MODELYEARINDEX

Which Kia Soul years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2015, 2020 and 2014 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Kia Soul Full report
F
Grade 2010–2021
2015 vs model median 2.4×
Model median3× median
Engine 89
Electrical 22
Steering 19
Avoid

2015 · 2020

Best

2017 · 2019

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
0.94× 102 C
2011
0.87× 93 C
2012
0.82× 89 C
2013
0.72× 99 C
2014
1.80× 203 D
2015
2.44× 240 F
2016
2.00× 228 D
2017
0.95× 127 B
2018
1.05× 124 B
2019
0.55× 66 B
2020
2.47× 318 F
2021
1.64× 194 D
2022 P
1.05× 133 B
2023 P
0.69× 86 C
2024 P
0.27× 41 A
2025 P
0.17× 21 A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2015 F 240 reports · median 58,000 mi

  1. Engine 89

    2015 kia soul sputtered when going from first gear, to second gear and then third. Cw also, the check engine light illuminated on the dashboard. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Electrical 22

    The contact owns a 2015 kia soul. While stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle would not accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Steering 19

    First occurred at 134 miles on my 2015 kia soul...bouncy vibrating shaky ride could be felt under my feet like something bumping the bottom of the car and in the steering wheel like someone was tapping on it… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

36 crash · 37 fire · 23 injuries

2020 F 318 reports · median 11,152 mi

  1. Engine 124

    The idle stop - start system seems to be broken. Whenever I pull up to a light and stop the engine shuts off. Then, when I try to accelerate the engine starts but the calibers lock up on the disc creating a loud… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Drivetrain 75

    At 11,200 miles the transmission abruptly malfunctioned in heavy highway traffic. RPM would shift wildly from idle to redline, and the transmission shuddered hard and lost all power. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Electrical 18

    My car was purchased brand new off the lot with 28 miles on it. I now have approximately 15614 miles on my 2020 kia soul. I just wanted to report that the horn, a major safety feature, intermittently stops working. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

7 crash · 8 fire · 6 injuries

The best year for the Soul

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2019 is the best-scoring Soul model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 83.8 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2019 0.55× 66 B
2017 0.95× 127 B
2018 1.05× 124 B

Recalls

15 campaigns on record, 2 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
23V652000 Park it SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE 2011–2013 1,730,192
13V114000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH 2010, 2011 980,377
22V031000 AIR BAGS 2017–2019 410,619
19V120000 ENGINE 2012–2016 378,967
17V608000 STEERING 2014–2016 342,381
20V750000 ENGINE 2014, 2015 294,756
15V123000 VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL 2014, 2015 208,858
21V259000 ENGINE 2020, 2021 147,249
25V099000 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL 2021–2023 137,256
22V096000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL 2014 128,280
23V298000 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL 2023 108,936
14V822000 STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS 2010–2013 95,314

+ 3 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2015 were reported at a median of 58,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Kia Soul years should you avoid?
2015, 2020, 2014 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Kia Soul model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Kia Soul?
2019 is the best-scoring Kia Soul model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 83.8 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Kia Soul have?
15 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Kia Soul model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2015 Soul
Complaints in window
240
Severity-weighted
520.5
Model median (weighted)
214
vs model median
2.44×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
4
Open investigations
0
Score 29.1 F