What Kia Soul EV owners have reported to NHTSA, the service bulletins the manufacturer sent dealers, and any federal defect investigations, by model year. See Kia Soul EV safety recalls or check your VIN.
Complaints owners filed with NHTSA, by the model year of the vehicle. A high count can also mean a popular year, so compare it with how many were sold.
| Year | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injured | Deaths | TSBs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| 2019 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 39 |
| 2018 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 36 |
| 2017 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 58 |
| 2016 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 76 |
| 2015 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 81 |
| 2014 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 |
The vehicle systems named most often in Kia Soul EV complaints (one complaint can name several).
In the owners’ own words, as filed with NHTSA. Unverified reports; NHTSA removes personal details before publishing.
My car has had intermittent faults of codes P1B25 and P1CF2 and are showing check EV system on the dash. This happens after about 30-45 minutes of driving and then restarting the car. It has been identified that the power relay assembly needs to be replaced on the vehicle, which lives in the high voltage battery pack. However, Kia does not want to replace this under warranty , claiming that it is not an EV system component. I am not going to pay out of pocket for this repair as it goes against their own warranty information, but continuing to drive the car would be dangerous as it could drop HV power at any point.
When I apply brake the vehicle doesnât stop it jumps out (as if someone has crashed hitting the rear of the vehicle) and the vehicle shuts down. Then I have to park the vehicle in the middle of the road and restart the vehicle. Luckily I avoided many accidents by defensively driving. Talked with Kia customer care and complained about this safety issue . I took it to near by Kia dealer for the recall and complained on 25 July 2024. 2017 Kia soul + EV Only 30 thousand miles Iâm scared to drive and conserned about the safety of others around me. Please help me
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul EV. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal battery voltage warning displayed. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The contact stated that the battery failed to charge. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The message to âPull Over Immediatelyâ was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that an update, BMS, and wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed back to the local dealer, where an unknown diagnosis and repair were performed. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mile…
Driving down open road with no vehicles in front or back when suddenly the rear window made a huge bang. It was raining at the time. Once home I took the attached photo. Don't remember turning the defrost on.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul EV. The contact stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V218000 (Electrical System) and the vehicle was repaired under the recall. The contact stated that after the repair was completed, the vehicle went into "Reduced Power" and "Power Limp Mode" while driving at various speeds and initially after starting the vehicle. The vehicle was returned to the dealer where the recall repair was completed the recall repair; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,400.
Application of the brakes causes complete vehicle shutdown along with message to check electrical system. Brakes appear to fail for a brief moment, then mechanical brakes kick in. Car has zero power until stopped and restarted. Problem is reproducible a high percentage of the time provided the brakes are pressed more than just lightly or briefly. At nearly full charge, this defect can also be triggered by just the engine brake (which is triggered every time your foot is taken off the accelerator). Appears to be an electrical short circuit of some type. Other faults occur upon application of power, shifting engine into low power or turtle mode at any level of battery charge.
The 2017 Kia Soul EV+ vehicle turned off coming down a steep hill (at the bottom of the steep hill is both a school bus stop and and entrance/exit to a condominium community). When the car shut off all power steering and power brakes were lost, making control of the vehicle very difficult and unsafe. The dealer reported finding a code for the battery overcharging but cleared the code and did not offer any explanation. This has happened multiple times including when I was videotaping the dash to document irregular discharge occurring from the battery. Similarly the vehicle will be driving fine (at any speed) and suddenly lose power and only go 20mph (known as limp mode), a very dangerous situ…
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Soul EV. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The contact drove the vehicle out of the street and into a parking space. Additionally, the contact stated that on two occasions the cellphone charger cord melted in the charger port while the cellphone was charging. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The contact was informed that the transmission failed, and the transmission needed to be replaced; however, a diagnostic test had not been completed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
Repair instructions and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about known issues. A TSB is not a recall, and the repair is usually free only while the car is under warranty; ask your dealer for the bulletin number.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR â ELECTRICAL A/C COMPRESSOR - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information regarding the partial repair of the Air Conditioning (A/C) compressor assembly on some 2011MY~ Optima Hybrid (TF HEV, JF HEV/PHEV), 2015MY~ Soul EV (PS EV), 2017MY~ Niro (DE HEV/PHEV/EV), 2022MY~ EV6 (CV), 2021MY~ Sorento (MQ4 HEV/PHEV), 2023MY~ Sportage (NQ5 HEV/PHEV), and 2023MY~ Niro (SG2 EV/HEV/PHEV) vehicles.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: HIGH-VOLTAGE BPA REPLACEMENT (SC310Z REV 1) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information regarding the replacement of the High-Voltage Battery Pack Assembly (HV BPA) on certain 2015-2017MY SOUL EV (PS EV) produced from July 15, 2014 through June 30, 2017 which were not included in SC267 Safety Recall Campaign and have completed TSB ELE310 and/or SC310A. The affected vehicles require replacement of
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: HIGH-VOLTAGE BATTERY PACK ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT (SC267Z REV 2) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information to replace the high-voltage battery pack assembly (HV BPA) on certain 2015-2019MY Soul EV (PS EV) vehicles produced from July 15, 2014 through September 28, 2018. After completing SC267 with the latest battery management system (BMS) software upgrade, the subject vehicles may subsequently requ
PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal transmission and reception times between the vehicle (ultrasonic sensor) and an object. The membrane film of the ultrasonic sensor is used for object detention and can be damaged by stone chips or foreign substances while driving. Damage to the cover of the ultrasonic sensor can also lead to damage
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each Kia model. A flush is required ONLY when a transmission is replaced, and the transmission oil cooler is transferred to the new transmission.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: KIA CONNECT MODEM RESET (SA611) - This bulletin outlines the procedure for resetting the modem in certain 2016-2025MY Kia vehicles listed on page 3 that are equipped with Kia Connect Services. The affected vehicles may encounter the following issues: remote Start/Climate Control function not working, vehicle Status on the Kia Access App not updating, connected routing not functioning properly.
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC310A) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to update the vehicle's battery management system (BMS) software to the latest version in certain 2015-2017 MY Soul EV vehicles. Our records indicate that you own or lease one of the potentially affected vehicles.
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC267A) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to update the vehicle's battery management system (BMS) software to the latest version in certain 2018-2019 MY Soul EV vehicles.
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC267A) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting Voluntary Service Campaign to update the vehicle's battery management system (BMS) software to the latest version in certain 2015-2017 MY Soul EV vehicles.
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (SC310A) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to update the battery management system (BMS) software on certain 2015-2017 MY Soul EV vehicles manufactured from July 15, 2014 through July 4, 2017 that had their BMS previously replaced and updated under warranty.
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER (SC310A) - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the Voluntary Service Campaign SC310A.
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the Voluntary Service Campaign SC267A.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opens these when complaints point to a possible safety defect. Many end in a recall.
On July 2, 2020, Kia America Inc. (Kia) filed safety recall 20V-389 for model year (MY) 2015-2016 Kia Soul EV vehicles. This recall was in response to allegations of unintended vehicle movement while in Park and provided updated electronic control unit software for the electronic parking brake logic as the remedy. The updated logic, which was included during production for MY 2017-2019 Kia Soul EV vehicles, automatically activates the electronic parking brake when the vehicle is powered off whil
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-spe
During this Preliminary Evaluation (PE), the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) assessed the scope, frequency and potential safety-related consequences of non-crash vehicle fires caused by both engine failures and failures of other vehicle systems/components in model year (MY) 2011-2014 Kia Optima, MY 2011-2014 Kia Sorento and MY 2010-2015 Kia Soul vehicles equipped with Theta II, Gamma, Nu and Lambda II engines (approximately 1.7 million vehicles). ODI also reviewed field and other data on o
In a letter dated June 11, 2018, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a safety defect investigation into non-collision related fires on model year (MY) 2011-2014 Kia Optima and Sorento, and Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe vehicles. In a letter dated July 24, 2018, CAS requested that MY 2010-2015 Kia Soul vehicles be added to the petition. CAS stated that there is a higher number of complaints to NHTSA regarding non-crash f
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation public data (complaints, manufacturer communications, investigations), model years 2010 and later. Had a safety problem? Report it to NHTSA.
In complaints filed with NHTSA for model years 2014–2020, owners most often name: electrical system, power train, service brakes. 39 complaints are on record.
No. A complaint is an unverified report from an owner. A technical service bulletin (TSB) is the manufacturer telling dealers how to fix a known issue; it is not a safety recall and is usually covered only under warranty. A recall is a formal safety action, and its repair is free.
File a vehicle safety complaint at NHTSA.gov. NHTSA reads every report, and patterns of complaints are what open defect investigations and, eventually, recalls.
