2015 Kia Soul problems and complaints
Owners have filed 904 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Kia Soul. The most-reported areas: Engine (629), Unknown Or Other (108), Electrical System (76).
Key takeaways
- 904 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 36 involve a crash, 83 a fire, 32 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 629 | 70% |
| Unknown Or Other | 108 | 12% |
| Electrical System | 76 | 8% |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 76 | 8% |
| Power Train | 62 | 7% |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 58 | 6% |
| Steering | 44 | 5% |
| Exterior Lighting | 36 | 4% |
| Service Brakes | 34 | 4% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 31 | 3% |
| Air Bags | 20 | 2% |
| Structure | 16 | 2% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Kia Soul SUV FWD | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Seat Belts - filed 2026-09-19
Seatbelt on front passenger side locked up and continued to tighten until passenger had to release. Then seatbelt never returned to function. It locked up completely.
Engine - filed 2026-09-02
The contact owned a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, there was smoke coming from the exhaust, with an abnormally loud popping sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road, and the contact exited the vehicle and became aware that there was a...
Unknown Or Other,engine - filed 2026-08-04
Dealer refusing to honor open recall remedy for SC200 / NHTSA 20V750000 on 2015 Kia Soul VIN [XXX], approx 100k miles. Recall shows "no unrepaired recall found" on NHTSA VIN lookup, but KSDS update and engine bearing test were never performed. Kia of Cheyenne states: 1) must pay for recall because update not done, 2) m...
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More for the 2015 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.