10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
56,113 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.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2014 Kia Soul:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #101

Jan 012020

Soul

  • 85,000 miles
While driving with daughter I used my turn signal on a busy hwy going 70mph to change lanes. The headlights, dash lights, and radio/clock all flickered and cut completely off. I pulled over and turned the car off and back on. The lights came back on but it occurred again. A few days went by and we were traveling to a nearby store and the same issue occurred and has kept occurring. I cannot just be trapped in my home afraid to be out after dark or travel with my child at night. This is a safety issue and Kia should fix it. This is not normal wear and tear. It's dangerous! I cannot believe there is no recall for this issue...

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #100

Jun 252020

Soul

  • 60,000 miles
While driving the headlights flicker and the radio/dash lights go brighter (like they do when the headlights are off), and then the lights fail altogether. The problem seems to be happening more frequently and becoming a greater safety issue.

- Corona, CA, USA

problem #99

Jul 042020

Soul 4-cyl

  • miles
Problem: Multifunctional switch issue (lights flicker while I'm driving at night and turn off randomly!) car: Kia Soul 2014 no apparent recall. There should be a recall on this since this is a major consumer safety issue.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #98

Nov 012019

Soul

  • 76,000 miles
As I was driving down the highway, "55 mph" speed limit was 60 mph my acceleration went out on my car and I couldn't go any faster then 20/25mph. My car started to sound like a weed eater and I never got a single light for something being wrong. As I pulled over to the side of the road my cars engine started to make a knocking sound. I had it towed to a shop close to were I live and they told me that the engine had pieces of metal flakes in it and that it was locked. They also said that it was 3.5 quarts low of oil but I just had the oil change and had about 3,500 miles left before I needed my next oil change. I'm writing on here because I called Kia and they told me that my 2.0 engine didn't have a recall on it, but as I research I continue to find many people who have a 2.0 engine having the same issue of the recall on the 1.6 engines.

- Warrenton, VA, USA

problem #97

Feb 022019

Soul

  • 65,000 miles
Kia Soul 2014 vehicle head lights flick and burn out continuously and beam lights burn out, even after replacing bulbs.

- Chula Vista, CA, USA

problem #96

Jan 282020

Soul

  • 110,000 miles
Headlights intermittent then go out. There are multiple technical bulletins on headlights. Lost left headlight because connectors were made of substandard material. The socked melted. Dealer wanted $800 to replace the headlight. Parts and time to do it myself was about $100. I do not understand why loosing headlights due to a known issue is a hard call to turn into a recall. On my way in to work this morning my right headlight went out making it 2 for 2. headlights are a serious safety issue when it is dark. With one light out is is hard to see, in this case, the right of the road on the winding mountain road I travel in to my office. This starts as intermittent and eventually burns the connector sockets. You can do better.

- Haymarket, VA, USA

problem #95

Dec 222019

Soul

  • miles
The headlight bulb connector has melted on the driver side and headlight no longer turns on. Passenger side still works but will need to get replaces asap.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #94

May 012019

Soul

  • 110,000 miles
I have a 2014 Kia Soul. I am having an issue with the exterior lights. While driving, whether on highway doing 70 mph or in the city doing 10 to 45 mph. The lights go out for 30 seconds will flick back on and do this repeatedly several times. No check engine or other lights are illuminated. It happens more often when using my blinker signals. This has become dangerous. Driving with my newborn baby in car and this happened almost causing a severe accident. I have been pulled over as well due to this issue. It has gotten to the point I do not feel safe driving at night time which causes several issues. Why is there no recall on this issue? this started after taking my vehicle in to fix two recalls a few months ago and has continued.

- Coral Springs, FL, USA

problem #93

Oct 222019

Soul

  • 95,000 miles
While driving at night headlights will sometimes turn off for a second or 2, and also go off majority of times when using turn signals. This has been happening for a year now.the car has been to the Kia dealership 2 times for this but no correction even attempted. Problem occurred on city street while turning.

- North Ridgeville, OH, USA

problem #92

Oct 102019

Soul

  • 68,500 miles
2014 Kia Soul redzone edition, the headlight will turn completely off for around 15 seconds and come back on. They will also flicker when trying to use the turn signal. This is very dangerous especially if you happen to be on a busy freeway and can't stop. Kia says they will not process under warranty if car is over 5 years and 60K miles. They need to have a recall on this, tons of people are having this happen to them with the 2014 Kia Souls.

- Antioch, TN, USA

problem #91

Jul 152019

Soul

  • 140,000 miles
Headlight can flicker or go out completely when switching hi/low beam or using turn signals. Sometimes they blink briefly, other times they go out completely until you play with the multifunction switch more. Searching online, it's a common issue with the Kia Soul (https://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer/dont-waste-your-money/some-Kia-owners-report-haunted-headlights), they have a technical service bulletin for the issue due to its common occurrence. One of their other models was recalled for a similar issue but not the Soul. Very dangerous if this occurs at night. Additionally, other drivers see your lights blinking and are assuming you are getting aggressive with them and can respond aggressively back. Issue is constantly present and leads to not using turn signals in most cases so the headlights stay on.

- Kent, WA, USA

problem #90

Nov 012014

Soul

  • 5 miles
Pretty much since I have had vehicle car jerks at time, check engine light comes on at times, the fuel needle drops up and down to empty even when I just filled it up. And rang number turns to lines and flashes like car fuel is empty even though it is full. Also left head light is burnt I replaced the bulb but it didn't fix issue. So I think the whole head lamp needs to be replaced. This was purchased like this. It seems there might be a emissions issue.

- Antioch, CA, USA

problem #89

Jun 252015

Soul 4-cyl

  • 29,898 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. While driving during the day or night, the headlights illuminated and then shut off independently. The vehicle was taken to Kia of chattanooga (2136 chapman rd, chattanooga, tn 37421, (423) 855-1022) to be diagnosed, but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The following day, the contact found that the parking lights illuminated independently and drained the battery. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer and the contact was informed that a new battery was needed. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The contact stated that the parking light failure occurred a few years ago and was taken to the same dealer where it was diagnosed that there was an internal failure. The contact stated that an unknown switch was replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 29,898.

- Chattanooga, TN, USA

problem #88

Aug 222019

Soul 4-cyl

  • 97,000 miles
Headlights go out while driving at night. First noticed around August 22, 2019, but we rarely drive at night. Blink off and then back on. Not connected with any driving conditions like bumps or turns. Happens on interstate at interstate speed and two lane back roads at low speeds. Happens in stop and go traffic. Dash lights stay on. Happens on low or high beams. Unknown if driving lights are affected. Local repair shop diagnosed and could not determine problem or reproduce (invoice included). Lights have not stayed off long enough to stop and examine vehicle. Lights have not stayed off long enough to even try to turn off and back on. Have tried turning on lights and then moving the switch to see if lights would go off but have not been able to reproduce the effect. The consumer stated the dealer is replacing the multifunction switch at no cost.

- Henrico, VA, USA

problem #87

Aug 302019

Soul

  • 72,000 miles
I purchased my 2014 Kia Soul in 2015 and almost immediately had issues with the lights on the dashboard flickering and my headlights turning on at night. We took it under warranty to have them look at it and they couldn't find anything. I have periodically had the same issue but it's mostly the headlights flickering or dying while driving...in the dark. Just this week I was 20 minutes from home when it happened so bad I had to pull over. It seem like it may have been triggered by using the turn signal. It happened the next morning after a night of rest. I've seen this is a problem that was recalled in a different model and feel it should be a recap in all Kia models.

- Tamworth, NH, USA

problem #86

Aug 312019

Soul

  • 62,500 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. -head lamp (low beam ) went out while driving. -the switch had to be turned off/on to reset -electrical, lighting TL-the contact stated that while attempting a turn traveling approximately 20 mph the low beam head lights went out, after turning the switch on/off they came back. The failure occurred three other times. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic for a diagnostic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,500.

- Depew, NY, USA

problem #85

Mar 012019

Soul

  • 45,000 miles
Headlights flicker on and off when using turn signal, sometimes while just driving. Sometimes they turn completely off and don't turn back on unless I flip between auto/manual. This has been happening for a few months now and is getting worse. This is incredibly dangerous and I am worried for my safety if I can't get them to turn back on. I work at night and absolutely need my lights to work. I drive main roads and back roads and on the back roads when they go out I can't see anything. Until I get this sorted out I've resorted to not using my turn signals at night, which is dangerous in itself/illegal and there's also the fact that they turn off/flicker occasionally while not using the turn signal. Though that seems to be the most common trigger. I have no idea what is causing this but it seems to be extremely common in 2014 Kia Souls.

- Gaithersburg, MD, USA

problem #84

Jun 012019

Soul

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. While driving various speeds, the passenger side headlight went out. The vehicle was taken to fred beans Kia of langhorne (1801 Lincoln hwy, langhorne, pa 19047, (855) 998-2259) where the contact was informed that the connector was burnt and the fuse needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

- Bristol, PA, USA

problem #83

Aug 022019

Soul

  • 44,900 miles
Headlight G ooff without out warning. Very dangerous!! this has only happened while driving. Lights flick back on after.a few seconds, or up to a minute.

- Lowell, MA, USA

problem #82

Aug 102019

Soul

  • 62,000 miles
Flickering headlights and dash lights. Very dangerous as it occurs while driving in the dark. For safety reasons, I can no longer drive this vehicle at night. My local dealer will not fix free of charge since this problem, while widely known and dangerous, has not been classified as a 'recall.'

- Lawrenceville, NJ, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »