10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 51,500 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
The contact owned a 2010 Kia Soul. While driving at low speeds, a loud noise was detected from the vehicle and multiple unknown warning indicators illuminated. The contact mentioned that the high beam headlights illuminated automatically. The contact also noticed smoke, which led to fire, under the hood. The local fire department extinguished the fire. There were no injuries. The contact also mentioned that when the vehicle was turned off and the key was removed from the ignition, the engine continued to rev. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a local body shop and then towed to the vehicle's insurance company. The contact mentioned that the insurance company towed the vehicle to another unknown location where the vehicle was considered a total loss. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.
- Brooklyn, OH, USA
The transmission stops shifting after 3rd or 4th gear on the highway. It shift hard and not right from take off. Something is very wrong with the transmission.
- Akron, OH, USA
Wiring connector connected to the radiator fan assembly melted. I had replaced the radiator fan assembly a year earlier to its failure. Upon the repair shop I took my car to calling the dealer, it was mentioned this is a common problem by the dealer. The melting of this connector caused the engine to start over heating and the A/C to no longer cool. Dealer mentioned that the connector is not available and it would take replacing the whole electrical harness. The car only has about 65,000 miles on it.
- Tucson, AZ, USA
My 2010 Kia Soul is ceasing and locking up on me and my engine is shutting off. It has done this five times. I documented twice. When I took it to the dealer, I was told to recreate it. I can't believe someone would say this. When I turn right the wheel will turn left and it will stiffen and shutt off. I almost crashed 5 times. 'information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'
- Lauerl, MD, USA
The contact owns a 2010 Kia Soul. On two occasions, the wheels locked and the vehicle stalled. The contact also mentioned that the battery failed after one year. When the vehicle was taken to the dealer, they only offered to recharge the battery. A day later, the battery failed. The authorized dealer did not replace the battery and the contact had the battery replaced. The vehicle was repaired according to NHTSA campaign number: 10V388000 (electrical system), but the vehicle continued to stall. The vehicle was taken to two different dealers who were unable to diagnose the failure correctly to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.
- Laurel, MD, USA
I own a pre-owned 2010 Kia Soul! with approximately 47K miles, clear title and no accidents. On Sunday 12/29/13 my car experienced sua (sudden unintended acceleration). I was driving approximately 35 mph, approaching a rotary, when my car suddenly accelerated on its own. The rpms spiked up to 4000-5000 and my car lunged forward and the engine was racing very loudly. I had to pump the brakes multiple times to decelerate and bring the car to a complete stop. This incident is now the 4-5th time I have experienced sudden acceleration (within 1 year), usually happening between the 35-45mph range. The car will accelerate on its own (even if I've been at a complete stop, it will jump forward with rpms running abnormally high) and I'll have to press on the brakes significantly. I brought the car to lev Kia in framingham MA where they ran a diagnostic test (12/30/13) and apparently found no recorded "trouble codes" and said they had never heard of this problem before and there is nothing they can do about it if they cannot recreate the incident. With some minimal research online, I was able to find other Kia owners reporting the same issue, including another 2010 Kia Soul that resulted in a severe accident due to the speed control. This is obviously not a secluded incident and further research must be done. I feel unsafe driving my Kia Soul!
- Boxborough, MA, USA
- Murfreesboro, TN, USA