NHTSA lists 53 complaints for the 2023 Kia Soul, 6 of them mention a crash and 1 mention a fire. 6 complaints mention an injury, with 15 injuries and 1 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-09.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as KIA SOUL.
Model-generated complaint tags
These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.
Failure modes| Label | Count | Share of tagged | Mean confidence |
|---|
| loss of control | 19 | 35.8% | 0.80 |
|---|
| electrical electronic | 16 | 30.2% | 0.97 |
|---|
| mechanical failure | 6 | 11.3% | 0.76 |
|---|
| unclear | 5 | 9.4% | 0.94 |
|---|
| restraint or airbag | 3 | 5.7% | 0.78 |
|---|
| visibility or lighting | 2 | 3.8% | 1.00 |
|---|
| fire or overheating | 1 | 1.9% | 1.00 |
|---|
| structural or corrosion | 1 | 1.9% | 0.81 |
|---|
Severities| Label | Count | Share of tagged | Mean confidence |
|---|
| moderate | 28 | 52.8% | 0.83 |
|---|
| high | 11 | 20.8% | 0.88 |
|---|
| low | 9 | 17.0% | 0.67 |
|---|
| none | 5 | 9.4% | 0.81 |
|---|
Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 53 tagged complaints of 53 complaints (100.0%).
Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.
Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.
Recalls
See new recalls and investigations this week.
4 recalls.
Date: 2025-02-17. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Defect: 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: 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.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Date: 2023-12-22. Systems: AIR BAGS.
Defect: 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: 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.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Date: 2023-07-31. Systems: POWER TRAIN.
Defect: 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: 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.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: Yes.
Date: 2023-04-26. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
Defect: 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.A A The instrument cluster may fail to display any information when the vehicle is started.A A As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Fede (excerpt)
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. (excerpt)
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. (excerpt)
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
1 investigations; 0 open.
AQ25001
Opened: 2025-08-06. Closed: 2025-12-18.
Kia 25V099 Piston Oil Ring Recall Effectiveness
On August 6, 2025, the Office of Defect Investigation (ODI) opened Audit Query (AQ) 25001 to assess the implementation of Kia America, Inc.a 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,
Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Linked campaign numbers: None listed.
Manufacturer communications
51 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system| System | Count |
|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 19 |
|---|
| ELE | 11 |
|---|
| TRA | 4 |
|---|
| BOD | 3 |
|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 3 |
|---|
| STRUCTURE | 3 |
|---|
| CHA | 2 |
|---|
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL | 2 |
|---|
11036390
Date: 2026-08-19. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN GEN 5.0 WIDE SOFTWARE UPDATE - This bulletin provides information on the Audio Video Navigation (AVN) system software update for certain vehicles equipped with AVN5W and Navigation System listed in the table below. Affected vehicles may overestimate travel times durin
11035410
Date: 2026-07-29. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: FRONT VIEW CAMERA REPLACEMENT (CA2605) - This bulletin provides information to replace the front view camera on certain 2023-2024MY Soul (SK3) vehicles produced from March 15, 2022, through March 23, 2024. The affected vehicles may exhibit various warning lights illuminat
11033934
Date: 2026-06-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: KEY AND CYLINDER SET REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides information to replace the drivera s door lock and trunk lid key cylinders on some 2019-2024MY Kia vehicles listed below. On affected vehicles, the stored key code may not correspond to the mechanical key profile,
11033217
Date: 2026-05-28. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE.KIA.COM - This bulletin provides information and service procedures for updating the infotainment systems on applicable Kia vehicles using the Kia Navigation Updater available at update.kia.com. The software update may impr
11026698
Date: 2025-12-09. Type: Other. Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION.
PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal
11025766
Date: 2025-11-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: POWER WINDOW MAIN SWITCH REPLACEMENT (CA2510) - This bulletin provides information regarding an intermittent operation of the main power window switch on the drivera s door on 2022a 2024MY Soul (SK3) vehicles produced from May 1, 2022 through July 19, 2024. The switch o
11024691
Date: 2025-11-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY/WIPER.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: POWER WINDOW MAIN SWITCH REPLACEMENT (CA2510) - This bulletin provides information regarding an intermittent operation of the main power window switch on the drivera s door on 2022a 2024MY Soul (SK3) vehicles produced from May 1, 2022 through July 19, 2024. The switch o
11023109
Date: 2025-09-11. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: HORN ASSEMBLY INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (WTY041) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information associated with the a Warranty Exte
11022843
Date: 2025-09-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published under SC336 titled a Engine Inspection/Replacement and ECM Logic Improvementa .
11022844
Date: 2025-09-04. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE.
This bulletin provides instructions to perform an engine vibration inspection using the Kia Diagnostic System (KDS) tablet on certain Kia engine/model vehicles. The piston oil ring(s) in certain Kia engines may, over time, damage the surface of the engine cylinder wall. This may lead to increased oi