2023 KIA SOUL — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 47 complaints · 4 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (7 complaints · 14.9%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 5
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 15
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 2022 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 7 of 47 owner complaints (14.9%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 7 complaints, 14.9% of reports ENGINE 7 · 14.9% LANE DEPARTURE: 6 complaints, 12.8% of reports LANE DEPARTURE 6 · 12.8% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 6 complaints, 12.8% of reports STEERING 6 · 12.8% · 2 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 3 complaints, 6.4% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 · 6.4% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 3 complaints, 6.4% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 · 6.4% FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: 3 complaints, 6.4% of reports FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 · 6.4% POWER TRAIN: 3 complaints, 6.4% of reports POWER TRAIN 3 · 6.4% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 2 complaints, 4.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 2 · 4.3% AIR BAGS: 1 complaints, 2.1% of reports AIR BAGS 1 · 2.1% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 23 complaints, 48.9% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23 · 48.9% · 2 crash reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 7 14.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
LANE DEPARTURE 6 12.8% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 6 12.8% 2 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 3 6.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 6.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 6.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 3 6.4% 1 crashes · 1 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 2 4.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 1 2.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23 48.9% 2 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 2022; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 2023. 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2023-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2024-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2024-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2025-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2026-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Jul 2022 Apr 2026 Recall campaign 23V298000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V298000 Recall campaign 23V531000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V531000 Recall campaign 23V830000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V830000 Recall campaign 25V099000 ◆ Recall campaign 25V099000 Investigation AQ25001 ● Investigation AQ25001
  • Campaign 25V099000 was reported 770 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
2022-Q4 Owner reports 2
2023-Q1 Owner reports 2
2023-Q2 Owner reports 3
2023-Q3 Owner reports 7
2023-Q4 Owner reports 3
2024-Q1 Owner reports 2
2024-Q2 Owner reports 7
2024-Q3 Owner reports 2
2024-Q4 Owner reports 3
2025-Q1 Owner reports 2
2025-Q3 Owner reports 6
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 4
2026-Q2 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 23V298000
Recall campaign 1 23V531000
Recall campaign 1 23V830000
Recall campaign 1 25V099000
Defect investigation 1 AQ25001
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (4)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 23V298000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 23V531000

    Report date
    Component:
    POWER TRAIN
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 23V830000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 25V099000

    Report date
    Component:
    ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 47 complaints · page 1 of 2

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources