Kia Soul problems, by model year and system
2,268 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the Kia Soul 2016–2025, and the 4 systems the record is deep on — engine (1,633), transmission and drivetrain (252), electrical (204), fuel system (162). Each system has a page across the years; 11 model-year pages go deeper still. Every figure is a linked federal record; none is a failure rate or a verdict on one car.
The systems the record is deep on
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEngine problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Transmission and drivetrain problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Electrical problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Fuel system problems across every model year, and the years with a page of their own →
Kia Soul complaints, year by system
Source: NHTSA complaint database| Model year | engine | transmission and drivetrain | electrical | fuel system |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 12 in all | — | — | — | — |
| 2024 29 in all | 4 | — | 9 | — |
| 2023 52 in all | 14 | — | 14 | — |
| 2022 88 in all | 70 | 12 | 10 | 7 |
| 2021 234 in all | 182 | 26 | 15 | 11 |
| 2020 381 in all | 249 | 89 | 30 | 16 |
| 2019 139 in all | 93 | 7 | 15 | 15 |
| 2018 221 in all | 150 | 32 | 22 | 11 |
| 2017 290 in all | 203 | 21 | 31 | 19 |
| 2016 822 in all | 668 | 65 | 58 | 83 |
Complaints owners filed with NHTSA naming each system, per model year; a bold count links the year’s own page on that system. Counts scale with sales and with time on the road; nothing here is a rate, and NHTSA’s headings are coarse (“Power Train” is the transmission and the driveline).
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseWhich Kia Soul system draws the most complaints?
Engine: 1,633 complaints across 10 model years, 72% of everything owners filed about the Kia Soul. A count, not a rate — it says nothing about how many were sold.
Which Kia Soul year has the most complaints?
2016 (822), 2020 (381), 2017 (290). Older years have had longer to collect them; the year pages show each year's share by system.