2012 Kia Soul Suspension Problems
- Complaints
- 7about this part
- Share
- 1%of 516 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 17,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the suspension of the 2012 Kia Soul, 1% of the 516 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 17,000 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Received a letter from Kia stating to have my steering checked out . I am hearing a popping noise when I turn left in the steering. It pulls to the right when driving the Kia dealership is saying there's nothing wrong. But there's got to be something going on and they keep trying to tell me that there's nothing wrong. …”
NHTSA complaint #11207500, filed 2019-05, 5,000 miles“My car was going approximately 50mph when it rear ended a stopped vehicle in the middle of a busy highway. Then my car was rear ended seconds afterwards. My car was scrunched (totaled), both front and back, and the airbags never deployed. Had the airbags deployed, the injuries to the driver would've been much less severe. I have huge concerns and doubts about the safety of this model. I don't think the airbags in this model propertly function.”
NHTSA complaint #10734540, filed 2015-07, 29,000 miles“Bought wife brand new 2012 Kia SOUL in 2012. Got standard transmission. At around 20k I noticed a squeal coming from the vehicle when the clutch was completely disengaged, by that I mean vehicle running foot completely off clutch. I presumed it was a throw out bearing. Took it to local mechanic and he agreed. So I took it to local Kia dealer. Bought vehicle in denton texas, but had moved 7 hours south to corpus christi area. When I took it to Kia in corpus I got the run around. Yes of course they could hear it but everything was working mechanically. So I was basically told too bad. …”
NHTSA complaint #10811867, filed 2015-12, 68,000 miles“Driving south on i65 between gardendale, al and birmingham, al. At approximately 60 MPH - clear day, sunny appx 80 degrees at 11:00 am cst. Concrete roadway with expansion joints. Experienced violent gyrations - car literally bouncing off roadway. Slowed to 50 MPH and moved vehicle to far left lane - roadway was smoother and car returned to a stable condition. The original lane was rougher. But the car became very unstable to the point of fearing that I would lose control. I was able to resume normal freeway speeds without further incidents. …”
NHTSA complaint #10472690, filed 2012-08, 2,700 miles“Driving down the highway at a speed of 65mph and my car just began to idle and slowed down to reducing speed quickly. I could not give it enough acceleration to pick up speed. I pulled over to shut my engine car off. Turned car back on and my rpms to shift to 2nd gear were low. I had to shift my gears quickly to be able to drive. Since then, my engine light is blinking and I cannot go faster than 50mph”
NHTSA complaint #11547738, filed 2023-10Suspension: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 8% |
| 2022 | 1 | 1% |
| 2021 | 5 | 2% |
| 2020 | 1 | 0% |
| 2019 | 1 | 1% |
| 2018 | 1 | 0% |
| 2017 | 4 | 1% |
| 2016 | 8 | 1% |
| 2015 | 3 | 0% |
| 2014 | 4 | 0% |
| 2013 | 9 | 1% |
| 2012 | 7 | 1% |
| 2011 | 9 | 5% |
| 2010 | 4 | 3% |
Other parts of the 2012 Kia Soul
210 complaintsSteering
167 complaintsBrakes
46 complaintsOther or unknown
40 complaintsElectrical system
38 complaintsEngine cooling
32 complaintsFuel system
23 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
21 complaintsBody and structure
18 complaintsAir bags
17 complaintsExterior lighting
10 complaintsVehicle speed control
10 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2012 Kia Soul
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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