Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government
holds on this vehicle.
213
Complaints
14
Crashes
14
Fires
12
Injuries
1
Deaths
Owners of the 2018 Kia Soul have filed 213
safety complaints with NHTSA
between March 2018 and August 2026.
The most complained-about system is the engine,
named in 135 of them
(63%). The typical failure was reported at 54,550 miles, the median
across the 80 complaints that gave an
odometer reading.
NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this
vehicle.
Recalls (1)
AIR BAGS
22V031000 · January 25, 2022
The defect
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
What owners report
Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add
up to more than 213.
ENGINE 135 63%
POWER TRAIN 31 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 30 14%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 19 9%
AIR BAGS 11 5%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 11 5%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 9 4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 8 4%
SERVICE BRAKES 6 3%
STEERING 5 2%
STRUCTURE 5 2%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 2%
When the complaints arrived
By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures
happened. They peaked in 2025 at 32.
2018 to 2026, the last of them a part year
In owners' own words
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
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.
ENGINE
The vehicle is suffering from an extreme internal engine oil consumption defect, burning approximately 3 quarts of engine oil every 500 to 600 miles with no external leaks. The internal oil burning heavily fouled the vehicle's ignition system (spark plugs and coil packs), causing severe engine misfires and a sudden vehicle stall while operating in motion on public highways. This unexpected loss of motive power creates an extreme safety hazard. The local dealership, Paramount Kia of Hickory, refused to follow proper factory Technical Service Bulletin (TSB-ENG219) testing protocols to document the defect, leaving the consumer operating an unsafe vehicle.
NHTSA complaint 11752835. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
My 2018 Kia Soul has failed on oil consumption test and needs and engine replacement. Kia knows of these issues with these cars but will not cover the engine replacement cost bc the class action suit does not cover oil consumption failure only rod bearings. This will be an issue sooner or later with the oil problem. Kia has several recalls on other vehicles for the exact same thing.
NHTSA complaint 11751809. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
Car stalls in traffic repeatedly. Code identified crank shaft .
NHTSA complaint 11749862. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
During a BBB dispute regarding warranty coverage, Kia Corporate claimed the vehicle is ineligible for safety recall repairs.
NHTSA complaint 11748805. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.
ENGINE
I am losing the engines oil every 500 miles. It is an ongoing problem and I have to check my oil on a regular basis so the engine does not seize or catch fire as my mechanic has instructed/alerted me to do.
NHTSA complaint 11747752. 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.
What each state asks for
, read from the statutes.
Where these numbers come from
Complaints: NHTSA's ODI
complaint file
, published August 20, 2026. One
complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.
Recalls: NHTSA's recall
campaign API
, most recent campaign filed August 12, 2026.
Investigations: NHTSA's ODI
investigation file
, published 2026-08-19.
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