2018 Kia Soul engine problems
140 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the engine on the 2018 Kia Soul — 64% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“This Kia has an oil consumption issue I need to add oil every 3 to 4 hundred miles also my oil gets black at least 1 week after an oil change.”
filed Sep 9, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI2107 Flight 501) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting an important Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update…
PI2107_OWNR_501 · Other · issued Apr 8, 2026
Engine problems in other Soul years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Soul | 4 | 14% |
| 2023 Soul | 13 | 26% |
| 2022 Soul | 51 | 58% |
| 2021 Soul | 132 | 57% |
| 2020 Soul | 235 | 62% |
| 2019 Soul | 87 | 64% |
| 2017 Soul | 190 | 70% |
| 2016 Soul | 556 | 69% |
| 2015 Soul | 628 | 70% |
| 2014 Soul | 552 | 61% |
| 2013 Soul | 283 | 43% |
| 2012 Soul | 209 | 41% |
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.