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2018 Kia Soul EV problems & recalls

NHTSA has issued 3 recalls covering the 2018 Kia Soul EV and owners have filed 221 complaints. The most-reported area is engine (141 complaints). 14 complaints describe a fire and 15 complaints describe a crash.

Other model years:2019201720162015
Recalls
3
Complaints
221
Crash reports
15
Fire reports
14
Injuries
12

Recalls (3)

Oct 26, 2023#23V724000

Power train › Automatic transmission › Gear position indication (prndl)

Kia America, Inc. (KIA) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Soul EV vehicles. The parking mechanism may be damaged, which can result in unintended vehicle movement when the gear shift lever is in the Park 'P' position and the parking brake is not applied while the vehicle is powered on.

Risk: Unintended vehicle movement can increase the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will update the electronic control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 21, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC287. This recall expands and replaces recall number 20V-389. Vehicles previously repaired under 20V-389 will need to have the new remedy completed.

Mar 29, 2023#23V218000

Electrical system › Propulsion system › Traction battery

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Soul EV vehicles equipped with an E400 battery. The high-voltage battery pack may experience an electrical short-circuit while driving.

Risk: A battery electrical short-circuit increases the risk of a fire.

Fix: Dealers will update and/or replace the battery management system and software, as necessary, free of charge. The new software will illuminate the EV warning light, limit charging capacity, and reduce vehicle power if abnormal voltage is detected. If this occurs, the battery will be replaced, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 18, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC267.

Jan 25, 2022#22V031000

Air bags

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.

Risk: Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Fix: 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.

Owner complaints (221)

What owners reported to NHTSA, by component. One complaint can name several components.

  • Engine141
  • Power train32
  • Unknown or other30
  • Electrical system21
  • Fuel/propulsion system11
  • Air bags11
  • Engine and engine cooling9
  • Vehicle speed control8
  • Service brakes7
  • Steering5
  • Structure5
  • Exterior lighting4

Complaints over time

Mar 2018: 1 complaintApr 2018: 0 complaintsMay 2018: 0 complaintsJun 2018: 1 complaintJul 2018: 2 complaintsAug 2018: 0 complaintsSep 2018: 2 complaintsOct 2018: 2 complaintsNov 2018: 1 complaintDec 2018: 0 complaintsJan 2019: 1 complaintFeb 2019: 1 complaintMar 2019: 1 complaintApr 2019: 2 complaintsMay 2019: 3 complaintsJun 2019: 2 complaintsJul 2019: 1 complaintAug 2019: 0 complaintsSep 2019: 3 complaintsOct 2019: 4 complaintsNov 2019: 1 complaintDec 2019: 2 complaintsJan 2020: 2 complaintsFeb 2020: 0 complaintsMar 2020: 0 complaintsApr 2020: 0 complaintsMay 2020: 0 complaintsJun 2020: 1 complaintJul 2020: 1 complaintAug 2020: 4 complaintsSep 2020: 3 complaintsOct 2020: 2 complaintsNov 2020: 1 complaintDec 2020: 1 complaintJan 2021: 7 complaintsFeb 2021: 3 complaintsMar 2021: 1 complaintApr 2021: 1 complaintMay 2021: 2 complaintsJun 2021: 2 complaintsJul 2021: 0 complaintsAug 2021: 2 complaintsSep 2021: 3 complaintsOct 2021: 1 complaintNov 2021: 4 complaintsDec 2021: 5 complaintsJan 2022: 4 complaintsFeb 2022: 1 complaintMar 2022: 2 complaintsApr 2022: 0 complaintsMay 2022: 1 complaintJun 2022: 5 complaintsJul 2022: 2 complaintsAug 2022: 2 complaintsSep 2022: 5 complaintsOct 2022: 1 complaintNov 2022: 5 complaintsDec 2022: 2 complaintsJan 2023: 6 complaintsFeb 2023: 3 complaintsMar 2023: 1 complaintApr 2023: 3 complaintsMay 2023: 4 complaintsJun 2023: 3 complaintsJul 2023: 0 complaintsAug 2023: 2 complaintsSep 2023: 2 complaintsOct 2023: 1 complaintNov 2023: 1 complaintDec 2023: 3 complaintsJan 2024: 0 complaintsFeb 2024: 3 complaintsMar 2024: 3 complaintsApr 2024: 4 complaintsMay 2024: 4 complaintsJun 2024: 3 complaintsJul 2024: 1 complaintAug 2024: 4 complaintsSep 2024: 2 complaintsOct 2024: 3 complaintsNov 2024: 1 complaintDec 2024: 1 complaintJan 2025: 1 complaintFeb 2025: 0 complaintsMar 2025: 5 complaintsApr 2025: 1 complaintMay 2025: 3 complaintsJun 2025: 1 complaintJul 2025: 2 complaintsAug 2025: 3 complaintsSep 2025: 4 complaintsOct 2025: 3 complaintsNov 2025: 3 complaintsDec 2025: 6 complaintsJan 2026: 2 complaintsFeb 2026: 1 complaintMar 2026: 3 complaintsApr 2026: 3 complaintsMay 2026: 2 complaintsJun 2026: 3 complaintsJul 2026: 5 complaintsAug 2026: 1 complaintSep 2026: 5 complaints20192020202120222023202420252026
Complaints filed per month. Peak: 7 in Jan 2021. Hover a bar for its count.
Complaints filed per month
MonthComplaints
Mar 20181
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Jan 20191
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Jan 20202
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Aug 20204
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Recent owner reports

Sep 9, 2026Engine

This Kia has an oil consumption issue I need to add oil every 3 to 4 hundred miles also my oil gets black at least 1 week after an oil change.

Sep 9, 2026Engine

This Kia has an oil consumption issue I need to add oil every 3 to 4 hundred miles also my oil gets black at least 1 week after an oil change.

Sep 9, 2026Engine

This Kia has an oil consumption issue I need to add oil every 3 to 4 hundred miles also my oil gets black at least 1 week after an oil change.

Sep 9, 2026Engine

This Kia has an oil consumption issue I need to add oil every 3 to 4 hundred miles also my oil gets black at least 1 week after an oil change.

Sep 9, 2026Engine

This Kia has an oil consumption issue I need to add oil every 3 to 4 hundred miles also my oil gets black at least 1 week after an oil change.

Aug 11, 2026Unknown or other, Engine

My car has very high oil consumption. I regularly take it for oil changes and have never missed an oil change. In between oil changes I need to put anywhere between 2-3 bottles of oil in. I have taken it in to the dealership for a couple of oil consumption tests that both failed step one so they kept it overnight and did some kind of flush or cleanse and then it passed step 2 both times. The car is good for a little while and then it starts consuming alot of oil again. Due to the high consumption of oil my catalytic converter is going bad and the engine seems very sluggish at times. I do have…

Jul 25, 2026Electrical system, Engine

The vehicle is suffering from an extreme internal engine oil consumption defect, burning approximately 3 quarts of engine oil every 500 to 600 miles with no external leaks. The internal oil burning heavily fouled the vehicle's ignition system (spark plugs and coil packs), causing severe engine misfires and a sudden vehicle stall while operating in motion on public highways. This unexpected loss of motive power creates an extreme safety hazard. The local dealership, Paramount Kia of Hickory, refused to follow proper factory Technical Service Bulletin (TSB-ENG219) testing protocols to document t…

Jul 21, 2026Engine

My 2018 Kia Soul has failed on oil consumption test and needs and engine replacement. Kia knows of these issues with these cars but will not cover the engine replacement cost bc the class action suit does not cover oil consumption failure only rod bearings. This will be an issue sooner or later with the oil problem. Kia has several recalls on other vehicles for the exact same thing.

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall and complaint records, updated Oct 1, 2026. Complaints are owner reports and are not verified by NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.