2021 Kia Soul power train problems
26 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 2021 Kia Soul — 12% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“I am filing this complaint regarding my 2021 Kia Soul due to repeated engine and powertrain failures and concerns about the quality and safety of the repairs. While my vehicle was under Kia's 100,000-mile powertrain warranty, I repeatedly brought it to the dealership for excessive oil consumption…”
filed Jun 29, 2026
“took to kia of jackson for recall sc209a they said they would not do recall because i was a dealer ,called customer service and they said do to the fact that i was a dealer it would not be covered kia of jackson [XXX] kia customer service case [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED…”
filed Apr 27, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (SC199 FL301) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting Voluntary Service Campaign to update the software programming on the…
SC199_OWNR_SK3_3 · Emissions · issued Feb 19, 2026
Power Train problems in other Soul years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Soul | 2 | 7% |
| 2023 Soul | 4 | 8% |
| 2022 Soul | 12 | 14% |
| 2020 Soul | 88 | 24% |
| 2019 Soul | 5 | 4% |
| 2018 Soul | 31 | 15% |
| 2017 Soul | 19 | 7% |
| 2016 Soul | 61 | 8% |
| 2015 Soul | 60 | 7% |
| 2014 Soul | 56 | 6% |
| 2013 Soul | 14 | 2% |
| 2012 Soul | 21 | 4% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2021 Kia Soul
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.