2023 Kia SOUL

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Average

Quick Summary

The 2023 Kia SOUL has 86 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 1.1x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is driver assist/cameras problems (16% of all complaints), specifically: i am driving on the highway. no construction. no traffic. cruising. no problems. i get a dashboard warning "wrong way! turn around safely" it was on for at least 10minutes. very worrisome. but the lane assist was still working.. ⚠️ 3 fire reports filed.

3 fire reports 10 crash reports 41 injuries

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

1.1x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

14 complaints

16%

• I am driving on the highway. No construction. No traffic. Cruising. No problems. I get a dashboard warning "WRONG WAY! Turn around safely" It was on for at least 10minutes. Very worrisome. But the lane assist was still working.
• I am driving on the highway. No construction. No traffic. Cruising. No problems. I get a dashboard warning "WRONG WAY! Turn around safely" It was on for at least 10minutes. Very worrisome. But the lane assist was still working.
• The instrument cluster is no longer displaying vital information. (Speedometer, tachometer, odometer, warning indicator lights, etc.) It still displays turn indicators and headlight indicators. The remedy is to replace the instrument cluster and have it recalibrated

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

“I am driving on the highway. No construction. No traffic. Cruising. No problems. I get a dashboard warning "WRONG WAY! Turn around safely" It was on for at least 10minutes. Very worrisome. But the lane assist was still working.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

13 complaints

15%

• The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP mode and stalled. On another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to vibrate after the accelerator pedal was depressed and
• I was parked at the curb in front of a house, the engine running. I tried to go in reverse, nothing happened but my car kept getting closer to the car in front of me til I was touching the car. The person came and moved his car. With difficulty, I turned the steering wheel left and rolled out into t
• On wednesday July 19th, at approximately 1745 (5:45 pm) I got into my car and started it. I attempted to back out of the driveway and noticed my steering wheel was locked. I pulled forward, and put the car in park. I tried to turn the car off. It then restarted itself, revved the engine, turned the

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 2 crashes

“The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP mode and stalled. On another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to vibrate after the accelerator pedal was depressed and ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

13 complaints

15%

• Purchased this 2023 Kia Soul on 12/9/2022 from Gateway Kia of North Brunswick, the incident occurred on 12/30/2022 and subsequently occurred a second time after that, I don't have the exact date for the second occurrence. Both occurrences happened with less than 1000 miles on the vehicle. After driv
• Hands free dialing became disabled after a service visit. Infotainment system reports "Downloading contacts, please try again later" when trying to use the hands free dialing system, despite the most recent contacts being loaded. This forces the driver to make a call using the infotainment system sc
• The driver's door opens while the cat is moving. I spoke to the Service Manager at Vision Kia in East Rochester, NY and he told me this is a safety feature. I don't believe the doors are supposed to open when the car is moving at highway speed. They do lock o once the vet moves but still open from i

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“Purchased this 2023 Kia Soul on 12/9/2022 from Gateway Kia of North Brunswick, the incident occurred on 12/30/2022 and subsequently occurred a second time after that, I don't have the exact date for the second occurrence. Both occurrences happened with less than 1000 miles on the vehicle. After driv”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

12 complaints

14%

• I am driving on the highway. No construction. No traffic. Cruising. No problems. I get a dashboard warning "WRONG WAY! Turn around safely" It was on for at least 10minutes. Very worrisome. But the lane assist was still working.
• The instrument cluster is no longer displaying vital information. (Speedometer, tachometer, odometer, warning indicator lights, etc.) It still displays turn indicators and headlight indicators. The remedy is to replace the instrument cluster and have it recalibrated
• On wednesday July 19th, at approximately 1745 (5:45 pm) I got into my car and started it. I attempted to back out of the driveway and noticed my steering wheel was locked. I pulled forward, and put the car in park. I tried to turn the car off. It then restarted itself, revved the engine, turned the

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

STEERING

8 complaints

• The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP mode and stalled. On another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to vibrate after the accelerator pedal was depressed and
• The contact owned a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the lane assist feature malfunctioned and the steering wheel inadvertently turned sharply to the left and seized. As a result, the vehicle crashed into trees and rolled down the hill. The contact was removed from the ve
• On wednesday July 19th, at approximately 1745 (5:45 pm) I got into my car and started it. I attempted to back out of the driveway and noticed my steering wheel was locked. I pulled forward, and put the car in park. I tried to turn the car off. It then restarted itself, revved the engine, turned the

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

STEERING(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 86 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: I am driving on the highway. No construction. No traffic. Cruising. No problems. I get a dashboard warning "WRONG WAY! Turn around safely" It was on for at least 10minutes. Very worrisome. But the lane assist was still working.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP mode and stalled. On another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to vibrate after the accelerator pedal was depressed and
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: Purchased this 2023 Kia Soul on 12/9/2022 from Gateway Kia of North Brunswick, the incident occurred on 12/30/2022 and subsequently occurred a second time after that, I don't have the exact date for the second occurrence. Both occurrences happened with less than 1000 miles on the vehicle. After driv
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: I am driving on the highway. No construction. No traffic. Cruising. No problems. I get a dashboard warning "WRONG WAY! Turn around safely" It was on for at least 10minutes. Very worrisome. But the lane assist was still working.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)