out on even reviewing my case.

NHTSA ODI #11539009

Mileage unknown · Aug 6, 2023
Electrical SystemEngine

On 8/22/23, I purchased a 2023 Kia Soul Sport trim from Kia Atlanta South. Just two days later, the 12V system stopped working, and yesterday, on 8/6, I discovered the car, which I had owned for only two weeks and driven 950 miles, was low on oil. Some of those miles were already on the vehicle when I bought it. I suspect both t…

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On 8/22/23, I purchased a 2023 Kia Soul Sport trim from Kia Atlanta South. Just two days later, the 12V system stopped working, and yesterday, on 8/6, I discovered the car, which I had owned for only two weeks and driven 950 miles, was low on oil. Some of those miles were already on the vehicle when I bought it. I suspect both the electrical system and the engine may be faulty. Despite my concerns, the dealership claimed they had no knowledge of any recalls, despite there being an issued one.

NHTSA ODI #11536727

Official recalls

4

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.

23V830000 · Air Bags

Dec 22, 2023

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Soul and 2024 Seltos vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the side curtain air bags may deploy unexpectedly.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An air bag that deploys unexpectedly can increase the risk of injury or crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace both side curtain air bag modules as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 31, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC289.

23V531000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:fluid/lubricant:pump

Jul 31, 2023

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Soul, Sportage, and 2023-2024 Seltos vehicles. The electronic controller for the Idle Stop & Go oil pump assembly may contain damaged electrical components that can cause the pump to overheat.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An electric oil pump assembly that overheats increases the risk of a vehicle fire.

Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect and replace the electric oil pump controller, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed September 28, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC275.

23V298000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel

Apr 26, 2023

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Sportage, Sportage Hybrid, Sportage Plug-in Hybrid, Niro Hybrid, Niro Plug-in Hybrid, Soul, and Telluride vehicles equipped with a digital instrument cluster containing a 4.2" LCD screen.  The instrument cluster may fail to display any information when the vehicle is started.  As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard numbers 101, "Control and Displays," and 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A blank instrument cluster display will not show critical information, such as tire pressure, warning messages, and warning lights, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 26, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC270.

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.