Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
Owners have filed 218 safety complaints
about the 2018 Kia Soul with the US government. Of those, 14 describe a crash, 14 mention a fire, 12 people were injured and 1 death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the air bags.
The most complained-about system is the engine,
named in 140 complaints, 64% of the total.
The typical failure was reported at 54,550 miles,
the median across the 80
complaints that gave
an odometer reading.
Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files
· Covers March 2018 to September 2026 · How this is counted
What is on file
218 complaints on file
218
Complaints
14
Describe a crash
14
Mention fire
12
People injured
1
Deaths
A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a
finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts
them.
Complaints rose by half year on year: 35 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 23 in the twelve before.
A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free.
Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can
answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a
model year.
Which system owners named
Complaints naming each system
ENGINE 140 · 64%
140 64%
POWER TRAIN 31 · 14%
31 14%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 30 · 14%
30 14%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 19 · 9%
19 9%
AIR BAGS 11 · 5%
11 5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 11 · 5%
11 5%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 9 · 4%
9 4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8 · 4%
8 4%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 · 3%
6 3%
STEERING 5 · 2%
5 2%
STRUCTURE 5 · 2%
5 2%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 · 2%
4 2%
058115
Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it.
One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 218.
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2025 at 32.
This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure
happened. The range runs from 2018 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program
NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what
happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2018 Kia SOUL, and it is a separate
question from what owners report going wrong later.
Test
SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover
14.7%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard
A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Forte, and 2017 Forte Koup vehicles. The Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board and damage the electrical circuit. Circuit damage may result in deactivated air bags that will not deploy in a crash.
The risk
Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect the ACU, and either update the software or replace the unit, as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 21, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC226.
Kia Motors America · up to 410,619 vehicles across all model years covered
In owners’ own words
Quoted from the complaint file
Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the
people who filed them, not findings of fault.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
1 death · fire · crash · towed
During a front end accident the car burst into flames and the driver was trapped and passed away at the scene.
NHTSA complaint 11439319. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
STRUCTURE:BODY
2 injured · crash · towed · 37,000 miles
I WAS INVOLVED IN A CAR ACCIDENT ON JULY 11 2020. THE OTHER DRIVER RAN A RED LIGHT AND I T-BONED HIM. MY CAR SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF DAMAGE TO THE FRONT END AND WAS DEEMED TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. IN THIS ACCIDENT NONE OF MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED.
NHTSA complaint 11350865. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
SEAT BELTS
2 injured · crash · 12,000 miles
WE WERE HIT IN REAR BY A TRUCK. MY WIFE AND I WENT FORWARD TO ALMOST THE DASH AND STEERING WHEEL, THE BELTS NEVER CAUGHT. I CALLED KIA TALKED TO OFFICE IN CALIFORNIA HE SAID THEY SHOULD HAVE CAUGHT. TOOK TO KIA DEALER HAS ADVISED AND THEY SAID IT WORKED FINE. THEY ADJUSTED BECAUSE NOW YOU PULL A LITTLE WAYS THEY LOCK. THE SERVER WRITER SAID THE TECH TOLD HIM THEY WOULD NOT LOCK FOR BEING HIT IN REAR. TALKED TO CALIFORNIA AGAIN THE SAME PERSON AND HE SAID THEY WOULD NOT LOCK BECAUSE WE WENT BACK FIRST AND THEN FORWARD. WE WAS STOPPED AT A YIELD SIGN FOR TRAFFIC ON A HIGHWAY WAITING TO GO TO ANOTHER HIGHWAY WHEN WE WERE HIT.
NHTSA complaint 11101360. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1 injured · crash · towed · 5,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 KIA SOUL. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT WAS IN GEAR. WHILE THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO PARK IN FRONT OF HER HOUSE, WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE SPONTANEOUSLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE. THE FRONT DRIVER'S AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED A BROKEN NOSE THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY TO A LOT. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE …
NHTSA complaint 11172782, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
This Kia has an oil consumption issue I need to add oil every 3 to 4 hundred miles also my oil gets black at least 1 week after an oil change.
NHTSA complaint 11763086. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
This Kia has an oil consumption issue I need to add oil every 3 to 4 hundred miles also my oil gets black at least 1 week after an oil change.
NHTSA complaint 11763087. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
This Kia has an oil consumption issue I need to add oil every 3 to 4 hundred miles also my oil gets black at least 1 week after an oil change.
NHTSA complaint 11763088. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
This Kia has an oil consumption issue I need to add oil every 3 to 4 hundred miles also my oil gets black at least 1 week after an oil change.
NHTSA complaint 11763089. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
This Kia has an oil consumption issue I need to add oil every 3 to 4 hundred miles also my oil gets black at least 1 week after an oil change.
NHTSA complaint 11763090. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
My car has very high oil consumption. I regularly take it for oil changes and have never missed an oil change. In between oil changes I need to put anywhere between 2-3 bottles of oil in. I have taken it in to the dealership for a couple of oil consumption tests that both failed step one so they kept it overnight and did some kind of flush or cleanse and then it passed step 2 both times. The car is good for a little while and then it starts consuming alot of oil again. Due to the high consumption of oil my catalytic converter is going bad and the engine seems very sluggish at times. I do have a yellow check engine light constantly on and the code is for the catalytic converter due to high …
NHTSA complaint 11756115, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's
lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How
many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by
the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file, published October 2, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API, newest campaign on this vehicle filed January 25, 2022.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file, published October 2, 2026.
A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by
us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that
sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.
G
Compiled and maintained by guarledes Independent developer and analyst