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2017 Kia Soul

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2017 Kia Soul do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 225.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

117 reports with mileage · 154 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 190 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 19 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

17 crash reports14 fire reports13 injury reports

Engine complaints

190 reports
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Mileage unknown · Feb 8, 2022
Engine

While on the freeway the engine light suddenly came on and then immediately after that the oil light. I started to pull over immediately and BOOM!! the engine blew up. This is a 2017 Kia Soul + with only 32,000 miles. I had the oil changed every 5,000 miles but not every six months as it took forever to get to the 5,000 mile…

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While on the freeway the engine light suddenly came on and then immediately after that the oil light. I started to pull over immediately and BOOM!! the engine blew up. This is a 2017 Kia Soul + with only 32,000 miles. I had the oil changed every 5,000 miles but not every six months as it took forever to get to the 5,000 mile mark. I have researched this happening to other Kia Souls and found out it's not uncommon however Kia would not stand behind the warranty. I had to purchase a new engine with no support from Kia.

NHTSA ODI #11451009

Mileage unknown · Jan 25, 2022
Engine

I was driving normal speed of around 45mph and randomly without warning engine made very loud knocking sound. I had both my children in the vehicle when this happened. We immediately pulled over. Oil was bare but there wasn't any signs of a leak, and no prior warning lights appeared. I bought oil and added to the engine, but thi…

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I was driving normal speed of around 45mph and randomly without warning engine made very loud knocking sound. I had both my children in the vehicle when this happened. We immediately pulled over. Oil was bare but there wasn't any signs of a leak, and no prior warning lights appeared. I bought oil and added to the engine, but this did not resolve the issue. Ended up having to get vehicle towed for inspection. At this time they stated engine was blown due to bad rods. With still having owed around 14,000$ trading car in or selling was not an option, so I spent over 7000$ to get engine replaced. Not even a year later engine is now blown again same scenario. There has been engine recalls on prior years for this make / model along with 2020 and 2021 engines. This needs to be included. This is not safe and nearly caused me to get into a serious accident with another vehicle on both occasions. I have all documentation, and not only am looking to get current engine replacement completed. But I also feel I'm due reimbursement for prior engine replacement that was paid out of pocket. I cant drive this vehicle. If inspection is needed the vehicle would need to be towed, and with what I've already paid I don't feel I should have to pay for another tow either.

NHTSA ODI #11448840

Mileage unknown · Jan 24, 2022
Engine

Engine locked up at around 69,000 miles when contacting Kia about warranty the man on the phone knew the problem when told what the vehicle was and said that it is very common. There was no warning except for knock shorty before happening standing me on the interstate on January 19th 2022.

NHTSA ODI #11448696

Mileage unknown · Jan 15, 2022
Engine

Kia started knocking loudly and then seized while driving turnpike. Car had to be pushed off road. Unable to restart. It had blown a rod. Oil was dry but had not appeared to be leaking prior and no warning lights were on before failure. Now needs new engine but is not in any current recalls thought the engine seems to have …

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Kia started knocking loudly and then seized while driving turnpike. Car had to be pushed off road. Unable to restart. It had blown a rod. Oil was dry but had not appeared to be leaking prior and no warning lights were on before failure. Now needs new engine but is not in any current recalls thought the engine seems to have been recalled in other models.

NHTSA ODI #11447616

Mileage unknown · Jan 10, 2022
Engine

The number 2 compressor(if I’m wording correctly) in engine failed causing the engine to be useless. When failed the engine reduced power, sputtered and began knocking. Fumes filled the cabin. We immediately pulled over and stopped driving. A repair shop did the compression test and confirmed the failure. 126,000 miles. Less tha…

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The number 2 compressor(if I’m wording correctly) in engine failed causing the engine to be useless. When failed the engine reduced power, sputtered and began knocking. Fumes filled the cabin. We immediately pulled over and stopped driving. A repair shop did the compression test and confirmed the failure. 126,000 miles. Less than 5 years old. Just out of warranty. Car used to commute to work in metroplex only. Oil changes every six weeks

NHTSA ODI #11446972

Mileage unknown · Jan 4, 2022
Engine

It started with stalling on hills, acting sluggish, and losing oomph. This worsened over the course of approximately one month. I did a mini engine flush and changed the oil (at a reputable shop) early, thinking maybe it just needed a little love. A week later, I was driving down the freeway (Interstate 5) at night when the car …

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It started with stalling on hills, acting sluggish, and losing oomph. This worsened over the course of approximately one month. I did a mini engine flush and changed the oil (at a reputable shop) early, thinking maybe it just needed a little love. A week later, I was driving down the freeway (Interstate 5) at night when the car stalled - all of the dashboard lights came on and the engine disengaged. I pulled off, and turned the car off. I attempted to restart it, and it would not turn over. After waiting on the side of said highway with two children for almost 3 hours, I had it towed. Ultimately, it was taken to two different service shops - one independent and one dealership - who both diagnosed the engine had essentially "exploded"; there were metal shards everywhere, no oil pressure, and lots of knocking/misfiring. The engine needs to be replaced - this has been reported to KIA, who has yet to decide if they are going to address the issue (case number 14385039). Insurance declined to address it. Police were not called.

NHTSA ODI #11446168

Mileage unknown · Jan 3, 2022
Engine

There has been 3 separate times the car has stalled out for no reason. Sometimes at high speeds. I have taken it to different mechanics and they can find nothing wrong with it. It's like the engine just freezes and it will not start back for some time.

NHTSA ODI #11446084

Mileage unknown · Dec 10, 2021
Engine

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine. Vehicle is currently at the dealership. No idea when we'll get it back, but we'd be more than willing for it to be inspected. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Any time a car engine is at risk of…

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What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The engine. Vehicle is currently at the dealership. No idea when we'll get it back, but we'd be more than willing for it to be inspected. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Any time a car engine is at risk of dying or seizing, it's a risk. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The dealer seems to know what the issue is and is jumping through Kia's hoops to try and get something done about it. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? By the dealership. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The problem first appeared over the Fourth of July weekend of 2021. I was alerted to the fact that there was an issue because the oil light would flicker for just a split second on sharp curves. The car had somewhere in the neighborhood of 60K miles at that point. From what I'm finding out, many of the 2017 Kia Souls have the same issue with their engines that the Kias that are under recall have. Burning copious amounts of oil, stalling, running rough to the point that it feels like it's going to die at stops. Kia is quietly replacing these engines after a long cycle of testing, but they're definitely taking their time.

NHTSA ODI #11443319

Mileage unknown · Dec 6, 2021
Engine

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing an oil change. The dealer had the oil maintenance completed but continued to see the check engine warning and lo…

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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing an oil change. The dealer had the oil maintenance completed but continued to see the check engine warning and low oil level lights illuminated. The contact took the vehicle back to a local dealer who called the manufacturer and was instructed to have an oil consumption test completed. The contact took the vehicle back on 11/2/2021 to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI #11442791

80,000 miles · Nov 18, 2021
Engine

The contact's daughter owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 55 MPH, she heard abnormal knocking sounds coming from the engine and the vehicle inadvertently began to stall. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact's daughter veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was tow…

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The contact's daughter owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 55 MPH, she heard abnormal knocking sounds coming from the engine and the vehicle inadvertently began to stall. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact's daughter veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. Then the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who provided the same diagnosis and advised the contact to tow the vehicle back to the dealer as the failure was a safety issue. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was still awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ODI #11440955

Official recalls

1

22V031000 · Air Bags

Jan 25, 2022

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.