2017 Kia Soul Ev problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Electrical System (6) · Service Brakes (3) · Power Train (2)
Safety recalls (3)
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.
Air Bags 2022-01-25 · campaign 22V031000 · 410,619 vehicles
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Forte, and 2017 Forte Koup vehicles. The Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board and damage the electrical circuit. Circuit damage may result in deactivated air bags that will not deploy in a crash.
Risk: Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the ACU, and either update the software or replace the unit, as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 21, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC226.
Service bulletins (58)
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
Electrical System 2025-03-20 · TSB_ELE378 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
technical service bulletin: service action: kia connect modem reset (sa611) - this bulletin outlines the procedure for resetting the modem in certain 2016-2025my kia vehicles listed on page 3 that are equipped with kia connect services. the affected vehicles may encounter the following issues: remot
Showing the 6 most recent of 58 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-07-25 · Fuel/Propulsion System“my car has had intermittent faults of codes p1b25 and p1cf2 and are showing check ev system on the dash. this happens after about 30-45 minutes of driving and then restarting the car. it has been identified that the power relay assembly needs to be replaced on the vehicle, which lives in the high voltage battery pack. however, kia does not want to …”
2024-08-02 · Service Brakes“when i apply brake the vehicle doesn’t stop it jumps out (as if someone has crashed hitting the rear of the vehicle) and the vehicle shuts down. then i have to park the vehicle in the middle of the road and restart the vehicle. luckily i avoided many accidents by defensively driving. talked with kia customer care and complained about this safety is…”
2024-05-15 · Engine · 50,000 mi“the contact owns a 2017 kia soul ev. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal battery voltage warning displayed. the vehicle went into limp mode. the contact stated that the battery failed to charge. several unknown warning lights were illuminated. the message to “pull over immediately” was displayed. the…”
2024-04-26 · Visibility/Wiper“driving down open road with no vehicles in front or back when suddenly the rear window made a huge bang. it was raining at the time. once home i took the attached photo. don't remember turning the defrost on.…”
2024-02-08 · Service Brakes“application of the brakes causes complete vehicle shutdown along with message to check electrical system. brakes appear to fail for a brief moment, then mechanical brakes kick in. car has zero power until stopped and restarted. problem is reproducible a high percentage of the time provided the brakes are pressed more than just lightly or briefly. …”
2024-01-27 · Electrical System“the 2017 kia soul ev+ vehicle turned off coming down a steep hill (at the bottom of the steep hill is both a school bus stop and and entrance/exit to a condominium community). when the car shut off all power steering and power brakes were lost, making control of the vehicle very difficult and unsafe. the dealer reported finding a code for the batte…”
2023-12-01 · Electrical System“this is an update of the below. i have had several email exchanges with kia customer service. they contacted the dealer and report that they could not get a response from their own dealer! they said i could try another dealer if i want. i asked for a recommendation of a dealer that would be responsive and got no further communication. meanwhile, my…”
2023-09-13 · Electrical System“received an "important safety recall" notice from kia recall number 23v218 in may 2023. this indicates my kia soul ev by vin. the notice warns of a possible short in the main battery that can cause a fire. the notice says kia is working on a remedy and that another letter will follow when the remedy is ready. no second letter yet, as of 9/13/23. th…”
2023-08-26 · Electrical System“kia garden grove is recommending people not get the recall done, and refusing to schedule and service the recall.…”
2023-08-14 · Electrical System“the contact owns a 2017 kia soul ev. the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 23v218000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. the local dealer was contacted. the contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was …”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.