3 recalls covering model years 2018, 2019. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
On certain Soul EV vehicles, the mechanism that holds the vehicle in place when the gear shift is set to Park can become damaged. Kia says that if this happens, the vehicle can move on its own even while in Park, if the parking brake isn't also applied and the vehicle is powered on.
On certain Kia Soul EV cars, the high-voltage battery pack could develop an electrical short while you're driving, which raises the chance of a fire. To fix this, dealers will update the battery management software, and replace it if needed. The updated software will turn on the EV warning light and cut back charging and power if it detects an unusual voltage problem, and if that happens, the battery itself will be replaced.
The cover on the air bag control unit may press against a memory chip on the circuit board inside and damage the electrical circuit. This affects certain Kia Forte, Forte Koup, Sedona, Soul, and Soul EV vehicles. If the circuit is damaged, the air bags could be deactivated and not deploy in a crash. Dealers will inspect the control unit and update its software or replace it as needed, free of charge.
Recalls and NHTSA owner complaints for each model year, side by side. Complaints are unverified owner reports, and better-selling or older years naturally collect more — read this as a record, not a ranking.
| Model year | Recalls | High / critical | Do-not-drive / park-outside | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 221 | 15 | 14 | 12 |
| 2019 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 138 | 13 | 8 | 14 |
NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls covering the 2018–2019 Kia Soul EV. 3 of them are rated high or critical on this site. The most recent is "Kia Soul EV Parking Mechanism May Be Damaged" (NHTSA campaign 23V724000), reported Oct 26, 2023.
The 2018 Kia Soul EV has the most, with 3 recalls. The 2018 model year has the fewest of the years we cover, with 3. Newer model years have had less time to collect recalls, so a low count on a recent year is not a guarantee.
No. None of the 3 Kia Soul EV recalls on file carries a do-not-drive or park-outside advisory from NHTSA.
Enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall often applies to only some vehicles of a model year, and the VIN lookup shows the ones still unrepaired on your car. Recall repairs are free at any franchised Kia dealer, including for second owners.
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: