What is the defect?
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.
What is the consequence?
Engine damage can cause a vehicle stall or fire, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.
What is the manufacturer's 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 notification letters were mailed April 4, 2025. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC336.
Vehicles covered
- Kia Seltos, 2021–2023
- Kia Soul, 2021–2023
Is your vehicle included?
- Find the 17-character VIN on the driver-side door jamb sticker or at the base of the windshield.
- Enter it on NHTSA's recall lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls. It shows open recalls for that exact vehicle.
- Or ask any dealer for the make. A recall repair costs you nothing.
How this recall can matter to a lemon law claim
A recall repair counts as a repair attempt when the same problem keeps coming back. Keep every repair order, with the dates the vehicle went in and came out, because days out of service can count toward your state's threshold. If the problem returns after the recall repair, that history is what a claim is built on.
See your state's lemon law rules →