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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 · Jul 24, 2021
Engine

Without warning indicators, my car lost power while I was driving it on a busy highway. I was able to coast onto an exit and a friend towed it to a safe area. I discovered there was no oil in the engine, even though I had had a recent oil change and no indicator on the car showed a problem with oil pressure, excessive heat, etc.…

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Without warning indicators, my car lost power while I was driving it on a busy highway. I was able to coast onto an exit and a friend towed it to a safe area. I discovered there was no oil in the engine, even though I had had a recent oil change and no indicator on the car showed a problem with oil pressure, excessive heat, etc. I added oil and drove it a few feet to a secure location, but heard engine knocking. I called a mechanic, who inspected it and confirmed that a rod was thrown and the engine would need to be replaced. He is sourcing the replacement currently. This is a 2017 Kia Soul, 2.0 engine.

NHTSA ODI #11426241

Mileage unknown · Jun 14, 2021
Engine

Beautiful morning only 72 at the time been driving for only about 15 mins. Pressed the gas and the car didn't do anything . I took my foot off and tried again this time I heard a shattering of glass? In the engine and the knocking started. I only drive it a block before I stopped and turned the vehicle off. Opened the hood chec…

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Beautiful morning only 72 at the time been driving for only about 15 mins. Pressed the gas and the car didn't do anything . I took my foot off and tried again this time I heard a shattering of glass? In the engine and the knocking started. I only drive it a block before I stopped and turned the vehicle off. Opened the hood checked the oil and it was empty. Nothing dripping under the car no smoke except from the area you add oil. Added oil tried again started still knocking towed It to the mechanic. I was told I have to replace or rebuild the engine. Like many I still have a loan payment and the cost of the repair is more than the cost of the note. Asked from help from insurance its not covered. Asked for help from the service department at the dealer they offered to sale me a new vehicle. Talking to an attorney now. There were no indications that there was anything wrong with the car and the engine is blown??? With correct maintenance.

NHTSA ODI #11420924

Mileage unknown · Jun 8, 2021
EngineUnknown Or Other

Oil light came on and engine started knocking, then car shut off in the middle of the highway

NHTSA ODI #11420154

Mileage unknown · Jun 7, 2021
Engine

My KIA Soul did not have any warning lights on or strange sounds/issues when I began driving on the highway on 6/5/21 with my 12 year old special needs son. A short time after we entered the highway I began to notice a strange knocking sound and it felt like the car was struggling to maintain speed. Within a few seconds I starte…

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My KIA Soul did not have any warning lights on or strange sounds/issues when I began driving on the highway on 6/5/21 with my 12 year old special needs son. A short time after we entered the highway I began to notice a strange knocking sound and it felt like the car was struggling to maintain speed. Within a few seconds I started to smell a "hot" smell and immediately pulled over to the side of a two lane highway with a very small shoulder. When I pulled over the knocking became very loud and then all of the warning lights on the dash flashed on and then the car died. We were stranded on the side of the road in the middle of no where while trucks and cars flew by at high rates of speed. It was also incredibly hot and the car was not functioning to be able to roll down windows. I was able to use roadside assistance through my insurance company and it was towed to a local repair shop. I was told that the engine was blown and my engine had "thrown" internal parts. They said the engine was completely dead and needed replaced. They also stated that they have seen this issue a lot with Kia Soul's especially 2015-2017 models. In fact the owner said as soon as he heard what the car was he knew it was going to be engine failure. I am very lucky that I was able to pull over to the small shoulder before the car died or I would have been stuck in the middle of the road right after a hill and my car would have been impossible to see stopped by drivers coming over the hill before it would have been hit. This has also caused my special needs son to become extremely panicked in the car and afraid to drive with me. After a quick Google search I was able to find complaint after complaint after complaint about this issue with the 2017 Kia Soul at around 70-80,000 miles which is exactly where I am at. I know owe a great deal of money on a car that is totaled out unless I spend over $6,000 to replace the engine. Money that I do NOT have after losing my job due to Covid.

NHTSA ODI #11420015

Mileage unknown · Jun 4, 2021
Engine

I was headed to a family BBQ on memorial day in my 2017 Kia Soul that I have had about 2 years and is a certified pre-owned vehicle and did not notice any abnormalities or sounds prior to the incident. I went to partk and noticed that my check engine light popped on but thought nothing of it as my gas cap lock was broken and so …

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I was headed to a family BBQ on memorial day in my 2017 Kia Soul that I have had about 2 years and is a certified pre-owned vehicle and did not notice any abnormalities or sounds prior to the incident. I went to partk and noticed that my check engine light popped on but thought nothing of it as my gas cap lock was broken and so I turned off the vehicle. I want to note there was no sounds, and no over heating. That evening I went to leave and the car would not turn over and thought maybe the battery was bad, but was reminded that it was replaced one week prior. So I had it towed in the next day to a mechanic and upon initial inspection he found that the engine had siezed and locked up as well as it would not turn over. I'm pretty good about personally completing oil changes, but was sharing vehicle with my ex partner and was told that the oil came up 2 quarts short upon checking, but was told that should not be enough to make the engine seize. So the mechanic replaced the starter and upon turning over the vehicle the engine began to produce a bad knock and I was told that the engine was needing to be replaced and was going to lock up again if driven. The vehicle is at 70,000 miles so is no longer covered under the factory warranty and the extended warranty may not cover it so I'm at a lose at the moment. I find it really hard to believe that after all the research I've done on this engine problem and seeing all the people with the same situation occurring that a recall has not been issued on this year.

NHTSA ODI #11419629

65,000 miles · Jun 2, 2021
Engine

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, he noticed that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact was adding a quart of oil every 546 miles. The contact stated that the oil warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it …

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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, he noticed that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact was adding a quart of oil every 546 miles. The contact stated that the oil warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the engine needing to be replaced. The engine was flushed however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ODI #11419392

Mileage unknown · Jun 1, 2021
Engine

Driver was on freeway when car lost acceleration. Driver pulled over at first exit when the dash flashed various lights and shut down. Driver attempted to start the car but was unable to do so -- there was smoking from the engine so Driver had the vehicle towed to shop. It was determined that the engine failed catastrophically a…

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Driver was on freeway when car lost acceleration. Driver pulled over at first exit when the dash flashed various lights and shut down. Driver attempted to start the car but was unable to do so -- there was smoking from the engine so Driver had the vehicle towed to shop. It was determined that the engine failed catastrophically and would require an engine replacement.

NHTSA ODI #11419136

Mileage unknown · May 24, 2021
Engine

Without any warning, there began a clunking sound coming from under the hood of my vehicle while I operated it on the highway at highway speeds. All of a sudden, the car could not accelerate or maintain speed, and began losing speed quickly. I was lucky there was no one behind me, because the car slowed down so rapidly I almos…

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Without any warning, there began a clunking sound coming from under the hood of my vehicle while I operated it on the highway at highway speeds. All of a sudden, the car could not accelerate or maintain speed, and began losing speed quickly. I was lucky there was no one behind me, because the car slowed down so rapidly I almost didn’t make it to the brake down lane. My car was brought to my mechanic and it was diagnosed with a broken rod, even though there has been detailed and documented maintenance preformed in the vehicle. My mechanic said that there is no reason for the piston to have broken like that especially when there was no operator negligence.

NHTSA ODI #11418327

Mileage unknown · May 21, 2021
Engine

A couple hours after getting an oil change the engine started knocking. It got so bad we couldn’t continue to safely drive it, even to get it back to the service station. Had it towed to repair shop and they have said there is a bearing rod that is messed up in the engine. There was not an accident or fire only because we stoppe…

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A couple hours after getting an oil change the engine started knocking. It got so bad we couldn’t continue to safely drive it, even to get it back to the service station. Had it towed to repair shop and they have said there is a bearing rod that is messed up in the engine. There was not an accident or fire only because we stopped driving before things could get worse. Although the 2017 Kia Soul does not have any recalls it uses some of the same parts of other models that have been recalled. I have also been told this is a common issue for this model. I don’t have an estimate yet as the repair shop is still working on that. I don’t remember exact mileage and can’t check because car is at shop.

NHTSA ODI #11418056

79,477 miles · May 5, 2021
EnginePower Train

GOT IN MY CAR SEPTEMBER 2020 AND HEARD KNOCKING UNDER HOOD. DRIVE IT TO THE PENZOIL LESS THAN 15 MINUTES AWAY AND I KNOCK GOT FASTER AND LOUDER. PENZOIL TOLD ME PARK IT AND TOW TO NEAREST KIA. EXTREMELY DISHEARTENING I'M 23 Y/O SINGLE MOTHER. NOW WITH A BROKEN CAR. 16000 IN DEBT FOR A YEAR AND HALF WORTH OF DRIVING LESS THAN 80…

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GOT IN MY CAR SEPTEMBER 2020 AND HEARD KNOCKING UNDER HOOD. DRIVE IT TO THE PENZOIL LESS THAN 15 MINUTES AWAY AND I KNOCK GOT FASTER AND LOUDER. PENZOIL TOLD ME PARK IT AND TOW TO NEAREST KIA. EXTREMELY DISHEARTENING I'M 23 Y/O SINGLE MOTHER. NOW WITH A BROKEN CAR. 16000 IN DEBT FOR A YEAR AND HALF WORTH OF DRIVING LESS THAN 80000 ON ODOMETER JEEESHHH KIA . HOPEFULLY WE GET RECALL SOON

NHTSA ODI #11415299

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.