Before you buy a used Kia Soul (II).

2014–2019 · Petrol / Diesel / Electric · 3 engines

Taken only from Testigo's sourced sheets. Use it to question the seller and on the test drive: it does not confirm that any particular car is affected.

Areaseven · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo source

The essentials.

3 documented, sourced faults across its 3 engines.
1 of them depends on the equipment or the production date: ask what this car has.
5 official recalls on record: ask for the chassis number (VIN) and confirm they have been done.
According to the data we have, all its engines have the same number of documented faults.

Typical faults by engine

The period and mileage are those mentioned by each sheet's sources. They are not a maintenance interval and do not predict that any particular car will fail.

1.6 GDi

Petrol

Connecting rods and pistons on the 1.6 GDI (Gamma)Engine
Period mentioned
2012–2016
Mileage mentioned
The sheet does not mention a mileage.

1.6 CRDi

Diesel

Weak points of the small CRDi diesels (U family) from Hyundai and KiaInjection / turbo
Period mentioned
Approx. 2005 onwards
Mileage mentioned
What the sheet says: German guides rate these engines as robust if maintained: the faults are the typical wear of a modern diesel. Specific points: a stretched chain on some 1.7s (ix35), cracked heads cited by the TÜV on the i30 I, the 1.1 silencer (Rio III), diesel clutches at 60,000–100,000 km (Cee'd I) and a recall of the 1.7 CRDi vacuum pump (5/10/2010–30/4/2011).
Applies if: U-family CRDi diesel; the specific points were documented on other models with the same engine.

Soul EV

Electric

Battery management and movement while charging on the Soul EV (2014–2019)High-voltage battery
Period mentioned
2014–2019
Mileage mentioned
The sheet does not mention a mileage.

Which engine has the fewest documented faults?

Documented faults and recalls by engine for the Kia Soul (II)
Engine	Documented faults	Recalls
1.6 GDiPetrol	1	2
1.6 CRDiDiesel	11 with conditions	2
Soul EVElectric	1	5

According to the data we have, all its engines have the same number of documented faults.

We only count the sourced sheets we have. An engine with fewer is not guaranteed to be more reliable: it may have been studied less or sold in smaller numbers.

Official recalls: ask before you pay

A recall existing does not mean this car is affected or that it is still outstanding: it depends on the chassis number, the market and the production date.

Ask the seller for the chassis number (VIN): it has 17 characters, appears in the car's documents and can usually also be seen at the base of the windscreen.
Ask an official Kia dealer, or the brand's official website if it lets you check by chassis number, whether each recall has been done or is still outstanding for that VIN.
Manufacturer recalls are normally carried out free of charge by the official service network. If one is outstanding, ask for it to be done before you close the sale.

Kia airbag and seat-belt recalls (2002–2026)Airbags and seat belts