Kia Soul reliability by year
11 recalls and 5,393 owner complaints across 16 model years. Best year to buy: 2024. Year to avoid: 2016.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 10 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2010, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025 . Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 16 model years · newest first
Common trouble spots across the Soul aggregated across 16 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Kia Soul?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2024 Kia Soul scores 8.4/10 — the strongest in the 2010–2025 range. 25 complaints on file, 0 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Kia Soul year should I avoid?
The 2016 Kia Soul scores 6.4/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 794 owner complaints with NHTSA, 2 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2016 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Kia Soul should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2022 (avoid — the engine — 3 fatality reports and 1 fire-related complaint on the engine); 2019 (avoid — the engine — 5 fire-related complaints on the engine); 2018 (avoid — the engine — 7 fire-related complaints on the engine); 2017 (avoid — the engine — 9 fire-related complaints and 1 crash-related complaint on the engine); 2016 (avoid — the electrical system — 17 fire-related complaints and 5 crash-related complaints on the engine); 2015 (avoid — the steering — 42 fire-related complaints and 2 crash-related complaints on the engine). The cleaner years on the data are 2025, 2024, 2010, 2023, 2021, 2020. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Kia Soul are tracked?
16 model years (2010 through 2025) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 11 recalls and 5,393 owner complaints.
What's the most-reported problem on the Kia Soul?
engine is the most-reported category — 2,535 complaints across 14 model years. Average shop repair runs about $3,100.