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Electrical systemPart report

2010 Kia Soul Electrical system Problems

Complaints
24about this part
Share
18%of 135 total for the year
Median mileage
64,000miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 24 complaints about the electrical system of the 2010 Kia Soul, 18% of the 135 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 64,000 miles. 8 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“My horn does not work all the time. I almost was in a bad accident trying to prevent a car sideswiping me to cross lanes - I kept trying to honk the horn. It would not work so I had to jam on my brakes and almost got rear ended too. I wrote to Kia and got no response. I was driving in the middle lane - a driver to the right of me cut me off to get into the turn lane to the left of me.”

NHTSA complaint #10891517, filed 2016-07, 29,904 miles

“I was playing the radio, when the sound went out. Now whenever I turn the radio on, I sometimes hear a popping sound as if it is going to turn on but then it goes silent again. This happens while the vehicle is either stationary or in motion.”

NHTSA complaint #11308045, filed 2020-02, 74,500 miles

“1. Stationary - a piece of the driver's side suspension spring broke off. My husband went to check what weird noise the car was making when he turned the wheel fully as we were trying to exit our paralleled parking spot in front of our home. When he opened the hood, he looked around and asked me to turn the wheel from so he could hear exactly where the sound was coming from. When he heard it was above the right wheel area, he looked deep, reached in and ended up finding a portion of the spring. …”

NHTSA complaint #11407751, filed 2021-04, 89,000 miles

“Wiring connector connected to the radiator fan assembly melted. I had replaced the radiator fan assembly a year earlier to its failure. Upon the repair shop I took my car to calling the dealer, it was mentioned this is a common problem by the dealer. The melting of this connector caused the engine to start over heating and the A/C to no longer cool. Dealer mentioned that the connector is not available and it would take replacing the whole electrical harness. The car only has about 65,000 miles on it.”

NHTSA complaint #11015078, filed 2017-08, 65,000 miles

“I was notified by another driver that none of my brake lights were lighting up when I braked. I immediately took my Kia SOUL to the dealership and they found a faulty brake switch. This was the same faulty brake switch that was subject to a recall in 2013. This means that the replaced new brake switch is also faulty after less than 2 years of driving. It is a worry to me that Kia could be replacing a faulty recalled part with another faulty part, especially one that has major safety implications. …”

NHTSA complaint #10749690, filed 2015-08, 77,000 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2024929%
20231426%
20221011%
2021156%
2020287%
20191410%
2018209%
2017197%
2016567%
2015758%
20149811%
20137111%
2012387%
20113015%
20102418%

Other parts of the 2010 Kia Soul

Air bags
21 complaintsBody and structure
21 complaintsBrakes
16 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
14 complaintsOther or unknown
13 complaintsSteering
12 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
11 complaintsEngine
9 complaintsVehicle speed control
9 complaintsTires
6 complaintsEngine cooling
5 complaintsFuel system
5 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2010 Kia Soul

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology