2023 Kia Soul problems and recalls

Owner complaints on the 2023 Kia Soul include 1 fatality report, 6 crashes and 1 fires across 54 filings.

54
Complaints
4
Recalls
6
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
13
Injuries
152.6
Severity index

Severity index 152.6 High. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 152.6p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 1 of 86 by severity index among 2023 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 99% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2023 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

EngineEngine: 14 complaints (25.9%)14 26%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 14 complaints (25.9%)14 26%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 13 complaints (24.1%)13 24%Service BrakesService Brakes: 8 complaints (14.8%)8 15%SteeringSteering: 8 complaints (14.8%)8 15%Lane DepartureLane Departure: 7 complaints (13.0%)7 13%Power TrainPower Train: 5 complaints (9.3%)5 9%Air BagsAir Bags: 5 complaints (9.3%)5 9%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE1425.9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1425.9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1324.1%
SERVICE BRAKES814.8%
STEERING814.8%
LANE DEPARTURE713.0%
POWER TRAIN59.3%
AIR BAGS59.3%

Complaints filed per year

08152022: 32023: 152024: 142025: 92026: 13 (partial year)222315242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20223
202315
202414
20259
2026 (year to date)13
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 12.7x those in 2022 to 2022 (38 against 3).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
23V29800026/04/2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANELKia 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 displa
23V53100031/07/2023POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:PUMPKia 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.
23V83000022/12/2023AIR BAGSKia 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.
25V09900017/02/2025ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICALKia 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.

Other Kia Soul model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 14 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-10-23. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.