2014 Kia Soul Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,223 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2014 Kia Soul, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 99/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Engine leads the reports, typically around 104,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2014 Kia Soul sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2019, 2022.
Avoid
Where 2014 sits among all Soul years
What owners report
“I am receiving a p0420 odbii code. I see that an issue with catalytic converters has been reported. The check engine light came on while driving.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2014 Soul
“Flickering lights on off while driving at night turn signal triggers it and does it randomly”— owner report to NHTSA, 2014 Soul
“I have a re call on my 2014 kia soul my check engine light is on the reason is I'm having issues with my catalytic converter I been asking for this repair to be done for over a month now kia has been giving me the round around”— owner report to NHTSA, 2014 Soul
“Loss of engine power, the car was towed to a nearest dealer for diagnosis and found that catalytic converter was defective.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2014 Soul
“Oil consumption and catalytic converter clogging. My car burns through 5 liters of oil about every 1,000 miles. I've already had the catalytic converter replaced and my mechanic said it's from excessive oil leaking, and the only alternative to fix it is to replace the engine.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2014 Soul
“Driving on hwy 10- april 14 and 17, 2016, power steering went off. Jerking the wheel right or left brought power steering back. Took to dealer on april 26, but problem was not duplicated.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2014 Soul
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 811 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 87,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 59,000 and 113,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2014 Soul vehicles. The front air bags may not deploy during a crash if the Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) loses communication with the front impact sensors.
Fix: Dealers will update the ACU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 4, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall…
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.
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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.
Fix: 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…
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.
Fix: 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…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 23V877.
Led to recall campaign 20V088000.
Led to recall campaign 18V907000.
Technical service bulletins
174 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on engine and electrical — are on file for the 2014 Kia Soul. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2014 Kia Soul reliable?
The 2014 Kia Soul drew 1,223 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 99/100, scored against the model's worst year (2015).
What are the most common 2014 Kia Soul problems?
The top reported problems for the 2014 Kia Soul are engine (605 complaints), electrical (228), and other (88).
At what mileage do 2014 Kia Soul problems show up?
Owners most often report 2014 Kia Soul problems around 87,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 59,000 and 113,000 miles.
Does the 2014 Kia Soul have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2014 Kia Soul. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.