10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
41,109 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.

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problem #8

May 092022

Soul

  • miles
This car has experienced paint issues due to poor bonding of the primer. The paint is literally peeling off the car in sheets. It has been going on for the last 1.5 years, and Kia states that it is not their problem. I have worked patiently with them for almost a year as they have instructed me to go, and get paint estimates. After this was completed they then stated the case was determined -?? No Goodwill-??.As far as they were concerned ; they determined they were not going to pay to have the car painted.

- Lihue, HI, USA

problem #7

Sep 252020

Soul

  • 110,000 miles
Driving on the highway, smoke started coming from under the hood, stopped on the shoulder and paint was blistering on the hood end engine just burst into flames, flames were coming out of the dash, in minutes entire car was burned

- Adairsville, GA, USA

problem #6

Nov 052017

Soul

  • 50,000 miles
Hi I was looking at recalls for the Soul after I saw a possible fire hazard and actually typed my VIN in and saw my car was recalled for a steering issue that could've lead to accidents and I was actually in an accident in 2017 in my 2014 Kia Soul because of something that happened with my steering that caused me to hit someone? a woman in front of me slammed on her brakes and when I tried to get over it's almost like the wheel had completely locked but up but I could still turn it, if that makes sense. There was a weird clunking noise when it happened and sometimes I still hesrit occasionally. I would like to know how to go forward with this. Thank you so much.

- Valley Village, CA, USA

problem #5

Dec 092018

Soul

  • 104,000 miles
On December 9th, 2018 at approximately 6:10am, while driving to work on the highway, my car suddenly broke down and began to smoke. I pulled over to the side of the road and removed my important belongings. Within minutes my car was on fire. I notified city police, fire department, and insurance company. My car was ultimately destroyed and taken to a junk yard.

- Hilliard, OH, USA

problem #4

May 162016

Soul

  • 36,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. While parked, the contact observed that the rear license tag light bulbs were protruding out of its casing. The contact put the light bulbs back in place, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed the light bulb holder had stretched. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,000.

- Sylvania, GA, USA

problem #3

Nov 122014

Soul

  • 23,000 miles
I was approaching a traffic light and the light was green and traffic in front of me was moving. I must have take my eyes off the car in front of me and the green light for just a few seconds and when I looked ahead the car in front of me had stopped at the turning light and I ran into the back of it. Never even had a chance to hit the brakes. My car had a lot of damage to the front half but the airbag never deployed.

- Raeford, NC, USA

problem #2

Sep 242014

Soul

  • 4,870 miles
Driving Soul down highway when another car came across the highway- three lanes, from a private drive in front of me to access turning lane. I hit his rear driver side with my front left drivers side. Air bags did not deploy. Car was totaled.

- Baton Rouge, LA, USA

problem #1

Aug 172014

Soul 4-cyl

  • 1,000 miles
We had been driving for about 20 minutes. We pulled off highway to look at a tourist attraction. No indication whatsoever that anything was wrong with the car. Parked, turned car off. Got out. Glanced back at the car and smoke was pouring out from under the hood. Soon there were flames dripping from underneath front end (looked like melting plastic). Called fire department. Within 1 minute flames were jumping up on interior (dash area) and exterior (under hood). Got fire extinguisher from nearby business, but with hood closed, did not help. Within 4 minutes entire front end and front interior were engulfed in enormous flames. Many popping noises (explosions). Fire department arrived after about 5 minutes and extinguished the fire. Entire front end of car melted to the ground. I should note that while we left the car unlocked when we got out, the doors locked themselves during the fire, and the key fob was inoperable (lock electronics in the car were fried). Had a person or pet been in the car, they would have been trapped. My husband cut his face during this, but did not seek a doctor. All personal items in the car are severely damaged by smoke.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA