2017 Kia Soul EV Owner Complaints

My car has had intermittent faults of codes P1B25 and P1CF2 and are showing check EV system on the dash. This happens after about 30-45 minutes of driving and then restarting the car. It has been identified that the power relay assembly needs to be replaced on the vehicle, which lives in the high voltage battery pack. However, Kia does not want to replace this under warranty , claiming that it is not an EV system component. I am not going to pay out of pocket for this repair as it goes against their own warranty information, but continuing to drive the car would be dangerous as it could drop HV power at any point.

NHTSA ID

11752811

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

When I apply brake the vehicle doesn’t stop it jumps out (as if someone has crashed hitting the rear of the vehicle) and the vehicle shuts down. Then I have to park the vehicle in the middle of the road and restart the vehicle. Luckily I avoided many accidents by defensively driving. Talked with Kia customer care and complained about this safety issue . I took it to near by Kia dealer for the recall and complained on 25 July 2024. 2017 Kia soul + EV Only 30 thousand miles I’m scared to drive and conserned about the safety of others around me. Please help me

NHTSA ID

11606165

Incident

Jul 12, 2024

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul EV. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal battery voltage warning displayed. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode. The contact stated that the battery failed to charge. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The message to “Pull Over Immediately” was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that an update, BMS, and wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed back to the local dealer, where an unknown diagnosis and repair were performed. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ID

11588840

Incident

Feb 15, 2024

Mileage

50,000 mi

Driving down open road with no vehicles in front or back when suddenly the rear window made a huge bang. It was raining at the time. Once home I took the attached photo. Don't remember turning the defrost on.

NHTSA ID

11585421

Incident

Apr 25, 2024

Application of the brakes causes complete vehicle shutdown along with message to check electrical system. Brakes appear to fail for a brief moment, then mechanical brakes kick in. Car has zero power until stopped and restarted. Problem is reproducible a high percentage of the time provided the brakes are pressed more than just lightly or briefly. At nearly full charge, this defect can also be triggered by just the engine brake (which is triggered every time your foot is taken off the accelerator). Appears to be an electrical short circuit of some type. Other faults occur upon application of power, shifting engine into low power or turtle mode at any level of battery charge.

NHTSA ID

11570798

Incident

Feb 6, 2024

The 2017 Kia Soul EV+ vehicle turned off coming down a steep hill (at the bottom of the steep hill is both a school bus stop and and entrance/exit to a condominium community). When the car shut off all power steering and power brakes were lost, making control of the vehicle very difficult and unsafe. The dealer reported finding a code for the battery overcharging but cleared the code and did not offer any explanation. This has happened multiple times including when I was videotaping the dash to document irregular discharge occurring from the battery. Similarly the vehicle will be driving fine (at any speed) and suddenly lose power and only go 20mph (known as limp mode), a very dangerous situation driving at highway speed and then trying to avoid an accident due to sudden vehicle deceleration. This problem started occurring after a Battery Management System patch was applied by the dealer for a Kia Recall related to battery safety (overheating and fire issue) in July 2023. Upon pickup from the dealer it was immediately evident the car still had the rapid battery discharge issue and this was further documented with Kia USA case #[XXX]. The next dealer was able to reproduce the excess power discharge problem in November and after 3 weeks I was told a battery replacement would be provided per the 10yr/100K warranty the vehicle carries (my vehicle has less than 50K on the odometer). Since November there is no time estimate on when the battery will be replaced. It would appear that the Battery Management System patch (applied to my car in July) and to many other Kia Soul EVs, somehow damages the battery as there are now hundreds of Kia Soul EVs awaiting battery replacement across both the United States and Canada and no promise of when a replacement battery will be forthcoming and it appears Kia has no solution for the BMS issue at this time. Kia says it will refund up to $39.40/day car rental cost AFTER the warranty work is completed (more $ out of my pocket)! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATI

NHTSA ID

11568210

Incident

Aug 15, 2023

This is an update of the below. I have had several email exchanges with Kia Customer Service. They contacted the dealer and report that they could not get a response from their own dealer! They said I could try another dealer if I want. I asked for a recommendation of a dealer that would be responsive and got no further communication. Meanwhile, my car continues to show low charging pattern, which the recall warns is a symptom of a fault. ====================================== Received an "Important Safety Recall" notice from Kia recall number 23v218 in May 2023. This indicates my Kia Soul EV by VIN. The notice warns of a possible short in the main battery that can cause a fire. The notice says Kia is working on a remedy and that another letter will follow when the remedy is ready. No second letter yet, as of 9/13/23. The recall notice states that if in the meantime owner experiences "incomplete high voltage battery charging, loss/fluctuating vehicle EV battery range" to seek assistance from nearest authorized Kia dealership. My vehicle experienced rapid decrease in range, down below 60% of the full range over a period of weeks. Most recently charging the vehicle (using two different chargers) causes the circuit breaker at my home to trip, something that has never happened before. I contacted Kia America by phone and email. They said I should take the car to the dealer. At the dealer I describe the problem, show the recall notice. They say they cannot execute a remedy and that in order to have the battery checked I need to leave the car with them indefinitely. Service said some cars have been waiting 6 weeks for a diagnostic. So I have a recall notice, my car is experiencing a warning symptom, and I cannot get the dealer or Kia to take reasonable action.

NHTSA ID

11557872

Incident

Dec 1, 2023

Received an "Important Safety Recall" notice from Kia recall number 23v218 in May 2023. This indicates my Kia Soul EV by VIN. The notice warns of a possible short in the main battery that can cause a fire. The notice says Kia is working on a remedy and that another letter will follow when the remedy is ready. No second letter yet, as of 9/13/23. The recall notice states that if in the meantime owner experiences "incomplete high voltage battery charging, loss/fluctuating vehicle EV battery range" to seek assistance from nearest authorized Kia dealership. My vehicle experienced rapid decrease in range, down below 60% of the full range over a period of weeks. Most recently charging the vehicle (using two different chargers) causes the circuit breaker at my home to trip, something that has never happened before. I contacted Kia America by phone and email. They said I should take the car to the dealer. At the dealer I describe the problem, show the recall notice. They say they cannot execute a remedy and that in order to have the battery checked I need to leave the car with them indefinitely. Service said some cars have been waiting 6 weeks for a diagnostic. So I have a recall notice, my car is experiencing a warning symptom, and I cannot get the dealer or Kia to take reasonable action.

NHTSA ID

11544293

Incident

Sep 13, 2023

Kia Garden grove is recommending people not get the recall done, and refusing to schedule and service the recall.

NHTSA ID

11540923

Incident

Aug 26, 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul EV. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V218000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated she had replaced the battery for second time. The failure mileage was unavailable.

NHTSA ID

11538354

Incident

May 26, 2023

My 2017 KIA Soul EV battery has not been holding a full charge since the beginning of April. The dealer was notified in early May that the charges were seeming to cut off early & provided with a log of charging/driving. We waited, then were told that a replacement battery would be ordered, installed, & considered under warranty. Diagnostic tests were run, we were advised. We were told that the car was safe to drive, although with about 50% of the mileage available (50-51 miles). The final paperwork (vehicle registr.) copy was filed on May 18. Now we have received a safety recall notice. I am afraid to drive the car, having seen news of what loss of life can happen a fire breaks out while driving! My dealer has not offered me help with an interim rental car to date, although I have requested this several times, specifically yesterday - June 6, 2023. At this writing, I have been told that "the battery is on order, however, no specific info on shipment date or date expected" is available. "It will come on the barge," was the last statement, hard to believe in this day & age of electronic records. I have stopped driving the car, have talked with my insurance company, & will call the dealership again about the matter. I am most unsatisfied. I have a record of numerous calls back & forth with my KIA dealer, service dept. manager.

NHTSA ID

11525858

Incident

May 8, 2023

Original factory installed driver's side seat heater shorted out, caused fire and burned a hole in the seat back. This thermal event was reported to Kia Customer Service on March 16, 2023. Kia has not responded back for over 2 months, to address this issue. Kia case no. 15394468. Same problem with Kia Soul in Canada resulted in a recall to address the problem. Afraid to use the passenger side seat heater, as another short and fire can occur.

NHTSA ID

11523473

Incident

Mar 14, 2023

I first reported an issue with the car rolling while in park back on 8-23-22 (NHTSA complaint #11480710). It has rolled while in park 4 times on 05-21-2022, 8-16-2022, 8-30-2022 and again on today 01-10-2023. I took the car into the Kia Dealership on 09-26-2022 at the instruction of [XXX] from Kia's Corporate U.S. Headquarters. [XXX] coordinated having a Kia engineer fly out to look at my car. Unfortunately, none of the issues were resolved. I reached back out to [XXX] who put me in touch with [XXX] ([XXX] manager) @ [XXX]. I spoke with [XXX] for 15 minutes on 10-31-2022. He agreed to have [XXX] arrange for my car to be looked at again and all issues resolved, however [XXX] has not followed up with me and has not been responding to my emails (please see the attached email transcript). INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11500986

Incident

Jan 10, 2023

The car rolls with the transmission gear placed in PARK. Kia USA has repeatedly failed to acknowledge the problem or respond to my multiple communications regarding this issue. Kia USA has failed to offer an inspection of the problem. There are no warning lights, messages or other symptoms.

NHTSA ID

11480710

Incident

May 21, 2022

Power failure going high speed decreasing from 45mph. Had disengaged cruise control and attempted to change lanes and prepare to turn at intersection after exiting off highway. Also happened a week prior in town in neighborhood. No cruise control was involved and going low speed under 35mph. Had to shut power off completely to re-start EV. Previously had dealer run diagnostics following first incident. Recall gradual power loss incidents past four months but was uncertain what was cause.

NHTSA ID

11478888

Incident

Aug 9, 2022

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 KIA SOUL EV. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND RESTARTED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. ALSO, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED TO THE FLOORBOARD; HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO KIA OF CERRITOS (18201 STUDEBAKER RD, CERRITOS, CA 90703, (562) 860-2424), BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,606.

NHTSA ID

11278018

Incident

Oct 3, 2019

Mileage

15,606 mi

MY ALL ELECTRIC HAS A B MODE TO SHIFT IN. SIMPLY PUT IT ENGAGES THE GENERATOR FULLY WHEN YOU LET OFF THE GAS PEDAL SO YOU CAN GENERATE ELECTRICITY. HOWEVER, WHEN YOU DO THIS THE CAR BRAKES QUITE QUICK, SO QUICK IN FACT THEY CALL THIS TYPE OF DRIVING ONE PEDAL DRIVING DUE TO THE FACT YOU VERY SELDOM TOUCH THE BREAK EXCEPT FOR A FULL STOP. THE PROBLEM IS THE BREAK LIGHTS DON'T GO ON UNLESS YOU PUT YOUR FOOT ON THE BREAK. MY CONCERN IS THE CAR BEHIND ME. IF HE IS NOT PAYING ATTENTION AND DOES NOT REALIZE I AM SLOWING DOWN AT SUCH A RAPID CLIP BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN, ITS ALMOST THE SAME AS HAVING DEFECTIVE BRAKE LIGHTS. MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO HAVE THE BREAK LIGHTS COME ON WHEN YOU FOOT IS FULLY OFF THE GAS PEDAL TO AVOID AND REAR END COLLISIONS FOR ALL CARS THAT HAVE THIS FEATURE. THANK YOU

NHTSA ID

11022704

Incident

Sep 11, 2017

Mileage

12 mi

THE LOCKED DOORS CAN BE OPENED WHEN DRIVING. THIS IS AN ALL ELECTRIC VEHICLE WITH NO KEY TO REMOVE FROM THE IGNITION AND NO NOISE FROM THE ENGINE AND VIRTUALLY NO FEED BACK THAT THE CAR IS RUNNING EXCEPT BY LOOKING AT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. I PULLED INTO A CONVENIENCE STORE PARKING LOT AND WAS DISCUSSING WITH MY WIFE WHO WAS TO GO INTO THE STORE. HER DECISION WAS I HAD TO GO INTO THE STORE. WITH OUT THINKING AND WITHOUT PUSHING THE BUTTON TO SHUT OFF THE CAR. I OPENED THE LOCKED DOOR AND STARTED GETTING OUT WHILE THE CAR WAS STILL RUNNING AND IN DRIVE. LUCKY I WAS QUICK ENOUGH TO GET IN AND STOP THE CAR. YES I SHOULD AND WILL BE MORE CAREFUL BUT I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS HAZARD THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. THE IRONY OF THE THING IS WHEN YOU START DRIVING THE DOORS LOCK, AND WHEN YOU PUT IT IN PARK THEY UNLOCK. A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY BUT AT LEAST YOU KNOW WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 60 MPH A ROBBER CAN'T RUN UP TO THE CAR AND GET IN. I THINK ALL EV'S SHOULD HAVE LOCKS THAT DON'T UNLOCK UNTIL YOU PUT THE CAR IN PARK THANK YOU.

NHTSA ID

11022700

Incident

Sep 9, 2017

Mileage

300 mi