NHTSA Safety Recalls
2020 Kia Soul Recalls
The 2020 Kia Soul has 1 NHTSA safety recall on file, the newest reported on April 13, 2021.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2020 Kia Soul. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 1
- Owner complaints
- 388
- Crashes reported
- 9
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
6 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2020 Kia Soul, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
1 recall on the 2020 Kia Soul
Engine
- Campaign
- 21V259000
- Reported
- April 13, 2021
- Vehicles affected
- up to 147,249
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and fire
- Same campaign
- also 2021 Soul, 1 other model
2020 Kia Soul complaints by year
NHTSA has received 388 owner complaints about the 2020 Kia Soul, the newest on October 22, 2026. Of these, 9 describe a crash (2%) and 6 a fire; owners reported 6 injuries and 8 deaths.
In complaints about the 2020 Kia Soul, the component group named most often is the engine (63%), followed by the power train (23%) and the electrical system (7%).
The 2020 Kia Soul's only recall also concerns the engine.
Where 2020 Kia Soul owners gave the mileage (162 complaints), the median was 13,400 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Engine245
- Power Train91
- Unknown Or Other52
- Electrical System28
- Steering16
- Fuel/Propulsion System15
Complaints received, by year
| 2019 | 17 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 51 | |
| 2021 | 69 | |
| 2022 | 28 | |
| 2023 | 45 | |
| 2024 | 36 | |
| 2025 | 72 | |
| 2026 | 70 |
Complaints about the 2020 Kia Soul peaked in 2025, when NHTSA received 72. 54% arrived between 2019 and 2023, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2020 vehicles, the 2020 Kia Soul drew 3.5× the complaints of the median Kia Soul year in the same window: 1st highest of the 13 ranked years.
That makes 2020 one of the Kia Soul years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★☆
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 388 complaints about the 2020 Kia Soul are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Kia Soul by model year
Other 2020 Kia models
Newest record on this page: October 22, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted