2018 KIA SOUL — Owner-Reported Problems
Verdict & Safety Summary
- Crashes 15
- Fires 14
- Injuries 12
- Deaths 1
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Component Problem Distribution
Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)
UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.
View component data as a table
| System / Component | Complaints | Share of Reports | Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | 110 | 50.9% | 0 crashes · 10 fires |
| POWER TRAIN | 24 | 11.1% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 12 | 5.6% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| AIR BAGS | 8 | 3.7% | 7 crashes · 0 fires |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 7 | 3.2% | 2 crashes · 0 fires |
| FUEL SYSTEM | 4 | 1.9% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| STEERING | 4 | 1.9% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 3 | 1.4% | 0 crashes · 0 fires |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 3 | 1.4% | 1 crashes · 0 fires |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 39 | 18.1% | 2 crashes · 4 fires |
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Problem & Recall Timeline
Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time
View timeline records as a table
| Date | Record type | Count | Record identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-Q1 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2018-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2018-Q4 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2019-Q1 | Owner reports | 3 | |
| 2019-Q2 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2019-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2019-Q4 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2020-Q1 | Owner reports | 2 | |
| 2020-Q2 | Owner reports | 1 | |
| 2020-Q3 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2020-Q4 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2021-Q1 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2021-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2021-Q3 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2021-Q4 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2022-Q1 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2022-Q2 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2022-Q3 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2022-Q4 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2023-Q1 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2023-Q2 | Owner reports | 10 | |
| 2023-Q3 | Owner reports | 4 | |
| 2023-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2024-Q1 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2024-Q2 | Owner reports | 11 | |
| 2024-Q3 | Owner reports | 7 | |
| 2024-Q4 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2025-Q1 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2025-Q2 | Owner reports | 5 | |
| 2025-Q3 | Owner reports | 9 | |
| 2025-Q4 | Owner reports | 12 | |
| 2026-Q1 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| 2026-Q2 | Owner reports | 8 | |
| 2026-Q3 | Owner reports | 6 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | DP22005 | |
| Defect investigation | 1 | RQ23005 |
Safety Recalls (0)
Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA
Zero safety recalls recorded for this model year in official NHTSA records.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Complaint Narrative Explorer
Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records
No complaints match the current filters.
Estimated Ownership Cost
EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates
Adjacent Model Years
Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.