2010 Kia Soul problems & reliability
134 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2010 Kia Soul, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
17 complaints report injuries (18 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2010 Kia Soul vehicles were involved in 42 fatal crashes with 26 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 24 | 18% |
| Structure | 21 | 16% |
| Air Bags | 20 | 15% |
| Steering | 12 | 9% |
| Power Train | 11 | 8% |
| Service Brakes | 11 | 8% |
| Unknown OR Other | 11 | 8% |
| Visibility | 10 | 7% |
| Engine | 9 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 7% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 21,150 miles (middle 50% between 4,407 and 74,125 miles), based on 98 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Dec 16, 2024
“I bought car being financed in sac,ca. August 8, 2023. Took back referred to mechanic round corner. Brake rotor issues fixed front this was August 14 noise still exist took back turned back rotors scraping noise pulling to left took to other automotive repairs ,inspections shocks original 2010 208,000 miles , brakes…”
Suspension · filed Nov 19, 2023
“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…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Oct 25, 2023
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Non-crash Vehicle Fires
Preliminary Evaluation PE19004 · opened Mar 29, 2019 · closed Dec 22, 2021 · led to recall 21V844000
- Non-crash Vehicle Fires
Defect Petition DP18003 · opened Aug 21, 2018 · closed May 10, 2019 · led to recall 19V204000
- Steering Shaft Separation
Preliminary Evaluation PE10030 · opened Aug 12, 2010 · closed Dec 14, 2010
Technical service bulletins
74 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2010 Kia Soul. The 10 most recent:
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION: CYLINDER PROTECTOR & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2311) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of…
CS2311_TSB_R4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 9, 2026
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: POSTCARD OWNER RENOTIFICATION (CS2311) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting Customer Satisfaction Campaign. Kia has developed a new zinc-reinforced…
CS2311_OWNR_PC201 · Other · issued Dec 19, 2025
PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the…
PS797 · Other · issued Dec 9, 2025
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: TRANSMISSION FLUID APPLICATION GUIDE - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area…
TSB_TRA046_R5 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 17, 2025
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2311) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of…
CS2311_TSB_R3 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 18, 2024
This bulletin provides information relating to the correct transmission fluid type and fill quantity requirement for each Kia model. A flush is required ONLY when a transmission is replaced.
TSB_TRA046_R4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 16, 2024
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2311) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of…
CS2311_TSB_R2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 22, 2024
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia now has an additional vehicle modification available for installation to help deter or thwart attempted…
CS2311A_OWNRAM · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 20, 2023
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2311) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of…
CS2311_TSB_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 18, 2023
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION CYLINDER PROTECTOR & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2311) - This bulletin provides information to install a Theft Deterrent Ignition Cylinder Protector…
CS2311_TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 12, 2023
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2010 Kia Soul has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2010 Kia Soul?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 21,150 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.