2012 Kia Soul problems and recalls

Owner complaints on the 2012 Kia Soul include 2 fatality reports, 25 crashes and 23 fires across 514 filings.

514
Complaints
3
Recalls
25
Crash reports
23
Fire reports
25
Injuries
94.3
Severity index

Severity index 94.3 High. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 94.3p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 21 of 130 by severity index among 2012 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 84% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2012 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

EngineEngine: 209 complaints (40.7%)209 41%SteeringSteering: 166 complaints (32.3%)166 32%Service BrakesService Brakes: 46 complaints (8.9%)46 9%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 39 complaints (7.6%)39 8%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 38 complaints (7.4%)38 7%HydraulicHydraulic: 34 complaints (6.6%)34 7%Engine And Engine Cooli…Engine And Engine Cooling: 32 complaints (6.2%)32 6%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 21 complaints (4.1%)21 4%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE20940.7%
STEERING16632.3%
SERVICE BRAKES468.9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER397.6%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM387.4%
HYDRAULIC346.6%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING326.2%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM214.1%

Complaints filed per year

048962011: 32012: 192013: 192014: 72015: 132016: 82017: 252018: 502019: 962020: 432021: 502022: 472023: 622024: 392025: 222026: 11 (partial year)1112131415161718199620212223242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20113
201219
201319
20147
201513
20168
201725
201850
201996
202043
202150
202247
202362
202439
202522
2026 (year to date)11
Filings in 2023 to 2025 were close to 2020 to 2022 (123 against 140).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
19V12000022/02/2019ENGINEKia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Kia Soul vehicles equipped with 1.6L Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines. High exhaust gas temperatures may damage the catalytic converter, possibly resulting in abnormal engine combustion and damage to one or more of t
14V82200029/12/2014STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARSKia 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.
23V65200025/09/2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULEKia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 Borrego, 2014-2016 Cadenza, 2010-2013 Forte, Forte Koup, Sportage, 2015-2018 K900, 2011-2015 Optima, 2011-2013 Optima Hybrid, Soul, 2012-2017 Rio, 2011-2014 Sorento, and 2010-2011 Rondo vehicles. The Hydraulic Electronic Con

Other Kia Soul model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 14 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-28. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.