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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

Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints

1 reports
Clear category filter
66,000 miles · Feb 29, 2024
EnginePower TrainService Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to maintain oil pressure, causing engine failure. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to maintain power and would stall after being started. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to maintain oil pressure, causing engine failure. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to maintain power and would stall after being started. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V051000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN nor the model vehicle was included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 66,000.

NHTSA ODI #11574787

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.