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2021 Kia Soul

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2021 Soul.

The 2021 Kia Soul utilizes an engine with a 4.7-quart oil capacity specified for 5W-20, 5W-30, or 10W-30 viscosity grades, and presents a reliability record encompassing 220 owner complaints and two recalls, with the engine identified as the top complaint area. Within the model’s 2010–2025 production history, which ranges from 898 complaints in 2015 to 11 in 2025, this model year registers complaint volume well below the line’s historical peak. That positioning indicates markedly better durability than the nameplate’s most troubled iterations while sitting substantially above the series’ minimum recorded complaint level.

Model year2025 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity4.7 qtOEM · verified

Engine oil type5W-20 / 5W-30 / 10W-30OEM · verified

Lug nut torque79.0-94.0 ft-lbsOEM · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI Only use AGM VRLA Battery. ISG: 48; Without ISG: 47 · ISG: 760; Without ISG: 600 CCA battery. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI Only use AGM VRLA Battery. ISG: 48; Without ISG: 47 · ISG: 760; Without ISG: 600 CCAOEM · verified

Tail / brake / turnTELLOEM · verified

Tire size235/45R18 94VOEM · verified

Wheel / rim7.5 inOEM · verified

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length	165.4 in
Overall width	70.9 in
Overall height	63.8 in
Wheelbase	102.4 in
Curb weight	2844 lb
Track (front / rear)	61 / 61 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)	61/39

Performance & power Independent road tests

0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.

Independent road tests for the Soul of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.

6.4–8.6 sec0–60 mph (tested)quickest 6.40 sec — 2020 GT-Line Turbo

Year	Trim / engine	0–60	¼ mile	HP	Drivetrain
2020	GT-Line Turbo 1.6L Turbo I-4	6.40 sec	15.00 sec	201 hp	FWD
2020	GT-Line Turbo 1.6L Turbo I-4	6.50 sec	15.00 sec	201 hp	FWD
2020	GT-Line Turbo 1.6L Turbo I-4	6.70 sec	15.20 sec	201 hp	FWD
2020	X-Line 2.0L I-4	6.90 sec	15.20 sec	147 hp	FWD
2020	GT-Line Turbo 1.6L Turbo I-4	7.00 sec	15.40 sec	201 hp	FWD
2020	X-Line 2.0L I-4	8.00 sec	16.40 sec	147 hp	FWD
2020	X-Line 2.0L I-4	8.30 sec	16.50 sec	147 hp	FWD
2020	EX 2.0L I-4	8.60 sec	16.70 sec	147 hp	FWD

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 4.7 qt of 5W-20 / 5W-30 / 10W-30 engine oil, DOT 4 brake fluid. Torque lug nuts to 79.0-94.0 ft-lbs.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission Fluid	API · GL-4
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity	2.1 qt
Brake Fluid	DOT 4
Brake Fluid	DOT 4
Clutch Fluid	DOT 4
Engine Coolant	Ethylene Glycol
Engine Coolant Capacity	5.8 qt
Engine Coolant	Ethylene Glycol

Engine torques

Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings	Use new bolts only.
Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts	145.0-152.0 ft-lbs
Engine Flywheel Bolts	53-56 ft-lbs
Engine Flywheel Bolts	87.0-94.0 ft-lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts	14.0-17.0 ft-lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts	26.0-30.3 ft-lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts	14.0-17.0 ft-lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts	25.0-29.0 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Lug Nuts

79.0-94.0 ft-lbs

Ignition

Curb Idle Speed (No Load)	Checking Speed: 630 rpm
Curb Idle Speed Variance (No Load)	Checking Speed: 100 rpm
Curb Idle Speed (Secondary Under Load)	Speed-Up Speed: 630 rpm
Curb Idle Speed Variance (Secondary Under Load)	Speed-Up Speed: 100 rpm
Curb Idle Speed (No Load)	Checking Speed: 640 rpm
Curb Idle Speed Variance (No Load)	Checking Speed: 100 rpm
Curb Idle Speed (Secondary Under Load)	Speed-Up Speed: 680 rpm
Curb Idle Speed Variance (Secondary Under Load)	Speed-Up Speed: 100 rpm

Battery & A/C

Refrigerant	R1234yf
Refrigerant Capacity	.98-1.05 lbs
Oil Group	PAG
Oil Type	30
Oil Capacity	3.88-4.58 oz
Standard BCI Cranking Performance	ISG: 760; Without ISG: 600 cca

Service checks

Regulated Fuel System Pressure (With Vacuum)	48.0-54.0 psi
Regulated Fuel System Pressure (With Vacuum)	70.0-75.0 psi

Brakes

Brake Caliper Bolt to Carrier Torque	16.0-23.0 ft-lbs
Brake Caliper Carrier to Hub Bolt Torque	Front: 58.0-; Rear: 47.0-
ABS Sensor Torque	6.3
Minimum Pad Thickness	Disc: 0.079"; Drum: 0.039" in
Vented Rotor Minimum Thickness for Replacement	Front: 15; Rear: .331
Variation from Parallelism Thickness Variation	.0002"
Maximum Rotor Runout	Front: .0016; Rear: .0012

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Camshaft Bearing/Carrier Cap Bolts or Studs — tightening sequence 1 stages

Prep M6 bolts: Step 1: 52 inch lbs.

2	104-112 inch lbs.; M8 bolts: Step 1: 7 ft. lbs.	104–112 in
2	14-17

Connecting Rod (Large End) Bearings — tightening sequence 2 stages

1	13-16 ft. lbs.	13–16 ft. lbs
2	90

Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

34.0-38.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 38-42°

34–38 ft. lbs

Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 1 stages

24.0-27.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 90-05°, Step 3: 90-95°

24–27 ft. lbs

Cylinder Head — tightening sequence 1 stages

22.0 ft. lbs., Step 2: 90°, Step 2: 90°

22 ft. lbs

Main Bearings — tightening sequence 2 stages

1	13-16 ft. lbs.	13–16 ft. lbs
2	90

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the spark plugs every 42,000 mi.

Every 6,000 mi	Air Conditioning System (inspect) · Air Intake System (inspect) · Battery (inspect) · Brake Line (inspect) · Brake Linings (inspect) · Brake Rotor (inspect)
Every 12,000 mi	Accessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Fuel Evaporative Canister Filter (inspect) · Fuel Evaporative Emission Control System Lines (inspect) · Fuel Tank Filler Cap (inspect)
Every 15,000 mi	Engine Coolant System (inspect fluid level) · Transmission Assembly (inspect fluid level)
At 30,000 mi	Engine Coolant System (inspect fluid level) · Transmission Assembly (inspect fluid level)
Every 37,500 mi	Transmission Assembly (inspect fluid level)
Every 42,000 mi	Spark Plugs (replace)
Every 48,000 mi	Brake Hydraulic System (drain, refill & bleed)
At 60,000 mi	Accessory Drive Belt (inspect)
Every 60,000 mi	Engine Valves (inspect valve lash)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

The 2021 Kia Soul sits in the declining phase of this generation's complaint arc, which peaked dramatically in the 2012–2016 model years (890–898 complaints at its height) before dropping sharply after 2017. Compared to the 2020 model year, which saw a notable spike to 361 complaints, 2021 represents a significant improvement at 220 complaints, and it precedes a further decline to 87 complaints in 2022 — placing it in a transitional middle ground rather than at either extreme. Recalls ticked up slightly from one in 2020 to two in 2021 before returning to one in 2022, and the single open investigation matches the low level seen across most post-2017 years. Engine-related complaints dominate the 2021 record, with 95 categorized under "Engine" and 38 under "Engine & Engine Cooling," though the data does not specify root causes for these issues; the presence of 12 crash complaints and 3 fire complaints is worth noting but also lacks causal detail in this dataset. Overall, 2021 is a reasonable but not standout year — it benefits from being well past the generation's trouble peak, yet it carries meaningfully more complaints than the quieter 2022–2025 models, so if budget allows, a 2022 or newer Soul offers a cleaner federal record.

Open recalls

NHTSA campaigns

116

Service bulletins

Manufacturer communications

ODI investigations

Office of Defects Investigation

220

Owner complaints

12 involved a crash · 3 a fire

NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars

Overall★★★★★

Frontal★★★★★

Side★★★★★

Rollover★★★★★

Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

’10 ’11 ’12 ’13 ’14 ’15 ’16 ’17 ’18 ’19 ’20’21’22 ’23 ’24 ’25

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 220 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Engine95

Engine & Engine Cooling38

Unknown Or Other10

Power Train9

Power Train,Engine4

Power Train,Unknown Or Other,Engine3

Unknown Or Other,Engine3

Engine,Fuel/Propulsion System3

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 2 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

21V259000EngineReported 13/04/2021

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. 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)…

25V099000Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Hard Parts Internal/MechanicalReported 17/02/2025

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. 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…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 116 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

Bulletin	Date	Component	Summary
CS2311_TSB_R4	2026-06-08	Structure	TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION: CYLINDER…
CS2312_TSB_R2	2026-06-08	Structure	TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER…
TSB_BOD336	2026-06-04	Structure	TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: KEY AND CYLINDER SET REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides…
TSB_ELE422	2026-05-27	Electrical System	TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM SOFTWARE UPDATE USING UPDATE.KIA.COM…
SC199_OWNR_SK3_3	2026-02-19	Power Train	VOLUNTARY EMISSIONS SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (SC199 FL301) - This document…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420

Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1

P0300

Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected

P0171

System too lean — Bank 1

P0455

Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak

P0128

Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature

P0442

Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN

Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific Soul. OEM

Build data

Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.

Recalls

Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Group O battery Vehicles taking 4.7 qt

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Vehicle recalls & TSBs OBD-II trouble codes Torque specifications Maintenance schedules Fluid capacities & specs

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2021 Soul take?

4.7 qt of 5W-20 is preferred. 5W-30 may be used if 5W-20 is unavailable. Temperatures above 0°F: 10W-30; Above 10°F: 15W-40; Above 20°F: 20W-50, per the factory manual.

Does the 2021 Soul have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.