3rd generation (SK3) · SK3 · 1,082 complaints, 340 with mileage
Owners filed 1,082 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020–2025 Kia Soul, and 340 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
43% of failures fall within the first 12,000 miles. Failures clustered that early usually indicate a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear.
The most-reported areas are the engine (39.2% of complaints, typically around 22,510 miles), the transmission and driveline (12.3% of complaints, typically around 9,100 miles), problems owners could not categorise (10.2% of complaints, typically around 6,000 miles).
5 recall campaigns cover this generation.
| System | Complaints | Share | Typical mileage | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 424 | 39.2% | 22,510 | 8,000–79,000 |
| Power Train | 133 | 12.3% | 9,100 | 4,175–18,155 |
| Unknown Or Other | 110 | 10.2% | 6,000 | 2,298–12,000 |
| Electrical System | 75 | 6.9% | 17,450 | 4,000–45,000 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 74 | 6.8% | 75,000 | 51,000–95,000 |
| Steering | 36 | 3.3% | 4,407 | 400–14,000 |
| Service Brakes | 34 | 3.1% | — | — |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 33 | 3.0% | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 31 | 2.9% | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 24 | 2.2% | 13,400 | 7,800–30,000 |
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 495 | 219 |
| 2021 | 306 | 81 |
| 2022 | 133 | 27 |
| 2023 | 86 | 11 |
| 2024 | 41 | 2 |
| 2025 | 21 | 0 |
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 16,500 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The engine accounts for 39.2% of complaints (424 reports, 106 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 22,510 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 8,000 and 79,000 miles.
A single system taking 39.2% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 12.3% of complaints (133 reports, 68 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 9,100 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 4,175 and 18,155 miles.
Problems owners could not categorise accounts for 10.2% of complaints (110 reports, 15 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 6,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 2,298 and 12,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 6.9% of complaints (75 reports, 14 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 17,450 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 4,000 and 45,000 miles.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 6.8% of complaints (74 reports, 61 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 75,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 51,000 and 95,000 miles.
The steering accounts for 3.3% of complaints (36 reports, 16 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 4,407 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 400 and 14,000 miles.
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2020 model year drew the most — 495 complaints — while 2025 drew the fewest at 21. The median year sits at 109.
That makes 2020 an outlier: roughly 4.5 times the median year of this generation. A single year standing that far apart usually reflects either a first-year issue that was later corrected, or a component change introduced for that year. Anyone shopping this generation has a straightforward reason to prefer a different year, all else being equal.
NHTSA records 5 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Of the 1,082 complaints filed against this generation, 57 reported a crash; 20 reported a fire; 72 reported an injury; 22 reported a fatality. Crash-involved reports represent 5.3% of the total.
These are owner-reported outcomes, not verified investigations, and they are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. They are included because the distinction between a fault that strands a car and a fault that causes a collision is the one that matters most, and it is not visible in a complaint count alone.
For a buyer, an early-failure pattern is comparatively good news on a used example: 43% of the reported failures occur in the first 12,000 miles, which on a car of this age means they have already happened or they were never going to. Service history matters more than mileage here.
On inspection, the engine and the transmission and driveline are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The transmission and driveline in particular shows a median failure mileage of 9,100, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
IVT (chain-type CVT) behaviour complaints — droning, hesitation and shudder — replacing the previous conventional automatic.
Early cars lacking an engine immobilizer are highly theft-prone; Kia made immobilizers standard partway through the generation and issued a software countermeasure for earlier units.
| Campaign | Date | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 25V099000 | 2025-04-04 | Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Hard Parts Internal/Mechanical |
| 23V830000 | 2024-01-31 | Air Bags |
| 23V531000 | 2023-09-28 | Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Fluid/Lubricant:Pump |
| 23V298000 | 2023-05-26 | Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel |
| 21V259000 | 2021-06-11 | Engine |