2019 Kia Soul problems and recalls

64% of owner complaints on the 2019 Kia Soul related to the Engine (86 of 135).

135
Complaints
1
Recalls
11
Crash reports
8
Fire reports
12
Injuries
105.9
Severity index

Severity index 105.9 High. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 105.9p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 4 of 123 by severity index among 2019 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 97% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2019 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

EngineEngine: 86 complaints (63.7%)86 64%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 19 complaints (14.1%)19 14%Air BagsAir Bags: 15 complaints (11.1%)15 11%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 14 complaints (10.4%)14 10%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 12 complaints (8.9%)12 9%Service BrakesService Brakes: 8 complaints (5.9%)8 6%Engine And Engine Cooli…Engine And Engine Cooling: 6 complaints (4.4%)6 4%Seat BeltsSeat Belts: 6 complaints (4.4%)6 4%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE8663.7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1914.1%
AIR BAGS1511.1%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1410.4%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM128.9%
SERVICE BRAKES85.9%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING64.4%
SEAT BELTS64.4%

Complaints filed per year

023462019: 112020: 62021: 62022: 112023: 172024: 212025: 462026: 17 (partial year)192021222324254626
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
201911
20206
20216
202211
202317
202421
202546
2026 (year to date)17
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 3.7x those in 2020 to 2022 (84 against 23).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
22V03100025/01/2022AIR BAGSKia 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

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 2026-08-29. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.