2017 KIA Soul Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Soul years
- About as many complaints as other years 7th of 16 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 272 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 KIA Soul. That ranks 7th out of 16 Soul model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is engine (191 complaints, 70%), typically at around 82,000 miles. Complaints mention 17 crashes, 14 fires, 19 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year.
- 272owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 17complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2017 KIA Soul problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine problems | 191 | 70% | 82,000 | “oil change” (12%) | $8,250 |
| Unknown or Other | 32 | 12% | 13,250 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 19 | 7% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 19 | 7% | 79,739 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 18 | 7% | 72,500 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 16 | 6% | 40,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 12 | 4% | 19,990 | — | — |
| Steering | 10 | 4% | 29,262 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 9 | 3% | 94,500 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 8 | 3% | 6,500 | — | — |
| Structure | 4 | 1% | 600 | — | — |
| Suspension | 4 | 1% | 121,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 1% | 30,814 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 1% | 74,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 2 | 1% | 18,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 2 | 1% | 3,450 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 1 | 0% | 8,627 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 0% | 12,114 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 0% | 63,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 0% | 23,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 0% | 18,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2017 KIA Soul recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Air bags
Problem: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Forte, and 2017 Forte Koup vehicles. The Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board and damage the electrical circuit. Circuit damage may result in deactivated air bags that will not deploy in a crash.
Risk: Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the ACU, and either update the software or replace the unit, as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 21, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC226.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
This car since I had it burns alot and I mean alot of oil between oil changes i have to keep oil on hand and constantly checking the oil I have alot of friends with this car and the same issue I had my soul for over 5 years and it's still burning oil I take care of my car im still paying on it and…
The paint is completely failing on this kia soul. The eroded paint is a well known issue with Kia, nothing is being done about the paint failing and chipping across the whole body of the car, which will lead to inevitable rusting. It has been inspected, they are aware of the issue, and are doing…
One day I noticed my oil light flashed on and off about three times during a drive down the road, simultaneously a loud knocking started in my engine. Although I had gotten my oil changed just a couple months prior and always practiced appropriate maintenance I decided to pull over and check my…
The engine has structural manufacturer defect causing extreme internal engine oil consumption with zero external leaks, creating a severe risk of sudden oil starvation catastrophic mechanical engine failure. The severe oil consumption problem was confirmed by a certified national corporate service…
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, a loud knocking sound was heard, and the vehicle's speed decreased to approximately 25 MPH. The contact was able to safely pull over into a parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence…
Other KIA Soul years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Soul | 12 | 0 |
| 2024 Soul | 30 | 0 |
| 2023 Soul | 54 | 4 |
| 2022 Soul | 93 | 1 |
| 2021 Soul | 237 | 2 |
| 2020 Soul | 384 | 1 |
| 2019 Soul | 136 | 1 |
| 2018 Soul | 218 | 1 |
| 2017 | 272 | 1 |
| 2016 Soul | 816 | 2 |
| 2015 Soul | 900 | 4 |
| 2014 Soul | 902 | 5 |
| 2013 Soul | 666 | 3 |
| 2012 Soul | 514 | 3 |
| 2011 Soul | 194 | 3 |
| 2010 Soul | 135 | 3 |
See all KIA Soul problems by year, every KIA model, or the KIA VIN decoder.
Similar KIA models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2017 KIA Soul?
Owners most often report engine, unknown or other, electrical system problems. The top one, engine, accounts for 191 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2017 KIA Soul?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2017 KIA Soul a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Soul model years, the 2017 has about as many complaints as a typical year, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.