2021 KIA SOUL

What owners reported to NHTSA, ranked by how often and how seriously.

This is complaint data, not a random sample.

It only includes owners who chose to file a federal complaint, so it over-represents dramatic and safety-related problems and under-represents minor issues an owner just had fixed without reporting. Read this as what NHTSA complainants report most, not as this vehicle's true failure rate. Full methodology.

Component ranking

  1. #1

    engine internal

    7 stranded, 41 unsafe, 1 annoyance

    49
    incidents

    Commonly reported, insufficient mileage data - n=17, median 20,000 mi, no reliable range below 25 reports.

    • "TWO MAJOR ISSUES. I HAVE HEARD A VERY LOUD TICKING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE WHICH STARTED ABOUT THREE DAYS AGO. BEFORE THEN THE CAR RAN SILENT. CAR IS IT APPROXIMATELY 8000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE CLICKING STARTED GETTING LOUDER AND THEN THE CAR STALLED…"~8,000 mi, complaint #1731309
    • "The contact owned a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact s…"~20,000 mi, complaint #2071843
    • "The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and accelerating, the vehicle occasionally shuddered or stalled, forcing the contact to pull over onto the side of the road to restart the vehicle. The check engine warni…"~20,000 mi, complaint #2078257
    • "The contact noticed the oil drained quickly and RPMs increased rapidly upon starting the vehicle. The approximate failure mileage was 86,100. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the ECU was replaced twice, the piston rings were not replaced; the issue…"~86,100 mi, complaint #2206616
    • "The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine). The contact stated that the check engine warning light was flashing. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The dealer cleared…"~128,495 mi, complaint #2108615
  2. #2

    engine stall or no start

    7 stranded, 29 unsafe

    36
    incidents
    Typical range: 61,000–105,500 mi

    Median 82,000 mi, based on 41 reports (54% had no usable mileage)

    • "WHEN I WAS DRIVING AT 15MPH THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. SO I TRIED TO RESTART IT AND WHEN I TOOK THE KEY OUT EVERYTHING LOCKED UP AND IT WAS LIKE THAT FOR 5 MIN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD BEFORE THE CAR CAME BACK ON AND FLAHED THE ENGINE AND OIL LIGHT."~2,500 mi, complaint #1707674
    • "The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled on several occasions. There were no warning lights illuminated. The engine failure message was displayed. The contact received notification of NHTSA campa…"~8,000 mi, complaint #1758598
    • "The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and turning into a parking lot, the vehicle stalled and seized to function. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle and the vehic…"~80,000 mi, complaint #2085400
    • "The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission and the engi…"~109,000 mi, complaint #1948579
  3. #3

    engine oil consumption

    1 stranded, 27 unsafe, 2 annoyance

    30
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled on several occasions. The driver was able to pull over to the side of…"~75,000 mi, complaint #2155983
  4. #4

    transmission automatic

    8 unsafe

    8
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=5)

    • "VEHICLE WAS PARKED ON A SLIGHT SLOPE PARKING SPACE BACKING TO A ONE-WAY PUBLIC ROAD IN NATIONAL PARK.IT WAS A DESIGNATED PARKING SPACE. THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING AND IN THE P MODE OF GEAR SELECTION. I EXITED THE DRIVER'S DOOR FOR FEW MINUTES. THEN OPENED THE DRI…"~1,200 mi, complaint #1745937
    • "The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the contact stated that after activating the air conditioning the vehicle lost motive power and decelerated. The vehicle was taken to the…"~12,000 mi, complaint #1926687
  5. #5

    other

    5 unsafe, 2 annoyance

    7
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Car was stolen using a known design flaw. Now both of my cars are in the shop because of this"complaint #1770621
    • "On May 15, 2022 my house burned and all my belongings and the home were a total loss. The fire origination specialist brought in by my homeowners Insurance Company reported the back left of the garage was the origination spot and that my 2021 Kia Soul was park…"complaint #1822517
    • "My car kept on breaking down and it happened twice. When i contacted the Kia customer service, they told me the wait time until i can get the car ready is about 2 months and until then im gonna have to either rent a car that they would pay $44 for, which is cl…"complaint #2016691
    • "When initially finding out about the recall I attempted to schedule an appointment to have it fixed. Unfortunately, I was told by someone at Kia of North Austin that the recall was no longer open and was unaware until now that there is in fact an open recall f…"complaint #2118911
    • "Mi carro hay veces que prende la luz de la engine, lo lleve a checar y salió en la computadora que era un problema de Power Train system, que era secondary DTCs P1C28 Y P1C28000, lo busque en Google y salía que era un problema muy recurrente en Kias souls y so…"complaint #2194992
  6. #6

    airbag system

    4 unsafe

    4
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "My daughter was driving her 2021 KIA Soul S and a Chevy Silverado suddenly pulled in front of her. The crash report says impact was at 50 mph. My daughter survived the crash; however, the vehicle immediately caught on fire and flames entered the cabin from wha…"complaint #1785175
    • "Airbags didn't deploy with hard frontal contact. Vehicle is being held by insurance company so it can be looked at. Vehicle has been inspected by insurance company as total loss. Front end is destroyed and frame is bent."complaint #1818023
    • "While crossing an intersection a Jeep Gladiator ran a red light causing my vehicle to hit it broad side. Front and side airbags did not deploy. The frontend was damaged is buckled, hood about 6", fenders crushed and the grill was destroyed. Driver's door woul…"complaint #1863358
    • "I had a crash that severely impacted the front end of this vehicle and the airbags did not deploy. I have minor injuries. "complaint #1921382
  7. #7

    paint and clearcoat

    1 unsafe, 2 annoyance

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Paint is peeling on the roof of my 2021 Kia Soul - for no reason. I have read that other KIA owners have this problem and Kia is not taking responsibility for this."complaint #2143812
    • "Paint chipping and peeling in several places"complaint #2162498
    • "Manufacturer defect: Massive paint delamination/adhesion failure on the roof. Large sheets of paint are flaking off while the vehicle is in motion, creating a debris hazard for following drivers and distracting the operator. The failure has exposed the bare me…"complaint #2196012
  8. #8

    unintended acceleration

    3 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=2)

    • "I WAS GOING TO GET MY MAIL ATTEMPTING TO PARK WHERE I ALWAYS PARK. I HIT THE BRAKE AND THE CAR SPED UP AND HIT TWO MAILBOXES. I COULDN'T GET IT TO STOP. I DO NOT KNOW HOW FAST IT WAS GOING WHEN I HIT THE MAILBOXES"complaint #1718968
    • "When exiting the highway, I pushed on brake to slow down and car accelerated at fast speed and had to use emergency brake. "complaint #1842603
    • "We were going south on [XXX] about 25 mph intending to make a left turn onto [XXX] My wife said “slow down or you won’t make the turn” to which I replied “I am trying but it won’t slow down” As I applied the brakes to slow down to turn, instead the car start…"complaint #2067222
  9. #9

    wiring harness

    3 unsafe

    3
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=4)

    • "The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, he became aware that the headlamps were not functioning properly. The exterior lighting warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer…"~13,000 mi, complaint #1971055
  10. #10

    adas lane keeping

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "DRIVING 75 MPH SPEED LIMIT ON I-19 (4 LANE DIVIDED) NORTHBOUND NEAR GREEN VALLEY AZ. DRY CLEAR. IS NEW CAR WITH 400 MILES ON IT AND I WAS USING THE LANE KEEPING ASSISTANCE HANDS FREE. CLEARLY VISIBLE PAINTED LANE LINES. WORKED FINE UNTIL LANE MARKINGS DIVERGED…"complaint #1742088
    • "First off I do not use my lane keep assist. When traveling at any speed on a long curves of 100 to 150 ft or longer or sitting in a parking lot with the steering wheel angled between 15 to 30 degrees either left or right of center for 15 to 30 seconds the syst…"complaint #1939667
  11. #11

    brake hydraulics

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Driving, slowing down for a stop light. Put the brakes on, they did not work. Push the all the way to the floor. Hit the vehicle in front of me. Luckily going slow between lights"complaint #2095697
    • "Description of Incident: On February 9, 2026, at approximately 3:00 PM, I was driving my [REDACTED ADDRESS] and Winterberry in Elk Grove, CA. A vehicle suddenly merged into my path. I immediately attempted to apply the brakes, but the pedal failed to depress o…"complaint #2176802
  12. #12

    engine cooling

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "The contact owned a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that soon after purchase of the vehicle, she discovered both low coolant and low oil levels upon inspection of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to the d…"~2,416 mi, complaint #1758214
  13. #13

    fuel pump

    1 stranded, 1 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=4)

    • "The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was unable to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway and was assisted in pushing the vehicle to a safe l…"~80,000 mi, complaint #2073737
  14. #14

    glass and windshield

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Heading to work on hwy 140, there is no trees nothing that could fall on my car the nearest car was at least half a mile away, it's 30something degrees outside and as my driving I heard a loud boom I opened up the cover to my sunroof and it was shattered, ther…"complaint #1869993
    • "Sunroof failure, spontaneously exploded. Fortunately I was not driving the car when it happened or could have caused an accident. Went to my car one morning and the sunroof looked like an earthquake for no reason. No damage, car was parked my driveway and was…"complaint #2127044
  15. #15

    steering electric assist

    2 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while turning the ignition on and off, there was a knocking sound coming from the dashboard. After pulling into a parking lot, a red exclamation point illuminated the instrument panel, and the steering…"~53,000 mi, complaint #2068828
  16. #16

    transmission cvt

    1 stranded, 1 unsafe

    2
    incidents

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=1)

    • "I I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE AND MY CAR STARTED MAKING A LOUD NOISE AND DECELERATED. IT SEEMED TO LOSE POWER, I TURNED AROUND AND STARTED HOME AS I WAS VERY FRIGHTENED. THE CAR ACCELERATED WITHOUT PRESSING THE GAS, DECELERATED WITHOUT PRESSING THE BRAKE. THE T…"~3,437 mi, complaint #1746550
  17. #17

    acceleration loss or hesitation

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Over the course of 24 hours car would not accelerate when depressing the pedal, although the engine was revving. This occurred 3 times at intersections when the car was stopped at a light. The car only has 3,500 miles on in it; it was purchased in April 2021.…"complaint #1773463
  18. #18

    adas collision warning

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I am filing this complaint to report a serious safety failure involving the service braking system and the failure of Forward Collision‑Avoidance Assist (FCA) and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) on my 2021 Kia Soul. During an imminent collision event, the ve…"complaint #2187021
  19. #19

    alignment and pull

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

    • "VEHICLE KEEPS PULLING. VEHICLE PULLED TO THE RIGHT. PERFORMED A STEERING ANGLE RELEARNED, AND WHEEL ALIGNMENT. CROSS ROTATED TIRES AND NOW THE VEHICLE PULLS TO THE LEFT. TOLD NOTHING ELSE CAN BE DONE AT THIS TIME. CAR IS CONSTANTLY. FIGHTING ITSELF WITH STEER…"~631 mi, complaint #1702850
  20. #20

    battery and charging

    1 stranded

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=3)

    • "WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD IN WET WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER, LOST WIPERS AND HEADLIGHTS. HAPPENED ON INTERSTATE WHILE TRAVELING AT 65 MPH. VEHICLE STATED KEY WASN'T DETECTED IN CAR. WHILE IN MOTION USING OTHER VEHICLES HEADLIGHTS WAS ABL…"~814 mi, complaint #1703327
  21. #21

    brake pads and rotors

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "At my last six month servicing the service person neglected to notice my annual inspection was due. He did, however, tell me my brake pads needed replacing. I asked how that was possible since the car had less than 10,000 miles on it. He went to check with the…"complaint #1972089
  22. #22

    catalytic converter

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Check engine light on due to catalytic converter, took it to Kia motors in Bakersfield, California due to recall let them know that there was a check engine light on after buying the vehicle and only having it for one month and I thought it was due to the reca…"complaint #2183700
  23. #23

    control module

    1 annoyance

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I put my car in park, turned off my car, and it lit up with an alarm saying that my car was not in park. It doesn't happen every time but it has happened twice. "complaint #1774492
  24. #24

    driveshaft axle cv

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Cv joint and axle causing car to stall when turunning"complaint #2210218
  25. #25

    engine head gasket

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I am writing to formally report a failure by Classic Kia of Streetsboro to provide the federally mandated safety remedy under Recall SC336 for my 2021 Kia Soul (VIN: [XXX] ). I have reason to believe the dealership has bypassed the mandatory safety protocols b…"complaint #2191747
  26. #26

    fluid leak unspecified

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "My car 2021 Kia Soul S, with 28, 000 miles has a water leak issue in the passanger side. The water accumulates on the floor causing mold issues so severe that it has infected the back seat. There is too much condensantion inside the car. I cannot drive the c…"complaint #1937720
  27. #27

    horn

    1 annoyance

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Horn fails to operate. 2nd time for this car. 1st time was repaired by dealer as warranty. Now failed again. Car only has 14000 miles on it."complaint #1849525
  28. #28

    key fob and immobilizer

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "The Plastic Ignition Switch for my vehicle is an invitation to steal my car. Which is exactly what happened. I could have been harmed had I seen this happening. Many people on the streets of Milwaukee could have been harmed as well, because my stolen vehicl…"complaint #1776981
  29. #29

    software or update

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "On 12/28 at approximately 5:00 pm my vehicle shut off 2 times within a span of 30 minutes while I was driving it. It happened on approach to a highway. It was NOT the Stop-Start System. My car was moving while it happened. My car lost all power, and every w…"complaint #1863818
  30. #30

    steering column

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "My 2021 Kia Soul was an attempted theft. The vehicle was locked and the would-be thieves gained access by breaking the passenger rear window. The True failure is in the ignition system. As the thieves tore apart the steering column and dismantled the ignition…"complaint #1940538
  31. #31

    suspension arms and bushings

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Turned my wheel to pull out of a parking spot. I heard a grinding noise as I moved forward and then lost the ability to steer my car. I was able to get my car off the street and upon inspection found my left front tie rod had snapped in half. "complaint #1942810
  32. #32

    suspension struts shocks

    1 annoyance

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Noise while driving and over bumps and steering"complaint #2226377
  33. #33

    timing belt or chain

    1 stranded

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Initial Breakdown: July 2024, my 2021 Kia Soul (under 40,000 miles) idled roughly and stalled while in motion. It restarted, but as a precaution, I towed it to Kia Greenbrier Chesapeake while it was operable. After diagnostics, the vehicle would no longer star…"complaint #2212701
  34. #34

    unknown

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "I am very concern with the [REDACTED ADDRESS] presently. The vehicle is in my son’s name; however, I pay the monthly payments and I am the primary driver for this automobile; this is also listed on my insurance policy as well. I have been experiencing some dan…"complaint #1802943
  35. #35

    wiper and washer

    1 unsafe

    1
    incident

    Mileage: suppressed (fewer than 10 mileage-bearing reports; n=0)

    • "Less than 24 hours after being purchased as a Kia factory certified pre-owned vehicle my daughter was driving. While driving headlights, wipers, and dash lights went out including infotainment/CarPlay map display on a rainy day. California requires headlight…"complaint #2063861

NHTSA investigations

Search NHTSA's own recall and complaint database for KIA SOUL directly.