3 complaints reported

2021 Kia Soul POWER TRAIN,ENGINE

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
3
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Sep 2026

The transmission on the vehicle has gone bad twice since we purchased it used. The car has 34,400 miles on it. The problem puts the driver in an unsafe situation as the problem causes the car to lose power while at high speeds. The piston rings have also been replaced as part of the recall. Kia just keeps replacing these parts with more defective parts. I have videos if you want them.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 KIA SOUL, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2026
May 2025

Our 2021 Kia Soul experienced complete engine failure without warning. The engine suddenly lost power and became inoperable while driving. The dealership's diagnostic testing identified a camshaft sensor code, but no definitive cause for the catastrophic failure was provided. We believe the failure is related to internal engine damage potentially caused by defective piston oil rings, consistent with NHTSA Recall Number 25V099000. Kia has not conducted a full internal engine inspection to rule this out. The vehicle is in Kia's possession and is available for inspection upon request. The sudden engine failure occurred without warning and caused a complete loss of power while the vehicle was in motion. This could have led to a serious accident had the incident occurred in heavy traffic or on a high-speed roadway. The inability to accelerate or maintain control of the vehicle poses a serious safety risk to both the driver and others on the road. Yes. The vehicle was inspected and diagnosed by a Kia dealership. While they identified a camshaft sensor code, they did not perform a full inspection to determine the internal cause of the engine failure. They declined to attribute the issue to the known piston oil ring defect and refused to repair it under the recall. Instead they want to submit it to the TechLine for the power train warranty. We had to spend hours calling places and collecting information of all oil changes and maintenance on the vehicle over the last 4 years. We can show a CLEAR pattern of regular maintenance of the vehicle. The vehicle has been inspected by an authorized Kia dealership. No inspections have been conducted by the police, insurance representatives, or other third parties. There were no warning lamps, dashboard messages, or performance issues prior to the engine failure. The vehicle was regularly maintained and had been operating normally up to the point of the incident.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 KIA SOUL, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Oct 2025
Oct 2024

1.) We were driving to Nashville and once my car got around 70,000 mile my check engine light came on. Then my car started to make a humming noise. We pulled over to check the oil the oil was fine. Once we got back into the car and left the gas station the light started to blink. Yes 2.) We were on the highway, and if the engine could have blown up or we could've got stuck on the way there and back. Also, the where the car started to act up was around a bad neighborhood. 3.) Yes 4.) Yes 5.) The car started to hum but once my car hit 70,000 miles the check engine light came on and started to flash.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2021 KIA SOUL, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jun 2024

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Quick Summary

The 2021 Kia Soul has 3 POWER TRAIN,ENGINE complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.