AutoUtility currently tracks 270 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2017 Kia Soul. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 185 complaints (68.5% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 17 filings cite a crash, 14 cite a fire, 13 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 270 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (185 reports • 68.5% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (19), Fuel & Propulsion System (19)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 17 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 14 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 13 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2017 Kia Soul
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
Powertrain & Transmission
Fuel & Propulsion System
Electrical System
Air Bags & Restraints
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #22V031000 AIR BAGS
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 Kia Soul
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Engine Coolant Intrusion / Oil Leak
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2017 Kia Soul
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"One day I noticed my oil light flashed on and off about three times during a drive down the road, simultaneously a loud knocking started in my engine. Although I had gotten my oil changed just a couple months prior and always practiced appropriate maintenance I decided to pull over and check my..."
"The engine has structural manufacturer defect causing extreme internal engine oil consumption with zero external leaks, creating a severe risk of sudden oil starvation catastrophic mechanical engine failure. The severe oil consumption problem was confirmed by a certified national corporate service..."
"The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, a loud knocking sound was heard, and the vehicle's speed decreased to approximately 25 MPH. The contact was able to safely pull over into a parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence...."
"2017 Kia Soul, 1.6L Gamma GDI engine, ~82,000 miles. Vehicle exhibits excessive oil consumption consistent with the known piston ring defect addressed in Kia TSB ENG222 (covering 2012–2019 Souls with Gamma/Nu engines) and consistent with the E2 Class Action Settlement that covered the same engine..."
"2017 KIA SOUL, at approximately 87,000 miles began to show intermittent oil warning lights under regular G-loads pointing to oil starvation issues.Vehicle was taken to KIA Dealer for oil change. Dealer stated that possible oil consumption would trigger a need to return to dealer before the 1000..."
Complaint History for Kia Soul
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2025)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Kia Soul | 902 | 36 | 4 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Kia Soul | 809 | 29 | 2 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Kia Soul Current Page | 270 | 17 | 1 | Current |
| 2018 Kia Soul | 213 | 14 | 1 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Kia Soul | 135 | 11 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Kia Soul | 371 | 9 | 1 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Kia Soul | 228 | 12 | 2 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Kia Soul | 88 | 4 | 1 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Kia Soul | 49 | 5 | 4 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Kia Soul | 29 | 0 | 0 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Kia Soul | 12 | 2 | 0 | View 2025 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2017 Kia Soul
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 51 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 149 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 12 | 10 | 0 | 12 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,AIR BAGS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,AIR BAGS,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (2)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
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 vehicles, automatically activates the electronic...
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 electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight ra...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.