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Car Safety DB

NHTSA Campaign Number

21V259000

ENGINE

Reported to NHTSA: April 13, 2021

Key Takeaways

  • Recall 21V259000 currently maps to 3 tracked vehicle-year pages across 1 make.
  • This page summarizes the official defect description, safety consequence, and remedy text published by NHTSA for this campaign.
  • This is a campaign-level lookup, not a VIN-level clearance result. Use a VIN lookup before assuming your specific vehicle is still open.

Useful Next Steps

Check a VIN for an open recallRead what to do after a recall noticeBrowse more engine recallsOpen an affected vehicle page

Defect Description

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.

Safety Consequence

A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, oil may leak onto hot exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.

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.

What This Recall Page Shows

This page summarizes a single NHTSA recall campaign, including the defect description, safety consequence, and manufacturer's remedy. The affected vehicles listed below are the make/model/year combinations tracked in our database — this is not a VIN-specific result. To check whether your individual vehicle is covered by this recall, enter your 17-digit VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Click any vehicle below to view its full safety profile.

VIN recall lookup guideWhat to do after a recallMore engine recalls

Affected Vehicles (3)

YearMakeModel
2021KiaSeltos
2020KiaSoul
2021KiaSoul

Browse Affected Vehicles

Affected Models

Kia SeltosKia Soul

Affected Make + Year Views

2021 Kia2020 Kia

Affected Years

20212020

Related Engine Campaigns

These campaigns share the same broad recall component family, so they are useful if you want to compare how similar issue types appeared across other vehicles and time periods.

26V205000ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer and Mustang vehicles. The engine piston circlips may have been incorrectly installed during manufacturing, which can re…2 tracked vehicle pages · Mar 31, 202626V122000ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Ranger, Lincoln Nautilus, Mustang, Maverick, Explorer, Escape, Lincoln Corsair, Bronco Sport, and Bronco vehicles. The exhaust g…9 tracked vehicle pages · Mar 3, 202626V080000ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGNissan North America, Inc. (Nissan) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Rogue vehicles equipped with 3-cylinder 1.5L variable compression turbo (VC-Turbo) engines. Increased temperature…3 tracked vehicle pages · Feb 12, 202625V828000ENGINEFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer, Mustang, Lincoln Corsair, and 2025 Maverick vehicles. The cylinder head may have been improperly manufactured, which c…4 tracked vehicle pages · Dec 1, 2025

This recall information is from NHTSA campaign 21V259000. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA. Contact your dealer or call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 for more information.

Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026