2019 Kia Soul problems & reliability
134 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2019 Kia Soul, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
7 complaints report injuries (12 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2019 Kia Soul vehicles were involved in 60 fatal crashes with 40 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 86 | 64% |
| Unknown OR Other | 19 | 14% |
| Air Bags | 14 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 13 | 10% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 12 | 9% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 4% |
| Seat Belts | 6 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 5 | 4% |
| Power Train | 5 | 4% |
| Service Brakes | 5 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 53,023 miles (middle 50% between 22,075 and 99,750 miles), based on 42 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2019 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a burning odor and smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. Additionally, the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact pulled over and checked the engine oil level, and the dipstick…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Jul 28, 2026
“I purchased a 2019 Kia Soul in June 2022. Since purchasing the vehicle, it has been stolen three separate times. During at least one theft, the steering column was damaged to bypass the ignition, and responding officers indicated the theft method was consistent with the widely reported Kia theft method. I had…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 15, 2026
“I was driving through a busy intersection when the vehicle stopped accelerating causing risk to myself and other drivers. I was able to get the vehicle through the intersection and pulled over. I turned the vehicle off and it would not restart. I had the vehicle towed to my local independent service center where a…”
Engine · filed Jul 14, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Loss of Motive Power
Defect Petition DP22003 · opened Sep 12, 2022 · closed Dec 12, 2023
Technical service bulletins
98 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2019 Kia Soul. The 10 most recent:
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION: CYLINDER PROTECTOR & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2311) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of…
CS2311_TSB_R4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 9, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: KEY AND CYLINDER SET REPLACEMENT - This bulletin provides information to replace the driver’s door lock and trunk lid key cylinders on some 2019-2024MY Kia vehicles listed below. On affected…
TSB_BOD336 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 4, 2026
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
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: POSTCARD OWNER RENOTIFICATION (CS2311) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting Customer Satisfaction Campaign. Kia has developed a new zinc-reinforced…
CS2311_OWNR_PC201 · Other · issued Dec 19, 2025
PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the…
PS797 · Other · issued Dec 9, 2025
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN UNDERBODY INSPECTION & ANTI-CORROSION MATERIAL APPLICATION (SC334) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this…
TSB_SC334_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2025
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI2107) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting a important Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update on 2017-2019…
PI2107_OWNR_401 · Other · issued Aug 12, 2025
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: UNDERBODY INSPECTION & ANTI-CORROSION MATERIAL APPLICATION (SC334) - This bulletin provides information to apply additional anti-corrosion material to underbody components, including…
SC334_TSB · Service Campaign · issued Jun 26, 2025
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC334) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake line(s) in…
SC334_OWNR · Service Campaign · issued Jun 23, 2025
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (SC334) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to inspect and, if necessary, replace…
SC334_DP · Service Campaign · issued Jun 21, 2025
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2019 Kia Soul has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2019 Kia Soul?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 53,023 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.