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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.

About this comparison →
271Owner complaints

Model-year median: 225

1Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
897
2014897
2015810
2016271
2017218
2018136
2019378
2020
Compare all Soul years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Engine
190Unknown Or Other
32Electrical System
19Power Train
19Fuel/propulsion System
18
All reported categories
Air Bags
16Service Brakes
12Steering
10Engine And Engine Cooling
9Vehicle Speed Control
8Structure
4Suspension
4Seat Belts
2Service Brakes, Hydraulic
2Tires
2Wheels
2Electronic Stability Control (esc)
1Equipment Adaptive/mobility
1Exterior Lighting
1Fuel System, Gasoline
1Seats
1Visibility/wiper
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

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

Service Brakes complaints

12 reports
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17,890 miles · Apr 5, 2018
Service Brakes

WHEN ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE, THE BRAKE'S WILL RELEASE AND THEN GRAB ONTO THE ROTORS AGAIN. ALSO HAVE A SOFT PETAL AND HISSING WHEN PRESSING ON THE BRAKE. THE DEALERSHIP WHERE PURCHASED STATES THAT NOTHING IS WRONG; HOWEVER, I AM EXPERIENCING GRINDING, MY CAR SHAKING AT RANDOM TIMES WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP, OR RANDOMLY FAILURE TO ST…

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WHEN ATTEMPTING TO BRAKE, THE BRAKE'S WILL RELEASE AND THEN GRAB ONTO THE ROTORS AGAIN. ALSO HAVE A SOFT PETAL AND HISSING WHEN PRESSING ON THE BRAKE. THE DEALERSHIP WHERE PURCHASED STATES THAT NOTHING IS WRONG; HOWEVER, I AM EXPERIENCING GRINDING, MY CAR SHAKING AT RANDOM TIMES WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP, OR RANDOMLY FAILURE TO STOP, RESULTING IN HAVING TO GO OFF THE ROAD.

NHTSA ODI #11083435

Mileage unknown · Nov 27, 2017
Service BrakesVehicle Speed Control

THE MANUAL DOES NOT SHOW INSTRUCTIONS ON A KIA SOUL MANUAL TRANSMISSION. THE KIA SOUL BASE MODEL SEEMS TO BE PURCHASED AS A KIA SOUL AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WITHOUT THE UPGRADE. THE MANUAL INDICATES THAT THE KIA SOUL MODEL HAS FEATURES AND UPGRADES AND DOES NOT EVEN TOUCH ON MANUAL TRANSMISSION.

NHTSA ODI #11048730

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.