2010 Kia Soul Problems, Recalls & Reliability
193 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2010 Kia Soul, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 3 defect investigations. It scores 23/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 61,500 miles.
Typical
Where 2010 sits among all Soul years
What owners report
“Head lights, a/c, power windows, sun roof, wipers and horn all stopped working at once.it was on a hot day. Then all just started working after car had cooled down. Same thing happened once before, sometime in late june or early july 2017. I took the car to the dealer afterward but they couldn't…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2010 Soul
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 138 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 26,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 4,800 and 78,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (3)
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 20V088000.
Led to recall campaign 18V907000.
Technical service bulletins
74 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and steering — are on file for the 2010 Kia Soul. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2010 Kia Soul reliable?
The 2010 Kia Soul drew 193 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 23/100, scored against the model's worst year (2015).
What are the most common 2010 Kia Soul problems?
The top reported problems for the 2010 Kia Soul are electrical (32 complaints), body & structure (22), and airbags (20).
At what mileage do 2010 Kia Soul problems show up?
Owners most often report 2010 Kia Soul problems around 26,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 4,800 and 78,000 miles.
Does the 2010 Kia Soul have recalls?
3 recall campaigns apply to the 2010 Kia Soul. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.