2021 Kia Soul recalls & problems

Recent owner complaints

• Oct 1, 2025Engine
  I bought my car brand new. 5 years later, im driving and come to a stop and stall. Crank up, drive and come.to a stop and stall again. I took to dealership twice and another shop for second review. Shop said I should be covered under the oil piston recall, but need to find out. Dealership at first only.told.me I just needed a tune-up. Then when I took it to the shop for second opinion, kia corporate then told.me.to take back to dealership. I did, on trailer, and then they confirmed what shop said and told.me.i had a bad motor. The dealership then told.me they take it as a trade in since I cant afford a.new motor, but when I get there, they tell me they won't take it. Ive paid.on this car 10…
• Aug 14, 2026Engine
  My kia's soul was part of a major safety recall for oil piston ring. The reason it's not showing on a recall list is because they claim to have fixed the issue. And it was removed. The issue is still persistent, and now the car has suffered catastrophic engine failure due to this recall issue. Kia corporate is refusing to rectify.
• Apr 18, 2026Engine
  The car was constantly burning through large amounts of oil. One night I was driving and the car started slowing down and lost power completely. This put my safety at Risk because I was on the freeway and came to a complete stop. I brought the vehicle to the dealership and they said it would be 4k to fix and did not fix the recall.
• Oct 5, 2026Engine
  Burning oil and piston failure in my 2021 Kia soul. But it’s not the 1 percent under recall. More than just the 1 percent
• Sep 25, 2026Engine
  Was driving engine jumped time and stalled out doing 45. Vehicle only has 63499 miles on it. Had it towed to dealership. The vehicle passed the original piston oil ring recall test in 2025 and 15,000 miles later is needing a new engine due to the ineffectiveness of Kia recall.
• Sep 25, 2026Engine
  consumer protection complaint against Gateway Kia of North Brunswick for wrongful warranty denial, deceptive business practices, and failure to comply with a federally mandated class action settlement.On Friday, September 25, 2026, my 2021 Kia Soul was left at Gateway Kia due to engine distress. The service department performed a physical mechanical bearing test and confirmed that the vehicle has a failed connecting rod bearing (the engine rod is shot).Despite this definitive physical proof of mechanical failure, the dealership's service department and Kia Corporate Consumer Affairs flatly refused to honor the repair or provide a mandated loaner vehicle. They claimed the vehicle is "out of…
• Sep 19, 2026Engine
  My 2021 Kia Soul was included in Recall SC336 involving defective piston oil rings that may cause increased oil consumption, engine damage, and stalling. The recall remedy was done in June 2025. Kia digitally inspected the engine and said it passed so no engine replacement was performed. Eight months later the car began having symptoms mirroring those of the recall. On February 13, 2026, an independent repair facility documented a check engine light, poor acceleration, timing-related engine fault codes, no oil on the dipstick, less than two quarts of oil recovered from the engine, and no visible external oil leaks. On May 21, 2026, a Kia dealership documented that the vehicle arrived three…
• Aug 1, 2026Engine
  Recall 25V099/SC336 was not performed on my vehicle when it was in the dealership. My vehicle is now disabled at Capitol Kia San Jose with complete engine failure. They are denying any responsibility and refusing repair coverage. I have written a formal letter to Kia Corporation requesting an immediate review of my vehicle. With this being an NHTSA recall I am hoping to get some intervention somewhere regarding this situation.

Owner complaints are submitted to NHTSA by the public and are not verified. Shown as filed (NHTSA removes personal details); long reports are shortened.

NHTSA defect investigations

• AQ25001 · opened Aug 6, 2025 · closed Dec 18, 2025Kia 25V099 Piston Oil Ring Recall Effectiveness
  On August 6, 2025, the Office of Defect Investigation (ODI) opened Audit Query (AQ) 25001 to assess the implementation of Kia America, Inc.’s (Kia) remedy program for Safety Recall 25V099, involving incorrectly manufactured piston oil rings which may damage the engine causing a loss of motive power or fire. This AQ was opened in response to consumer complaints alleging of an ineffective remedy, inconsistent inspection results to determine whether an engine replacement was needed, and the unavailability of recall remedies. On August 11, 2025, an Information Request (IR) was issued to Kia requesting: 1) why the inspection test was revised from requiring a ‘cold’ engine to a ‘warm’ engine; 2) why the recall remedy was suspended from April 30, 2025 to May 7, 2025; 3) how Kia notified customers of the recall remedy suspension and the need to re-test engines that failed the…