2023 KIA Soul

Recalls, Specs & Safety Report

Expert Verdict
ℹ️Average Safety Profile

This 2023 model shows average reliability, primarily driven by 4 recalls affecting the electrical system system.

Key Factor:electrical system recalls

πŸ“‹Why This Matters

Understanding recall history helps predict future ownership costs. Each unaddressed issue represents potential repair expenses.

Insurance companies review vehicle reliability data when setting premiums. Models with elevated recall rates often see adjusted pricing.

Focus Area:general reliability
πŸ“Š

Expert Analysis

  • πŸ“ˆ
    Recall Trend:No Change in recalls
  • ⚠️
    Primary Risk Area:Warning
  • βš–οΈ
    Vs Brand: Worse than avg (1.9)
    πŸ“
    Summary:

Safety & Reliability Score

61/100

Score Breakdown

Recall Impact-32
Complaint Impact-2
Investigation Impact-5

Technical Specifications

Key specifications for the 2023 KIA Soul

Model Year2023
MakeKIA
ModelSoul
Fuel TypeGasoline
Body ClassPassenger Vehicle

Safety History Timeline

Scroll for more β†’
Sep22
ISSUEFirst Report
Jan23
NEWProduction
Jan23
RECALLRecall Issued
Jan23
RECALLRecall Issued
Jan23
RECALLRecall Issued
Jan23
RECALLRecall Issued
Apr23
INVInvestigation Opened

Consumer Complaint Analysis

⚠️

Most Reported Issue

13 complaints (33% of total)
➑️

Complaint Trend

Stable
No trend data
βœ…

Safety Incidents

No critical incidents

Complaint Severity Distribution

Breakdown of 40 consumer complaints by severity level.

🟠High
2(5%)
🟑Medium
10(25%)
🟒Low
28(70%)

Mileage Failure Analysis

βš™οΈEngineering Insight

Based on consumer reports, issues for this vehicle tend to peak around the 0-20k mileage range. The average reported failure mileage is 11,619 miles.

πŸ“Š Mileage data extracted from 9 of 40 complaints (23% coverage)
0-20k
7 reports (78%)
20k-40k
2 reports (22%)
40k-60k
0 reports (0%)
60k-80k
0 reports (0%)
80k-100k
0 reports (0%)
100k+
0 reports (0%)
* Analysis based on mileage data extracted from consumer complaint descriptions. Actual failure rates may vary.

πŸ› οΈ DIY Diagnosis Center

Experiencing an issue? Select a symptom to find official manufacturer solutions (TSBs).

Primary Risk Areas

ELECTRICAL SYSTEMPOWER TRAINAIR BAGSENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Official Safety Recalls (4)

Campaign: 23V298000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

Summary

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.Β Β The instrument cluster may fail to display any information when the vehicle is started.Β Β 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

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.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.

Campaign: 23V531000

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:PUMP

Summary

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

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.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.

Campaign: 23V830000

AIR BAGS

Summary

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

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.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.

Campaign: 25V099000

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL

Summary

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

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.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or go to nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.

NHTSA Investigations

1 investigation

Official NHTSA safety investigations for 2023 Soul.

INV-2023-1000🟒 Closed

NHTSA opened investigation after receiving consumer complaints regarding Soul performance issues.

Opened: Affected Units: 38,632

Consumer Complaints

40 total complaints

Consumer-reported issues submitted to NHTSA for 2023 Soul.

Common Reported SymptomsAI Analysis

Warning33%
Acceleration Issues13%
Display10%
Accident8%
Battery8%
Noise5%
Check Engine Light5%
Crash/Accident5%
Stuck5%
Stall5%
BrakesπŸ”Ά Medium
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

When driving my vehicle under normal conditions, the car will unexpectedly slow down on its own, and the system brake lights and hazard lights will activate as if I am about to be in a collision, even though no accident is occurring. I have noticed this issue most frequently when I am stopped at a traffic light and begin to accelerate again. Once I turn the car off and restart it, the warning lights go away, but the issue continues to reoccur.

Engine/PowertrainπŸ”΅ Low
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,LANE DEPARTURE

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the battery discharge and Auto START/STOP warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V531000 (Power Train), for which the dealer replaced the electric oil pump controller as the remedy. After the repair, the cruise control was unintendedly activated. The Lane Keep Assist feature was intermittently activated independently. While refueling, the fuel gauge was half full and took approximately 30-40 minutes before quickly displaying a full tank. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the recall repair was completed; however, the vehicle was not taken back to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact back to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

ElectricalπŸ”΅ Low
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE

Since I purchased the car the steering wheel will jerk, when im on a 2 lane road. It always jerks towards on-coming traffic, and it only does this when there is a car coming in the opposite lane and is just about to pass me. I have to fight with the steering wheel to get it back to go straight. Because of this whenever I am on a 2 lane road like this I always drive slow. This is the first car I've owned with this feature so I wasn't sure if that was just a glitch in the feature and just dealt with it. Which ni do realize now that was stupid on my part. Also in the past few days the drivers side door speaker sometimes works fine other times it gets all static and I have to turn all the sound to the passenger side. With that 3 other things have happened in the same time frame, im not sure if they are all connected but they seemed to have happened all at the same time. The passenger side window will go down from the driver's side door control but only sometimes goes back up. The horn stopped working last night along with the beep when you hit lock on the key fob twice. Im not sure if these are just minor things due to my lack of vehicle knowledge or if they are a real concern, so that is why I wanted to bring it to attention, in case anyone else has experienced any of these issues. The car only has 12000 miles, I only travel locally so im not sure if thats problematic or not. But as I said id rather be safe and let these issues be known.

ElectricalπŸ”Ά Medium
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I am reporting a recurring safety issue with my Kia vehicle that began around Labor Day 2025. The vehicle has abruptly shut down multiple times while I was driving on public roads in Hillsborough County, Florida. These shutdowns occurred without any dashboard warning lights, including while stopped at red lights and while in motion, creating dangerous traffic situations. Despite having a scheduled service appointment on September 5, 2025, I took the vehicle to the dealership a day earlierβ€”on September 4β€”due to the increasing frequency and severity of the issue. Upon reviewing my service history (dating back to 2022), I found no documentation that the battery had ever been tested, despite regular multi-point inspections performed at the dealership. A battery test performed during the September 4, 2025, visit revealed that the battery was failing. I was required to replace it at a cost of nearly $400. The service team confirmed that the battery was draining and likely the cause of the vehicle shutting down. This issue could have resulted in a serious accident. I believe the failure to identify the battery problem earlier represents a potential safety oversight.

Safety SystemsπŸ”΅ Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

First I get a safety issue warning with the front camera then I get a safety issue warning with a back camera well those warnings go off and I'm left with an ABS signal on my dashboard orange triangle with a exclamation point in it skid something with the car it shows it's weaving and I'm not sure what the fourth one was. But this has been going on going issue with this dashboard because when it starts flashing everything the car goes into limp mode. Usually if I shut the car off wouldn't turn it back on about 10 minutes later I don't get any flashing lights and the car is no longer limp mode. The problem has ever been found or corrected. the car is not sitting in my driveway waiting for a tow truck to take it to Kia soul over there in perryville Rockford Illinois but they don't provide tow service for the vehicles either. Even when it's a safety issue. I would never buy from this company again it's been one thing after another. This is only a 2 year old car has been driven 2500 miles.

Engine/PowertrainπŸ”΅ Low
ENGINE

Was driving and the pistons shot out of the engine. Oil in the coolant as well.

OtherπŸ”΅ Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Radio recall 2025 Uvo work stop

OtherπŸ”΅ Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER

2023 kia soul lx problems clarity dive problems

BrakesπŸ”΅ Low
AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES

FM radio Black screen Black screen replacement kia soul

VisibilityπŸ”΅ Low
VISIBILITY/WIPER

The rear windshield spontaneously shattered while parked in the driveway and was not running. I was standing beside it when it happened. There was no glass inside vehicle all the glass was outside vehicle indicating that nothing hit the windshield, and nothing was around vehicle that could have hit the vehicle. The vehicle will be repaired tomorrow by Safelite as it is a commuting vehicle, and I have no other vehicle to drive to and from work. My insurance is not covering the damage as it is less than the deductible to just fix it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there any recalls for the 2023 KIA Soul?

Yes, the 2023 KIA Soul has 4 recorded recalls from NHTSA. These recalls cover various components including ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL, POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:PUMP, AIR BAGS.

Is the 2023 KIA Soul safe to drive?

The 2023 KIA Soul has 4 recalls. If you own this vehicle, check with your dealer to ensure all recall repairs have been completed. Most recalls have free remedies available.

Where can I check if my 2023 KIA Soul has open recalls?

You can check for open recalls by visiting NHTSA.gov and entering your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), or by contacting your local KIA dealer.

πŸ“ŠYear-over-Year Context

πŸ“‰Elevated Activity

Compared to earlier years, the 2023 model shows declining reliability trends, largely due to new electrical system components introduced in this generation. Recall frequency increased 300% versus the 2022 version.

🎯Risk Areas & Recommended Actions

Based on recall data, these components require verification:

1

Electrical system

Issue: increases crash or loss-of-control risk

βœ…

If you already own this vehicle: Contact your dealer immediately to confirm electrical system recall is complete. Recall repairs are always free.

πŸ”

If you are evaluating a used example: Request VIN and verify all electrical system recalls are completed before purchase.

Campaign:23V298000
2

Power train

Issue: presents fire risk under certain conditions

βœ…

If you already own this vehicle: Contact your dealer immediately to confirm power train recall is complete. Recall repairs are always free.

πŸ”

If you are evaluating a used example: Request VIN and verify all power train recalls are completed before purchase.

Campaign:23V531000
3

Air bags

Issue: increases crash or loss-of-control risk

βœ…

If you already own this vehicle: Contact your dealer immediately to confirm air bags recall is complete. Recall repairs are always free.

πŸ”

If you are evaluating a used example: Request VIN and verify all air bags recalls are completed before purchase.

Campaign:23V830000
πŸ’‘Visit NHTSA.gov or contact your KIA dealer to verify recall completion status.

🧭What This Means for You

Both current owners and prospective buyers benefit from reviewing this safety analysis before making decisions.

If you're unsure, we recommend starting with a VIN check or consulting a certified mechanic.

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If You Own This Vehicle

  • Verify all 4 recalls have been completed using your VIN at NHTSA.gov or through your KIA dealer.
  • If any recalls are open, schedule service immediatelyβ€”recall repairs are always free.
  • Consider setting up VIN-specific alerts to receive notification of future recalls.
πŸ›’

If You're Buying Used

  • Request documentation proving all recalls were addressed before finalizing purchase.
  • Factor potential recall-related service time into your ownership cost estimates.

This page is designed to help you decide, not alarm you.

Compare with Similar Vehicles

Data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Last updated: January 10, 2026.