The Used Car Index

2017 Kia Soul EV problems

NHTSA lists 18 complaints for the 2017 Kia Soul EV, 0 of them mention a crash and 1 mention a fire. 0 complaints mention an injury, with 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-09.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as KIA SOUL EV.

At a glance

Complaints
18
With crash
0
With fire
1
With injury (complaints)
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
0
Recalls
3
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
410,619
Investigations
2
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
58

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. No sales source is available for this record.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1266.7%
SERVICE BRAKES316.7%
ENGINE211.1%
POWER TRAIN211.1%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER211.1%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM15.6%
SEATS15.6%
STRUCTURE15.6%
VISIBILITY/WIPER15.6%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY1

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags

These labels are model-generated, not NHTSA data.

Failure modes
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
electrical electronic950.0%0.88
loss of control422.2%0.71
mechanical failure211.1%0.54
fire or overheating15.6%0.77
unclear15.6%1.00
visibility or lighting15.6%0.96
Severities
LabelCountShare of taggedMean confidence
moderate1583.3%0.79
low211.1%0.63
high15.6%0.96

Model: typesafe/jev-1.13-20260917; schema version: tag-v1. 18 tagged complaints of 18 complaints (100.0%).

Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.

Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

3 recalls.

23V724000

Date: 2023-10-26. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN.

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.

Consequence: Unintended vehicle movement can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

23V218000

Date: 2023-03-29. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

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. (excerpt)

Consequence: A battery electrical short-circuit increases the risk of a fire. (excerpt)

Remedy: 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 (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

22V031000

Date: 2022-01-25. Systems: AIR BAGS.

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.

Consequence: Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

2 investigations; 0 open.

RQ23005

Opened: 2023-09-10. Closed: 2024-01-16.

Vehicle Rollaway

On July 2, 2020, Kia America Inc. (Kia) filed safety recall 20V-389 for model year (MY) 2015-2016 Kia Soul EV vehicles. This recall was in response to allegations of unintended vehicle movement while in Park and provided updated electronic control unit software for the electronic parking brake logic as the remedy. The updated logic, which was included during production for MY 2017-2019 Kia Soul EV

Systems: POWER TRAIN.

Linked campaign numbers: 23V724.

DP22005

Opened: 2023-01-27. Closed: 2023-08-07.

Pedestrian alert sounds

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and ele

Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Linked campaign numbers: 22V063000.

Manufacturer communications

58 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM36
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM9
STEERING6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC4
VISIBILITY4
EQUIPMENT3
ELE2

11036628

Date: 2026-08-28. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY/WIPER.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PARTIAL REPAIR a 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 A

11029975

Date: 2026-03-05. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.

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

11029976

Date: 2026-03-05. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.

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

11026698

Date: 2025-12-09. Type: Other. Systems: BACK OVER PREVENTION.

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

11017172

Date: 2025-04-17. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.

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

11015973

Date: 2025-03-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

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

11001086

Date: 2024-06-05. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.

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

11001054

Date: 2024-06-04. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.

VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC267A) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting 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.

11001072

Date: 2024-06-03. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.

VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER (SC310A) - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the Voluntary Service Campaign SC310A.

11001076

Date: 2024-06-03. Type: Service Campaign. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM.

VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (SC310A) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to update the battery management system (BMS) software on certain 2015-2017 MY Soul EV vehicles manufactured from July 15, 2014

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
SOUL EV18

Same model, other years

All model years | All Kia models

Other Kia models, 2017

Sources

Get this record as JSON

The free rate-limited demo needs no key.

curl "https://api.theusedcarindex.com/v1/demo/vehicle_risk?make=Kia&model=Soul+EV&year=2017"

Paid endpoint: https://api.theusedcarindex.com/v1/vehicle_risk. MCP endpoint: https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp.