Major Problems with Kia Soul Derived from Complaints & Recalls

Learn about the common problems with a used Kia Soul to avoid purchasing a bad year of the model.

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Best and Worst Years for Kia Soul

Explore the chart showing how many complaints have been filed for each year of Kia Soul.

Model Year	Complaints
2020 Soul	28
2019 Soul	11
2018 Soul	29
2017 Soul	36
2016 Soul	119
2015 Soul	223
2014 Soul	348
2013 Soul	229
2012 Soul	239
2011 Soul	120
2010 Soul	115

Worst 3 Kia Soul complaints

2012 Kia Soul STEERING Victims: 8 Mileage: 50000 miles

2012 Kia Soul BODY Victims: 4 Mileage: 92000 miles

2013 Kia Soul AIR BAGS Victims: 3 Mileage: 130042 miles

Browse Kia Soul complaints by category

Problems with ENGINE, STEERING and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM are the most frequent issues recorded by the NHTSA from Kia Soul owners.

Problem Category	Number of Problems
ENGINE i have had my car to the dealer 4 times for this same issue which still has not been fixed....	515 ~ 82034 miles
STEERING steering started making a clunking noise when turned slightly left or right. dealer says the steering rack needs replacing. part...	254 ~ 42914 miles
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact rented a 2014 kia soul. the contact stated that the passenger's side heated seat caught on fire...	177 ~ 56392 miles
UNKNOWN OR OTHER the vehicle hit a tree at an unknown rate of speed. the seat belts functioned and the air bags were...	135 ~ 47474 miles
EXTERIOR LIGHTING i had an emergency and tried at night to unlock electric doors for my passengers and i. upon attempting to...	133 ~ 52595 miles
POWER TRAIN when accelerating from full stop or rolling stop vehicle hesitates and loses power when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear.	105 ~ 55485 miles
AIR BAGS tl* the contact owns 2014 kia soul. the contact was driving approximately 50 mph and crashed into the rear of...	94 ~ 36582 miles
SERVICE BRAKES when braking there is fading pedal feel whereby braking grip is not linear with pedal pressure. *tr...	71 ~ 28865 miles
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM we were driving 75 mph. on i-75 outside dalton georgia in lots of traffic (the outer lane) at which time...	69 ~ 45449 miles
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL i have had my car to the dealer 4 times for this same issue which still has not been fixed....	58 ~ 31477 miles
BODY > STRUCTURE we had been driving for about 20 minutes. we pulled off highway to look at a tourist attraction. no indication...	53 ~ 36422 miles
WHEELS this was a rental car the accident occurred resulting from driver error in a dark rural area sharp s curve...	37 ~ 22800 miles
VISIBILITY/WIPER when making a turn of changing lanes when turn signal is set once it resets all lights turn off or...	35 ~ 21025 miles
SEAT BELTS as i was driving i had a sudden stop and my child was thrown from her seat as far as...	31 ~ 24925 miles
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL cruise control randomly cut off. then esc and abs lights come on and disables anti-lock brakes system and stability control.	29 ~ 64741 miles
SUSPENSION front drive axle nut was loose and causing the left front wheel to shake violently. no work was ever done...	26 ~ 40546 miles
STRUCTURE the rear windshield did not seem properly secured or glued. there is no secured corners. october 5 2014 i unloaded...	20 ~ 3411 miles
TIRES i was driving on a highway when without any provacation the two tires on the drivers side blew out the...	16 ~ 13983 miles
VISIBILITY the first incident occurred while on my way to work last week rock hit the windshield and broke the windshield....	14 ~ 8377 miles
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING tl* the contact owns a 2013 kia soul. the contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 mph the check...	11 ~ 14959 miles
SEATS tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia soul. the contact stated both rear seats failed to latch properly in a...	11 ~ 8656 miles
CATALYTIC CONVERTOR > EMISSION CONTROL > EXHAUST SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2013 kia soul. while driving approximately 65 mph the vehicle stalled and the check engine...	9 ~ 100000 miles
SIDEWALL > TIRES tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia soul equipped with hankook nexen p225/45/r13 tires dot 8ej7. the contact stated that...	7 ~ 13906 miles
GLASS, SIDE/REAR > VISIBILITY the rear windshield did not seem properly secured or glued. there is no secured corners. october 5 2014 i unloaded...	5 ~ 22599 miles
INTERIOR LIGHTING 2013 kia soul. consumer writes in regards to problems on the dash board involving the light indicator for the head...	5 ~ 4240 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE my car is believed to be recalled because the mpg (mile per gas?) is supposed to be between 30 to...	5 ~ 12280 miles
WINDSHIELD > VISIBILITY i have a crack in my windshield that is getting bigger- do not recall a rock hitting it... *tr...	5 ~ 12238 miles
HEADLIGHTS > EXTERIOR LIGHTING tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia soul. while driving 55 mph the contact was alerted that the front driver's...	4 ~ 80321 miles
SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY > VISIBILITY the first panel of the panoramic sunroof shattered. *js...	4 ~ 8775 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC operational warning lights for brakes-stability control-anti-lock brakes. i have returned to dealer 3 times and they were unable to fix.	4 ~ 2250 miles
HORN > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia soul. the contact stated that the vehicle horn was malfunctioning. the vehicle was...	4 ~ 28125 miles
ACCELERATOR PEDAL > VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL tl* the contact owns a 2013 kia soul. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start on several occasions...	3 ~ 27333 miles
HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE > BODY > STRUCTURE tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia soul. the contact stated that after closing the driver door the rear hatchback...	3 ~ 15667 miles
LATCH > HOOD > LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia soul. while driving 35 mph the hood unlatched and opened. the contact was...	3 ~ 67823 miles
EQUIPMENT driver's side axle nut loose on 2014 kia soul. *tr...	3 ~ 27667 miles
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES our 2013 kia soul only has one manual door lock which is located on the driver door. when the temperature...	3 ~ 2167 miles
FRONTAL > AIR BAGS we rear-ended a 2004 expedition in our 2010 kia soul at 20mph. my wife sustained a "traumatic brain injury" as...	3 ~ 15033 miles
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM i am an owner of a 2010 kia soul purchased in july 2009. immediately noticed with the slightest moisture on...	3 ~ 8500 miles
EXHAUST SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2014 kia soul. consumer writes in regards to catalytic converter safety recall. *ld the consumer stated the motor was replaced...	2 ~ 60000 miles
WIRING > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owned a 2013 kia soul. the contact's wife informed him of an abnormal odor on the outside...	2 ~ 27750 miles
COLUMN > STEERING tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia soul. while driving various speeds an abnormal noise was heard coming from the...	2 ~ 102376 miles
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN on august 5 2009 my wife was driving the 2010 kia soul when it broke down. the engine got stuck...	2 ~ 5143 miles
STRAP/WEBBING > TETHER > CHILD SEAT the child safety seat latches are inaccessible as they are buried in tight upholstery. i can't always successfully latch the...	1 ~ 11500 miles
MACPHERSON STRUT > FRONT > SUSPENSION tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia soul. while driving at unknown speeds the front end of the vehicle shook....	1 ~ 46900 miles
RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC. > ELECTRICAL > EQUIPMENT tl* the contact owns a 2013 kia soul. while driving 5 mph the radio shut off without warning. the dealer...	1 ~ 64000 miles
TREAD/BELT > TIRES tl* the contact owns a 2013 kia soul equipped with nexen cp662 tires size: p195/65r15. while driving 60 mph a...	1
NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM) > ELECTRICAL > EQUIPMENT tl* the contact owns a 2013 kia soul. while at a complete stop another vehicle crashed into the front driver...	1 ~ 57800 miles
REAR > SUSPENSION tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia soul. while driving various speeds a loud clucking noise was heard near the...	1 ~ 85000 miles
MECHANICAL > EQUIPMENT driver's side axle nut loose on 2014 kia soul. *tr...	1 ~ 23000 miles
U-BOLT, LEAF SPRING TO AXLE > LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY > SPRINGS driver's side axle nut loose on 2014 kia soul. *tr...	1 ~ 23000 miles
COLUMN SHIFT > LEVER AND LINKAGE > AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION tl* the contact owns a 2013 kia soul. the contact stated that the instrument panel failed to illuminate when the...	1 ~ 25000 miles
CRUISE CONTROL > VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL the computer system for the radio had a service advisory instead of a recall so i wasn't notified by mail....	1 ~ 14700 miles
CHILD SEAT hi my name is [xxx] i have a registered evenflo discovery/ nurture infant car seat. this car seat has the...	1
LATCH STRAP > CHILD SEAT hi my name is [xxx] i have a registered evenflo discovery/ nurture infant car seat. this car seat has the...	1
SEAT HEATER/COOLER > FRONT ASSEMBLY > SEATS tl* the contact rented a 2014 kia soul. the contact stated that the passenger's side heated seat caught on fire...	1 ~ 18 miles
WARNING LIGHT/DEVICES > FRONT > SEAT BELTS i was taking my aunt to the doctors office she is older and forgot to attach her seat belt. i...	1 ~ 12800 miles
INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2012 kia soul. consumer states that the instrument panel could not be seen. *kb the consumer stated kia needs to...	1
PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS > TIRES tl* the contact owns a 2010 kia soul. the contact stated that while attempting to add air to the tire...	1 ~ 36000 miles
DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM > VISIBILITY tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia soul. the contact stated the blower which operated the air conditioner and defroster...	1 ~ 3000 miles
ACCESSORY SCISSOR/SCREW/BOTTLE JACK/LIFT > MECHANICAL > EQUIPMENT the 2012 kia soul does not come with a spare tire instead it comes with a can of fix- a-...	1
TEMPORARY/EMERGENCY SPARE TIRE > TIRES the 2012 kia soul does not come with a spare tire instead it comes with a can of fix- a-...	1
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY the 2012 kia soul does not come with a spare tire instead it comes with a can of fix- a-...	1
DRIVELINE > POWER TRAIN violent shutter vibration felt like blown passenger side tire after 30 miles(drove off lot) pulled over to inspect tires everything...	1 ~ 1000 miles
AIR CONDITIONER > APPLIANCE > EQUIPMENT tl* the contact owns a 2010 kia soul. while operating the air conditioning the front driver and passenger side windows...	1 ~ 2000 miles
PARKING BRAKE i am the owner of a 2010 soul. the car rolled down a hill in 1st gear with the emergency...	1 ~ 21300 miles
SIDE/WINDOW > AIR BAGS 09/09/2010 i was t-boned in a 2010 kia soul with 1822 miles on the odometer. the car that hit me...	1 ~ 1822 miles
PEDALS AND LINKAGES > SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC tl* the contact temporarily rented a 2010 kia soul. the contact stated that the brake pedal was abnormally small and...	1 ~ 8000 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRIC 4-8-10 aaa tells me the rear brakes are not engaging when they changed a flat tire. i took car to...	1 ~ 1902 miles
FILLER PIPE AND CAP > TANK ASSEMBLY > STORAGE tl*the contact owns a 2010 kia soul. the contact was driving approximately 25 mph. the transmission began to slip without...	1 ~ 800 miles
FRAME AND MEMBERS > STRUCTURE factory installed windshield chips and cracks from the edge easily and often. i had the first window replaced at...	1 ~ 5000 miles
MANUAL TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN within a week of taking delivery on 7/24/09 the interior and most especially the door skins were already acquiring marks...	1 ~ 100 miles
DOOR > BODY > STRUCTURE all interior doors are nicked and scratched especially the front doors. the interior of my car looks like a ten...	1

FAQ

What year Kia Soul is the most reliable?

Speaking of the models produced in the last 11 years, Kia Soul models of 2019, 2020, 2018 year of manufacture have had the least number of complaints.

What year was a bad year for Kia Soul?

Kia Soul models of 2014 and 2012 are probably the years to be avoided like the plague due to a higher than an average number of issues reported.

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