NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 135 owner complaints for the 2010 Kia Soul.
Recalled components: body structure, exterior lighting, and electrical system. Most-described problems: smoke or a burning smell and airbags not deploying in a crash (8 complaints, 6% each). Most-reported area: electrical system (24 complaints, 18%; median mileage when it happened: 64,000).
More complaints than most Soul years
The 2010 drew 72 owner complaints in its first three years, against about 46 for a typical Soul year: 1.5 times as many. It is not a year to avoid, which takes at least twice the typical count and at least 50 complaints.
Years to avoid: 2020; best years: 2019 and 2022. Based on owner complaints, not adjusted for sales.
A headliner plate may detach during deployment of the curtain air bag.
Risk: A detached headliner plate may increase the risk of injury to the occupant during a vehicle crash.
The fix and full notice
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.
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.
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.
Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
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.
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.
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.
Risk: When the lights are illuminated under certain conditions, an electrical short may occur that can result in a fire.
The fix and full notice
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.
Kia's safety recall campaign number is sc083. or go to <a href=http://www.safercar.gov>http://www.safercar.gov</a> .
Kia is recalling certain model year 2010 soul and model year 2011 sorento vehicles manufactured from september 7, 2009 through july 30, 2010.
NHTSA listing: SOUL. Kia campaign SC083.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA has opened 2 investigations that name the 2010 Kia Soul; both are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.
Non-crash vehicle fires
Preliminary evaluation PE19004Closed Dec 22, 2021 (opened Mar 29, 2019)
During this Preliminary Evaluation (PE), the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) assessed the scope, frequency and potential safety-related consequences of non-crash vehicle fires caused by both engine failures… NHTSA's full summary
NHTSA listing: SOUL. Components: Electrical system; Engine and cooling; Engine; Exterior lighting; Unknown or other.
Steering shaft separation
Preliminary evaluation PE10030Closed Dec 14, 2010 (opened Aug 12, 2010)
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) is aware of a single complaint on the subject vehicles that alleges the hand wheel became mechanically de-coupled from the road wheels when the intermediate steering shaft… NHTSA's full summary
A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.
What owners report
Owners have filed 135 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Soul. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Problems owners describe
Smoke or a burning smell8 · 6%
Airbags did not deploy in a crash8 · 6%
Cracked or shattered windshield7 · 5%
Stalling or shutting off6 · 4%
Check engine light6 · 4%
Seat belt problems6 · 4%
Suspension parts (struts, ball joints, control arms)4 · 3%
Median 64,000 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
Air bags21 · 16%
Most named: frontal (3)
Body structure21 · 16%
Most named: body (7) · Median 3,000 miles at failure, from 16 reports with mileage
Brakes14 · 10%
Steering12 · 9%
Powertrain11 · 8%
Visibility10 · 7%
Unknown or other11 · 8%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Kia Soul recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2010 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2020 Soul drew the most (165) and the 2010 drew 72.
Owner complaints
2010: 135 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Kia Soul
Model year
Complaints
2010
135
2011
194
2012
514
2013
662
2014
901
2015
898
2016
815
2017
272
2018
218
2019
136
2020
381
2021
234
2022
88
2023
52
2024
29
2025
12
Safety recalls
2010: 3 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Kia Soul
Model year
Recalls
2010
3
2011
3
2012
3
2013
3
2014
5
2015
4
2016
2
2017
1
2018
1
2019
1
2020
1
2021
2
2022
1
2023
4
2024
0
2025
0
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
In the 135 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2010 Kia Soul, the problems described most are smoke or a burning smell (8), airbags not deploying in a crash (8), and a cracked or shattered windshield (7). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2010 Kia Soul?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026, lists no open investigations for the 2010 Kia Soul. It lists 2 closed ones; the most recent closed on Dec 22, 2021.
How do I check if my Soul has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Kia dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Oct 2, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Oct 2, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: SOUL.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.