2010 Kia Soul: problems, recalls and what it’s worth

Known problems on the 2010 Kia Soul

No generation-wide weak spot is flagged in GarageIntel’s research for this year and model. A specific car can still have its own problems, so get it inspected.

2010 Kia Soul recalls

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2010 Kia Soul. Repairs are free at a dealer for the brand, and a dealer can confirm by VIN which were already done.

• ElectricalFire risk

  WHEN THE LIGHTS ARE ILLUMINATED UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, AN ELECTRICAL SHORT MAY OCCUR THAT CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.

  Details 10V388000

  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.

  Fix: 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.

• Body structure

  A detached headliner plate may increase the risk of injury to the occupant during a vehicle crash.

  Details 14V822000

  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.

  Fix: 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.

• Lights

  Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash.

  Details 13V114000

  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.

  Fix: 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.

2010 Kia Soul safety investigations and free repairs

No open safety investigations.

Free repairs to ask about (warranty extensions):

• Warranty extension: Kia now has an additional vehicle modification available for installation to help deter or thwart attempted thefts.
• Steering: Kia is now making steering wheel lock devices available directly to certain Kia vehicle owners.

A dealer for the brand can check these by VIN.

Source: NHTSA, Sep 24, 2026.

2010 Kia Soul safety and fuel

From NHTSA’s crash tests and the EPA’s fueleconomy.gov.

What owners complain about

135 complaints filed with NHTSA for this year and model, about average.

Other Kia Soul years

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024