2015 KIA SOUL — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
5/5
Safety Rating
1,189
Owner Complaints
4
Recalls
56
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2015 KIA SOUL
The 2015 KIA SOUL has received a total of 1,189 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. There have been 5 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR. 56 technical service bulletins have been issued by Kia America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Engine (608 complaints), Unknown Or Other (103 complaints), and Fuelpropulsion System (76 complaints).
Recalls for the 2015 KIA SOUL
NHTSA has recorded 5 recalls for the 2015 KIA SOUL, potentially affecting up to 1,603,929 vehicles.
Recall 20V750000 — ENGINE
| 294,756 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2013 Sorento, 2012-2015 Forte and Forte Koup, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, 2014-2015 Soul, and 2012 Sportage vehicles. An engine compartment fire can occur while driving.
Consequence: An engine compartment fire increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine compartment for fuel and/or engine oil leaks, perform an engine test and make any repairs, including engine replacement, as necessary, free of charge. In addition, Kia dealers will update the...
View full details →Recall 19V120000 — ENGINE
| 378,967 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Kia Soul vehicles equipped with 1.6L Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines. High exhaust gas temperatures may damage the catalytic converter, possibly resulting in abnormal engine combustion and damage to one or more of the engine's pistons and possible piston connecting rod failure.
Consequence: Piston damage may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash. A broken connecting rod may puncture the engine block allowing engine oil to escape. The leaking oil may contact the exhaust, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will upgrade the Catalytic Overheating Protection Engine Control Unit logic to prevent overheating of the catalytic converter. In addition, the catalytic converter will also be replaced if it has been damaged. Depending on the...
View full details →Recall 19V120000 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
| 378,967 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Kia Soul vehicles equipped with 1.6L Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines. High exhaust gas temperatures may damage the catalytic converter, possibly resulting in abnormal engine combustion and damage to one or more of the engine's pistons and possible piston connecting rod failure.
Consequence: Piston damage may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash. A broken connecting rod may puncture the engine block allowing engine oil to escape. The leaking oil may contact the exhaust, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will upgrade the Catalytic Overheating Protection Engine Control Unit logic to prevent overheating of the catalytic converter. In addition, the catalytic converter will also be replaced if it has been damaged. Depending on the...
View full details →Recall 17V608000 — STEERING
| 342,381 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Soul and Soul EV vehicles. The pinion plug may allow the pinion gear to separate from the steering gear assembly.
Consequence: If the pinion gear separates, steering will be lost, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and secure the pinion plug or replace the steering gear assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 16, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number...
View full details →Recall 15V123000 — VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
| 208,858 vehicles affected
Defect: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Soul and Soul electric vehicles manufactured July 21, 2013, to January 8, 2015. A section of the accelerator pedal may bend and fracture.
Consequence: If the vehicle has a bent or broken accelerator pedal, the driver may have difficulty accelerating the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will add a supporting rubber underneath the pedal stopper, free of charge. The recall began on March 24, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC116.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2015 KIA SOUL
1,189 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2015 KIA SOUL. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
My 2015 Kia Soul (VIN: [XXX] ) experienced sudden catastrophic engine failure: loud pop, knocking, and immediate loss of power. The engine has a hole in piston #2 and a hole in valve #3. This is a known safety defect included in the Hyundai/Kia Theta II engine settlement. My vehicle has KSDS update installed, but Kia and the dealership are denying warranty repair unless a specific code (P1326) or rod-bearing damage is found. The engine failure occurred without warning and placed me in danger. Kia's refusal to cover a known safety defect leaves an unsafe vehicle unrepaired. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the brakes became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to the local dealer for Service Campaign SC334 - Brake Line Corrosion. The vehicle was repaired after 35 days, but the failure recurred. While driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the brakes became inoperable. The driver began pumping the brake pedal, but the brakes failed to respond. There was an exclamation symbol displayed on the instrument cluster, and the battery light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven through the parking lot. The vehicle was then towed to the residence. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the brakes became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to the local dealer for Service Campaign SC334 - Brake Line Corrosion. The vehicle was repaired after 35 days, but the failure recurred. While driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the brakes became inoperable. The driver began pumping the brake pedal, but the brakes failed to respond. There was an exclamation symbol displayed on the instrument cluster, and the battery light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven through the parking lot. The vehicle was then towed to the residence. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.
Owned vehicle for 1 year. On [XXX} the vehicle kept Stalling and wouldn't accelerate. Drove to service station. Had 4 coils and spark plugs replaced. Car was still not right- compression test confirmed engine failure. Had car towed to KIA dealer Matt Blatt rt 37 Toms River, NJ. Their diagnostic shows 3rd cylinder failure top engine. Class action lawsuit on engine failure coverage is for bottom engine failure. Regardless the entire engine needs replacement. There's thousands of these cars with both top engine and bottom engine failure- yet they will not assist in replacement. It seems ridiculous to know the engines are bad and only cover the 1 area- when the entire engine needs to be replaced Regardless of engine failure location. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My car was returned to me in a dangerous condition following a recall repair. I have a receipt that says that my break system was operating as it should be after recall work was completed but as I was driving it home from picking it up from dealership my break system comply went out for the second time while driving it. The dealership refuses to pay to have my car towed back to the service center to be checked out. My car is not drivable and the dealership had my car for 35 days when recall work was being done. I haven't been able to drive my car for months. I'm not getting any cooperation from kia corp either.
Safety Rating for the 2015 KIA SOUL
The 2015 KIA SOUL received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2015 KIA SOUL
Kia America, Inc. has issued 56 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2015 KIA SOUL. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
SC310A_DPSM — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS & SERVICE MANAGERS MEMO (SC310A) - This document is the announcement to the dealer Parts and Service Managers that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to update the battery management system (BMS) software on certain 2015-2017 MY Soul EV vehicles manufactured from July 15,...
PI2002A_OWNR_202 — EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is a renotification to the 2012-2016 MY Soul vehicle owners advising them to have the Product Improvement campaign PI2002A performed.
PI2002A_OWNR_202 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is a renotification to the 2012-2016 MY Soul vehicle owners advising them to have the Product Improvement campaign PI2002A performed.
TSB_FUE053 — FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: 1.6L GDI WITH MIL ON DTC P050A ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA485) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the Engine Control Module (ECM) system on some 2014-2016MY Soul (PS) vehicles with Gamma 1.6L GDI engines, produced from August 29, 2013...
TSB_FUE053 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM):SOFTWARE
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SERVICE ACTION: 1.6L GDI WITH MIL ON DTC P050A ECM LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (SA485) - This bulletin provides the procedure to update the software logic of the Engine Control Module (ECM) system on some 2014-2016MY Soul (PS) vehicles with Gamma 1.6L GDI engines, produced from August 29, 2013...
PI2002A_OWNR_102 — EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is the notification to the owners of all 2012-2016 MY Soul vehicles equipped with 1.6L Gasoline Direct Injection ("GDI") engines to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage (PI2002A).
PI2002A_OWNR_U1 — EQUIPMENT
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is the notification to the 2012-2016 MY Soul vehicle owners advising them of the updated warranty coverage for the Product Improvement campaign PI2002A. The coverage has been expanded to cover the engine long block assembly for 15 years from the date the...
PI2002A_QA_U1 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the product improvement (PI2002A). The warranty coverage information has been updated: "Upon completion of this Product Improvement Campaign, Kia will extend the warranty coverage for the engine long...
PI2002B_DSM_U1 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: DEALER PARTS AND SERVICE MANAGER MEMO - This document is the notification to dealer Parts and Service Managers of the updated warranty coverage for the product improvement (PI2002B). Upon completion of this Product Improvement Campaign, Kia will extend the warranty coverage for the engine long block assembly...
PI2002B_QA_U1 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the product improvement (PI2002B). The warranty coverage information has been updated to state: "Upon completion of this Product Improvement Campaign, Kia will extend the warranty coverage for the...
Showing 10 of 56 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2015 KIA SOUL
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the KIA SOUL
- 2010 KIA SOUL — 192 complaints
- 2011 KIA SOUL — 268 complaints
- 2012 KIA SOUL — 662 complaints
- 2013 KIA SOUL — 849 complaints
- 2014 KIA SOUL — 1,198 complaints
- 2015 KIA SOUL (current)
- 2016 KIA SOUL — 1,094 complaints
- 2017 KIA SOUL — 337 complaints
- 2018 KIA SOUL — 265 complaints
- 2019 KIA SOUL — 179 complaints
- 2020 KIA SOUL — 447 complaints
Other KIA Models
- KIA SORENTO — 13,451 total complaints
- KIA OPTIMA — 10,045 total complaints
- KIA SPORTAGE — 6,540 total complaints
- KIA FORTE — 3,450 total complaints
- KIA SEDONA — 3,334 total complaints
- KIA SEPHIA — 3,080 total complaints
- KIA TELLURIDE — 2,109 total complaints
- KIA RIO — 1,784 total complaints