2015 Kia Soul Ev problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (2) · Vehicle Speed Control (1) · Service Brakes (1)
Safety recalls (4)
Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (Prndl) 2023-10-26 · campaign 23V724000 · 6,262 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (KIA) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Soul EV vehicles. The parking mechanism may be damaged, which can result in unintended vehicle movement when the gear shift lever is in the Park 'P' position and the parking brake is not applied while the vehicle is powered on.
Risk: Unintended vehicle movement can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the electronic control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 21, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC287. This recall expands and replaces recall number 20V-389. Vehicles previously repaired under 20V-389 will need to have the new remedy completed.
Electrical System:propulsion System:traction Battery 2023-03-29 · campaign 23V218000 · 2,689 vehicles
Defect: Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Soul EV vehicles equipped with an E400 battery. The high-voltage battery pack may experience an electrical short-circuit while driving.
Risk: A battery electrical short-circuit increases the risk of a fire.
Fix: Dealers will update and/or replace the battery management system and software, as necessary, free of charge. The new software will illuminate the EV warning light, limit charging capacity, and reduce vehicle power if abnormal voltage is detected. If this occurs, the battery will be replaced, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 18, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC267.
Electrical System:software 2020-07-02 · campaign 20V389000 · 3,714 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Kia Soul Electric Vehicle (EV) vehicles. The parking mechanism may become damaged if the driver moves the gear shift lever into Park 'P' before the vehicle comes to a complete stop. If the parking mechanism is damaged, unintended vehicle movement may occur when the gear shift lever is in the Park 'P' position and the parking brake is not applied.
Risk: Unintended vehicle movement can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic control unit software, free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC191.
Steering 2017-09-29 · campaign 17V608000 · 342,381 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Soul and Soul EV vehicles. The pinion plug may allow the pinion gear to separate from the steering gear assembly.
Risk: If the pinion gear separates, steering will be lost, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and secure the pinion plug or replace the steering gear assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 16, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC155. Note: This recall supersedes campaigns 14V-332 and 15V-736. Vehicles previously remedied under those numbers are being recalled again under this campaign.
Service bulletins (81)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Visibility/Wiper 2026-08-28 · TSB_CLI049_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: partial repair – electrical a/c compressor - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides information regarding the partial repair of the air
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-03-05 · SC310Z_TSB_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: subsequent repair action: high-voltage bpa replacement (sc310z rev 1) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides information regarding th
Fuel/Propulsion System 2026-03-05 · SC267Z_TSB_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: subsequent repair action: high-voltage battery pack assembly replacement (sc267z rev 2) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides inform
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2025-12-09 · PS797 · Other
pitstop: technical operations: external damage to ultrasonic sensor: this pitstop provides information related to parking distance warning (pdw) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. the pdw system alerts the driver while parking, by calculating distance based on the difference in signal
Power Train 2025-04-17 · TSB_TRA046_R5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: transmission fluid application guide - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. new/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. this bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid ty
Fuel/Propulsion System 2024-06-05 · SC310A_OWNR1517 · Service Campaign
voluntary service campaign: owner notification (sc310a) - this document is the owner notification advising that kia is conducting a voluntary service campaign to update the vehicle's battery management system (bms) software to the latest version in certain 2015-2017 my soul ev vehicles. our records
Showing the 6 most recent of 81 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2024-03-01 · Electrical System · 111,400 mi“the contact owns a 2015 kia soul ev. the contact stated that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign number: 23v218000 (electrical system) and the vehicle was repaired under the recall. the contact stated that after the repair was completed, the vehicle went into "reduced power" and "power limp mode" while driving at various speeds and initially…”
2019-01-01 · Service Brakes · 83,980 mi · 💥 crash“i was pulling into a disable parking space. i push my brakes to stop the car and the car did not respond to the brake. the anti-lock brakes did not work my car continue to go without stopping. i push my brakes many times, pushing it as far as i can. the only way it stop is when the car hit the fat round cement pole. i know there have been previo…”
2018-04-25 · Power Train · 78,000 mi“owner was driving on interstate 80 heading east at apx 65 miles per hour.with no warning , oil light started flashing ,car seized up and started making a very loud banging.owner is a 22 year old new driver and was very lucky to have not been killed. vehicle has been towed to an authorized kia dealer.the same dealership owner purchased car. mileage …”
2018-03-06 · Power Train · 23,500 mi“our 2015 kia soul ev has over heated the main controller and shut down in traffic and would not move. this happened twice in chandler (phoenix ) arizona after traveling just 10 miles. this is a major safety concern. the car cannot handle the heat in arizona, georgia or other hot southern states. the batteries and bms also fail after 2-3 years.…”
2017-06-02 · Vehicle Speed Control · 36,566 mi · 💥 crash“as i was pulling into a parking space with my foot on the brake, the car suddenly accelerated and crashed into a concrete pillar. i was driving in the "b" mode. i was able to drive the car home, but later had it towed to the dealer. unfortunately, they reported that they couldn't duplicate the problem or figure out what caused it.…”
2017-04-10 · Unknown Or Other · 23,535 mi“nexen tires do not pass state inspection and they have less than 23,500 miles on them, these tires are coming apart gouges down to tell steel belts.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.