- Safety
- 4
- of 5 stars
- Recalls
- 4
- on record
- MPG
- 30
- combined
Fatalities reported
Owner complaints to NHTSA include 1 report involving a death. Read the complaint record closely.
Vehicle Summary
2023 Kia Soul
Before You Buy
Safety record at a glance
- Recall campaigns
- 4
- Owner complaints
- 48
- Complaints citing a crash
- 5
These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.
4 Recalls on Record
1 of these is high-severity. Contact a dealer to verify these have been completed.
Safety recalls
4 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.
- 23V298000high
Electrical issue
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL
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.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 23V531000high
Drivetrain issue
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:PUMP
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.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 23V830000high
Airbag system issue
AIR BAGS
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.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
- 25V099000high
Engine issue
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL
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.
Full campaign recordRemedy
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.
NHTSA crash-test ratings
NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2023 Kia Soul.
Frontal crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 4 / 5
Side crash
- Driver
- 5 / 5
- Passenger
- 5 / 5
- Side pole
- 3 / 5
Rollover
- Rollover risk
- 14.7%
- Dynamic tip
- No Tip
Driver-assistance technologies
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Standard & Optional
- Lane departure warning
- Standard
What the ratings mean
NHTSA gives the 2023 Kia Soul 4 out of 5 stars overall, below the 5-star median for the 4 comparable 2023 vehicles NHTSA rated in this class.
NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.
NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 14.7% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.
Fuel economy & emissions
EPA figures for the 2023 Kia Soul, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.
28
City
33
Hwy
30
Comb
- Annual fuel cost
- $2,050
- Tailpipe CO₂
- 301 g/mi
How this compares
The EPA holds too few vehicles in this class and model year to rank the 2023 Kia Soul against its peers.
Tailpipe CO₂ is 301 grams per mile — about 4.5 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.
Consumer complaints
48 owner reports filed with NHTSA.
- 48
- Total
- 5
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 15
- Injuries
Most reported components
- ENGINE15
- ELECTRICAL7
- OTHER7
- AIR BAGS5
- BRAKES4
Serious Concerns
48 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 1 report involves a death. 15 reports involve injuries. 5 reports involve a crash.
Most reported problems
Safety timeline
Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2023 Kia Soul, newest first.
- Investigation closed
NHTSA closed investigation AQ25001
Kia 25V099 Piston Oil Ring Recall Effectiveness
- Investigation opened
NHTSA opened investigation AQ25001
Kia 25V099 Piston Oil Ring Recall Effectiveness
- Recall
Engine damage can cause a vehicle stall or fire, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
- Recall
An air bag that deploys unexpectedly can increase the risk of injury or crash.
- Recall
An electric oil pump assembly that overheats increases the risk of a vehicle fire.
- Recall
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.
Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.
Specifications & ratings
Specifications
- Body class
- Small Station Wagons
- Drive type
- Front-Wheel Drive
- Engine
- 2L 4-cyl
- Fuel type
- Unknown
- Transmission
- Automatic (variable gear ratios)
- Seats
- 0
Fuel economy
28
City
33
Hwy
30
Comb
- Annual cost
- $2,050
- Fuel
- Regular Gasoline
NHTSA crash ratings
- Overall
- Frontal
- Side
- Rollover
Explore related
Compare with
Systems recalled
Safety timeline
Full timeline- Investigation closed
NHTSA closed investigation AQ25001
Kia 25V099 Piston Oil Ring Recall Effectiveness
- Investigation opened
NHTSA opened investigation AQ25001
Kia 25V099 Piston Oil Ring Recall Effectiveness
- Recall
Engine damage can cause a vehicle stall or fire, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
- Recall
An air bag that deploys unexpectedly can increase the risk of injury or crash.
- Recall
An electric oil pump assembly that overheats increases the risk of a vehicle fire.