2012 Kia Soul Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 3 safety recalls and 514 owner complaints for the 2012 Kia Soul.

Recalled components: brakes, engine, and body structure. Most-described problem: the check engine light coming on (75 complaints, 15%), then stalling or shutting off (66). Most-reported area: engine (209 complaints, 41%; median mileage when it happened: 119,200).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Year to avoidBest year

Excludes the electric Soul EV.

3 safety recalls for the 2012 Kia Soul

Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls first, then newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

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 2012 Kia Soul, not counting audit queries; both are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. 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 514 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 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

• Check engine light75 · 15%
  Median 126,500 miles at failure, from 54 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off66 · 13%
  Median 133,000 miles at failure, from 47 reports with mileage
• Engine failure or replacement59 · 11%
  Median 119,300 miles at failure, from 39 reports with mileage
• Steering rack problems: sticking, play or pulling41 · 8%
  Median 69,500 miles at failure, from 22 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration37 · 7%
  Median 108,000 miles at failure, from 19 reports with mileage
• Smoke or a burning smell34 · 7%
  Median 107,500 miles at failure, from 22 reports with mileage
• Loss of power or limp mode30 · 6%
• Hesitation or slow acceleration16 · 3%

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Engine209 · 41%
  Median 119,200 miles at failure, from 136 reports with mileage
• Steering166 · 32%
  Most named: column (3) · Median 68,500 miles at failure, from 92 reports with mileage
• Brakes46 · 9%
  Median 112,000 miles at failure, from 18 reports with mileage
• Electrical system38 · 7%
  Median 68,000 miles at failure, from 21 reports with mileage
• Engine and cooling32 · 6%
  Most named: exhaust system, emission control, catalytic convertor (5) · Median 137,500 miles at failure, from 26 reports with mileage
• Fuel and propulsion system21 · 4%
• Powertrain21 · 4%
  Median 63,000 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other39 · 8%
  Median 92,700 miles at failure, from 15 reports with mileage

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 2012 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 2012 drew 48.

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.

2012 Soul MPG

Questions