2021 Kia Soul SUV FWD
Safety Ratings.
NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Ratings help consumers compare vehicle safety when searching for a car. More stars mean safer cars.
Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.
Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.
The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.
Rollover Risk: 14.7%
18 Complaints
My daughter was driving her 2021 KIA Soul S and a Chevy Silverado suddenly pulled in front of her. The crash report says impact was at 50 mph. My daughter survived the crash; however, the vehicle immediately caught on fire and flames entered the cabin from what was left of the engine compartment. Her airbag inflated, but did not deflate. She punched the airbag to make enough room for her to try and exit the vehicle, but her driver's door would not open using the handle even after manually unlocking the door. Only after repeated Black Belt level martial arts' kicks and elbow thrusts did the door open and my daughter was able to exit before the car was consumed by flames. A police report and picture will be sent. Please investigate - no one should have to suffer fate of burning to death.
The vehicle started loosing power. the engine would rev up but the car wouldn't go. the car had to be towed to the dealership because the vehicle would not engage into drive or reverse. the dealership is replacing the transmission. It is the IVT transmission
The Plastic Ignition Switch for my vehicle is an invitation to steal my car. Which is exactly what happened. I could have been harmed had I seen this happening. Many people on the streets of Milwaukee could have been harmed as well, because my stolen vehicle ended up in a Police car chase and caused almost $9,000 worth of damage. Kia knows this is happening to their customers. This component have been inspected by the police and insurance company. Their was no warnings of this known problem with the ignition. I would not have bought that problem. I wasn't aware of this until my car was stolen. This is not fair and something should be done. People could die because so many of these Kia car thefts end up in a Police Chase through the City. Also, I could have been hijacked or worse. This is not a safe car to be on the road.
I put my car in park, turned off my car, and it lit up with an alarm saying that my car was not in park. It doesn't happen every time but it has happened twice.
Over the course of 24 hours car would not accelerate when depressing the pedal, although the engine was revving. This occurred 3 times at intersections when the car was stopped at a light. The car only has 3,500 miles on in it; it was purchased in April 2021. On the way to the dealer it was also bucking and stuttering. Very concerned about the safety of the car.
Car was stolen using a known design flaw. Now both of my cars are in the shop because of this
The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled on several occasions. There were no warning lights illuminated. The engine failure message was displayed. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 21V259000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was no oil in vehicle. Additionally, the contact was informed of an oil flow failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owned a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that soon after purchase of the vehicle, she discovered both low coolant and low oil levels upon inspection of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on two separate occasions. On her second visit, the contact stated that the dealer informed her to bring the vehicle back in 1,000 miles to check both oil and coolant levels to monitor the issues. The contact called the dealer back the next day to inform them that the coolant level had already begun to run low. The contact also stated that the auto start feature failed to operate by stalling upon depression of the accelerator after coming to a complete stop, without warning. The dealer offered the contact a trade-in. The contact was placed in another vehicle. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The contact no longer owns the vehicle. The failure mileage was 2,416.
My vehicle has stalled several times. I was speeding up to merge on the freeway, pressed my foot hard on the gas, it went slow and a lot of smoke came from the back of the vehicle. I took my vehicle to a Kia dealership and was told that has nothing to do with the recall. I was there less than 30 minutes and feel like my issues were not taken seriously.
I I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE AND MY CAR STARTED MAKING A LOUD NOISE AND DECELERATED. IT SEEMED TO LOSE POWER, I TURNED AROUND AND STARTED HOME AS I WAS VERY FRIGHTENED. THE CAR ACCELERATED WITHOUT PRESSING THE GAS, DECELERATED WITHOUT PRESSING THE BRAKE. THE TACHOMETER WAS SWINGING AROUND WILDLY. THE CAR MOST OF THE TIME SEEMED TO HAVE NO POWER. I WAS AFRAID OF A REAR END HIT BY ANOTHER CAR OR FLYLING INTO THE BACK OF THE CAR IN FRONT. I WAS TRYING TO LIMP IT IN TO THE DEALER. THE CAR ONLY HAD 3400 MILES ON IT AND I HAD HAD IT FOR 7 MONTHS. AT ONE POINT I HAD TO STOP FOR A RED LIGHT AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. I PUT ON THE WARNING FLASHERS AND TIRED TO EDGE TO THE SIDE OF THE STREET AS THERE WAS A BIT OF SLOPE. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED IT AND WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO THE DEALER ABOUT 2 MILES AWAY WITH VERY LITTLE POWER. THEY TOLD ME IT HAS TO HAVE A NEW TRANSMISSION. THEY SAID THEY ARE REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION WITH A DIFFERENT KIND AND IT WILL BE SAFE NOT TO WORRY, THOUGH CONFIDENCE IN THE VEHICLE IS DIMINISHED. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE IVT TRANSMISSION THAT KIA DEVELOPED IN 2020 HAS BEEN GIVING PROBLEMS.
VEHICLE WAS PARKED ON A SLIGHT SLOPE PARKING SPACE BACKING TO A ONE-WAY PUBLIC ROAD IN NATIONAL PARK.IT WAS A DESIGNATED PARKING SPACE. THE VEHICLE WAS RUNNING AND IN THE P MODE OF GEAR SELECTION. I EXITED THE DRIVER'S DOOR FOR FEW MINUTES. THEN OPENED THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR WITH THE INTENT TO SHUT THE ENGINE. THE CAR STARTED ROLLING BACK, CROSSED THE ROAD, AND STOPPED BY A SANDY EMBANKMENT. I WAS THROWN OFF BY THE OPEN DOOR ON THE SANDY BANK. THE ENGINE STOPPED AND I OBSERVED THE VEHICLE IN D MODE BY ITSELF. I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR IN THE P MODE AND WAS PULLED OUT WITH HELP OF SEVERAL PEOPLE WHO OBSERVED THIS NEAR-MISS SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THIS WAS A RENTAL CAR. NO FURTHER PROBLEMS OBSERVED. CAR RETURNED TO THE RENTAL COMPANY.
DRIVING 75 MPH SPEED LIMIT ON I-19 (4 LANE DIVIDED) NORTHBOUND NEAR GREEN VALLEY AZ. DRY CLEAR. IS NEW CAR WITH 400 MILES ON IT AND I WAS USING THE LANE KEEPING ASSISTANCE HANDS FREE. CLEARLY VISIBLE PAINTED LANE LINES. WORKED FINE UNTIL LANE MARKINGS DIVERGED AT SLIGHT CURVE AND AT OFF RAMP. THE CAR DROVE DIRECTLY INTO/ONTO THE "V" BETWEEN RIGHT LANE AND OFF RAMP UNTIL I MANUALLY STEERED BACK TO TRAFFIC LANE. NO ALARM OR VIBRATION SOUNDED BEFORE I HAD TO MANUALLY STEER BACK TO TRAFFIC LANE.
HAD CAR 1 WEEK - 204 MILES. POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT CAME ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING 55. THEN THE TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT. THEN ALL WARNING LIGHTS. HEADLIGHTS AND INTERIOR LIGHTING OFF AND ON THEN FINALLY JUST OFF. PULLED INTO PARKING LOT WHERE ALL SYSTEMS STOPPED WORKING. WAS NOT ENOUGH POWER TO CLOSE SUN ROOF. NO POWER DOOR LOCKS - HAD TO OPERATE MANUALLY. CAR TOWED TO DEALER. THANKFULLY I AM A STRONG PERSON AND WAS ABLE TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY AND INTO A PARKING LOT WITHOUT INCIDENT. I AM NOT SURE HOW THAT HAPPENED SINCE I DID NOT EVEN HAVE WORKING HAZARD LIGHTS.
TWO MAJOR ISSUES. I HAVE HEARD A VERY LOUD TICKING SOUND COMING FROM THE ENGINE WHICH STARTED ABOUT THREE DAYS AGO. BEFORE THEN THE CAR RAN SILENT. CAR IS IT APPROXIMATELY 8000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE CLICKING STARTED GETTING LOUDER AND THEN THE CAR STALLED TWICE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING! ONE WAS ON A STREET GOING ABOUT 45 MILES AN HOUR! THE OTHERWAS ON A SIDE STREET GOING APPROXIMATELY 25 MILES AN HOUR. THE EC OH MODE WAS ON IN THE CAR. ALSO' WHEN YOU TURN ON THE HEATER FAN ON HIGH IT STARTED MAKING A HIGH-PITCHED SQUEALING SOUND. THE CAR IS AT THE DEALERSHIP RIGHT NOW AS IT WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY.
I WAS GOING TO GET MY MAIL ATTEMPTING TO PARK WHERE I ALWAYS PARK. I HIT THE BRAKE AND THE CAR SPED UP AND HIT TWO MAILBOXES. I COULDN'T GET IT TO STOP. I DO NOT KNOW HOW FAST IT WAS GOING WHEN I HIT THE MAILBOXES
WHEN I WAS DRIVING AT 15MPH THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. SO I TRIED TO RESTART IT AND WHEN I TOOK THE KEY OUT EVERYTHING LOCKED UP AND IT WAS LIKE THAT FOR 5 MIN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD BEFORE THE CAR CAME BACK ON AND FLAHED THE ENGINE AND OIL LIGHT.
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD IN WET WEATHER CONDITIONS. THE VEHICLE LOST ALL POWER, LOST WIPERS AND HEADLIGHTS. HAPPENED ON INTERSTATE WHILE TRAVELING AT 65 MPH. VEHICLE STATED KEY WASN'T DETECTED IN CAR. WHILE IN MOTION USING OTHER VEHICLES HEADLIGHTS WAS ABLE TO GET OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY THANKFULLY. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALER FOR ASSESSMENT.
VEHICLE KEEPS PULLING. VEHICLE PULLED TO THE RIGHT. PERFORMED A STEERING ANGLE RELEARNED, AND WHEEL ALIGNMENT. CROSS ROTATED TIRES AND NOW THE VEHICLE PULLS TO THE LEFT. TOLD NOTHING ELSE CAN BE DONE AT THIS TIME. CAR IS CONSTANTLY. FIGHTING ITSELF WITH STEERING ASSIST.
1 Recalls
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.
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.safercar.gov.
Get started for free
Get a free preview of the report
Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.