2018 Kia Soul Ev problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Power Train (1) · Engine (1) · Electrical System (1)
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 (36)
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 · 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
Fuel/Propulsion System 2024-06-04 · SC267A_OWNR1819 · Service Campaign
voluntary service campaign: owner notification (sc267a) - 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 2018-2019 my soul ev vehicles.
Showing the 6 most recent of 36 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2023-11-13 · Electrical System · 66,000 mi“the contact owns a 2018 kia soul ev. the contact stated that the electrical system had experienced power fluctuations, which reduced the charging capacity of the battery to only 8 percent. the ev warning light remained illuminated. the cause of the failure was not yet determined. the contact was informed that the vehicle was previously serviced und…”
2023-08-09 · Power Train · 💥 crash“this is for 2018 kia soul ev. i stopped, placed the car in park and got out. car then rolled down a hill with no one in the car. causing an accident. …”
2023-05-31 · Engine“my 2018 kia soul ev has had a significantly decreased range, inconsistent charging, and a check ev light illuminating periodically. all of these are symptoms of the recall. kia is not only not giving a timeline to diagnose and repair the problem, they are also charging me a "diagnostic" fee for the recall. i cannot just be without a car indefinitel…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.