2010 Kia Soul: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 134 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (14% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Dec 2014
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 134 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Hello, I would like to report that someone attempted to steal my 2010 Kia Soul. The incident occurred on [XXX], in San Jose, CA 95111. As a result of the attempted theft, there is damage to the car's steering wheel and ignition. Please let me know if additional information or documentation is needed to assist with this report. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”Owner report · Steering · Dec 2024
“I was driving down the interstate on my way to work when my check engine light turned on and began flashing rapidly. I then began to get over to the shoulder and into safety when I heard what sounded like a loud dropping sound come from the engine and smoke started coming out of the hood. When I got pulled over to the shoulder, I ran and popped my hood and saw that the whole battery was on fire, within minutes the whole car was engulfed and I was told to get back for my safety by someone that stopped.”Owner report · Electrical System · Oct 2023
“The contact owns a 2010 Kia Soul. The contact stated that on several occasions when the vehicle was started, the air bag warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 172,470.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2023
Show 7 more owner reports
“The airbag light is on, and the passenger airbag light is off. Kia dealership performed the electronic scan, and is obtaining message with defect in OCS sensor defect and electrical voltage. Kia said needs Kia part #95910-2K000 that Kia has discontinued. There is no way to fix the air bag issue as Kia has discontinued the part, and no dealer has the part in the United States. The vehicle is available for inspection. Dealer has confirmed the problem, but can't repair because the Kia part has been DISCONTINUED. The part that has been discontinued is the Control Module, Module Assembly Air Bag.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jun 2022
“Started my 2010 kia soul â, it had a loud ruff idle to it & felt like it was choking each time i hit gas pedal. AutoZone scanner gave codes of c1513 brake lite switch implausible & code c1503 esc switch input low. Pls help me. Ive had a family emergency & need my vehicle to get my dying family memeber”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jul 2021
“I was driving my typical route to work and mid turn, with my car on, on a city road, my steering wheel locked. I had to stop my car in the middle of the road and restart it to get it to unlock. Very scary thing to happen, very worried it will happen again in a more dangerous place, like the freeway.”Owner report · Steering · Jan 2021
“I exported my kia soul 2010 to germany due to military movement order. As the car is now registered in germany; I did not get any notifications from kia us about the recall sc098am regarding a problem with the brake light switch, rated as a safety issue. My german car dealer is trying to help me get the brake light switch changed, but is unable to get the necessary information from kia. Is there a possibility to assist me in getting the necessary work from a safety recall done in germany? Thank you for your help”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jul 2020
“Tl* the contact owns a 2010 kia soul. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the contact noticed smoke from the radio. The vehicle was taken to the bill dodge kia dealer (877-583-6175, located at 3 saunders way, westbrook, me 04092) where it was diagnosed that there was a shortage in the wiring harness. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jan 2020
“A loud popping sound goes off and the radio system and speakers all go out when I hit a bump in the road. It is also causing random lights to illuminate on the instrument panel. I have to turn off the car to turn off the panel ones. I called kia and they said there is no recall for this problem. However, it was noted on cars.com that this is a problem. My fear is that a fire may happen due to this issue.”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2019
“The brakes are not braking the way they should make a grinding noise and then stalled to stop I was on I-285 going home to jasper ga also I've noticed that the gear shifter can go into another gear w out brake on”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Oct 2019
When filing, owners marked a crash in 22 of these complaints and injuries in 18 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2010-2013 Kia Soul vehicles manufactured January 8, 2009, to October 2, 2013, equipped with a sun roof. A headliner plate may detach during deployment of the curtain air bag.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will install industrial adhesive strips to secure the headliner plates, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 2, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC112.
KIA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 SOUL AND MODEL YEAR 2011 SORENTO VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 7, 2009 THROUGH JULY 30, 2010. A LIMITED NUMBER OF WIRING HARNESSES SUPPLIED BY JCI AND USED FOR THE LIGHTING IN THE KIA SOUL VEHICLE'S ADVANCED LIGHTING SPEAKERS, LOCATED IN THE FRONT DOOR TRIM PANELS, AND THE KIA SORENTO VEHICLE'S INTERIOR ACCENT ILLUMINATION, LOCATED IN THE FRONT AND REAR DOOR TRIM PANELS, MAY HAVE BEEN IMPROPERLY SOLDERED.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESSES FOR THE LIGHTS IN THE KIA SOUL VEHICLE'S ADVANCED LIGHTING SPEAKERS, AND THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE KIA SORENTO VEHICLE'S INTERIOR ACCENT ILLUMINATION. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT KIA CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-333-4542.
Kia Motors Corporation (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2007-2010 Rondo, model year 2007-2011 Sedona, Sorento and Sportage, model year 2010-2011 Soul, model year 2008-2011 Optima, model year 2010 Forte, model year 2007-2009 Amanti, and model year 2009 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Remedy: Kia will send an interim notification to owners in May 2013. When parts are available, owners will receive a second notification and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
How other years compare
Check your exact Soul by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2010 Kia Soul reliable?
NHTSA has 134 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2010 Kia Soul. The most complained-about area is air bags (14% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2010 Kia Soul problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 28,452 miles or less.
Does the 2010 Kia Soul have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning structure:body:roof and pillars. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.