← New search

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 →

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

What owners actually said

218 reports
Mileage unknown · Sep 29, 2023
Engine

I took my 2018 Kia soul into the Kia dealer for a couple recalls, one of them was that KSDS (knock sensor detection system) shortly after that, my engine light started going on. I took it back to the Kia dealer and they change the oil And charged me for it. My engine is burning oil and it's having to be replaced by a quart ever…

Read full complaint

I took my 2018 Kia soul into the Kia dealer for a couple recalls, one of them was that KSDS (knock sensor detection system) shortly after that, my engine light started going on. I took it back to the Kia dealer and they change the oil And charged me for it. My engine is burning oil and it's having to be replaced by a quart every couple weeks. I pulled into Valvoline the other day and explained what happened and the young man called his supervisor and came back to me and said they cannot change the oil because , my car engine is at fault and could start a fire or blow a rod. I've been in touch with my Kia dealer and they tell me that my extended warranty is not valid however, when I look at the proposed class settlement soon for engine issues, such as engine, fires, or engine failure… it tells me once that KSDS has been updated. I automatically qualify for extended warranty. I've been instructed not to drive my car and to park it in a safe open place. I need a rental car and my local Kia dealer is unable or unwilling to assist me. They also told me that they have no one to work on that issue for two weeks. They also told me unless my engine blows a rod or catches on fire. There's nothing they can do to assist me and covering the cost. My kia soul will not go faster than 60 miles an hour on an open highway for more than 20 miles an hour going up a local residential hill. Obviously something is drastically wrong with my engine but I can't seem to get any Kia person to assist me.

NHTSA ODI #11547248

Mileage unknown · Sep 12, 2023
Engine

Car Insurence informed us that the Car is Missing the engine anti-theft interlock system and no Dealership is not responding, I have COPD and can not have the car missing for a TicToK steal this car challenge by Hyundai/KIA.

NHTSA ODI #11544178

Mileage unknown · Aug 17, 2023
Air BagsCrashInjury

I was involved in a high speed car accident last week where the impact made me hit my head on the steering wheel. My air bags never deployed even though the other driver was going at least 70mph. My vehicle is a total loss.

NHTSA ODI #11539186

Mileage unknown · Jun 22, 2023
EngineFuel/propulsion System

My 2018 Kia Soul is guzzling oil even after an oil consumption test and a head gasket and valve cover gasket replacement. We are using a quart of synthetic blend oil every 500 miles. We cannot be the only people with this complaint!! Vehicle has less than 95,000 miles on it. The Kia Dealership in Clarksville, TN has been the onl…

Read full complaint

My 2018 Kia Soul is guzzling oil even after an oil consumption test and a head gasket and valve cover gasket replacement. We are using a quart of synthetic blend oil every 500 miles. We cannot be the only people with this complaint!! Vehicle has less than 95,000 miles on it. The Kia Dealership in Clarksville, TN has been the only place to work on our vehicle since buying it a little over one year ago. Said vehicle has been guzzling oil since day one of our purchase.

NHTSA ODI #11528294

Mileage unknown · Jun 20, 2023
Engine

My engine failed on the I-74 due to excessive oil usage that the original owner reported to Cronin Kia at 38,911 miles.The engine was never repaired and instead 6 miles later with me unaware of it having engine problems I was buying this car for my daughter to which after multiple complaints about it using oil and opening up cla…

Read full complaint

My engine failed on the I-74 due to excessive oil usage that the original owner reported to Cronin Kia at 38,911 miles.The engine was never repaired and instead 6 miles later with me unaware of it having engine problems I was buying this car for my daughter to which after multiple complaints about it using oil and opening up claims it finally blew up.Now they say it is out of warranty. How does a car company get away with this?

NHTSA ODI #11527858

Mileage unknown · Jun 9, 2023
Engine

Oil consumption issues that Kia knows about will not fix. Will not even make it 3000 miles before needing oil. It’s ridiculous that Kia knows about issues and will not fix the problem

NHTSA ODI #11526143

Mileage unknown · May 25, 2023
Engine

I bought my kia soul with about 86000 miles on it. It used to be a rental before. It was well maintained, oil changes when needed, new tires, etc. I was driving back from my family's going about 70 up and down mountains when the engine made a ticking sound and it started to slow. We were still about 2 hours from home. We did mak…

Read full complaint

I bought my kia soul with about 86000 miles on it. It used to be a rental before. It was well maintained, oil changes when needed, new tires, etc. I was driving back from my family's going about 70 up and down mountains when the engine made a ticking sound and it started to slow. We were still about 2 hours from home. We did make it back due to using the manual drive. We were planning on taking the car in the following weekend for an oil changed. When Tuesday came around my partner had the car and he was driving 70 on the freeway when it started to slow again and he made it to an off ramp where it shuddered, shot smoke out the back and died. We got a tow to pep boys and they let us know that it ran out of oil (althought we checked before me left my family's) and the engine no longer works and to replace the engine was going to be $15,000. There were no warnings at all to this.

NHTSA ODI #11523866

Mileage unknown · May 17, 2023
Power Train

Bought this vehicle used with 32k miles. Have experienced a judder when accelerating since we purchased it. This a known issue with Kia. I sent it to a dealership and they replaced a fuel injector and said that was the problem, it's not. Got the car back and it is still malfunctioning. This issue was reported on this vehicle pre…

Read full complaint

Bought this vehicle used with 32k miles. Have experienced a judder when accelerating since we purchased it. This a known issue with Kia. I sent it to a dealership and they replaced a fuel injector and said that was the problem, it's not. Got the car back and it is still malfunctioning. This issue was reported on this vehicle previously when it was brand new. I need this issue fixed.

NHTSA ODI #11522503

Mileage unknown · May 4, 2023
EngineFire

While driving on the highway… engine ceased and went on fire. Safety was at risk I could have died…. The vehicle has been inspected. I know it is from an engine defect, but believe they are dragging their feet. There was no warning

NHTSA ODI #11520473

63,000 miles · Apr 17, 2023
Engine And Engine Cooling

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was unsure what part was replaced on the vehicle; however, the check engine warning light became illuminated again. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer state…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was unsure what part was replaced on the vehicle; however, the check engine warning light became illuminated again. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the ECU was updated. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 63,000.

NHTSA ODI #11517494

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.