Kia Tried To Kill A Soul And Seltos Engine Lawsuit But Failed
Automotive recalls are meant to provide a fix for a safety issue, but it doesn't always work out that way. For Kia, its legal troubles have just escalated after complaints that a 2025 piston oil ring recall was ineffective. The case will now go to court after a judge denied Kia's motion to dismiss, and over 100,000 Seltos and Soul crossovers allegedly remain plagued by a defect that could cause their engines to fail entirely. Here's a closer look at what's happening.
What's Wrong With These Kias?
The Kias involved include the 2021-2023 Soul and 2021-2023 Seltos, both equipped with 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engines. In February 2025, 137,256 examples of these models were recalled because the piston oil rings may have been incorrectly manufactured. Increased oil consumption, abnormal noises, a loss of power, and complete engine failure are all possible. At the time, four known engine fires had occurred in certain Soul models.
The recall required dealers to install piston oil ring noise sensing system software to detect possible engine damage, while some models had their engines replaced if required. These engines used piston oil rings from a different supplier.
Despite these available fixes, Florida plaintiff Eric Jasinski still went ahead with a class action lawsuit, as shared by Car Complaints. He owns a 2021 Kia Soul and claims his vehicle is "worthless" due to the recall, despite the fact that he hasn't actually run into any engine trouble. Controversially, Jasinski is suing for over $5 million, complained the free recall will take up "hours of his time," and says the engine will fail again, even though parts from a new supplier will be used.
Unsurprisingly, Kia filed a motion to dismiss on the grounds that the plaintiff's engine hadn't actually failed in four years and because hypothetical allegations have been made about the effectiveness of the recall. Kia's claim is backed up by the NHTSA, which concluded the recall and repairs were effective. However, Judge John Milton Younge elected not to dismiss the case. Despite the lack of evidence on the plaintiff's part, the judge said the case will move to court as he must accept the allegations as true.
"All well-pled allegations in the complaint are accepted as true and viewed in the light most favorable to the plaintiff," said the judge. "The standard is not whether a Plaintiff can prove their contentions, but whether allegations are plausibly pled."
Related: Soul vs. Seltos: Which Is the Better Affordable Kia Crossover?
What It Means
Although this Kia case is going to court, it looks unlikely the plaintiff will achieve the desired outcome based on the fact that his specific vehicle has not run into engine troubles. Furthermore, Kia's recall has been deemed to be effective by the NHTSA, but a number of owners claim otherwise.
We found numerous complaints on the NHTSA's website this year, detailing cases of high oil consumption and outright engine failure in these vehicles. Some owners have not managed to get their engines replaced, due to claims of their vehicles being outside the warranty period-even though Kia's powertrain warranty runs for 10 years or 100,000 miles.
Worryingly, this is the second time major engine issues have affected the Soul. In 2019, over 378,000 Soul models from the 2012-2016 model years were recalled for a broken connecting rod that may puncture the engine block. That applied to models with the 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine. These engine issues have cast a shadow on what is otherwise an affordable and dependable small crossover.
Related: Are Modern Hyundais And Kias Built To Last Beyond The Warranty?
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This story was originally published May 26, 2026 at 5:15 AM.