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2018 Kia Soul

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Kia Soul do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 225.

About this comparison →
218Owner complaints

Model-year median: 225

1Recall campaigns

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0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
897
2015810
2016271
2017218
2018136
2019378
2020232
2021
Compare all Soul years →

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

What owners reported most

Engine
140Power Train
31Unknown Or Other
30Electrical System
19Air Bags
11
All reported categories
Fuel/propulsion System
11Engine And Engine Cooling
9Vehicle Speed Control
8Service Brakes
6Steering
5Structure
5Exterior Lighting
4Visibility/wiper
3Wheels
3Forward Collision Avoidance
2Lane Departure
2Electronic Stability Control (esc)
1Seat Belts
1Seats
1Service Brakes, Hydraulic
1Suspension
1Visibility
1

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

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

80 reports with mileage · 138 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 140 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 31 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 →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

14 crash reports14 fire reports10 injury reports

Fuel/propulsion System complaints

11 reports
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340 miles · Jul 26, 2018
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

FROM A STOP, THE VEHICLE HAS A SIGNIFICANT HESITATION PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN/REDLIGHT ETC. AS YOU PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL DOWN, IT HESITATES THEN ACCELERATES HARD. HAS 340 MILES ON IT AT THIS TIME. DEALER AND KIA STATE THIS IS NORMAL FOR THE NEW TRANSMISSION/TURBO DESIGN. EVEN THE SERVICE MANAGER WAS SHOCKED WHEN HE DROVE I…

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FROM A STOP, THE VEHICLE HAS A SIGNIFICANT HESITATION PULLING AWAY FROM A STOP SIGN/REDLIGHT ETC. AS YOU PUSHING THE GAS PEDAL DOWN, IT HESITATES THEN ACCELERATES HARD. HAS 340 MILES ON IT AT THIS TIME. DEALER AND KIA STATE THIS IS NORMAL FOR THE NEW TRANSMISSION/TURBO DESIGN. EVEN THE SERVICE MANAGER WAS SHOCKED WHEN HE DROVE IT SAYING HE WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT IT. I WOULD THINK THIS PROBLEM COULD BE RESOLVED WITH A PROGRAMMING UPDATE. MY CONCERN FOR SAFETY IS TO PART: 1ST, ANTICIPATING THE VEHICLE MAY GO WHEN IN FACT IT HESITATED TO PULL OFF CREATES AN ANTICIPATION EVENT. 2ND, THE HARD ACCELERATION WHEN IT ENGAGES COULD RESULT IN REAR-ENDING SOMEONE. THE ATTACHED DOCUMENTS REPRESENT THE WORK ORDER AND DESCRIPTION OF THE NEW TRANSMISSION. THIS IS A BULLETIN EXPLAINING THE DRIVABILITY CONCERNS, HOWEVER, IT DOES NOT REFLECT THE HESITATION ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI #11113971

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.