Kia Soul Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 5,579 consumer complaints across the 16 model years of the Kia Soul (2010–2025) that have at least 5 complaints. 2014 has the most, with 903. Across all years, the part named most often is engine (3,154 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Soul model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 12 | — | 0 | 13 | — | Too new |
| 2024 | 30 | 6,000 | 0 | 29 | Too new to compare | Too new |
| 2023 | 54 | 18,500 | 4 | 51 | 40 · Typical | Too new |
| 2022 | 95 | 62,000 | 1 | 77 | 0 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2021 | 239 | 65,000 | 2 | 117 | 50 · Typical | Rising |
| 2020 | 388 | 13,450 | 1 | 139 | 87 · More | Stable |
| 2019 | 137 | 50,000 | 1 | 99 | 5 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2018 | 220 | 54,100 | 1 | 95 | 25 · Fewer | Stable |
| 2017 | 272 | 74,000 | 1 | 102 | 21 · Fewer | Stable |
| 2016 | 816 | 82,000 | 2 | 132 | 50 · Typical | Stable |
| 2015 | 902 | 87,596 | 4 | 164 | 78 · More | Falling |
| 2014 | 903 | 88,000 | 5 | 175 | 82 · More | Falling |
| 2013 | 667 | 91,000 | 3 | 133 | 54 · Typical | Rising |
| 2012 | 515 | 87,000 | 3 | 132 | 55 · Typical | Stable |
| 2011 | 194 | 52,500 | 3 | 66 | 47 · Typical | Rising |
| 2010 | 135 | 20,000 | 3 | 74 | 68 · More | Falling |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Engine3,154 49%
- Other or unknown661 10%
- Electrical system521 8.1%
- Steering520 8.1%
- Transmission and drivetrain433 6.7%
- Engine cooling408 6.4%
- Fuel system368 5.7%
- Brakes358 5.6%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2013: “Took car to dealership for a safety recall. After picking up the car the engine light was on, I immediately called them and was told to take car back. after two weeks of checking my car , they call and tell me that it's the catalyctic converter was faulty. this same dealership had fixed that catalyctic converter recall previously. now they want me to pay to have it fixed.”
NHTSA complaint #11512877, filed 2023-03, 143,429 miles2014: “While driving down the highway the car turned off. I was going around 70 MPH and noticed when the lights on the dash and radio went out. I had to restart the car while still driving to get it going again. This happened again about 4 days after while the car was stationary and running, again the lights went out and the car had to be started again.”
NHTSA complaint #11387102, filed 2021-01, 117,000 miles2016: “While driving and accelerating. My car loses power and slows down. Blue smoke comes out of tailpipe and smells like oil. I have a 2016 Kia SOUL. I have noticed where there were recalls for 2016 Kia SOUL. My car has alot of these problems but I have not received information about a recall. Please let me know if my car is included in the recall. Thank you.”
NHTSA complaint #11407134, filed 2021-04, 50,200 milesOther Kia models
10,219 complaintsKia Optima
7,532 complaintsKia Sportage
4,713 complaintsKia Forte
2,560 complaintsKia Sedona
2,415 complaintsKia Telluride
2,058 complaintsKia Sephia
1,701 complaintsKia RIO
1,292 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology