2023 Kia Soul
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 51 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 14th highest complaint count among 16 Soul model years with reports.
Of the 2023 reports, 5 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 15 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Engine and engine cooling, engine, hard parts internal/mechanicalFeb 17, 2025
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.
Engine damage can cause a vehicle stall or fire, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
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.
Campaign 25V099000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bagsDec 22, 2023
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.
An air bag that deploys unexpectedly can increase the risk of injury or crash.
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.
Campaign 23V830000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmission, fluid/lubricant, pumpPark outsideJul 31, 2023
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.
An electric oil pump assembly that overheats increases the risk of a vehicle fire.
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.
Campaign 23V531000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, instrument cluster/panelApr 26, 2023
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. The instrument cluster may fail to display any information when the vehicle is started. As 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."
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.
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.
Campaign 23V298000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: air bags
5 reports, newest first. Show all
Air bags, Feb 16, 2026
The airbag in this 2023 Kia Soul vehicle had a faulty airbag deployment. The steering wheel airbag exploded upon a minor impact of under 20 mph and no other airbags deployed. The steering wheel airbag never fully deployed or made driver contact, it just simply exploded. The dealership was notified, but declined to research the car immediately following the impact and said that was not part of their repairs and to take the vehicle to a body shop. So, no investigation was done by the dealership to identify the airbag's faulty deployment. Then, the manufacturer refused investigation when a case was filed and waited several weeks after pictures and a full report was filed to say they were dropping the case. Insurance did not declare the claim as a total loss and $7000 of work was performed. There was no assurance that the work performed at the body shop was secure as Kia never reviewed the case. Also, there was no safety camera detection or warning of impact. This model had recalls for the side airbags, but Kia neglected to follow up on this particular faulty airbag from the steering wheel.
Air bags, Service brakes, Dec 14, 2024
FM radio Black screen Black screen replacement kia soul
Air bags, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, May 3, 2024
Air bag Replacement Drive AutamticBreaking emergency Replacement system
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Sep 28, 2023
I have had my car to the dealership 3 times and scheduled for a4th time for this same issue. It is intermittent which I realize makes it hard to diagnose however the dealership kept it overnight in 2nd visit to try to reproduce it and they did. When driving, the car will randomly start beeping and errors cycle thru in the dash. It tells me that my braking system needs to be checked then lighting system, airbag system failing etc. It goes thru about 5 or 6 system errors. Not always same sysyems and not going at same rate of speed when it happens. I have been told it isn't a safety issue however they apparently do not know what it is causing it to do that so I'm not sure how they can definitively say that. 1st visit I was told they did a software update and that"fixed the problem". After a few weeks it started again. Then I was told that the front camera needed to be recalibrated. 3 weeks after that when the part arrived I was told that fixed the issue. A week later, It is again intermittently alarming while driving. It is very distracting not to mention scary when it happens. The fact that the part was backordered for 3 weeks that they thought would fix it leads me to believe it is happening to a lot of kia cars. It is also on some online forums where others are talking about the same issue. My car has less than 5000 miles on it and I have owned it for 9 months. I am afraid to drive it because it scares me when this happens. This has been ongoing since June.
Power train, Air bags, Engine, Sep 9, 2023, crash, fire
Air bag new