2018 Kia Soul problems
NHTSA has received 298 complaints about the 2018 Kia Soul, and 50% of them involve engine. After that come drivetrain & axles (10%) and electrical system (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 298 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 50% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 19 and 20
- Injuries and deaths
- 15 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 54,000 miles 104 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 30 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 10 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 17 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 21 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 10 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 6 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 5 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 104 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 54,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 76,000 miles (44 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 19 complaints mention a crash; 20 complaints mention a fire; 15 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2018 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 15 model years of the Kia Soul with enough data (192 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
We were hit in rear by a truck. My wife and I went forward to almost the dash and steering wheel, the belts never caught. I called kia talked to office in california he said they should have caught. Took to kia dealer has advised and they said it worked fine. They adjusted because now you pull a little ways they lock. The server writer said the tech told him they would not lock for being hit in rear.
I was involved in a car accident on july 11 2020. The other driver ran a red light and I t-boned him. My car substantial amount of damage to the front end and was deemed totaled by the insurance company. In this accident none of my airbags deployed.
Tl* the contact owned a 2018 kia soul. While the vehicle was idling at a stop light, the contact's vehicle was rear ended by another vehicle traveling 45 MPH. The air bags did not deploy and the driver's seat snapped in half. A police report was filed. The contact sustained nerve damage to the back that required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The cause of the failure was not determined. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2018 kia soul. The contact stated that steam came out the vents inside the vehicle cabin of the vehicle and fogged up the windows. The contact also heard an abnormal gurgling sound coming from behind the dashboard after the defroster/defogger was activated. The vehicle operated as intended for a while however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,638.