Skip to content
EnginePart report

2021 Kia Soul Engine Problems

Complaints
139about this part
Share
58%of 239 total for the year
Median mileage
41,000miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 139 complaints about the engine of the 2021 Kia Soul, 58% of the 239 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 41,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“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.”

NHTSA complaint #11375455, filed 2020-11, 2,500 miles

“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. …”

NHTSA complaint #11399233, filed 2021-03, 8,000 miles

“I took my 2021 Kia Soul to the dealership for a piston ring recall; they ran their standard test and said it passed, but my car is still showing a misfire fault. I replaced the ignition coil, spark plug, and fuel injector, yet the problem persists. I’ve taken it back to the Kia dealership twice, but they refuse to inspect it because it already passed their test.”

NHTSA complaint #11744354, filed 2026-06

“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.”

NHTSA complaint #11770443, filed 2026-10

“Engine failure I have had it inspected already by Koons Kia of Owings Mills and State Farm. My vehicle 2021 Kia Soul stalled while driving. I received a recall letter by mail from Kia on April 12, 2025 letter was dated for April 4, 2025. The oil light illuminated when the vehicle stalled on October 21, 2024. The recall issue has still not been resolved.”

NHTSA complaint #11654387, filed 2025-04

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Engine: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202518%
2024517%
20231426%
20225457%
202113958%
202024563%
20198864%
201814265%
201719170%
201656169%
201563170%
201455461%
201328643%
201221041%
20112412%
201097%

Other parts of the 2021 Kia Soul

Engine cooling
47 complaintsOther or unknown
27 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
26 complaintsElectrical system
15 complaintsFuel system
11 complaintsBrakes
10 complaintsSteering
9 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
7 complaintsExterior lighting
6 complaintsForward collision avoidance
5 complaintsSuspension
5 complaintsAir bags
4 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2021 Kia Soul

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology