"How reliable is the 2013 Kia Soul?"

"Based on 850 NHTSA complaints, the 2013 Kia Soul has a median complaint mileage of 98000 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 2013 Kia Soul?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2013 Kia Soul is ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 850 total complaints filed."

2013 Kia Soul: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 850 complaints

850

Total Complaints

98,000mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

49,000 25th Percentile

98,000 Median Mileage

134,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE

274

STEERING

147

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

SERVICE BRAKES

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

AIR BAGS

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I HAVE WASHER FLUID FOR LOW TEMPS. THE WASHER LINES KEEP FREEZING MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE OUT OF WINDSHIELD. THIS IS VERY HAZARDOUS, ESPECIALLY IN NORTHEASTERN OHIO WEATHER. I CALLED KIA AND WAS TOLD BY KIA THAT THEY HAVE BEEN GETTING CALLS NONSTOP ABOUT IT AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT..."

"DURING BRAKING AND HITTING SMALL HOLE IN ROAD I NOTICED THE BRAKES SKIPPING AND BRAKE PEDAL JUMPING UP AND DOWN AS IF IT WAS A POWER DEFECT. I HAD THE SAME EFFECT HAPPEN AFTER BAD RAIN AND APPROACHING A RED LIGHT THE CAR SKIPPED TO THE STOP. WHEN IT SNOWED OUT THE BRAKES REALLY SKIPPED MADE NOISE ..."

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 KIA SOUL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED WITHOUT WARNING AND THE STEERING ASSIST WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLE..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28