2018 Kia Soul Engine Problems
NHTSA lists 152 engine complaints for the 2018 Kia Soul, 70% of its 218 total complaints, including 10 fires and 1 injury, with a median failure mileage of 70,000. No recall is currently listed for this engine issue.
- Engine complaints
- 152
- 70% of 218
- Crashes reported
- 3
- Fires reported
- 10
- Injuries reported
- 1
- Median mileage
- 70,000 mi
- Related recalls
- 0
Typical engine symptoms owners report
- Owners report the engine catching fire in the engine compartment or under the hood, sometimes while parked and sometimes while driving on the highway.
- Some drivers describe smoke or a loud pop coming from the engine bay before flames appeared, requiring them to pull over and extinguish the fire themselves.
- Several complaints describe sudden stalling or loss of power at highway and city speeds, in some cases followed by an unintended surge or lurch that led to a crash.
- One owner reported the engine burning excessive oil along with a check engine light and stalling near 155,000 miles.
- Multiple complaints reference smoke or fire starting near the rear or lower back of the engine before spreading.
When 2018 Kia Soul engine complaints were filed
First complaint Jul 26, 2018, latest Sep 9, 2026.
Engine recalls for the 2018 Kia Soul
No safety recalls on record for this model year.
Engine complaints by Soul model year
Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.
Frequently asked questions
- Is engine failure common on the 2018 Kia Soul?
- Yes. NHTSA lists 152 engine complaints for this model year, which is 70% of the 218 total complaints filed for the 2018 Soul.
- Is there a recall for the 2018 Kia Soul engine?
- NHTSA's data provided here shows no related recalls listed for this engine complaint area.
- Do 2018 Kia Soul engines catch fire?
- Owner complaints to NHTSA include 10 fire incidents and 1 injury tied to engine problems, with several describing smoke or flames from the engine compartment.
- At what mileage do 2018 Kia Soul engine problems happen?
- The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA for this engine issue is 70,000 miles.