6 recalls covering model years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
Small rings inside the engine that control oil around the pistons may have been made incorrectly on these Seltos and Soul models. Over time that can damage the engine. A damaged engine can stall while you are driving, and in some cases it can catch fire. Kia will check the engine and replace it if needed, and also add software that listens for the noise a failing piston ring makes.
A mistake during manufacturing means the curtain airbags — the ones that drop down along the side windows — could go off on their own, with no crash and no warning. An airbag that fires when you are not expecting it can injure whoever is sitting there, and the shock can make the driver lose control. A dealer will inspect both curtain airbag units and replace them if needed, at no cost.
These cars have a system that shuts the engine off at stoplights to save fuel. A small electric oil pump keeps things lubricated while the engine is off, and the controller that runs that pump may have damaged parts inside. If it does, the pump can get too hot and start a fire in the car. A dealer will check the controller and replace it if needed, at no cost. Park outside and away from buildings until then.
⚠ NHTSA advises: park outside and away from structures (fire risk).
These Kias have a digital dashboard with a 4.2-inch screen in place of traditional gauges. When you start the car, that screen may come up completely blank. If it does, you cannot see warning lights, low tire pressure alerts, or other messages the car uses to tell you something is wrong. Kia fixes this with a software update to the instrument cluster at no charge. Owner letters went out May 26, 2023.
The airbag control unit is the small computer that decides when to set off your airbags. On these cars, the unit's cover can rub against a memory chip on the circuit board inside and damage the electrical circuit. If that circuit is damaged, the airbags can shut off and will not inflate in a crash. A dealer will inspect the unit and either update its software or replace it, whichever is needed. Owner letters went out in March 2022.
Parts inside the 2.0-liter engine — the rings around the pistons — may not have been hardened properly when they were made. Over time that can damage the engine. A damaged engine can stall, leaving you without power in traffic, and it can leak oil onto hot exhaust parts, which can start a fire. Dealers inspect the engine and replace it if needed, free, and add software that listens for the warning noise.
Complaints owners have filed with NHTSA about the Kia Soul. These are unverified reports; better-selling years collect more.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 218 | 14 | 14 | 12 |
| 2019 | 135 | 11 | 8 | 12 |
| 2020 | 377 | 9 | 6 | 6 |
| 2021 | 232 | 12 | 3 | 5 |
| 2022 | 88 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
| 2023 | 50 | 5 | 1 | 15 |
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: