Kia Niro vs Kia Soul
Owner complaints, worst years and recall history side by side, from official NHTSA data. Last verified Sep 22, 2026. Raw complaint counts are not adjusted for sales volume.
Kia Niro
- Total complaints
- 310
- Avg per model year
- 38
- Recall campaigns (all years)
- 6
- Most complained year
- 2017 (81)
Top problems: Electrical System, Power Train, Engine
Kia Soul
- Total complaints
- 5,513
- Avg per model year
- 345
- Recall campaigns (all years)
- 15
- Most complained year
- 2014 (898)
Top problems: Engine, Unknown / Other, Electrical System
Complaints by model year
| Year | Kia Niro | Kia Soul | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17 | 12 | ||
| 2024 | 9 | 29 | ||
| 2023 | 44 | 50 | ||
| 2022 | 31 | 88 | ||
| 2021 | 9 | 232 | ||
| 2020 | 38 | 378 | ||
| 2019 | 56 | 136 | ||
| 2018 | 60 | 218 | ||
| 2017 | 81 | 271 |
Method. Complaints are unique NHTSA reports per model year. A model that sold more units will naturally accumulate more complaints — compare the shape across years, not just the raw totals, and read the year pages for what actually fails.