2014 Kia Soul Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 901 owner complaints for the 2014 Kia Soul.

Recalled components: air bags, engine, steering, and speed control. Most-described problem: engine failure or replacement (182 complaints, 20%). Most-reported area: engine (552 complaints, 61%; median mileage when it happened: 103,000).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Year to avoidBest year

Excludes the electric Soul EV.

5 safety recalls for the 2014 Kia Soul

Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA has opened 2 investigations that name the 2014 Kia Soul; both are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.

What owners report

Owners have filed 901 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Soul. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Engine failure or replacement182 · 20%
  Median 102,000 miles at failure, from 127 reports with mileage
• Check engine light180 · 20%
  Median 106,500 miles at failure, from 116 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off129 · 14%
  Median 104,100 miles at failure, from 101 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode105 · 12%
  Median 106,000 miles at failure, from 68 reports with mileage
• Headlight or exterior light problems105 · 12%
  Median 68,300 miles at failure, from 90 reports with mileage
• Excessive oil consumption92 · 10%
  Median 94,500 miles at failure, from 52 reports with mileage
• Smoke or a burning smell84 · 9%
  Median 100,100 miles at failure, from 62 reports with mileage
• Hesitation or slow acceleration52 · 6%
  Median 91,000 miles at failure, from 37 reports with mileage

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Engine552 · 61%
  Median 103,000 miles at failure, from 360 reports with mileage
• Exterior lighting130 · 14%
  Most named: headlights (5) · Median 67,000 miles at failure, from 109 reports with mileage
• Electrical system98 · 11%
  Median 69,500 miles at failure, from 78 reports with mileage
• Powertrain58 · 6%
  Median 76,400 miles at failure, from 38 reports with mileage
• Engine and cooling55 · 6%
  Most named: exhaust system, emission control, catalytic convertor (10) · Median 115,500 miles at failure, from 48 reports with mileage
• Steering55 · 6%
  Median 36,000 miles at failure, from 43 reports with mileage
• Fuel and propulsion system54 · 6%
  Median 83,400 miles at failure, from 23 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other84 · 9%
  Median 80,000 miles at failure, from 33 reports with mileage

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Kia Soul recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2014 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2020 Soul drew the most (165) and the 2014 drew 72.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2014 Soul MPG

Questions