2020 KIA Soul Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 91 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2020 KIA Soul, 24% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 8,850 miles. The words owners use most often: “transmission failed” (12% of reports).
- 91power train complaints
- 8,850median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 65%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Transmission failed: mentioned in 11 of 91 complaints (12%)
- Pull off: mentioned in 6 of 91 complaints (7%)
- Few minutes: mentioned in 5 of 91 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 60 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 91 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 2 an injury.
KIA Soul power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Soul | 1 | 8% | — |
| 2024 Soul | 2 | 7% | — |
| 2023 Soul | 5 | 9% | 33,000 |
| 2022 Soul | 12 | 13% | 62,000 |
| 2021 Soul | 26 | 11% | 8,408 |
| 2020 Soul | 91 | 24% | 8,850 |
| 2019 Soul | 5 | 4% | 22,000 |
| 2018 Soul | 31 | 14% | 33,000 |
| 2017 Soul | 19 | 7% | 79,739 |
| 2016 Soul | 62 | 8% | 74,500 |
| 2015 Soul | 61 | 7% | 92,640 |
| 2014 Soul | 58 | 6% | 76,400 |
| 2013 Soul | 14 | 2% | 107,900 |
| 2012 Soul | 21 | 4% | 63,000 |
| 2011 Soul | 13 | 7% | 40,000 |
| 2010 Soul | 11 | 8% | 36,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 2020 KIA Soul. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The vehicle experienced complete and sudden engine failure while actively driving on a roadway. The engine began making loud, violent knocking noises, the check engine light illuminated, and the vehicle completely stopped and lost all motive power mid-drive. I believe this is directly caused by the…
Vehicle Details: 2020 Kia Soul, 2.0L Nu MPI Engine Complaint Description: My vehicle is experiencing severe, excessive engine oil consumption at 99,000 miles, which has directly resulted in a P0420 diagnostic trouble code (Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold) due to motor oil poisoning the…
The vehicle has experienced intermittent stalling and near-stalling while driving. The problem began after a prior Kia engine replacement related to DTC P1327/P132700. After the engine replacement, the vehicle developed additional drivability and warning-light concerns, including P0420 and…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2020 KIA Souls have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 91 owner complaints about power train for the 2020 KIA Soul (24% of the 386 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2020 KIA Soul power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 8,850 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2020 KIA Soul?
The most frequent phrase is “transmission failed”, in 11 of 91 complaints, followed by “pull off” (6).
Other 2020 KIA Soul problems
- Engine problems (243)
See all 2020 KIA Soul problems or power train problems across all Soul years.