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BrakesPart report

2020 Kia Soul Brakes Problems

Complaints
11about this part
Share
3%of 388 total for the year
Median mileage
12,000miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 11 complaints about the brakes of the 2020 Kia Soul, 3% of the 388 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 12,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, 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.

“The idle stop - start system seems to be broken. Whenever I pull up to a light and stop the engine shuts off. Then, when I try to accelerate the engine starts but the calibers lock up on the disc creating a loud groaning sound. It causes the car to shutter and barely go forward. Additionally, the car consistently pulls to the right. It causes the vehicle to begin to veer off the road. On two occasions the dealer, Kia of irvine, told me they did not have the equipment fo fix this problem.”

NHTSA complaint #11268199, filed 2019-10, 15 miles

“I was driving to work. 12 miles my oil leaked. A state trooper turned around when seeing flames and called the fire department and tow truck. I lost control of the car, nothing was working. I was only ever given one recall notice which I fixed 2 months after buying the car. The car also has issues with security. Only certain insurance companies will cover the car and their prices are higher. We took car to dealership . three months later I contact attorney general. The GM this started attacking us, denying anything happened etc. He should be fired for how he treats people. …”

NHTSA complaint #11606634, filed 2024-08, 114,502 miles

“Problem with idle stop/start system-when I stop at a light, the engine shuts off, when I try to accelerate, I hear a loud groan sound, and the car shutters before eventually moving forward. I immediately took it to the dealership where it was purchased, and was told that the sound they heard was normal , but if it continued try to get a audio recording of the sounds I was hearing, and they would look in to it. Ridiculous! I have seen at least 2 more complaints for this same issue. Right now I turn the function off as soon as I get in the vehicle, what good is it if you can't use it?”

NHTSA complaint #11278633, filed 2019-11, 325 miles

“Our Kia SOUL 2020 has some failure related to the auto stop feature (isg). Starting at about 3000 miles, the car groans as it comes out of auto stop, with the noise coming from the front left. Kia corporate does not acknowledge this as a repeated issue, though there are many forums online recording this exact problem around this mileage. There seems to be no consensus on the repair, and no consensus on whether it is safe to drive. If the auto stop (isg) feature is disabled, the noise does not happen. …”

NHTSA complaint #11382945, filed 2020-12, 3,100 miles

“The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while her son was driving at approximately 35 MPH and going up a slight hill, the vehicle stalled. The contact's son said multiple unknown warnings illuminated. The son depressed the brake pedal and felt that it was very hard to depress. The son was able to restart the vehicle and continued on to his destination. The contact stated that the engine stalling failure had occurred once, however the failure of the brakes had occurred several times. …”

NHTSA complaint #11684758, filed 2025-09, 12,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Brakes: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2025217%
202426%
2023815%
202233%
2021104%
2020113%
201986%
201873%
2017145%
2016202%
2015324%
2014354%
20139915%
2012469%
20114523%
20101612%

Other parts of the 2020 Kia Soul

Engine
245 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
91 complaints
Other or unknown
54 complaints
Electrical system
28 complaints
Fuel system
16 complaints
Steering
16 complaints
Vehicle speed control
14 complaints
Engine cooling
11 complaints
Body and structure
10 complaints
Exterior lighting
6 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
5 complaints
Air bags
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2020 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