Recall campaigns by affected system, 2016–2024.
25V099000NHTSA report received February 2025Model years: 2021–2023
NHTSA campaign 25V099000: Kia Soul engine and engine cooling recall
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 per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will inspect and replace the engine as necessary, free of charge.
23V830000NHTSA report received December 2023Model years: 2023
NHTSA campaign 23V830000: Kia Soul air bags recall
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 per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will inspect and replace both side curtain air bag modules as necessary, free of charge.
23V531000NHTSA report received July 2023Model years: 2023
NHTSA campaign 23V531000: Kia Soul power train recall
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 per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete.
23V298000NHTSA report received April 2023Model years: 2023
NHTSA campaign 23V298000: Kia Soul electrical system recall
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."
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 per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge.
22V031000NHTSA report received January 2022Model years: 2017–2019
NHTSA campaign 22V031000: Kia Soul air bags recall
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Forte, and 2017 Forte Koup vehicles. The Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board and damage the electrical circuit. Circuit damage may result in deactivated air bags that will not deploy in a crash.
Consequence: Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Dealers will inspect the ACU, and either update the software or replace the unit, as necessary.
21V259000NHTSA report received April 2021Model years: 2020–2021
NHTSA campaign 21V259000: Kia Soul engine recall
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.
Consequence: 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.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge.
19V120000NHTSA report received February 2019Model years: 2016
NHTSA campaign 19V120000: Kia Soul engine recall
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Kia Soul vehicles equipped with 1.6L Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines. High exhaust gas temperatures may damage the catalytic converter, possibly resulting in abnormal engine combustion and damage to one or more of the engine's pistons and possible piston connecting rod failure.
Consequence: Piston damage may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash. A broken connecting rod may puncture the engine block allowing engine oil to escape. The leaking oil may contact the exhaust, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Kia will notify owners, and dealers will upgrade the Catalytic Overheating Protection Engine Control Unit logic to prevent overheating of the catalytic converter.
17V608000NHTSA report received September 2017Model years: 2016
NHTSA campaign 17V608000: Kia Soul steering recall
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Soul and Soul EV vehicles. The pinion plug may allow the pinion gear to separate from the steering gear assembly.
Consequence: If the pinion gear separates, steering will be lost, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy per NHTSA (as of 2026-08-27): Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and secure the pinion plug or replace the steering gear assembly, as necessary, free of charge.
The same full inspection at every tier, at the seller’s location, with a photo-documented report:
Other small cars to weigh against the Kia Soul. Recall counts cover different model-year spans and are not a reliability ranking.
How many recalls does the Kia Soul have?
As of NHTSA records retrieved 2026-08-27, NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns for the Kia Soul, model years 2016–2024. A recall applies to specific VIN ranges, variants, trims or build dates, so a particular vehicle may be affected by all, some, or none of them, and a campaign count is not a reliability ranking. Whether an open recall is a safety risk depends on the campaign, so read the NHTSA entry for the VIN. Each campaign below shows the remedy NHTSA records, which may be a dealer or service-center repair, an over-the-air software update, or, for some campaigns, a repurchase. This page details the most recent campaigns; the full record for any VIN is at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What should an inspector check on a used Kia Soul?
Beyond the standard pre-purchase checks, the recall history for this model concentrates in: engine, air bags, steering, engine and engine cooling, electrical system, power train. An inspector documents the visible and operational condition of those systems without disassembly; internal parts, software-only issues and whether a recall remedy was performed are VIN-lookup questions, not inspection findings.
Can a pre-purchase inspection tell me whether a Kia Soul recall was done?
No. Whether a recall repair was performed is recorded against the VIN, so NHTSA's lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls (or the manufacturer's own) is the authoritative check. Run it before you travel. The inspection covers what a VIN lookup cannot: the physical condition of the vehicle in front of you.
Can you inspect a Kia Soul at a dealer, a private seller, or out of state?
Yes. The inspector usually travels to the vehicle at the seller's location — a dealer lot or a private seller — and you do not need to be there. Vehicle Inspectors dispatches an independent inspector within 50 miles of any US ZIP code, widening to 150 miles if needed; more remote locations are quoted case by case. You get a photo-documented PDF report in 24–48 hours.
How much does a Kia Soul pre-purchase inspection cost?
A pre-purchase inspection of a Kia Soul through Vehicle Inspectors: Bronze $249 · Silver $349 · Gold $449. Your card is saved at booking, not charged. A hold is placed when an inspector schedules, and you are charged after the inspection is completed. If no inspector accepts within 72 hours, the request auto-cancels and nothing is charged.
Vehicle Inspectors matches buyers with independent inspectors nationwide. Local pages for cities with active inspectors:
