KnownCarProblems2015 Kia Soul Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 902 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Kia Soul, most often about the engine (73% of complaints, typically around 94,000 miles). It is the 2nd most complained-about Soul model year since 2000 and has 4 recalls.
Most common 2015 Kia Soul problems
Engine
662 complaints · 73%Half of these problems showed up before 94,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system, engine, cooling system.
Had the transmission serviced after having vehicle in multiple times for the engine vibration on 8/18/2018. Car continued to vibrate. Took car to another dealership to have it looked at. The recommended fuel injection and oil change. I had this work performed in september 2018. Drove vehicle and my oil light came on.…
I was driving and out of no where the engine started and car just cut off took it to the shop they said the engine gone. Then I replaced the engine with another and the same thing happened now I have a 2015 Kia Soul that's been thought 2 engine. And I took it to the dealer for the all changes
Other or unspecified
108 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 72,000 miles.
We just received our Soul back for the latest Kia recall service after being 1 week at the dealership, while driving the car engine shut off in the middle of the traffic almost causing accident and injury. Called dealership rick case Kia (sunrise fl) they asked US to tow the car in for diagnostic. Received a call from…
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the engine hesitated and emitted smoke from the tailpipe. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was not diagnosed. Upon investigation, the contact associated the…
Fuel system
79 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: delivery.
We had a recall so we brought our Kia Soul 2015 to be repaired. They had the car for a month . When we got the car back it wasn't the same ,the engine light came on. We called them again they said it was normal and our car was fine. We kept calling them the it wasn't. We were going to nh for a family reunion and bring…
I get an error code p050a in temperatures below 50 f after starting the car. The csr has 68k miles on it. This code relates to cold start idle air control performance. Had the car in the shop and a faulty purge solenoid was replaced and throttle bore cleaned. Now three weeks later, I get the same code again. Car seems…
Electrical
75 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 64,000 miles. Parts named most often: 12v/24v/48v battery, ignition.
The air and heat stopped working altogether. I took it to arapahoe Kia in centennial, co. They told me the blower motor had failed. I had another shop look at it and they told me the wiring to the blower motor had completely melted. It looks like there was a short that lit the wires on fire. Luckily, it did not ignite…
We had a recall so we brought our Kia Soul 2015 to be repaired. They had the car for a month . When we got the car back it wasn't the same ,the engine light came on. We called them again they said it was normal and our car was fine. We kept calling them the it wasn't. We were going to nh for a family reunion and bring…
Transmission
61 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 92,500 miles.
Had the transmission serviced after having vehicle in multiple times for the engine vibration on 8/18/2018. Car continued to vibrate. Took car to another dealership to have it looked at. The recommended fuel injection and oil change. I had this work performed in september 2018. Drove vehicle and my oil light came on.…
Vehicle out of nowhere while driving on expressway started to decelerate I immediately pulled over safely and noticed the lights on my dashboard were illuminated check engine light and engine oil light. I took vehicle to havoline oil express and they checked my codes changed spark plugs and ignition coils but car…
Steering
44 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 35,000 miles.
I have 2015 Kia Soul. The Kia has 34,000 something miles on it. I was driving it, and when I make left and right turns in the Kia it makes a loud popping sound in the steering column. I was driving home today from work and when I made a left turn it was loud popping sound again. I'm very scared that it's going to…
In starting the car, I have had a dozen incidents where the ignition is frozen and I can not turn the key. I try wiggling the steering wheel, wiggling the gears, removing the key, waiting, etc. On several occasions it has been 5 minutes before I was finally able to turn the ignition on.
Lights
36 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 81,000 miles. Parts named most often: headlights, turn signal.
I was driving down chuckanut drive. Windy road, I came to a corner going 15 MPH then it felt like the engine turned off. So I pullled over to see. When I stopped the engine was still on so I put it in park turned the car off and opened hood checked oil everything seemed fine start driving again I noticed it was very…
The headlights flicker off or turn off while stopped or driving. Wiggling the multifunction switch will usually bring the lights back on temporarily. This is a known issue with the contacts in the multifunction switch. Kia has issued a warranty extension for this issue for my2014 and prior, but has not issued a…
Brakes
32 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 26,500 miles. Parts named most often: fluid, antilock, power assist.
Attempting to park: vehicle accelerated rapidly, brake failed to stop or do anything. Vehicle jumped over tire stop then 8" mall walkway hitting building and store window.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the braking system was erroneously activated, causing the brakes to engage without the brake pedal being depressed. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would drift to the right. The contact stated that there…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2015 Kia Soul recalls
Engine
Risk: An engine compartment fire increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine compartment for fuel and/or engine oil leaks, perform an engine test and make any repairs, including engine replacement, as necessary, free of charge. In addition, kia dealers will update the knock sensor detection system (ksds) software, free of charge. The recall began january 27, 2021. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc200.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2012-2013 sorento, 2012-2015 forte and forte koup, 2011-2013 optima hybrid, 2014-2015 soul, and 2012 sportage vehicles. An engine compartment fire can occur while driving.
Engine
Risk: Piston damage may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash. A broken connecting rod may puncture the engine block allowing engine oil to escape. The leaking oil may contact the exhaust, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will upgrade the catalytic overheating protection engine control unit logic to prevent overheating of the catalytic converter. In addition, the catalytic converter will also be replaced if it has been damaged. Depending on the extent of any damage, the engine may also be replaced, free of charge. The recall began april 17, 2019. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc176.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2012-2016 kia soul vehicles equipped with 1.6l gasoline direct injection (gdi) engines. High exhaust gas temperatures may damage the catalytic converter, possibly resulting in abnormal engine combustion and damage to one or more of the engine's pistons and possible piston connecting rod failure.
Steering
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.
Full defect summary
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.
Speed control: accelerator pedal
Risk: If the vehicle has a bent or broken accelerator pedal, the driver may have difficulty accelerating the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will add a supporting rubber underneath the pedal stopper, free of charge. The recall began on march 24, 2015. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc116.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 soul and soul electric vehicles manufactured july 21, 2013, to january 8, 2015. A section of the accelerator pedal may bend and fracture.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Engine fires
Summary
On march 29, 2019, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened two preliminary evaluations (pe19-003 on hyundai and pe19-004 on kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year hyundai and kia vehicles.â during the pe investigations, hyundai and kia issued several recalls to address vehicle fires, including those due to engine failures involving various engine types.â the remedies for the engine failure recalls typically involve engine inspection (to detect existing damage), and if necessary, engine replacement.â additionally, both manufacturers have been installing an engine control software modif
Non-crash vehicle fires
Summary
During this preliminary evaluation (pe), the office of defects investigation (odi) assessed the scope, frequency and potential safety-related consequences of non-crash vehicle fires caused by both engine failures and failures of other vehicle systems/components in model year (my) 2011-2014 kia optima, my 2011-2014 kia sorento and my 2010-2015 kia soul vehicles equipped with theta II, gamma, nu and lambda II engines (approximately 1.7 million vehicles). Odi also reviewed field and other data on other kia vehicles (approximately 3.6 million additional vehicles) equipped with the same engines used in the above-mentioned vehicles.as a result of this pe, kia has issued NHTSA recalls 20v-750 and 2
Non-crash vehicle fires
Summary
In a letter dated june 11, 2018, the center for auto safety (cas) petitioned the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) to initiate a safety defect investigation into non-collision related fires on model year (my) 2011-2014 kia optima and sorento, and hyundai sonata and santa fe vehicles. In a letter dated july 24, 2018, cas requested that my 2010-2015 kia soul vehicles be added to the petition. Cas stated that there is a higher number of complaints to NHTSA regarding non-crash fires on these vehicles compared to other similar vehicles. The office of defects investigation (odi) had already opened recall queries (rq17-003 and rq17-004) on all kia and hyundai vehicles equipped
Questions about the 2015 Kia Soul
- What are the most common problems with the 2015 Kia Soul?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (662 complaints, typically around 94,000 miles); other or unspecified (108 complaints, typically around 72,000 miles); fuel system (79 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2015 Kia Soul have?
- 4 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from December 2, 2020 (engine). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2015 a bad year for the Kia Soul?
- It is the 2nd most complained-about Soul model year since 2000, with 902 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.