NHTSA lists 1 safety recall and 218 owner complaints for the 2018 Kia Soul.
1Safety recalls
218Owner complaints
14Complaints 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 (50 complaints, 23%). Most-reported area: engine (140 complaints, 64%; median mileage when it happened: 70,800). Excludes the electric Soul EV.
1 safety recall for the 2018 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 218 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 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 replacement50 · 23%
Median 74,200 miles at failure, from 16 reports with mileage
Excessive oil consumption42 · 19%
Check engine light33 · 15%
Stalling or shutting off while driving30 · 14%
Loss of power or limp mode29 · 13%
Smoke or a burning smell21 · 10%
Engine knocking, ticking or rattling17 · 8%
Hesitation or slow acceleration13 · 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
Engine140 · 64%
Median 70,800 miles at failure, from 36 reports with mileage
Powertrain31 · 14%
Electrical system19 · 9%
Air bags11 · 5%
Fuel and propulsion system11 · 5%
Engine and cooling9 · 4%
Speed control8 · 4%
Unknown or other30 · 14%
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 2018 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 2018 drew 45.
Owner complaints
2018: 218 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
2018: 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 2018 Soul problems?
In the 218 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Kia Soul, the problems described most are engine failure or replacement (50), excessive oil consumption (42), and the check engine light coming on (33). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2018 Kia Soul safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2018 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.