Kia Soul: Years to Avoid and Best Years to Buy
Kia Soul: 15 model years scored from 5,388 NHTSA owner complaints and 31 recall campaigns. Worst year 2014, best year 2019.
Kia Soul: which years to avoid
Across 15 scored model years the Kia Soul ranges from 38/100 in 2014 to 91/100 in 2024 — a 53-point spread, so which year you buy matters more than whether you buy a Soul at all. The weakest year’s complaints concentrate in Engine (551 of them).
Avoid: 2014, 2015, 2016 — scored below 45 on the complaint and recall record.
Safest years: 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024 — scored 70 or better.
Scored from NHTSA complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. How the score works · every car’s years to avoid.
Editor's note
The second-generation Soul (2014–2019) carries the Gamma and Nu engines that were subject to Kia's engine-failure investigation and the 2019 recall for catalytic-converter damage leading to piston failure; the 2014–2016 years have the highest counts, with engine noise, stalling and fire cited. The 2017–2019 years are better, and the third generation from 2020 is quiet apart from a bump in 2020. A 2014–2016 Soul should have the engine recall and the knock-sensor update completed.
Read the guide
Used Kia Sorento, Sportage and Soul: the recall years and the good years after them — written and signed by Adir Trabelsi, 2026-09-01.
How the Soul changed, run by run
The federal record falls into 5 stretches of years that behave alike. A redesign shows up here as a step in the complaint rate that then holds.
2011–2013
Mean score 73/100, about 33 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (515 complaints). 4 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2014–2016
Mean score 41/100, about 79 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (1,732 complaints). The record falls 32 points against the years before it. 4 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2017–2019
Mean score 84/100, about 26 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (416 complaints). The record improves by 43 points against the years before it. 3 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
2020–2021
Mean score 62/100, about 54 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (363 complaints). The record falls 22 points against the years before it.
2022–2025
Mean score 88/100, about 16 complaints per year on the road. Owners of these years complain about Engine more than anything else (68 complaints). The record improves by 26 points against the years before it. 2 recall campaign(s) in this run touch fire, crash or stall risk.
Year-by-year data table
Best year in our data: 2019 (score 89). Worst: 2014 (score 38, AVOID).
| Year | Score | Verdict | Running cost / yr | NHTSA complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 90 | BUY | $2,858 | 12 | 0 |
| 2024 | 91 | BUY | $3,096 | 29 | 0 |
| 2023 | 84 | BUY | $3,226 | 50 | 4 |
| 2022 | 88 | BUY | $3,518 | 88 | 1 |
| 2021 | 68 | CAUTION | $4,121 | 232 | 2 |
| 2020 | 55 | CAUTION | $4,508 | 372 | 1 |
| 2019 | 89 | BUY | $3,936 | 135 | 1 |
| 2018 | 83 | BUY | $4,278 | 218 | 1 |
| 2017 | 81 | BUY | $4,472 | 271 | 1 |
| 2016 | 43 | AVOID | $5,632 | 812 | 2 |
| 2015 | 41 | AVOID | $5,890 | 903 | 4 |
| 2014 | 38 | AVOID | $5,892 | 898 | 5 |
| 2013 | 60 | CAUTION | $5,474 | 660 | 3 |
| 2012 | 73 | BUY | $5,347 | 514 | 3 |
| 2011 | 86 | BUY | $5,036 | 194 | 3 |
Running cost is fuel or energy plus the maintenance band midpoint for that car at its age today, re-priced to your country. Purchase price, insurance and depreciation are not included.
Photographs and every generation of the Soul, through the years →
Soul sub-models & family
Variants & trims on record
Body, powertrain and trim variants of the Soul on the federal record. Variants folded into this nameplate are counted in this page's data; the rest have too thin a record for a page of their own yet.
What goes wrong on the Kia Soul
Across every Soul model year in our index, owners report these component groups most often. The cost beside each one is the representative repair for that group at a US independent shop, re-priced to your country.
- Engine3,094 complaints across all Soul years · typical job: Cooling-system or timing-drive repair$1,040–$2,220
- Unknown Or Other626 complaints across all Soul years · typical job: Diagnosis and mixed repair$360–$940
- Electrical System496 complaints across all Soul years · typical job: Alternator, battery-drain or body-module diagnosis and replacement$540–$1,310
- Power Train360 complaints across all Soul years · typical job: Transmission service or clutch-pack repair$1,290–$4,040
- Steering340 complaints across all Soul years · typical job: Electric power-steering rack or column motor replacement$1,020–$2,500
- Engine And Engine Cooling284 complaints across all Soul years · typical job: Water pump, thermostat and coolant service$600–$1,040
Flat-rate labour hours x local shop rate plus a parts band. An estimate of what this class of failure costs, not a quote. Formula.
FAQ
Which Kia Soul years should I avoid?
On the NHTSA record the years to avoid are 2014, 2015, 2016 — each scores below 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. The 2014 is the weakest at 38/100, with its complaints concentrated in Engine.
What are the best Kia Soul years to buy?
2011, 2012, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024… all score 70 or better. The strongest is the 2024 at 91/100, on 29 complaints and 0 recall campaigns.
What is the most common Kia Soul problem?
3,094 of the complaints filed against the Soul across all its model years sit in the Engine group — more than any other component.
Compare with
Sources: NHTSA, EPA · Methodology · Updated 2026-10-04