2020 Kia Soul: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 458 complaints
458
Total Complaints
12,000mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE
Top Issue
12
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

4,600 25th Percentile
12,000 Median Mileage
28,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE
205
POWER TRAIN
82
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
46
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
25
STEERING
16
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
14
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
12
SERVICE BRAKES
10
STRUCTURE:BODY
7
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
6

Severity Assessment

12
Crashes
9
Fires
7
Injuries
16
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I LEARNED THE CAR HORN ON MY 2020 KIA SOUL DID NOT WORK WHILE ON A HIGHWAY AND CLOSE TO BEING IN AN ACCIDENT. I TRIED TO USE HORN TO ALERT THE OTHER DRIVER AND IT FAILED. I CONTACTED DEALER SERVICE DEPT FOR ASSISTANCE AND HAD TO SCHEDULE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT AND THEY ADVISED ME THE HORN SYSTEM FAIL..."
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2020 KIA SOUL. WHILE DRIVING AT 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AS THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE WAS MERGED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. A P..."
"PULLS TO THE RIGHT AT HIGHWAY SPEED - APPROX 45MPH. SEVERE ALIGNMENT PROBLEM. DEALER TOLD ME THAT THEY DID HAVE A NEW-ENOUGH MACHINE TO ALIGN THE CAR. HOW CAN KIA OF IRVINE, NOT HAVE THE PROPER EQUIPMENT TO FIX THE CARS THEY SELL? INSIDE REAR COWLING THAT GOES AROUND THE SMALL PORTAL WINDOW ON T..."

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