Kia Soul 2020–2025 problems by year and mileage
3rd generation (SK3)
NHTSA data through 24 September 2026794 complaints, 257 with mileageMethod
A DO NOT DRIVE recall covers part of this generation — check the VIN before driving it home.
Which year is yours? Tap it to see what breaks on it.
The 2020 Kia Soul
Close- Median failure report
- 13,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 381
- Recalls naming this year
- 1
Most reported on the 2020
- Engine238 reports · median 24,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline89 reports · median 9,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise52 reports
1 recall campaign names the 2020: Engine. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2021 Kia Soul
Close- Median failure report
- 65,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 233
- Recalls naming this year
- 2
Most reported on the 2021
- Engine133 reports
- Engine and its cooling system47 reports · median 80,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline26 reports
2 recall campaigns name the 2021: Engine and engine cooling — engine; Engine. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2022 Kia Soul
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 88
- Recalls naming this year
- 1
Most reported on the 2022
- Engine51 reports
- Engine and its cooling system19 reports
- Transmission and driveline12 reports
1 recall campaign names the 2022: Engine and engine cooling — engine. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2023 Kia Soul
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 51
- Recalls naming this year
- 4
Most reported on the 2023
- Electrical system13 reports
- Engine13 reports
- Problems owners could not categorise12 reports
4 recall campaigns name the 2023: Engine and engine cooling — engine; Air bags; Power train — automatic transmission. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2024 Kia Soul
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 29
- Recalls naming this year
- 0
Most reported on the 2024
- Electrical system9 reports
- Problems owners could not categorise8 reports
- Engine4 reports
The 2025 Kia Soul
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 12
- Recalls naming this year
- 0
Most reported on the 2025
- Exterior lighting4 reports
- Problems owners could not categorise3 reports
- Forward collision avoidance2 reports
Each tile shows the median mileage at which that model year’s failures were reported. The 2021 reports latest and the 2020 earliest, but part of that gap is age: the 2020 has had 1 more year on the road to accumulate mileage. 4 of these years carry fewer than 30 reports with an odometer reading and show no median at all, rather than one computed from a handful.
The short answer
“Is the 2020–2025 Kia Soul reliable?”
- Median of reported failures
- 22,000 mi
- 90% of reports came by
- 105,000 mi
- Reports with mileage
- 257
- Recalls
- 5
At least 40% of this generation’s complaints were filed after 2020, and most complaints filed since then carry no odometer reading, so the median likely understates the mileage these failures happen at.
Most reported
- Engine55.4% of complaints · median 24,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline17.0% of complaints · median 9,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise14.2% of complaints · median 6,000 mi
Owners filed 794 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020–2025 Kia Soul; the engine leads with 55.4% of them, and half of the 257 that record an odometer reading came by 22,000 miles. A count like this can’t rate reliability on its own: NHTSA records what owners chose to report, not how many of each car were sold.
37% of complaints that record mileage fall within the first 12,000 miles, against 1.4 reports per 1,000 miles between 20,000 and 80,000. On a generation this new that is expected: few examples have been driven further yet, so the timing says little about design or wear so far.
Before-you-buy checklist ↓At your mileage ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
How many miles does a 2020–2025 Kia Soul last?
The newest model years (2024–2025) are too young to have reached high mileage; most reports with an odometer reading come from the earlier years of the generation.
Complaint records can’t measure how long a car lasts; they show when reported failures happened. On the 2020–2025 Kia Soul, half of the 257 complaints that record an odometer reading were filed by 22,000 miles and 90% by 105,000 miles.
8 reports came in past 150,000 miles and 2 past 200,000 — each one proof that a Soul reached that mileage, not that it failed there.
Figure 1 · Kia Soul 2020–2025 · 257 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 20,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 118 complaints.
- First 12,000 miles — 37% of all failures
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 2 complaints (0.8%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 1,900
- 25%
- 7,000
- Median
- 21,632
- 75%
- 75,000
- 90%
- 105,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–20,000 | 118 | 45.9% |
| 20,000–40,000 | 36 | 14.0% |
| 40,000–60,000 | 19 | 7.4% |
| 60,000–80,000 | 26 | 10.1% |
| 80,000–100,000 | 29 | 11.3% |
| 100,000–120,000 | 11 | 4.3% |
| 120,000–140,000 | 8 | 3.1% |
| 140,000–160,000 | 4 | 1.6% |
| 160,000–180,000 | 2 | 0.8% |
| 180,000–200,000 | 2 | 0.8% |
| 200,000+ | 2 | 0.8% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Common Soul problems, and when they happen
Figure 2 · Kia Soul 2020–2025
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Steering36 reports4,500400–14,000Steering: 36 reports, median 4,500 miles, middle half 400 to 14,000 miles.
- Problems owners could not categorise113 reports6,0002,500–12,000Problems owners could not categorise: 113 reports, median 6,000 miles, middle half 2,500 to 12,000 miles.
- Transmission and driveline135 reports9,0004,000–18,000Transmission and driveline: 135 reports, median 9,000 miles, middle half 4,000 to 18,000 miles.
- Throttle and speed control25 reports13,0008,000–30,000Throttle and speed control: 25 reports, median 13,000 miles, middle half 8,000 to 30,000 miles.
- Electrical system75 reports17,0004,000–45,000Electrical system: 75 reports, median 17,000 miles, middle half 4,000 to 45,000 miles.
- Engine440 reports24,0008,500–80,000Engine: 440 reports, median 24,000 miles, middle half 8,500 to 80,000 miles.
- Engine and its cooling system78 reports75,00056,000–96,000Engine and its cooling system: 78 reports, median 75,000 miles, middle half 56,000 to 96,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
All systems in a table
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 440 | 55.4% | 24,000 | 8,500–80,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 135 | 17.0% | 9,000 | 4,000–18,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 113 | 14.2% | 6,000 | 2,500–12,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 78 | 9.8% | 75,000 | 56,000–96,000 |
| Electrical system | 75 | 9.4% | 17,000 | 4,000–45,000 |
| Steering | 36 | 4.5% | 4,500 | 400–14,000 |
| Brakes | 34 | 4.3% | — | — |
| Fuel and propulsion system | 33 | 4.2% | — | — |
| Throttle and speed control | 25 | 3.1% | 13,000 | 8,000–30,000 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 24 | 3.0% | — | — |
System by system, in words
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 22,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The engine accounts for 55.4% of complaints (440 reports, 109 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 24,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 8,500 and 80,000 miles.
A single system taking 55.4% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 17.0% of complaints (135 reports, 68 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 9,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 4,000 and 18,000 miles.
Problems owners could not categorise accounts for 14.2% of complaints (113 reports, 15 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 6,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 2,500 and 12,000 miles.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 9.8% of complaints (78 reports, 65 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 75,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 56,000 and 96,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 9.4% of complaints (75 reports, 14 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 17,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 4,000 and 45,000 miles.
The steering accounts for 4.5% of complaints (36 reports, 16 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 4,500 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 400 and 14,000 miles.
Known problems with the 2020–2025 Soul
Transmission
IVT (chain-type CVT) behaviour complaints — droning, hesitation and shudder — replacing the previous conventional automatic.
Anti-Theft 2020–2021
Early cars lacking an engine immobilizer are highly theft-prone; Kia made immobilizers standard partway through the generation and issued a software countermeasure for earlier units.
Before you buy a 2020–2025 Soul: the 3-minute check
Generated from 257 mileage-tagged complaints, 5 recall campaigns, 2 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 5 campaigns cover this generation; an open recall is a free repair you can make the seller's problem.
- Ask for transmission and driveline repair records. Reports on this area come at a median of 9,000 miles — a newer example may not have reached that mileage yet, so ask what was repaired under warranty and what the warranty still covers.
- Ask for problems owners could not categorise repair records. Reports on this area come at a median of 6,000 miles — a newer example may not have reached that mileage yet, so ask what was repaired under warranty and what the warranty still covers.
- Check transmission. IVT (chain-type CVT) behaviour complaints — droning, hesitation and shudder — replacing the previous conventional automatic.
- Check anti-theft on 2020–2021 cars. Early cars lacking an engine immobilizer are highly theft-prone; Kia made immobilizers standard partway through the generation and issued a software countermeasure for earlier units.
- Complaint reports are not spread evenly across model years here — see the by-model-year table below before you settle on a year.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer of a newer example: 37% of the reported failures occur in the first 12,000 miles, and many of these cars have not covered that yet. The early window may still be ahead, so check what the factory warranty still covers and whether any recall on the VIN is open.
On inspection, the engine and the transmission and driveline are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The transmission and driveline in particular shows a median failure mileage of 9,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
Soul problems by mileage: where your car sits
Type your odometer reading, or read the common mileages in the table. Your marker lands on the timing chart above and on the curve below.
| System | Middle half of reports, mi | At 60k mi67% below | At 90k mi82% below | At 120k mi93% below | At 150k mi97% below | At 200k mi99% below |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 8,500–80,000 | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Transmission and driveline | 4,000–18,000 | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 2,500–12,000 | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Engine and its cooling system | 56,000–96,000 | in window | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Electrical system | 4,000–45,000 | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Steering | 400–14,000 | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Throttle and speed control | 8,000–30,000 | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
Figure 3 · Kia Soul 2020–2025 · 257 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 67% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 93% of reports below
- 200,000 mi — 99% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it above
The staircase tops out at 99%: the remaining 0.8% of reports (2) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
2020–2025 Kia Soul recalls (5)
NHTSA records 5 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
1 of these carry a severe advisory — NHTSA's do not drive or park outside warnings, which the agency applies only when it considers the risk immediate. If you own one of these vehicles, that is the first thing to check by VIN.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Feb 2025 · 2021–2023 · Engine and Engine CoolingEngine damage can cause a vehicle stall or fire, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
The defect. 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.
What can happen. Engine damage can cause a vehicle stall or fire, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
The free 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…
Dec 2023 · 2023 · Air BagsAn air bag that deploys unexpectedly can increase the risk of injury or crash.
The defect. 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.
What can happen. An air bag that deploys unexpectedly can increase the risk of injury or crash.
The free 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…
Jul 2023 · 2023 · Power Train park outsideAn electric oil pump assembly that overheats increases the risk of a vehicle fire.
The defect. 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.
What can happen. An electric oil pump assembly that overheats increases the risk of a vehicle fire.
The free 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…
Apr 2023 · 2023 · Electrical SystemA blank instrument cluster display will not show critical information, such as tire pressure, warning…
The defect. 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…
What can happen. 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 free 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…
Apr 2021 · 2020–2021 · EngineA damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
The defect. 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.
What can happen. 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.
The free fix. Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Kia will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. The recall began…
Crashes, fires and injuries owners reported
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 794 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 32 (4.0%)
- Fires
- 12
- Injury reports
- 20
- Fatality reports
- 3
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Soul problems by model year
The 2020 drew the most complaints of this generation, 381, most of them about the engine, and the 2024 the fewest among the 5 years with at least 20 complaints, 29. A typical year drew about 88.
That makes the 2020 stand out at roughly 4.3 times a typical year. A count like this follows how many cars of each year were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as how often they failed, so it is not by itself evidence of a worse year; what each year's reports name, in its card and row, is the useful part.
| Year | Complaints | With mileage | Median miles | Most reported | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 381 | 162 | 13,000 | Engine (238) | 1 |
| 2021 | 233 | 65 | 65,000 | Engine (133) | 2 |
| 2022 | 88 | 22 | under 30 reports | Engine (51) | 1 |
| 2023 | 51 | 6 | under 30 reports | Electrical system (13) | 4 |
| 2024 | 29 | 2 | under 30 reports | Electrical system (9) | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 | 0 | under 30 reports | Exterior lighting (4) | 0 |
What Soul owners reported
The contact owned a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while attempting to operate the vehicle, the engine seized and the vehicle failed to start. When attempting to start the vehicle, a knock turnover was present, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number…
2020 · 155,000 miles · Engine
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and added oil to the engine before continuing to drive. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis, and the contact was informed…
2020 · 182,000 miles · Engine
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH, the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); and the recall repair was previously performed…
2021 · 188,000 miles · Engine and its cooling system
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the spark plugs and coils needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that…
2020 · 70,000 miles · Engine
Built from 257 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-09-26 · open data · how it is built
Other Soul generations
- Soul 2010–2013 910 reports with mileage, most about the engine
- Soul 2014–2019 1,761 reports with mileage, most about the engine