2018 Kia Soul air bags problems
11 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the air bags on the 2018 Kia Soul — 5% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“I am submitting this complaint regarding failure to complete a federally mandated safety recall and the subsequent release of my vehicle in an unsafe condition after prolonged dealer custody. Vehicle Information provided above Safety Recall Information Recall Type: Federal airbag safety recall…”
filed Jan 13, 2026
“A Kia franchise dealership demanded payment for diagnostics in order to perform a federal airbag safety recall, which I refused. After the dealer’s involvement, the vehicle’s diagnostic/OBD port became unreadable, preventing recall completion. A second Kia dealer states they cannot complete the…”
filed Jan 5, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related recalls
- Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board…Campaign 22V031000 · Jan 25, 2022
Air Bags problems in other Soul years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 Soul | 5 | 10% |
| 2022 Soul | 3 | 3% |
| 2021 Soul | 4 | 2% |
| 2020 Soul | 3 | 1% |
| 2019 Soul | 14 | 10% |
| 2017 Soul | 16 | 6% |
| 2016 Soul | 17 | 2% |
| 2015 Soul | 20 | 2% |
| 2014 Soul | 25 | 3% |
| 2013 Soul | 18 | 3% |
| 2012 Soul | 17 | 3% |
| 2011 Soul | 25 | 13% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2018 Kia Soul
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.