IllustrationThe paint is completely failing on this kia soul. The eroded paint is a well known issue with Kia, nothing is being done about the paint failing and chipping across the whole body of the car, which will lead to inevitable rusting. It has been inspected, they are aware of the issue, and are doing nothing to resolve it.
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 →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Soul years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
290–25K
725–50K
2550–75K
3175–100K
23100–150K
2150K+
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
Structure complaints
4 reportsPaint on the car is delaminating and chipping off and the vehicle is becoming compromised due to the paint coming off the car. This has been confirmed by my dealership where I take the vehicle for service. Kia dealership has inspected the vehicle No, there are not warning lamps to tell me the paint is coming off the vehicle.
The paint on my 2017 Kia Soul is peeling (delaminating) on the hood of the vehicle. The paint color is Pearl White, mileage is 81k, photos taken August 13, 2022.
THE FRONT DOOR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE DOESN'T LATCH OR LOCK COMPLETELY WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSED/SHUT FROM INSIDE. MANY TIMES WHEN EXITING THE VEHICLE FROM THE DRIVERS SEAT I DISCOVER THE DOOR HADN'T BEEN LATCHED AT ALL BECAUSE I CAN OPEN THE DOOR WITHOUT USING THE DOOR HANDLE, IT WILL OPEN WITH A SLIGHT PUSH FROM MY ARM. I WORRY THE…
Read full complaint
THE FRONT DOOR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE DOESN'T LATCH OR LOCK COMPLETELY WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSED/SHUT FROM INSIDE. MANY TIMES WHEN EXITING THE VEHICLE FROM THE DRIVERS SEAT I DISCOVER THE DOOR HADN'T BEEN LATCHED AT ALL BECAUSE I CAN OPEN THE DOOR WITHOUT USING THE DOOR HANDLE, IT WILL OPEN WITH A SLIGHT PUSH FROM MY ARM. I WORRY THE DOOR WILL OPEN WHEN IT'S MOVING CAUSING AN ACCIDENT AND INJURIES FROM FALLING OUT OF THE VEHICLE. A SECOND SAFETY ISSUE WITH MY KIA SOUL IS THE HESITATION AND SLOWNESS OF ACCELERATION WHEN ENTERING THE FREEWAY AND MERGING INTO TRAFFIC. WITH THE GAS PEDAL PRESSED TO THE FLOOR, A SAFE SPEED CAN'T BE ATTAINED FOR 2-3 MINUTES CAUSING OTHER VEHICLES TO SLAM ON THEIR BRAKES, REDUCE SPEED OR CHANGE LANES TO AVOID HITTING THE BACK OR SIDE OF MY VEHICLE. THIS IS THE REASON I NO LONGER DRIVE ON THE FREEWAY AND TAKE THE LONG ROUTE INSTEAD. THIRDLY, WHEN BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPOT, THE BACKUP CAMERA FAILS TO ENGAGE ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE TIME AND I MUST RELY SOLELY ON SIDEVIEW AND REARVIEW MIRRORS. INCIDENTS OCCURRED FROM A DEAD STOP UP TO 50 MILES PER HOUR.
Official recalls
122V031000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.