Menu

2014 Kia SoulProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 904 owner complaints about the 2014 Kia Soul, most often about the engine. It is covered by 5 safety recalls, and for recall 22V-096 the manufacturer reports only 45% of affected cars repaired.

2014 Kia Soul
24
CarFlaw IndexYear to avoid3.2× the Soul median · #2 of 15 years by complaints
Safety recalls5Lowest repair rate 45%Owner complaints904126 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage103kEngine, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through November 5, 2026. Updated daily. Photo: Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2014 Kia Soul has problems

904 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Engine55458
Exterior lighting1301
Electrical system9819
Power train585
Steering5612
Engine and engine cooling555
Fuel/propulsion system549
Service brakes317
Vehicle speed control315
17 other systems8329

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

5 recalls

2014 Kia Soul recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

45%repaired · 2024 Q1

Air bag/restraint control module: software

Recall 22V-096 · Feb 18, 2022 · 128,280 vehicles · 58,247 repaired

Risk. Front air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

59%repaired · 2020 Q3

Engine

Recall 19V-120 · Feb 22, 2019 · 378,967 vehicles · 224,743 repaired

Risk. Piston damage may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

61%repaired · 2019 Q1

Steering

Recall 17V-608 · Sep 29, 2017 · 342,381 vehicles · 208,174 repaired

Risk. If the pinion gear separates, steering will be lost, increasing the risk of a crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 1 more recall
84%repaired · 2016 Q2

Vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal

Recall 15V-123 · Mar 2, 2015 · 208,858 vehicles · 175,842 repaired

Risk. If the vehicle has a bent or broken accelerator pedal, the driver may have difficulty accelerating the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Kia.

Mileage at failure

When do engine problems start?

103kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 360 engine complaints. 45% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
19under 30k miles163under 100k miles197100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Engine

38 owners mentioned a cost

$4,500median

Middle half: $1,489 – $7,300

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

2014 vs. every other Soul year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Soul median. How we score

'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2014 Kia Soul safety ratings

2014 Kia Soul SUV FWD in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

★★★★★Overall rating
2014 Kia Soul frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crash★★★★★
2014 Kia Soul side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrier★★★★★
2014 Kia Soul side pole test, NHTSA
Side pole★★★★★
  • Rollover: 4 stars (14.7% risk)
  • Stability control: Standard
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
3 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2014 Kia Soul, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Non-crash Vehicle FiresDP18003 · closed May 10, 2019
    Led to recall 18V-907
  2. Engine FiresEA21003 · closed Feb 5, 2024
    Led to recall 23V-877
  3. Non-crash Vehicle FiresPE19004 · closed Dec 22, 2021
    Led to recall 20V-088
In owners' words

What Soul owners report

Recent engine complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

this vehicle was service with a new engine in 2021 by the kia dealer in South Attleboro mass the car began to start loosing power on 10/15/ 2026 it now needs a new engine again I call the kia dealer to see if it had warranted and they said because it has 198 thousand miles the warranted is gone I…
Complaint 11773575 · Oct 25, 2026
I purchased my Kia Soul because I believed I was purchasing a dependable vehicle that I could rely on for my everyday transportation. Unfortunately, my experience with the vehicle has been very different. Over time, I have experienced ongoing and serious problems with the engine, particularly…
Complaint 11768566 · Oct 2, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle suddenly lost power and came to a complete stop. After cooling down for approximately 10 minutes, the vehicle was restarted; however, smoke emanated from the engine bay and entered the cabin, and the vehicle…
Complaint 11764822 · Sep 16, 2026

Own a 2014 Soul?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.