2020 Kia Soul Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH, the engine started knocking on the passenger side of the vehicle underneath the hood. The contact accelerated to 45 MPH and continued driving. After refueling, while continuing to drive at 45 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost engine power, and the vehicle started coasting. The vehicle was stopped, restarted, and the contact continued driving. A short while after restarting the vehicle, the failure reoccurred. The contact stopped the vehicle, waited, then restarted the vehicle a second time. The vehicle was driven to the destination. An image of an engine was displayed on the instrument panel, and the vehicle continued to make a knocking sound. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed that the engine was failing and needed to be replaced. The certified mechanic informed the contact about NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine); and associated the vehicle with the recall; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, who confirmed the diagnosis; however, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The manufacturer declined to provide the engine replacement under recall or warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

The engine seems to be stalling, more than likely being caused by the piston rings being defective. With the piston rings being defective, this can cause oil to be lost, and then in turn causing damage to the vehicle. This can put others at risk as this will stall the vehicle, and in any form of traffic, can cause an accident. The problem has been confirmed by a dealer, but they claim it is another issue. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer. The engine light turned on shortly before this happened.

The engine burnt through all the oil in it, many miles before an oil change was needed for it.I have taken it to the dealership and the dealership submitted an extended warranty claim for it and despite the fact that the issue is mechanical and covered by the extented owarranty, the claim is being denied.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving at undisclosed speeds. The check engine warning light was illuminated. There was an abnormal, fluttery sound detected before the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure was due to the crankshaft and camshaft. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that there was no warranty coverage for the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 135,864.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. Additionally, the engine was leaking oil. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine); however, the failure recurred. The contact's friend diagnosed the vehicle with a code reader and retrieved DTC: P0017, P0301, P0302, P0303, and P0304. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

My car suddenly cut off while I'm driving putting me and others at risk in traffic and then my mechanic confirmed that its due to a defect in the engine with the piston. When I looked it up there is a recall for this on my type of car but not for my specific car VIN

I purchased my 2020 Kia Soul GT-Line brand new in October 2019. The vehicle was later subject to a Kia oil piston ring recall, which was performed by an authorized Kia dealership in July 2021. Rick Case Kia - Duluth, Georgia Despite the recall being marked as completed, the engine has now suffered catastrophic failure. An authorized Kia dealership (Nalley Kia, Lithonia, GA) performed an inspection and documented the following diagnosis: “Engine has loss of compression in 3 of 4 cylinders due to piston ring failure.”  This confirms that the engine failed due to piston ring failure, the same defect addressed by the recall. The vehicle is currently inoperable and unsafe to drive due to engine failure and loss of power. Despite identifying the cause of failure, the servicing dealer and warranty administrator are refusing to process warranty coverage unless I personally pay $1,949.56 for a complete engine teardown. The cause of failure has already been documented by the dealership, making the teardown demand unnecessary and unreasonable. I do not consent to teardown at my expense. This appears to be a case of failed or ineffective recall remediation, resulting in engine failure and creating a serious safety risk due to loss of engine power. I am requesting NHTSA investigation into the effectiveness of Kia’s oil piston ring recall remedy and post-recall engine failures.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle indicated that the oil level was low. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer informed the contact that the dipstick was dry. The contact was concerned because oil had been added to the vehicle four months earlier, in October 2025. The dealer was not able to determine the cause of the failure. The oil level was topped off. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 135,637.

The car is at the shop. My mechanic says engine needs to be replaced. It failed rapidly, in one evening, it started running ruff and check engine light came on. It stalled more than 5 times. The car stalled in an intersection and had to coast to a stop to restart. The next morning drove to O'reilly's to get the engine code. They identified the code as engine block. When leaving O'reilly's the car stalled in middle of the street and was almost hit by Semi tractor trailer that stopped barely in time. The mechanic reported finding metal shaving in the oil when diagnosing the problem. There was not any warning lights or issues before that evening outing. We would love to have the manufacturer address this issue. Engine failure at 52,800 miles on a 2020 KIA Soul needs to be addressed.

Oil is getting past the piston oil rings, causing oil to get into spark plugs/coil area of engine. Mechanic printed recall paperwork for this exact issue, but no recall found for my VIN. According to recall, this is a very dangerous issue that can stall car at any time or may be more likely to cause fires. I need this to be addressed in my car, please. Especially since it's a known issue.

My car is burning oil and showing signs of blow-by. I suspect it is due to the faulty piston rings that prompted your engine recall SC209. I brought the vehicle into the dealership in 2020 at 2,100 miles for the recall and they said it "passed." I recently became aware that this vehicle is burning oil at a significant rate, which is the date I reference below as "date this incident occurred." I opened a case with Kia Customer Care on 1/31/26. On 2/3/26 I began an oil consumption test at the local Kia dealership and I will return at or near the 1,000-mile mark to determine how much oil was burned and to see if the oil has turned black, signifying the blow-by. Attached is the Letter of Fact that I provided to the dealership when I took the vehicle in to initiate the oil consumption test, so they have that on record, as does Kia Customer Care. I may be in touch with you if I believe my vehicle has burned more than a quart of oil during the consumption test and they decline a next-step for addressing the defective pistons.

My 2020 Kia Soul has around 135,000 miles on it. When accelerating it sounded like a rod or piston was coming through the engine wall. Then began the chugging and loud knocking noises along with engine shutting off. Glad we were not on a railroad track or something like that. We could have easily been killed. No warning lights or sounds at all.

The car is frying my battery. I had a Duralast Platinum that should last approx 4 years. It killed one at 26 months. I replaced it, free of charge per the warranty, and 6 months later the brand new one is testing low again. Also, at 127k miles a flashing check engine light came on, I took it for a pre-check at a local shop and the tech identified that there was 0 oil in the reservoir. I had him change the oil just so I could get it out of there and took it into the dealership a day later. After charging me $250 for a diagnostic the dealerships response was that the cylinder walls and piston rings were damaged causing excessive oil consumption and that I need to replace my engine. $9,000 for a new engine at 127,000 miles is ridiculous. Apparently just about every other model but mine was recalled. I had to take it in for a recall last year.

On my morning commute the engine light popped up and I started feeling a rumbling in my car when idle and gliding after accelerating. I suspect the issue is consistent with the recall for 2.0L Nu MPI engine due to a fire risk caused by faulty piston oil rings. Some sources say this is for 2020-2023 models and others report it being 2021-2023 so I am unsure if my car falls under this recall or perhaps this recall needs to be expanded.

The check engine light came on and took in to have checked and am told I need a whole new engine. When Kia is contacted they are saying that they do not honor 100,000 mile warranty as I am not the first owner. I would like this to be honored because it is ridiculous that an engine would fail this soon. I have kept up on all oil changes and services since I have owned the vehicle

Car is suddenly stalling without warning during idling or slow acceleration. No check engine light initially appears. When the stall happens a check engine light comes on. When the car restarts there is not a check engine light. Car will sometimes mar a funny sound like a loud fan and jerking motion before acting “normal” but when idling at a light again will suddenly turn off. Car will start back up again, no warning lights, no check engine, etc. when doing a read of the computer there are no codes to determine any issues.

The engine stalled. I was in a left turning lanev(which there's 2 left turning lanes and I was in the far left turning lane when the vehicle stalled and I had to get out in heavy traffic and push the vehicle to the gas station to the right of me. Cars were coming so close to me and I was so scared) I've spoken to the dealership and they said twice that someone would call me but no one has yet. The engine light came on and when I pressed the gas to go, it wouldn't move. Once I got the vehicle into the gas station, a gentleman told me to let it sit for 5 minutes and turn it back on. I did, the vehicle started but, would only allow me to drive around 35 mph until I was able to park it back in my driveway. Im terrified to drive it now.

While I was parked, I got into the vehicle inserted the key and turned the vehicle on as it was started five seconds later the vehicle shut off instantly and the check engine light came on. I tried to keep starting the vehicle a couple of times. When it finally started, I had no warning lights on the dashboard so I took it a parts store who checked it out with a handheld diagnostic machine. The results were nothing was showing wrong. Everything was okay. They said it could be a glitch in the computer system and to follow up with dealership if problem persist

Component that failed: The engine (2.0L Nu MPI) suffered a sudden internal mechanical failure. A connecting rod broke and punctured through the engine block. The failure was catastrophic and occurred without any warning lights, oil pressure warnings, overheating messages, or performance symptoms beforehand. Safety risk: The vehicle stalled instantly and lost all power while I was driving, which put my safety at risk. A sudden engine failure at speed can cause loss of control, a crash, or the inability to move the vehicle off the roadway. This type of failure is a serious safety hazard. Inspection and confirmation: The failure was confirmed by Kia of Riverdale on November 13, 2025. Their mechanic documented that the engine rod blew through the block due to internal damage. The dealer stated the vehicle is no longer drivable and needs a full engine replacement. Manufacturer response: Kia declined assistance because I am the second owner and the warranty has expired, even though this type of failure is consistent with known engine defects in Kia’s 2.0L engines involving connecting rods, oil starvation, and internal bearing failures. Kia did not inspect the vehicle beyond the dealership diagnosis and did not offer goodwill repair. Warning signs before failure: None. No warning lamps, noises, or messages appeared prior to the incident. The engine failed suddenly without any advance symptoms. Best assessment of cause: Based on the dealer inspection and Kia’s documented history of engine defects, the failure appears related to the same connecting rod and internal lubrication issues affecting similar Kia engines from nearby model years. Although my VIN is not currently included in an active recall, the mechanical failure matches the defect patterns described in existing Kia engine recalls. The vehicle remains unsafe and completely inoperable.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the vehicle was driving sluggishly, and the vehicle unexpectedly decelerated before stalling. The vehicle was towed to the local Service Center and was diagnosed with piston rings failure. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed, and metal shavings were found inside the engine oil, and the camshaft and the timing were not operating properly. The cause of the failure was not yet determined by the dealer. The contact was informed that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (ENGINE). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000.