Two engine seizure recalls, an ISG fire risk, and an NHTSA audit — 2020-2023 Soul owners may qualify for a California buyback. Free review.
The third-generation Kia Soul was redesigned as a practical, affordable city car with a personality — one of the few subcompact SUVs that makes owners genuinely loyal. For tens of thousands of California owners, that loyalty has been tested by something far more serious than an inconvenient repair: a defective engine that can seize without warning, leak oil onto hot metal, and catch fire. The headline problem is the Nu 2.0L engine's piston oil rings. A supplier manufactured them incorrectly — twice. The first round of failures triggered NHTSA recall 21V-259 (Kia SC209, April 2021), covering roughly 125,400 Soul units from 2020-2021 model years. A second, separate manufacturing deviation at the same supplier prompted NHTSA recall 25V-099 (Kia SC336, February 2025), adding approximately 83,621 Soul units from 2021-2023 model years. Between the two campaigns, nearly every Nu-engine Soul sold in the United States is — or has been — subject to a safety recall for engine seizure and fire risk. The situation did not end there. After SC336 launched, NHTSA received 47 owner complaints in less than two months alleging that the recall remedy was either ineffective or simply unavailable due to engine parts shortages. NHTSA opened a formal Audit Query in August 2025 to investigate. Kia changed its inspection procedure in May 2025, but owners continue to report inconsistent outcomes — some told their engine is fine when oil consumption data suggests otherwise. On top of the engine story, a separate 2023-model-year recall (23V-531, Kia SC275) put a park-outside fire advisory on 20,453 Souls whose Idle Stop and Go electric oil pump controller contained a damaged capacitor that could cause an electrical fire. California's lemon law was built for exactly this situation: a defect that Kia has acknowledged, recalled, re-recalled, and still cannot consistently fix.
The issues owners report most, ranked by severity — each one verified against a cited NHTSA source.
Engine consumes excessive oil, oil pressure warning or check-engine light illuminates, abnormal knocking/tapping noise from engine, vehicle stalls or loses power; in severe cases engine seizes or catches fire
Smoke or burning smell from vehicle underbody, malfunction indicator light or warning in instrument cluster, in worst case vehicle fire under the car
Hesitation or delay when accelerating, RPM surges between 30-50 mph, check-engine or MIL lamp illuminates, transmission jerks or shudders, sudden complete loss of drive at highway speed
Side curtain airbag deploys without crash or command; sudden airbag deployment while driving or parked
Vehicle stolen or targeted for theft; thieves remove steering column shroud and use USB cable to bypass ignition; alarm sounds but engine starts without key fob
Dashboard screen goes completely blank when vehicle is started; speedometer, warning lights, tire pressure, and all gauges fail to display; condition may resolve after restart or persist
A settled Margarian Law case on this exact model, published with the actual settlement math.
Open any defect for the symptoms and why it matters for a California lemon-law claim. Each is tied to a cited NHTSA source.
Engine consumes excessive oil, oil pressure warning or check-engine light illuminates, abnormal knocking/tapping noise from engine, vehicle stalls or loses power; in severe cases engine seizes or catches fire
Two overlapping recalls (21V-259 SC209 and 25V-099 SC336) affecting 2020-2023 MY; NHTSA opened Aug 2025 audit after 47 complaints that SC336 remedy is ineffective or unavailable — repeated engine repair attempts and extended parts delays strengthen substantial-impairment and reasonable-number-of-attempts arguments
Dealers install Piston-Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software in ECM and, if threshold exceeded, replace engine long block at no cost; some vehicles require full engine replacement
Hesitation or delay when accelerating, RPM surges between 30-50 mph, check-engine or MIL lamp illuminates, transmission jerks or shudders, sudden complete loss of drive at highway speed
Transmission slippage and sudden loss of drive at highway speed are safety-critical impairments. Multiple repair attempts under SC199 (including full IVT replacement) at low mileage create strong lemon-law timeline; original SC199 covered 2020-2021 build dates, with revisions through Jun 2023 indicating persistent issue
Kia SC199 Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign: TCM software reprogram; if DTCs P0730/P0731/P0741/P0867 with metal-in-fluid confirmed, full IVT assembly replacement at no cost
Smoke or burning smell from vehicle underbody, malfunction indicator light or warning in instrument cluster, in worst case vehicle fire under the car
Fire-risk recall with park-outside advisory; any delay in dealer completing SC275 repair while car cannot be safely garaged constitutes a substantial impairment of use
Dealer inspects ISG electric oil pump controller; replaces controller if defective at no cost; owners advised to park outside/away from structures until repaired
Side curtain airbag deploys without crash or command; sudden airbag deployment while driving or parked
Airbag safety recall; unexpected airbag deployment is a per-se substantial safety impairment; even if narrow production window, affected owners have strong lemon-law standing
Dealers inspect both side curtain airbag modules; replace affected module(s) with new ones at no cost
Vehicle stolen or targeted for theft; thieves remove steering column shroud and use USB cable to bypass ignition; alarm sounds but engine starts without key fob
Design defect with documented fatalities (NHTSA counted 14 crashes, 8 deaths nationally); CS2306 was a non-recall voluntary campaign — if vehicle was stolen or damaged pre-fix and dealership failed to promptly perform software upgrade, owner may have lemon-law or consumer-protection claim for vehicle that cannot safely be used as intended
Kia CS2306 Customer Satisfaction Campaign: free anti-theft software upgrade extends alarm to 60 sec and requires key fob in ignition to start; physical ignition cylinder protector (CS2311) offered subsequently; 2022+ MY have factory immobilizer
Dashboard screen goes completely blank when vehicle is started; speedometer, warning lights, tire pressure, and all gauges fail to display; condition may resolve after restart or persist
Blank instrument cluster disables FMVSS-required telltales; recall 23V-298 affects 108,936 units across multiple 2023 Kia models; repeated blank-screen occurrences before software update or post-update recurrence strengthen impairment argument
Kia SC270: dealer updates instrument cluster software at no cost
open
Piston oil rings manufactured with supplier quality deviation; rings damage cylinder wall surface over time causing engine damage
closed
Welding error in hybrid inflator stored-gas section causes side curtain airbag to deploy without deployment command
closed
Damaged MLCC capacitor on ISG EOP circuit board causes electrical short and thermal damage to pump, connector, and wiring harness
closed
Instrument cluster software causes boot-sequence error due to voltage fluctuations on startup, resulting in blank display
closed
Piston oil rings improperly heat-treated causing excessive hardness; rings chip and scuff cylinder bore leading to engine damage
Every item below comes from this vehicle's documented defects. The more you recognize, the more a free case review is worth your time.
California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act protects buyers and lessees of new vehicles purchased in California. The law presumes a defect is substantial when a manufacturer has made two or more unsuccessful repair attempts on a safety-related defect, or four or more attempts on any other substantial defect, or when the vehicle has been out of service for 30 or more cumulative days during the warranty period. If your Soul qualifies, you may be entitled to a full repurchase — the purchase price minus a mileage offset — or a comparable replacement vehicle. Kia is required to pay your reasonable attorney's fees if you prevail, which means most California lemon law cases cost the owner nothing out of pocket. The Nu engine situation is unusual because NHTSA itself has flagged that the SC336 remedy is being inconsistently applied. If your vehicle was inspected and cleared but continues to consume oil or knock, or if engine replacement parts were unavailable for an extended period, you have facts worth evaluating. The above is general information only and is not legal advice; results depend on the specific facts of your case.
“Could not duplicate” doesn't mean the defect isn't real. Here's exactly what to do to protect a potential California lemon-law claim.
Document the moment it happens. Photos, video, and screenshots of any warning lights — with the date and the mileage.
Get a repair order every visit — even “found nothing.” That paperwork is the foundation of a claim.
Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Note any recall that has no available remedy yet.
Track your out-of-service days. California law counts the cumulative days your vehicle spends in the shop.
Keep loaner & rental records. Alternate-transport paperwork during long repairs matters.
Save everything in one place. Symptoms, dates, repair orders, and every repeat visit — the intermittent ones especially.
A dealer note of 'could not duplicate' (CND) or 'no fault found' (NFF) does not close your lemon law case — it still counts as a repair attempt under California's Song-Beverly Act. Here is how to protect your rights when the dealer cannot reproduce what you are experiencing: 1. Before every visit, write down the exact symptom, the date and mileage when it happened, recent oil-check readings if the concern is engine-related, and any dashboard warning messages. Take photos or video when you can do so safely. 2. For engine oil consumption: ask the dealer to document your current oil level at check-in and at check-out on the repair order. An engine consuming a quart or more per 1,000 miles creates a measurable record across visits. 3. Ask the service advisor to print all stored and historical Diagnostic Trouble Codes — not just active faults. DTC P1327 (PNSS piston ring threshold exceeded) and knock-sensor codes are particularly important under SC209 and SC336 recall protocols. For the IVT, ask about P0730, P0731, P0741, and P0867. 4. Specifically ask whether PNSS (Piston Ring Noise Sensing System) software has been installed under recall 21V-259 or 25V-099, and whether the post-software inspection has been completed. If the dealer says parts are unavailable for engine replacement, ask for that in writing on the repair order. 5. Keep every repair order — including visits where the dealer found nothing. Parts-on-order delays and waiting time both count toward the 30-day cumulative out-of-service presumption under California lemon law. 6. If your VIN was excluded from a recall but you have the same symptoms as the recalled population, document that in writing with the dealer.
The 2020-2023 Kia Soul's Nu 2.0L engine recall story is not a single isolated event — it is two overlapping recalls for two separate supplier defects, followed by a federal audit of the second recall's effectiveness. Kia has acknowledged the problem in writing with NHTSA. Yet owners are still reporting engine failures after the recall remedy was supposedly applied, and replacement engines have been on backorder. Add the ISG fire recall (park-outside advisory), the IVT failure campaign, and a side curtain airbag deployment recall, and a meaningful number of 2020-2023 Soul owners are holding a vehicle with a documented safety problem that Kia has not been able to durably fix. If your Soul is losing oil, making engine noise, or has been back to the dealer for the same engine concern more than once, a free lemon law evaluation is worth your time.
— The Margarian Law team
Does your 2020-2023 Soul burn oil, knock, or keep triggering engine warning lights? Have you been in for the piston ring recall — and the problem came back anyway? California law may entitle you to a full repurchase or replacement. Our team offers a free case review, and Kia pays attorney fees if you win. Find out where you stand.
If you own a 2020-2023 Kia Soul with the 2.0L Nu MPI engine, there is a very high probability your vehicle is covered by at least one NHTSA recall. Two separate campaigns affect this generation: NHTSA 21V-259 (Kia SC209, April 2021) covers approximately 125,400 Soul units from 2020-2021 model years built between November 2018 and October 2020. NHTSA 25V-099 (Kia SC336, February 2025) covers approximately 83,621 Soul units from 2021-2023 model years built between July 2020 and April 2022. The defect is defective piston oil rings that can damage cylinder walls, cause excessive oil consumption, and allow oil to leak onto hot exhaust components — a fire risk. Check your specific VIN at nhtsa.gov to confirm open recall status.
You are not alone. NHTSA opened a formal Audit Query in August 2025 — designated AQ-25001 — after receiving 47 complaints in under two months from owners who reported the SC336 recall remedy (recall 25V-099) was either ineffective or unavailable due to engine parts shortages. Complaints described inconsistent inspection outcomes: some dealers found no damage under the PNSS protocol while owners continued to lose oil. If your Soul was inspected and cleared under the recall but still exhibits oil loss, engine noise, or knock sensor codes, return to the dealer, document the current oil level on the repair order, and request a re-inspection. Each visit — including one that finds nothing — counts as a repair attempt under California's Song-Beverly lemon law. If the pattern continues, consider a free legal consultation.
Yes — two separate recalls touch 2023 Soul fire risk, and they are distinct problems. First, NHTSA recall 25V-099 (Kia SC336) covers 2021-2023 Soul units with the Nu 2.0L engine for piston ring defects that can allow oil to reach hot exhaust components. Second, NHTSA recall 23V-531 (Kia SC275, July 2023) covers approximately 20,453 Soul units built between November 2022 and May 2023 that are equipped with the IVT and Idle Stop and Go system. In those vehicles, a damaged capacitor on the ISG electric oil pump controller can cause an electrical short and fire originating from the pump area. Kia issued a park-outside, away-from-structures advisory until that controller is inspected and replaced. If you have received a recall notice for 23V-531 and have not had the ISG controller replaced, schedule the repair promptly and document any delay on your repair order.
Transmission hesitation and slippage in 2020-2021 Soul models equipped with the IVT (Intelligent Variable Transmission) is a documented issue addressed by Kia Voluntary Emissions Service Campaign SC199. Symptoms include delayed or lacking acceleration, RPM surging, MIL illumination, and in more severe cases sudden complete loss of drive — including at highway speed. Kia's remedy is TCM software reprogramming. If the dealer also finds DTCs P0730, P0731, P0741, or P0867 with evidence of metal contamination in the fluid, the entire IVT unit is to be replaced at no cost. Multiple revisions to the procedure were issued through June 2023 (SC199_TSB_R4), indicating the problem was persistent. If your Soul has been back to the dealer for transmission hesitation more than once, or if it failed at highway speed, document each visit. Repeated IVT failures within the warranty period may support a lemon law evaluation.
You may qualify. California's Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act creates a presumption of a lemon when a manufacturer has made two or more unsuccessful repair attempts on a safety-related defect, or four or more attempts on any other substantial defect, or when the vehicle has been out of service for 30 or more cumulative days during the warranty period. The Kia Soul's Nu engine situation is particularly notable because two overlapping recalls (21V-259 and 25V-099) cover the same fundamental defect, and NHTSA's own Audit Query documented that the remedy is inconsistently applied and parts are unavailable for some owners. If your Soul was in for the same engine concern more than once, if a remedy was attempted and failed, or if engine replacement parts kept your car at the dealer for an extended period, those facts are worth evaluating. If you prevail, Kia is required to pay your attorney's fees — so most California lemon law cases cost the owner nothing out of pocket. This is general information, not legal advice.
VIN exclusions are common with the Soul piston ring recalls because two separate campaigns (21V-259 and 25V-099) cover overlapping but distinct production windows, and some vehicles built at the boundary of either range may be administratively excluded despite having the same defective components. If your Soul is exhibiting engine knock, abnormal oil consumption, or PNSS code P1327, document the symptoms in writing at your next dealer visit and ask the service advisor to note your VIN exclusion on the repair order. Ask the dealer to contact Kia Technical Assistance for a goodwill inspection. California law does not limit lemon law claims to vehicles under a specific recall — what matters is whether the defect is covered by the manufacturer's warranty and whether the manufacturer has been given a reasonable number of attempts to repair it. A free legal consultation can help you assess your options regardless of recall coverage.
Skip to content
