Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2023 Kia Soul, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Engine14
- Electrical system14
- Unknown or other13
- Service brakes8
- Steering8
- Lane departure7
- Forward collision avoidance5
- Air bags5
- Power train5
- Exterior lighting4
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 15 injuries and 1 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 20 2023 Soul vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 19 people died inside them, and 3 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2023 Kia Soul failed the safety check 0.51% of the time — 25% less often than the average 2023 passenger car (0.69%). Median odometer at inspection: 11,429 miles.
14,980first inspections
0.51%failed on safety
11,429 mimedian odometer
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In the Netherlands
95 first registered in 2023 are on Dutch roads; 4% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €43,425.
0.0%had an APK defect recorded since June 2022
100.0%logical odometer history
0.0%with a recall still open
Colours
White 38%Blue 35%Grey 11%Black 11%Orange 5%
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
353 cars built in 2023 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 2 more were declared off the road (SORN).
353licensed, end of 2025
99%of those still registered are on the road
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
In Finland
18 of these cars first registered in 2023 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 1 variant; 0 of 1 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 Kia Soul SUV FWD | ★★★★☆ | 14.7 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard & Optional
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
- Best overall rating
- 4 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 1 variant: combined 7.9 L/100 km (about 30 mpg US), CO₂ 187 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Soul · Station wagon: Small · Regular gasoline | 8.5 | 7.0 | 7.9 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
4 Transport Canada recalls for the 2023 Kia Soul.
| 2024549 15 Aug 2024 | Label Issue: On certain vehicles, the compliance label may be missing information in French. The words listed on the label for "Tires", "Rims", "Front" and "Rear" a… |
| 2023652 8 Dec 2023 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, the side curtain airbag(s) may not have been manufactured properly. As a result, the side curtain airbag(s) could inflate without a… |
| 2023421 1 Aug 2023 | Powertrain Issue: On certain vehicles, the circuit board in the electric oil pump assembly for the transmission may be damaged. As a result, the circuit board could shor… |
| 2023251 26 Apr 2023 | Lights And Instruments Issue: On certain vehicles, the instrument cluster screen could remain blank when the vehicle is started. If this happens, you may not be able to see certain… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
25V099000 · Engine and engine cooling17 Feb 2025 · 137,256 vehicles
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.
23V830000 · Air bags22 Dec 2023 · 2,967 vehicles
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.
23V531000 · Power train31 Jul 2023 · 39,765 vehicles
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.
23V298000 · Electrical system26 Apr 2023 · 108,936 vehicles
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."
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Kia told its dealers about the 2023 Kia Soul: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11010699 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: AVN 5.0 WIDE NON-RESPONSIVE RADIO ICON (AM, FM, SXM) (SA582) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to update the software on 5th Generation AVN wide on certain 2023-2024MYKia vehicles (refer to model list on page 8) to remedy a non-responsive or inoperative radio (FM, AM, SXM, etc.) concern. The affected AVN unit on the vehicles may not respond when pressing the RADIO hard key/button on the AVN unit |
| 11010698 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN 5.0 WIDE NON-RESPONSIVE RADIO ICON (AM, FM, SXM) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to update the software on 5th Generation AVN wide on certain 2020-2024MY Kia vehicles (refer to model list on page 8) to remedy a non-responsive or inoperative radio (FM, AM, SXM, etc.) concern. The affected AVN unit on the vehicles may not respond when pressing the RADIO hard key/button on the AVN unit or when selecting the RA |
| 11008193 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRECAUTIONS FOR TRANSMISSIONS WITH ISG/EOP - This bulletin provides information related to the replacement or servicing of transmission assemblies on all Kia vehicles equipped with Idle-Stop-Go (ISG) and High-Flow Electric Oil Pump (HF EOP). The HF EOP protective connector cover may NOT have been installed on a new or remanufactured transmission during assembly. The HF EOP connector may become contaminated with debris during shipping and/or with oil/coolant during installation. |
| 11007859 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: FRONT STRUT BEARING & SPRING PAD REPLACEMENT - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to replace the front strut bearing and upper spring pad on both front (LH and RH) strut assemblies on certain 2019-2024MY Forte (BDm) vehicles produced from July 09, 2018 through present, 2020-2024MY Soul (SK3) vehicles produced from November 15, 2018 through present, and 2021-2024 Seltos (SP2) vehicles produced from November 20, 2019 |
| 11005364 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: FRONT STRUT BEARING & SPRING PAD REPLACEMENT - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to replace the front strut bearing and upper spring pad on both front (LH and RH) strut assemblies on certain 2019-2024MY Forte (BDm) vehicles produced from July 09, 2018 through present, 2020-2024MY Soul (SK3) vehicles produced from November 15, 2018 through present, and 2021-2024 Seltos (SP2) vehicles produced from November 20, 2019 |
| 11005208 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: AVN 5.0 WIDE NON-RESPONSIVE RADIO ICON (AM, FM, SXM) (SA582) - This bulletin provides information to update the software on 5th Generation AVN wide on certain 2023-2024MY Kia vehicles (refer to model list on page 3) to remedy a non-responsive or inoperative radio (FM, AM, SXM, etc.) concern. The affected AVN unit on the vehicles may not respond when pressing the RADIO hard key/button on the AVN unit or when selecting the RADIO icon on the AVN menu screen. Also, a warning sound accompanied by a Slippery road ahead. Drive carefully or Uneven road ahead |
| 11004930 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: IVT OIL PRESSURE SENSOR REPLACEMENT: This bulletin provides information to replace the Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT) Oil Pressure Sensor (OPS) on some 2018-2024MY vehicles listed on page 3 equipped with IVT. The affected vehicles may exhibit a malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) illuminated on the instrument cluster with DTCs P084500, P084600, and/or P0867XX present with no drivability concerns due to a failed IVT oil pressure sensor. |
| 11000787 | This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each Kia model. A flush is required ONLY when a transmission is replaced. |
| 10253811 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: DISPLAY AUDIO 2.0/AVN5W SOFTWARE UPDATE (SA569) - This bulletin provides information to update the software on Display Audio 2.0 (D2V) and 5th Generation AVN Wide (AVN5W) head units on certain 2022-2023MY Kia vehicles (refer to model list on page 9). The affected vehicles may experience various concerns related to Apple CarPlay/Android Auto phone projection connectivity. |
| 10250517 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN 5.0 WIDE NON-RESPONSIVE RADIO ICON (AM, FM, SXM) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to update the software on 5th Generation AVN wide on certain 2020-2024MY Kia vehicles (refer to model list on page 3) to remedy a 'non-responsive' or 'inoperative' radio (FM, AM, SXM, etc. ) concern. The affected AVN unit on the vehicles may not respond when pressing the 'RADIO' hard key/button on the AVN unit or when selecti |
| 10248691 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: FRONT STRUT BEARING & SPRING PAD REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides information to replace the front strut bearing and upper spring pad on both front (LH and RH) strut assemblies on certain 2019-2024MY Forte (BDm) vehicles produced from July 09, 2018 through present, 2020-2024MY Soul (SK3) vehicles produced from November 15, 2018 through present, and 2021-2024 Seltos (SP2) vehicles produced from November 20, 2019 through present. The affected vehicles may exhibit an intermittent noise when turning the steering wheel both when driving and when the vehicle is not in |
| 10243928 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: UNEVEN/SLIPPERY ROAD WARNING DISPLAYED ON INSTRUMENT CLUSTER - This bulletin provides information to update the software on 5th Generation AVN wide on certain 2020-2023MY Kia vehicles (refer to model list on page 3) to remedy a warning sound accompanied by a 'Slippery road ahead. Drive carefully' or 'Uneven road ahead. Drive carefully' warning which is displayed on the instrument cluster. The current AVN software causes the warning sound and message to repeat approximately every ten (10) seconds, if the vehicle is not in motion, in 'PARK' or driving on even surfaces |
| 10242982 | This bulletin provides information to update the software on 5th Generation AVN wide on certain 2020-2024MY Kia vehicles (refer to model list on page 3) to remedy a 'non-responsive' or 'inoperative' radio (FM, AM, SXM, etc. ) concern. The affected AVN unit on the vehicles may not respond when pressing the 'RADIO' hard key/button on the AVN unit or when selecting the 'RADIO' icon on the AVN menu screen. |
| 10241848 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: AVN 5.0 WIDE NON-RESPONSIVE RADIO ICON (AM, FM, SXM) - This bulletin provides information to update the software on 5th Generation AVN wide on certain 2020-2023MY Kia vehicles to remedy a 'non-responsive' or 'inoperative' radio (FM, AM, SXM, etc.) concern. The affected AVN unit on the vehicles may not respond when pressing the 'RADIO' hard key/button on the AVN unit or when selecting the 'RADIO' icon on the AVN menu screen. Follow the procedure outlined in this publication to update the software on 5th Generation AVN wide units using |
| 10240758 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE REMINDER SETTING RESET PROCEDURE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information regarding the service reminder setting, which may have been auto-set by the Kia Vehicle Inspection and Delivery application (KVID) at time of Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI). Beginning with the 2023MY, Oil Life Monitoring (OLM) has been applied to all models, except Forte (BDm), Stinger (CK), Telluride (ON) and Soul (SK3). Refer to TSB ENG24 |
| 10239752 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: BRAKE AIR BLEEDING PROCEDURE FOR ESC HONKING NOISE AND SOFT/SPONGY BRAKE PEDAL - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information regarding the brake air bleeding procedure for 2020MY~ Soul (SK3) vehicles equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) module which may exhibit a "honk" noise when using Idle Stop and Go (ISG) and/or Hill Start Assist Control (HAC). |
| 10237139 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: OVERHEAD CONSOLE SUNGLASS DOOR-LATCH REPAIR - This bulletin provides information to repair the overhead console lamp assembly and sunglass door latch on some 2012-2023MY model vehicles listed in the table below, which may encounter the sunglass case of the overhead console lamp not closing properly. |
| 10236107 | CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia has developed a software upgrade that can be installed on the vehicle to restrict the operation of the vehicle's ignition system should a locked vehicle be the subject of a break-in and theft attempt without the key. This software upgrade will be available to the customer free of charge for eighteen (18) months from the date of this letter. When the software upgrade is complete, Kia will also provide the customer with window stickers that can be applied to your vehicle to discourage a |
| 10235105 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: DATA COLLECTION: EXTRACT CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS DATA FROM ECU (DC23) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information related to extracting "in use performance tracking" emissions data from the Engine Control Unit (ECU) of certain vehicles sold in California. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) requires the emissions data from vehicles with a minimum of 3,000 accumulated miles without reprogramming or resetting. To |
| 10230885 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: CLUSTER LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR ADAS ALERT VOLUME CHANGE (SA517) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the Cluster (CLU) system on some 2023MY vehicles to allow the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) default alert volume to be changed. Kia is requesting the completion of this Service Action on all affected vehicles in dealer stock, prior to delivery. |
| 10230484 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: BRAKE AIR BLEEDING PROCEDURE FOR ESC HONKING NOISE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information regarding the brake air bleeding procedure for 2020MY~ Soul (SK3) vehicles equipped with Electronic Stability Control (ESC) module which may exhibit a "honk" noise when using Idle Stop and Go (ISG) and/or Hill Start Assist Control (HAC). |
| 10228179 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: CLUSTER LOGIC IMPROVEMENT FOR ADAS ALERT VOLUME CHANGE (SA517) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the Cluster (CLU) system on some 2023MY vehicles to allow the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) default alert volume to be changed. Kia is requesting the completion of this Service Action on all affected vehicles in dealer stock, prior to delivery. |
| 10226555 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each Kia model. A flush is required ONLY when a transmission is replaced, refer to applicable vehicles in the chart starting on page 2. |
| 10220347 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: OIL LIFE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (OLMS) AND MAINTENANCE REMINDER FEATURE - This bulletin provides information regarding the new Oil Life Management System (OLMS) Maintenance Reminder Setting feature available on some 2023MY~ and later vehicles. Kia is advising that the new OLMS maintenance reminder feature be enabled on all applicable 2023MY and later vehicles. The OLMS monitors deterioration data factors such as engine rpm, engine load, engine oil temperature and evaluates conditions such as short distance driving in cold weather, high-temperature uphill driving, and lon |
| 10220346 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: MAINTENANCE REMINDER FEATURE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area.This bulletin provides information on setting the "Service Interval Reminder" feature available on most 2014-2023MY Kia vehicles (refer to model list on page 2). If the service interval reminder is set, the customer will be informed to have the next maintenance service performed, which can positively affect vehicle longevity and performance. Refer to TSB ENG241 for 2023MY~ vehicles equi |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
AQ25001 · Engine and engine cooling:engine:hard parts internal/mechanicalopened 6 Aug 2025 · closed 18 Dec 2025
Kia 25V099 Piston Oil Ring Recall Effectiveness
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation