{"id":"2023_kia_soul","make":"Kia","make_slug":"kia","model":"Soul","model_slug":"soul","year":2023,"url":"/kia/soul/2023/","pts":["gas"],"configs":[{"id":45303,"model":"Soul Eco dynamics","pt":"gas","drive":"Front-Wheel Drive","trany":"Automatic (variable gear ratios)","cyl":4,"displ":2.0,"eng":"","turbo":false,"super":false,"start_stop":true,"city":29,"hwy":35,"comb":31,"cityA":0,"hwyA":0,"combA":0,"kwh100":null,"range":null,"range_city":null,"range_hwy":null,"erange":null,"phev_comb":null,"charge240":null,"charge240b":null,"charger":"","charger_b":"","motor":"","fuel":"Regular","vclass":"Small Station Wagons","co2":287,"fe_score":6,"ghg_score":6,"fuel_cost":2000,"save_spend":1250,"guzzler":false,"mfr_code":"KMX","modified":"Thu Aug 11 00:00:00 EDT 2022"},{"id":45302,"model":"Soul","pt":"gas","drive":"Front-Wheel Drive","trany":"Automatic (variable gear ratios)","cyl":4,"displ":2.0,"eng":"","turbo":false,"super":false,"start_stop":true,"city":28,"hwy":33,"comb":30,"cityA":0,"hwyA":0,"combA":0,"kwh100":null,"range":null,"range_city":null,"range_hwy":null,"erange":null,"phev_comb":null,"charge240":null,"charge240b":null,"charger":"","charger_b":"","motor":"","fuel":"Regular","vclass":"Small Station Wagons","co2":301,"fe_score":6,"ghg_score":6,"fuel_cost":2100,"save_spend":750,"guzzler":false,"mfr_code":"KMX","modified":"Thu Aug 11 00:00:00 EDT 2022"}],"vclass":"Small Station Wagons","segment":"Wagon","recalls":[{"campaign":"25V099000","component":"ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL","mfr":"Kia America, Inc.","reported":"2025-02-17","owner_notified":"2025-04-04","units":137256,"summary":"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.","notes":"Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or go to nhtsa.gov.","park_outside":false,"do_not_drive":false,"mfr_campaign":"SC336","initiated_by":"ODI","variants":[],"severity":"critical"},{"campaign":"23V830000","component":"AIR BAGS","mfr":"Kia America, Inc.","reported":"2023-12-22","owner_notified":"2024-01-31","units":2967,"summary":"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.","notes":"Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.","park_outside":false,"do_not_drive":false,"mfr_campaign":"SC289","initiated_by":"MFR","variants":[],"severity":"high"},{"campaign":"23V531000","component":"POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:PUMP","mfr":"Kia America, Inc.","reported":"2023-07-31","owner_notified":"2023-09-28","units":39765,"summary":"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.","notes":"Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.","park_outside":true,"do_not_drive":false,"mfr_campaign":"SC275","initiated_by":"MFR","variants":[],"severity":"critical"},{"campaign":"23V298000","component":"ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL","mfr":"Kia America, Inc.","reported":"2023-04-26","owner_notified":"2023-05-26","units":108936,"summary":"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.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The instrument cluster may fail to display any information when the vehicle is started.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0As 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":"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.","notes":"Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.","park_outside":false,"do_not_drive":false,"mfr_campaign":"SC270","initiated_by":"MFR","variants":[],"severity":"high"}],"recall_count":4,"critical_count":2,"park_outside":true,"do_not_drive":false,"score":54,"grade":"F","complaints":{"count":50,"crash":5,"fire":1,"injured":15,"deaths":1,"comps":[["Electrical System",13],["Engine",13],["Unspecified",12],["Lane Departure",8],["Steering",8],["Service Brakes",7]],"by_year":{"2022":3,"2023":15,"2024":14,"2025":9,"2026":9},"excerpts":[["2024-06-06","Service Brakes","I had my vehicle in PARK in my driveway. I was standing outside the vehicle & after I pulled the keys out of the ignition, the vehicle started rolling backward. My feet were on the ground the whole time, the vehicle was in park. I pulled the emergency brake as it was rolling with my legs stuck between the car and the d\u2026"],["2024-04-30","Engine","The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the dealer found no cause \u2026"],["2024-04-29","Exterior Lighting","My vehicle is almost un-drivable at night due to a terrible headlight bean pattern. See attached image. I have taken to two different Kia Dealerships with no results and reached out to Kia. Something is seriously wrong with these lights. #1 Cochran Kia: 5200 Campbells Run Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15205 Springfield Kia: 3525 \u2026"]]},"investigations":[{"action":"AQ25001","component":"ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL","opened":"2025-08-06","closed":"2025-12-18","campaign":"","subject":"Kia 25V099 Piston Oil Ring Recall Effectiveness","summary":"On August 6, 2025, the Office of Defect Investigation (ODI) opened Audit Query (AQ) 25001 to assess the implementation of Kia America, Inc.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s (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 \u00e2\u20ac\u02dccold\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 engine to a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcwarm\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 en"}],"ncap":[{"desc":"SUV FWD","overall":4,"frontal":4,"side":5,"rollover":4,"rollover_risk":0.147,"seats":5,"fcw":"Standard & Optional","ldw":"Standard","aeb":"Standard & Optional","esc":"","backup_cam":"","variant":null}],"popularity":66,"headline":{"range":null,"mpg":31,"ncap":4,"complaints":50},"presskit_trims":[],"generated_at":"2026-09-11 05:01 UTC","sources":["EPA fueleconomy.gov","NHTSA recalls","NHTSA complaints","NHTSA NCAP","NHTSA investigations"]}