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Electrical systemPart report

2018 Kia Soul Electrical system Problems

Complaints
20about this part
Share
9%of 220 total for the year
Median mileage
59,000miles
Trend
RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 20 complaints about the electrical system of the 2018 Kia Soul, 9% of the 220 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 59,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 2 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

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

“I was driving my 2018 Kia SOUL on madison hwy in valdosta,ga.l saw smoke coming out my hood so I was able to pull into a convenient store ! The people in the store came running out with fire extinguishers and we were able to put out the fire.”

NHTSA complaint #11362515, filed 2020-10, 52,000 miles

“Car stalled in the middle of the road while driving. Took it in to dealer ship for a recall to get this repaired or flashed. Engine burning excessive oil. Car has always been kept up with maintenance. While operating the vehicle the car stalled due to low oil compression. Vehicle has aprox 155k miles. Check engine light has came on. Due to the issue that car engine is burning oil there is a new permanent code p0420 which is a bad catalyc converter since the cars emission system is failing. …”

NHTSA complaint #11585805, filed 2024-04, 155,000 miles

“Unknown...the car goes into limp mode suddenly...my battery was boiling an shot liquid out of it, prior to this my other battery leaked an the alternator was bad ....when this happens suddenly you have no steering, an if course the boiling battery may explode....I've had this car checked over several times since begining of January with everything checking out fine but this still happening”

NHTSA complaint #11718091, filed 2026-02

“I thought my headlights needed cleaning because they are blurry instead of clear. As I am cleaning the headlights I tree that both of my headlights have micro cracks throughout the entire headlights This is not chips in the headlights it is literally Toni look cracks”

NHTSA complaint #11688708, filed 2025-09

“A Kia franchise dealership demanded payment for diagnostics in order to perform a federal airbag safety recall, which I refused. After the dealer’s involvement, the vehicle’s diagnostic/OBD port became unreadable, preventing recall completion. A second Kia dealer states they cannot complete the recall and wants thousands of dollars just to attempt diagnosis. The vehicle has been out of service for over six months with an open safety recall. I believe the recall process has been obstructed.”

NHTSA complaint #11708826, filed 2026-01

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2024929%
20231426%
20221011%
2021156%
2020287%
20191410%
2018209%
2017197%
2016567%
2015758%
20149811%
20137111%
2012387%
20113015%
20102418%

Other parts of the 2018 Kia Soul

Engine
142 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
31 complaintsOther or unknown
30 complaintsAir bags
11 complaintsFuel system
11 complaintsEngine cooling
9 complaintsVehicle speed control
8 complaintsBrakes
7 complaintsSteering
5 complaintsBody and structure
5 complaintsExterior lighting
4 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
4 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2018 Kia Soul

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 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