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2020 Kia Soul
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2020 Kia Soul — Safety Summary
The 2020 Kia Soul has 1 NHTSA safety recall and 358 owner complaints on record. Transport Canada separately lists 4 Canadian recalls for this model. The most frequently reported complaint area is engine. It earned an NHTSA overall safety rating of 4 out of 5. Based on this public data we rate its risk profile as high. Enter your VIN above to confirm which of these apply to your exact vehicle, then get the Smart Buyer Report for AI analysis of this model's reliability, common issues by mileage, and a pre-purchase inspection checklist.
NHTSA Safety Ratings
Government crash test results
NHTSA Recalls
1 recall(s) for this year/model
ENGINE
13/04/2021Kia 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.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Kia will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. The recall began June 11, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC209.
Transport Canada Recalls
4 Canadian recall(s) from the official Transport Canada database
Brakes
2020-12-03Issue: On certain vehicles, an abnormal sensor signal to the Integrated Electronic Brake (IEB) system could cause a sudden reduction in braking performance. If this happens, a brake warning light will turn on in the instrument cluster. Safety Risk: Reduced brake performance can cause extended stopping distances and increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Actions: Kia will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to update the Integrated Electronic Brake (IEB) system software.
Engine
2021-04-14Issue: On certain vehicles, the engine's piston oil rings may be defective. This can cause engine wear that can lead to increased oil consumption. Eventually, this can create abnormal engine noise and the oil pressure warning light may turn on. If you continue to drive the vehicle with these symptoms, the engine could fail. Note: This only affects vehicles equipped with a 2.0 L Nu MPI engine. Safety Risk: A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash. An engine failure could also create the risk of a fire. Corrective Actions: Kia will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the engine. The engine will be replaced, if necessary. The dealer will also install a Piston-ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software update, to alert the driver of potential damage before an engine failure occurs.
Electrical
2022-12-06Issue: On certain electric vehicles, the electric power control unit (EPCU) may not be sealed correctly. As a result, coolant could leak inside the EPCU and onto the circuit board. If this happens, the vehicle could suddenly lose power to the wheels. Safety Risk: A sudden loss of power to the wheels may increase the risk of a crash. Corrective Action: Kia will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealership to inspect the EPCU for internal coolant leaks. If a leak is detected, the dealer will replace the EPCU.
Label
2024-08-15Issue: On certain vehicles, the compliance label may be missing information in French. The words listed on the label for "Tires", "Rims", "Front" and "Rear" appear in English only, when they should be listed as "Tires/Pneus", "Rims/Jantes", "Front/Avant" and "Rear/Arriere". Canadian regulations require this information to be listed on the label in both English and French. Safety Risk: These small errors do not affect vehicle safety. Corrective Actions: This is not a recall. Kia has corrected the compliance label for all new vehicles.
Contains information sourced from Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database, licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Data is provided "as is" from Transport Canada's monthly release and may not reflect real-time updates. Transport Canada does not endorse this service. Always confirm open recalls with the manufacturer or Transport Canada before purchase.
Owner Complaints
358 complaint(s) filed with NHTSA
Top complaint categories:
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The free data above comes from public NHTSA records. The Smart Buyer Report adds AI-powered analysis for this exact model — reliability score, common problems by mileage, real maintenance costs in CAD, a pre-purchase inspection checklist, a market value estimate, and Canadian notes on rust, winter, and fuel.
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Data disclaimer:Vehicle history information on CarHistoryReport.ca is compiled from publicly available government sources, primarily the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Reports may not include all incidents, recalls, or issues related to a specific vehicle. Data is provided "as-is" without warranty of completeness or accuracy. Always obtain a professional pre-purchase inspection before buying any used vehicle. CarHistoryReport.ca is not liable for purchasing decisions made based on report contents.