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Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2014 Kia Soul Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
58about this part
Share
6%of 903 total for the year
Median mileage
76,400miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 58 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2014 Kia Soul, 6% of the 903 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 76,400 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 4 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I've taken my car to the dealership a couple times and I would like to see if the car can be fixed back to the way the car original was in perfect condition besides normal wear and tear. I am capable of fixing my car if it's my fault but I would really like to have a second hand specialist assist in this matter.”

NHTSA complaint #11375771, filed 2020-11, 115,000 miles

“I was driving on interstate 75 north in marietta, ga when my vehicle suddenly lost power in front of an 18 wheeler. I was able to navigate off the next exit. There were no warning lights lit on my dash and there had not been any lit prior to this incident. June 2020 my catalytic converter was replaced under recall #sc176. All of the symptoms point towards engine damage that occurred prior to the recall repair.”

NHTSA complaint #11378258, filed 2020-12, 103,000 miles

“My vehicle has been having issues with shifting into gears- ive had the vehicle checked and the system keeps telling me that the spark plugs/ignition coils are bad - ive replaced them multiple times and it keeps giving me the same response. Even when I replace that part, the vehicle keeps doing the same thing. The vehicle keeps idling very hard. The vehicle sputters when trying to shift and the entire vehicle shimmies.”

NHTSA complaint #11382933, filed 2020-12, 90,000 miles

“I was driving along the highway when I heard a clicking noise. After the noise, my car started to lose acceleration. No matter how hard I pressed the pedal, it just wouldn't go above 5mph and began making a loud noise. Had it checked out and it was determined to be the catalytic converter.”

NHTSA complaint #11193922, filed 2019-04, 100,000 miles

“Error code po5oa car was taken in for 3rd time and this was the actual response from Kia engineers bottom line they sold me an unfixable car advice 1: it is recommended to clean throttle body, upgrade PCM grounds, and preform cap discharge, however, unfortunately DTC po5oa is being researched and we do not have a resolution available at this time, there is not eta. Please reset the engine adaptive values and return the vehicle back to the customer.”

NHTSA complaint #11316423, filed 2020-03, 47,401 miles

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202518%
202426%
202359%
20221213%
20212611%
20209123%
201964%
20183114%
2017197%
2016628%
2015617%
2014586%
2013142%
2012214%
2011137%
2010118%

Other parts of the 2014 Kia Soul

Engine
554 complaintsExterior lighting
130 complaintsElectrical system
98 complaintsOther or unknown
86 complaintsFuel system
57 complaintsEngine cooling
55 complaintsSteering
55 complaintsBrakes
35 complaintsVehicle speed control
31 complaintsAir bags
26 complaintsBody and structure
11 complaintsWheels
9 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2014 Kia Soul

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology