2020 Kia Soul
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 381 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 6th highest complaint count among 16 Soul model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 9 involved a crash and 6 involved a fire. 6 people were injured and 8 people died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
EngineApr 13, 2021
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Soul, and 2021 Seltos vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which may result in engine damage.
A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, oil may leak onto hot exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.
Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Kia will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. The recall began June 11, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC209.
Campaign 21V259000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
381 reports, newest first.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Engine, Sep 23, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the fuel injectors were replaced; however, the failure later reoccurred while refueling the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer Gunther Kia (1900 S State Rd 7, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33317) on four different occasions where the spark plugs were replaced and the fuel tank was drained; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90.
Engine, Aug 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The contact indicated that the vehicle had previously been inspected by the local dealer under an unknown Manufacturer’s Campaign. After performing an oil consumption test, it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine replacement was not yet performed. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced engine failure. The failure mileage was 26,000.
Steering, Aug 19, 2022
Electrical power steering system froze and would not turn left nor right while car was running in both Reverse and Drive as I was trying to leave my home to run errands. My Kia Access application on my phone showed an issue with Electrical Power Steering and the dash of my car had the red steering wheel with exclamation point warning light in red on. When tow truck came 4 hours later and turned vehicle on to get it into tow truck the steer issue disappeared. However, he did tell me that the night of 8.17.20222 he towed another Kia Soul that the steering locked up in mid turn of another vehicle on a driver her in Phoenix, AZ. This is a huge concern and very scary to think of what could happen if I was in traffic. My car is currently at the dealership for diagnostics, and if they can't find an issue I have to pay a minimum $170 just for them to look at it. This is not a good situation as a whole!!! This vehicle needs to have an electrical power steering issue recall.
Other or unspecified, Jul 26, 2022
My car was stolen using a usb cord. The manufacturer needs to correct this error in design. There are internet videos detailing how to steal these cars. The consumer is left to foot the expense of this design error.
Engine, Jun 16, 2022
Engine did not restart after Auto/off. Instead, center screen restarted and engine light and battery light came on. Had to restart entire car to get engine back on. Happened at stoplight.
Engine, Jun 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and accelerating to 50 MPH, the vehicle began to make an abnormal sound. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued to drive to her residence. The contact stated she added 3 quarts of oil to the engine. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact took the vehicle to a second local dealer: Kia of Lincolnwood (6750 Lincoln Ave, Lincolnwood, IL 60712:(847) 581-7500) where an oil consumption test was completed however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine). The contact called the local dealer: Kia of Lincolnwood and made them aware of the letter. The dealer declined to service the vehicle. The contact stated she continued to experience the failure and added another less than a quart of oil. The contact called the local dealer: Kia of Lincolnwood and made them aware of the failure. The dealer made an appointment for the next day. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer however, the dealer declined to service the vehicle. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and the contact was referred to Napleton's Kia of Elmhurst (727 W Grand Ave, Elmhurst, IL 60126: (630) 530-6866). The contact took the vehicle to Napleton's Kia of Elmhurst but only had an oil change performed. The contact's husband also took the vehicle to Kia of Port Charlotte (202 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte, FL 33953: (941) 249-6171) however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact continued to experience the failure. The contact towed the vehicle to Berwyn Kia and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.
Power train, Jun 2, 2022
Transmission going into neutral while driving.no help at this time from the dealership
Power train, May 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated during acceleration and would not exceed 40 MPH. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The dealer informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they would escalate it for review. The failure mileage was approximately 21,500.
Power train, Mar 20, 2022
Driving car on I-10 west. Near Pensacola, FL tachometer started fluctuating wildly. Car seemed to be losing power regardless of whether using accelerator or cruise control. Passed exit with a Kia dealer too late to exit, so drove to next exit 4 miles down. Light at end of exit was on hill. Stopped, but when light turned green, car would not move. NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AT ANY TIME. Took Kia Roadside Assistance about 2.5 hrs for tow. Towed to Team Gunther, Daphne, AL Kia dealer. Service rep thought was transmission prob as another customer had reported similar situation. Had to wait til Monday, 2/28/22 to get official word that transmission needed to be replaced. Covered by warranty but since wld take about 2 wks to get part and do work, had to find way to get back home to Jacksonville, FL. Kia Travel Interruption assistance covers max of 3 days and $100 a day, so have been reimbursed for some, but not all expenses since total expense over $300. Car ready for pick up on 3/12/22 and picked up 3/15 after getting back to the area from Jax FL. Could have been major safety probs if I had been unable to exit I-10 or if car had lost power on road with no shoulder....
Engine, Mar 18, 2022
The vehicle was in perfect operating condition than began knocking. Less than two miles down the road the vehicle engine seized and a piston oil ring sheared. Shortened timeline: Jan 15 - engine knock, engine seized during transport (Jan 26) Jan 15 - Call to Lithia Kia in Anchorage, spoke to Brian (Service manager) confirmed on recall. Feb 18 - Kia Consumer Affairs (CA) schedules transport to Lithia Kia in Anchorage Feb 22 - Transport falls through on Kia end, denies all further transport. Feb 27 - Hired private transport ($500) March 1 - Lithia confirms Vehicle March 4 - Lithia demands service records March 10 - Service records are sent March 16 - Jessica Weaver with Kia CA looses contact with dealership March 18 - Brian with Lithia Kia in Anchorage says they do not honor recalls on rebuilt or salvage titles.
Engine, Mar 13, 2022
Engine oil consumption after 1000 miles of oil change at dealership.
Engine, Mar 7, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while she was at a stop light, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to a Chevrolet dealer who had sold her the vehicle. The Chevrolet dealer diagnosed that the starter needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the starter was replaced; however, the engine remained locked. The dealer associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine). The vehicle was towed to a second dealer Bramlett Kia (3326 US-31, Decatur, AL 35603) but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Engine, Mar 4, 2022
Contact has 2020 Kia Soul bought from Beaumont Texas at Classic Kia. Contact was driving to school to attend a class of speeds approximately 20-30 mph, when the engine light kicked on and the car stalled. Contact immediately called Classic Kia in Beaumont to speak to service department. Previously contact had piston rings "inspected" with no detection. Informed the occurrence to the maintenance department and was told to bring the car into dealership. Contact did as instructed and brought the vehicle to Classic Kia, contact was then told by Maintenace manager that this car has never had an oil change (which the first was done by the dealership itself) and there is sludge in the engine. Contatct stated "I did not have free ones with the dealership, why would I come here". Manager stated on the day after occurrence there were 2 years free oil changes in which was not in my contract and we informed that he was incorrect and the subject was dropped. Contact provided some receipts to manager immediately at Classic Kia and submitted others to Kia corporate on the customer service website to ensure all items could be reviewed. Maintenace manager contacted to verify car was denied by kia, contact called Kia Corporate to ask why and case was still open at that time. When contact had problem, was able to go to the nearest AutoZone, there was a timing issue with vehicle. Informed Maintenace manager of recall sc209 and if it had been completed. Manager stated there was "no need to do the recall" as I have "voided my warranty" for "not maintaining the vehicle". Informed receipts are in case number and manager linked case number to see if kia would approve new engine. Dealership stated we cannot get a loaner and they will not provide contact a way to work and school at this time due to "voided warranty". Currently waiting for approval at this time, recall sc209 still not completed as of 3/4/2022. Occurrence happened on 2/17/2022, with 43,000 miles on vehicle.
Engine, Feb 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that he became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine) and the vehicle was taken to the local dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer did not complete the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at 25 MPH, the vehicle started decelerating independently. The contact pulled into the nearest parking lot and opened the hood but could determine the cause of the failure. The contact continued to drive the vehicle and the vehicle stalled inadvertently. The check engine warning light, the oil warning light, and other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after 5 minutes; however, the vehicle was shuddering and would not exceed 15 MPH while driving. The contact also stated that there were abnormal sounds coming from the engine. The contact pulled into the nearest parking lot and parked the vehicle. The vehicle was towed a second dealer - Kia of Lincolnwood (6750 Lincoln Ave, Lincolnwood, IL 60712) where it was diagnosed that there was a lack of engine oil and the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the manufacturer approved the request to cover the engine replacement under the recall of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine) however, the parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the new engine had been shipped to the dealer but they did not have an ETA. The manufacturer also advised the contact to rent a vehicle and they might reimburse him for the expense. The failure mileage was approximately 25,053.
Engine, Feb 9, 2022
The supposed remedy for SC209 on my vehicle only included a test as per the Kia certified techs on 10/27/2021. In June 2021, while the vehicle still had warranty remaining, my Kia soul stalled out at a traffic light near Towson, Maryland. The check engine light illuminated, as well as oil pressure. I brought the vehicle to Kia of Westchester (PA) to remedy the issue. The determination at the time was a cam shaft pin had broken, and that was the cause. They replaced the pin, and I continued to have the check engine light come on. I took the vehicle back on 6/17/2021 with the same issue of check engine light and stalling. They reported no issue, and no light after they had cleared the code. I noticed by early autumn a strange knocking sound at low RPM and the check engine light re illuminated. This was the time frame that the "test" for the SC209 recall was "performed" and the Soul apparently passed (no explanation was given for the parameters at the time). The techs suggested the check engine was now due to a faulty catalytic converter (10/27/2021 mileage 107564). I was also told that the sound I was hearing at low RPM was "engine pinging" and I needed to use higher octane gas (not manufacturers recommendation). 1/15/2022 My wife was operating the vehicle coming back from work in Philadelphia when the Soul sputtered and died, shutting off the engine and causing check engine and oil lamp to illuminate. At this point, the engine struggled to reach any highway speed, the engine could would rev loudly and clouds of bluish grey smoke billowed from the exhaust. I replaced the spark plugs (2nd time, less then 12k mileage) and all coil packs with OEM parts. I noticed burnt oil on the old spark plugs. I brought the vehicle to Jiffy Lube in Glasgow, DE to perform a full synthetic oil change (recommended, and what I normally do). The vehicle continued to have the same issues, and blow out large blue gray clouds of exhaust.
Other or unspecified, Feb 1, 2022
Unknown
Engine, Jan 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but the dealer could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 21,116.
Engine, Jan 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled while the oil change, battery, and check engine warning lights illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to dealer where it was diagnosed that the ECM computer upgrade was needed. Additionally, NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine) needed to be completed. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,200.
Engine, Jan 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Kia SOUL. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road and restart the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer to be inspected. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Engine, Dec 21, 2021
RECALL NOT BEING FIXED
Other or unspecified, Dec 18, 2021
My issue is constant engine stalling. It is a very scary experience.
Air bags, Nov 17, 2021, crash
Car hit guardrail at highway speed. There is significant damage to the front end. The drivers and passengers airbags failed to deploy. The driver side air bag did deploy.
Engine, Nov 5, 2021
Engine still uses oil and the issues is getting worse. Now there is a knocking sound coming from the engine and KIA refuses to acknowledge it. Mechanic told me that there was not a noise that was not unusual for a KIA Soul. The engine stalls and looses power occasionally. KIA mechanic states they did not see any issue.
Power train, Oct 29, 2021
I was driving down the interstate at 70 mph. Noticed the car felt like it was accelerating and then decelerating like I was fighting against a strong wind. Looked at the tachometer and saw it fluctuating between 2000rpm and 3000 rpm. Suddenly it redlined to 7000 rpm and I had very little power to the wheels. It would drop back to 3000 but if I tried to accelerate it would redline. I was in heavy interstate traffic. I barely made it to an exit and into a parking lot. By the time I got off the highway it would go no faster than 5mph. I tried restarting the car to find I couldn't go forward or in reverse and the engine would go to 7000rpm. I have about 24k miles on the odometer. Bought brand new from the dealership. Easily could've been rear-ended or crashed in the heavy traffic with no power to the wheels.
Engine, Oct 21, 2021
The car has the auto stop engine feature. Randomly, when ever I stop the car the engine will turn off because of the auto stop feature. But when I shift the car into park, the car won’t turn back on. Instead the green auto stop light will stay lit in the dashboard and when I take off my seatbelt I will get an error that states: “Auto Stop is Off. Shift to P or N to start engine” and I will hear a high pitch noise. If I shift the car to Neutral, Drive, Reverse or back to park nothing will happen. The engine won’t turn back on and if I’m on a incline or decline the car will start rolling. The only way to get the engine to turn back on is to turn off the car and turn it back on via turning the key. I have also had the car fail to turn back on at stop lights when the auto stop feature is activated. I would be at the stop light. The engine would turn off and when I take my foot off of the break the engine won’t turn back on. I won’t get the error that I stated earlier. I just see the green auto stop light turn off and then the check engine light, the battery light, and the oil light turns on. There was another time I was with my sister and we were getting food. We were at a stoplight and the engine turned off. When the light turned green and I went to take my foot of the break, the whole car died. Everything turned off. The radio and the dashboard all went black and lost power. The car also wouldn’t let me turn the key to try and restart it. When I got the car restarted, I was at the same traffic light. The car lost all power again. The same thing happened again. The engine turned off and when I went to take my foot of the break, everything went black. Finally, this last thing only happened so far 1 time. I was driving home on the highway. I heard the car making a sound like it was increasing in revs. Then all of a sudden everything went black. The car lost power when I was driving on the highway. I pulled over and had to restart the car.