NHTSA lists 1 safety recall and 272 owner complaints for the 2017 Kia Soul.
1Safety recalls
272Owner complaints
17Complaints citing a crash
14Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 28, 2026
Recalled components: air bags. Most-described problem: engine failure or replacement (94 complaints, 35%). Most-reported area: engine (191 complaints, 70%; median mileage when it happened: 82,000). Excludes the electric Soul EV.
1 safety recall for the 2017 Kia Soul
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
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 in deactivated air bags that will not deploy in a crash.
Risk: Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will inspect the ACU, and either update the software or replace the unit, as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 21, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC226.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Forte, and 2017 Forte Koup vehicles.
NHTSA listing: SOUL. Kia campaign SC226.
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.
What owners report
Owners have filed 272 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 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 replacement94 · 35%
Median 82,500 miles at failure, from 39 reports with mileage
Stalling or shutting off while driving47 · 17%
Median 77,500 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
Check engine light36 · 13%
Loss of power or limp mode31 · 11%
Excessive oil consumption30 · 11%
Engine knocking, ticking or rattling24 · 9%
Smoke or a burning smell23 · 8%
Misfires or rough running16 · 6%
Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these.
Areas named in complaints
Engine191 · 70%
Median 82,000 miles at failure, from 75 reports with mileage
Electrical system19 · 7%
Powertrain19 · 7%
Fuel and propulsion system18 · 7%
Air bags16 · 6%
Brakes14 · 5%
Steering10 · 4%
Unknown or other32 · 12%
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 2017 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 2017 drew 34.
Owner complaints
2017: 272 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Kia Soul
Model year
Complaints
2016
812
2017
272
2018
218
2019
136
2020
381
2021
233
2022
88
2023
51
2024
29
2025
12
Safety recalls
2017: 1 recallTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Kia Soul
Model year
Recalls
2016
2
2017
1
2018
1
2019
1
2020
1
2021
2
2022
1
2023
4
2024
0
2025
0
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.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Kia Soul SUV FWD
Rollover risk 14.7%
Questions
What are the most common 2017 Soul problems?
In the 272 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2017 Kia Soul, the problems described most are engine failure or replacement (94), stalling or shutting off while driving (47), and the check engine light coming on (36). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2017 Kia Soul safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2017 Kia Soul earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Soul has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Kia dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 29, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 28, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: SOUL.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.