NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 51 owner complaints for the 2023 Kia Soul.
One recall for this model year tells owners not to drive or to park outside until repaired:Powertrain, park outside (23V-531). Check your VIN below to see whether yours is affected.
4Safety recalls
51Owner complaints
5Complaints citing a crash
1Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 28, 2026
Recalled components: powertrain, engine and cooling, air bags, and electrical system. Most-described problem: stalling or shutting off while driving (6 complaints, 12%). Most-reported area: electrical system (13 complaints, 25%). Excludes the electric Soul EV.
4 safety recalls for the 2023 Kia Soul
Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls first, then newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
The electronic controller for the Idle Stop & Go oil pump assembly may contain damaged electrical components that can cause the pump to overheat.
Risk: An electric oil pump assembly that overheats increases the risk of a vehicle fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Soul, Sportage, and 2023-2024 Seltos vehicles.
The piston oil rings may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in engine damage.
Risk: Engine damage can cause a vehicle stall or fire, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Seltos and Soul vehicles.
Due to a manufacturing error, the side curtain air bags may deploy unexpectedly.
Risk: An air bag that deploys unexpectedly can increase the risk of injury or crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Soul and 2024 Seltos vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SOUL. Kia campaign SC289.
Electrical system
Apr 26, 2023
instrument cluster/panel
Fails federal standard 101 (controls and displays)
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."
Risk: 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.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
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.
NHTSA listing: SOUL. Kia campaign SC270.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
Owners have filed 51 complaints with NHTSA about the 2023 Soul. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Stalling or shutting off while driving6 · 12%
Loss of power or limp mode3 · 6%
Check engine light3 · 6%
Engine failure or replacement3 · 6%
Backup camera problems3 · 6%
Unintended acceleration or surging3 · 6%
Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these.
Areas named in complaints
Electrical system13 · 25%
Engine13 · 25%
Steering8 · 16%
Brakes7 · 14%
Lane departure systems7 · 14%
Most named: warning (3)
Air bags5 · 10%
Forward collision avoidance5 · 10%
Most named: automatic emergency braking (3); warnings (3)
Unknown or other12 · 24%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Kia Soul recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2023 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2020 Soul drew the most (165) and the 2023 drew 41.
Owner complaints
2023: 51 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Kia Soul
Model year
Complaints
2016
812
2017
272
2018
218
2019
136
2020
381
2021
233
2022
88
2023
51
2024
29
2025
12
Safety recalls
2023: 4 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Kia Soul
Model year
Recalls
2016
2
2017
1
2018
1
2019
1
2020
1
2021
2
2022
1
2023
4
2024
0
2025
0
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Kia Soul SUV FWD
Rollover risk 14.7%
Questions
What are the most common 2023 Soul problems?
In the 51 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2023 Kia Soul, the problems described most are stalling or shutting off while driving (6). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2023 Kia Soul safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2023 Kia Soul earns 4 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Soul has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Kia dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 29, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 28, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: SOUL.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.