2014 Kia Soul problems and complaints
Owners have filed 901 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Kia Soul. The most-reported areas: Engine (553), Exterior Lighting (130), Electrical System (98).
Key takeaways
- 901 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 34 involve a crash, 69 a fire, 30 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 553 | 61% |
| Exterior Lighting | 130 | 14% |
| Electrical System | 98 | 11% |
| Unknown Or Other | 83 | 9% |
| Power Train | 58 | 6% |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 55 | 6% |
| Steering | 55 | 6% |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 53 | 6% |
| Service Brakes | 35 | 4% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 31 | 3% |
| Air Bags | 27 | 3% |
| Structure | 11 | 1% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 Kia Soul SUV FWD | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Power Train,unknown Or Other,service Brakes - filed 2026-09-21
The Engine powered down to the point where the car stalled out. It would not accelerate. This was quite dangerous! I was in traffic when this happened. Trying to get it to a safer spot, I restarted the engine a few times; the brakes were extremely hard & wouldn't let me mash them down to catch to stop, so I immediatel...
Engine - filed 2026-09-16
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 stalled in traffic without ...
Engine - filed 2026-09-14
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact researched and discovered that there were several unknown recalls associated with the VIN. The dealer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The...
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More for the 2014 Kia Soul
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.