Fuel Economy
27–31MPG
Gas & Hybrid options available
NHTSA Complaints
228
12 crash reports • 4 reporting injuries
Safety Recalls
2
2 official NHTSA recalls
NCAP Safety Rating
Not Rated / Pending

EPA Fuel Economy & Powertrain Specifications

Official EPA laboratory test ratings, electric driving range, and annual energy cost estimates by powertrain configuration

Powertrain Group Engine / Drivetrain City MPG Hwy MPG Combined MPG Est. Annual Fuel Cost
Standard 2L 4-Cyl Regular
Automatic (variable gear ratios) • Front-Wheel Drive
 25–29 31–35 27–31 MPG $2,000–$2,300 / yr

NHTSA NCAP Crash Test & Safety Ratings

Official 5-Star Safety Ratings evaluated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

NHTSA 5-Star NCAP laboratory crash evaluations are not currently on file for the 2021 Kia Soul.

Active Driver Assistance Systems (NHTSA Recorded): Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is documented as Not Specified and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is documented as Not Specified in official NHTSA records for tested 2021 Kia Soul models.
View complete 2021 Kia Soul crash test & safety breakdown →

Reported Problems & Owner Complaints Summary (228)

Summary of 228 verified consumer defect submissions filed with the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Total Complaints
228
Crash Reports
12
Fire Reports
3
Complaints w/ Injury
4
Total Injuries
5

Top Reported Problem Categories

Ranked by total consumer complaint submissions recorded by NHTSA

Engine 96 complaints
Engine & Cooling 42 complaints
Powertrain 9 complaints (1 crash)
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 4 complaints
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 complaints

Data Attribution & Context: Complaints are self-reported by vehicle owners to NHTSA and represent unverified consumer submissions. Complaint volume does not equal a statistically controlled failure rate and is not adjusted for total vehicles sold or cumulative mileage driven.

View all 2021 Kia Soul problems & component breakdown (50 categories) →

Official Safety Recalls (2)

Manufacturer safety recall campaigns monitored and recorded by NHTSA

NHTSA Campaign #25V099000 Active Recall
Affected Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL

Defect Summary: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Seltos and Soul vehicles. The piston oil rings may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in engine damage.

Free Manufacturer Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the engine as necessary, free of charge. Dealers will also install piston-ring noise sensing system (PNSS) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 4, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC336.
NHTSA Campaign #21V259000 Active Recall
Affected Component: ENGINE

Defect Summary: Kia 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.

Free Manufacturer 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.
View all 2021 Kia Soul recalls & campaign history (2 campaigns) →
Official US Government Data Provenance

The specifications, safety ratings, defect reports, and recall campaigns published on this page are retrieved directly from official United States Government agency databases:

  • NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI): Consumer complaints and defect reports.
  • NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP): Frontal, side, and rollover 5-Star crash safety test ratings.
  • U.S. EPA / FuelEconomy.gov: Standardized multi-cycle dynamometer fuel economy, MPGe, and electric driving range ratings.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.