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ProblemsByVin Index / 2023-KIA-SOUL / COMPLAINTS
Full complaint record · NHTSA

2023 Kia Soul owner complaints

48 complaints filed with NHTSA on this vehicle , including 2 reporting a crash, fire, injury, or fatality. Showing the 300 most recent — grouped by category for scanning.

electrical 4 complaints shown

9 total in this category · severe · avg repair $850 · see electrical cluster analysis →
12/30/2023 ODI #11562729.0

[NHTSA SITE NOT ALLOWING ME TO UPLOAD DOCUMENTS - CONTACT ME FOR PICS/VIDEOS] All safety and driver assist malfunction warning lights display in succession - see pictures and video if upload-able. Had two Kia dealership service centers inspect and neither could replicate malfunctions nor would they document the issue. Incident has occurred sporadically between August and December 2023. If these aren't safety concerns (according to both dealerships), then when can a driver discern between fake and real malfunctions and safety failures. 8.23-24.23 - Spitzer Kia - purchased from and reported malfunctions on same/next day; told the windshield camera (sealed no less) is dirty or obstructed. Neither the case. Reported to salesman Caleb who consulted with service department. Told not a s

10/17/2024 ODI #11620494.0

Periodically while driving, I receive error notifications on the dashboard through both sound alerts and warning lights, resulting in the affected systems temporarily ceasing to function. The dashboard provides specific warnings: "check forward safety system," "check lane safety system," "check speed limit system," "check high beam assist system," and "check inattentive driving warning system." These warnings cycle through with flashing lights and ongoing alert noises. While the issue sometimes resolves after the first or second warning, it often continues cycling through all of the previously described warnings before returning to normal. On some occasions, the warning lights remain on for an extended period, with the longest observed duration being 16 minutes. There are no observable pa

09/25/2022 ODI #11486261.0

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.

09/10/2025 ODI #11686327.0

I am reporting a recurring safety issue with my Kia vehicle that began around Labor Day 2025. The vehicle has abruptly shut down multiple times while I was driving on public roads in Hillsborough County, Florida. These shutdowns occurred without any dashboard warning lights, including while stopped at red lights and while in motion, creating dangerous traffic situations. Despite having a scheduled service appointment on September 5, 2025, I took the vehicle to the dealership a day earlier—on September 4—due to the increasing frequency and severity of the issue. Upon reviewing my service history (dating back to 2022), I found no documentation that the battery had ever been tested, despite regular multi-point inspections performed at the dealership. A battery test performed during the Sep

steering 4 complaints shown

8 total in this category · severe · avg repair $700 · see steering cluster analysis →
10/28/2022 ODI #11491280.0

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 front driver’s and passenger’s side headlights failed to operate. Additionally, the contact stated that she took the vehicle to the car wash and noticed that fuel had leaked onto the tires. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that tire shine was on the tires not fuel. The contact also stated that the vehicle had lost power steering functionality. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The manuf

09/23/2025 ODI #11689118.0

Since I purchased the car the steering wheel will jerk, when im on a 2 lane road. It always jerks towards on-coming traffic, and it only does this when there is a car coming in the opposite lane and is just about to pass me. I have to fight with the steering wheel to get it back to go straight. Because of this whenever I am on a 2 lane road like this I always drive slow. This is the first car I've owned with this feature so I wasn't sure if that was just a glitch in the feature and just dealt with it. Which ni do realize now that was stupid on my part. Also in the past few days the drivers side door speaker sometimes works fine other times it gets all static and I have to turn all the sound to the passenger side. With that 3 other things have happened in the same time frame, im not sure

08/28/2023 ODI #11541289.0

Out of no where and without warning, the steering wheel pulls in opposite direction and stability control light turns green and stays on the dashboard. Cannot move steering wheel. Simultaneously, the HD radio will get very staticy and abruptly shut off. After about a minute, the radio will come back on and the steering no longer has that pressure. It is terrifying.The car has less than 100 miles on it. I bought it 8/15/23. This has happened twice. Trying to get a service appointment for this week.

08/16/2023 1 injury ODI #11539009.0

On 8/15/23 I received my car back from the dealership after almost a month of repairs, trying to fix the issue where it would turn itself on and where it shut down while driving 45 miles an hour; at various points I was told it was the crankshaft, camshaft, spark plugs, fuel injectors, the pcm and a connector that was overheating. Yesterday, 8/15/23 the car was stuck in a long crank cycle. I notified the dealership. They told me to call kia. I drove the car to pick my husband up from the airport. While driving home the car suddenly accelerated, cars lights shut off, and the steering wheel made a hard turn to the left, the steering wheel then locked, sending us towards a ditch, and the car shut off, and the brakes locked. Right as we hit the edge of the irrigation ditch the car turned back

other 3 complaints shown

12/27/2025 ODI #11707260.0

Honking function no longer works, this is a consistent problem noticed first on the beginning of December 2025, when I needed to notify another driver of a potential safety hazard. There is no honking sound available at any speed or at any time. Have an appointment with dealership this week.

10/19/2023 Crash ODI #11550927.0

Event Summary: The incident involved a 2023 Kia Soul, a relatively new vehicle, which had been in use for only three months at the time of the incident. The driver, hereafter referred to as the "operator," was attempting to park the vehicle in a parking space. SUA Occurrence: Right before the operator intended to park, an unexpected and rapid acceleration of the vehicle occurred. This acceleration was not initiated or controlled by the operator in any way. It is important to highlight that the operator did not intentionally press the accelerator pedal. Collision and Airbag Deployment: As a consequence of the sudden acceleration, the vehicle collided with a front wall. The impact of the collision was significant, leading to the deployment of the vehicle's airbags. EDR Data Retrieval: Eve

08/07/2025 ODI #11679044.0

First I get a safety issue warning with the front camera then I get a safety issue warning with a back camera well those warnings go off and I'm left with an ABS signal on my dashboard orange triangle with a exclamation point in it skid something with the car it shows it's weaving and I'm not sure what the fourth one was. But this has been going on going issue with this dashboard because when it starts flashing everything the car goes into limp mode. Usually if I shut the car off wouldn't turn it back on about 10 minutes later I don't get any flashing lights and the car is no longer limp mode. The problem has ever been found or corrected. the car is not sitting in my driveway waiting for a tow truck to take it to Kia soul over there in perryville Rockford Illinois but they don't provide

airbags 2 complaints shown

4 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $1,100 · see airbags cluster analysis →
12/14/2024 ODI #11630760.0

FM radio Black screen Black screen replacement kia soul

09/28/2023 ODI #11547162.0

I have had my car to the dealership 3 times and scheduled for a4th time for this same issue. It is intermittent which I realize makes it hard to diagnose however the dealership kept it overnight in 2nd visit to try to reproduce it and they did. When driving, the car will randomly start beeping and errors cycle thru in the dash. It tells me that my braking system needs to be checked then lighting system, airbag system failing etc. It goes thru about 5 or 6 system errors. Not always same sysyems and not going at same rate of speed when it happens. I have been told it isn't a safety issue however they apparently do not know what it is causing it to do that so I'm not sure how they can definitively say that. 1st visit I was told they did a software update and that"fixed the problem". After a

powertrain 2 complaints shown

4 total in this category · critical · avg repair $2,500 · see powertrain cluster analysis →
10/06/2023 ODI #11548674.0

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V531000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

09/25/2025 33,000 mi ODI #11689643.0

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the battery discharge and Auto START/STOP warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V531000 (Power Train), for which the dealer replaced the electric oil pump controller as the remedy. After the repair, the cruise control was unintendedly activated. The Lane Keep Assist feature was intermittently activated independently. While refueling, the fuel gauge was half full and took approximately 30-40 minutes before quickly displaying a full tank. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the recall repair was completed; however, the vehicle was not taken back to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact back to the dealer. Th

lighting 1 complaint shown

3 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $250 · see lighting cluster analysis →
12/21/2022 ODI #11498470.0

Last night was the first time I drove it in the dark while it was raining. The headlights absolutely SUCK!!! I’ve had daytime running lights that were brighter! I’ve had 6 volt headlights that were brighter! I probably have flashlights that are brighter! It’s seriously dangerous, in my humble opinion. There were times where the painted road stripes were worn down, no street lights, and I was literally driving blind. I was worried about driving off the road, or into oncoming traffic, as I could not see the road ahead of me. I will not drive this vehicle at night again. It's not safe. No one from the dealership or manufacturer has inspected my car. I assume all of the 2023 Soul trim levels are the same. The headlight system is a new design for the 2023 model year.

visibility 1 complaint shown

11/11/2024 ODI #11624595.0

The rear windshield spontaneously shattered while parked in the driveway and was not running. I was standing beside it when it happened. There was no glass inside vehicle all the glass was outside vehicle indicating that nothing hit the windshield, and nothing was around vehicle that could have hit the vehicle. The vehicle will be repaired tomorrow by Safelite as it is a commuting vehicle, and I have no other vehicle to drive to and from work. My insurance is not covering the damage as it is less than the deductible to just fix it.

brakes 1 complaint shown

09/26/2025 ODI #11690015.0

When driving my vehicle under normal conditions, the car will unexpectedly slow down on its own, and the system brake lights and hazard lights will activate as if I am about to be in a collision, even though no accident is occurring. I have noticed this issue most frequently when I am stopped at a traffic light and begin to accelerate again. Once I turn the car off and restart it, the warning lights go away, but the issue continues to reoccur.

engine 1 complaint shown

7 total in this category · moderate · avg repair $3,100 · see engine cluster analysis →
09/20/2024 20,000 mi ODI #11615621.0

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while pulling into a mall, there was an abnormally low rumbling and ticking sound coming from the vehicle. While driving 45 MPH, the message to turn off and restart the vehicle was displayed with an audible alarm. The contact stated that the vehicle had shut off on three separate occasions. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and was informed about a diagnostic test. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that there was a pinhole in the filter. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact called another local dealer, Glassman Kia (28000 Telegraph Rd., Southfield, MI 48034), and was informed that there sh

Showing 300 of 48 total complaints. The full federal record is available at nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2023/Kia/Soul#complaints.
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) owner complaint database. Last synced 2026-06-14. Complaints are owner-submitted and unverified — the existence of a complaint is not proof of a defect, but a pattern of complaints around the same component is a signal worth weighing. Verify any specific filing at nhtsa.gov.
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