2014 Kia Soul problems and recalls

Owner complaints on the 2014 Kia Soul include 1 fatality report, 34 crashes and 69 fires across 898 filings.

898
Complaints
5
Recalls
34
Crash reports
69
Fire reports
30
Injuries
89.3
Severity index

Severity index 89.3 High. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 89.3p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 35 of 139 by severity index among 2014 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 75% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2014 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

EngineEngine: 551 complaints (61.4%)551 61%Exterior LightingExterior Lighting: 130 complaints (14.5%)130 14%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 98 complaints (10.9%)98 11%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 82 complaints (9.1%)82 9%Power TrainPower Train: 57 complaints (6.3%)57 6%Engine And Engine Cooli…Engine And Engine Cooling: 55 complaints (6.1%)55 6%SteeringSteering: 55 complaints (6.1%)55 6%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 53 complaints (5.9%)53 6%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE55161.4%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING13014.5%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM9810.9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER829.1%
POWER TRAIN576.3%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING556.1%
STEERING556.1%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM535.9%

Complaints filed per year

0901802013: 12014: 262015: 192016: 262017: 332018: 722019: 1772020: 1652021: 1192022: 812023: 752024: 372025: 412026: 26 (partial year)1314151617181917720212223242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20131
201426
201519
201626
201733
201872
2019177
2020165
2021119
202281
202375
202437
202541
2026 (year to date)26
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 0.4x those in 2020 to 2022 (153 against 365).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
20V75000002/12/2020ENGINEKia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Sorento, 2012-2015 Forte and Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, 2014-2015 Soul, and 2012 Sportage vehicles. An engine compartment fire can occur while driving.
19V12000022/02/2019ENGINEKia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Kia Soul vehicles equipped with 1.6L Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines. High exhaust gas temperatures may damage the catalytic converter, possibly resulting in abnormal engine combustion and damage to one or more of t
17V60800029/09/2017STEERINGKia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Soul and Soul EV vehicles. The pinion plug may allow the pinion gear to separate from the steering gear assembly.
15V12300002/03/2015VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDALKia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Soul and Soul electric vehicles manufactured July 21, 2013, to January 8, 2015. A section of the accelerator pedal may bend and fracture.
22V09600018/02/2022AIR BAGS:FRONTALKia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2014 Soul vehicles. The front air bags may not deploy during a crash if the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) loses communication with the front impact sensors.

Other Kia Soul model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 14 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-09-03. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.