YearToAvoid

2010 Kia Soul Problems, Recalls & Reliability

Verdict

Best

Complaint Index

20/100

#13 most-complained of 16 Soul years

The 2010 Kia Soul ranks 13th worst out of 16 model years, with a complaint index of 20 and a 'Best' verdict relative to other Soul years. It has 126 complaints, 3 recalls, and its top problem area is the Electrical System with 27 complaints.

Complaints
126
Recalls
3
Crashes / fires
22 / 15
Injuries / deaths
19 / 0
NHTSA overall rating
Not rated
EPA combined MPG
27
25 city / 30.5 hwy

Top 2010 Kia Soul problems

NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.

  1. Electrical System27 (21%)
  2. Airbags20 (16%)
  3. Brakes20 (16%)
  4. Engine20 (16%)
  5. Structure & Body18 (14%)
  6. Other13 (10%)
  7. Steering12 (10%)
  8. Suspension, Wheels & Tires12 (10%)
  9. Visibility & Wipers11 (9%)
  10. Transmission & Powertrain9 (7%)

What owners report

  • Door panel speaker LED light wiring shorts and melts plastic, sometimes producing smoke or fire inside the door.
  • Electrical fires have started near the engine and firewall area after low-speed impacts, in one case fully burning the vehicle before fire crews arrived.
  • Airbags failed to deploy in several front and rear-end crashes, including one case where a wiring harness was reportedly cut in the impact.
  • Rear brakes reportedly failed to engage in stop-and-go traffic, in one instance leading to a rear-end collision.
  • Vehicles have suddenly veered off the road during rainy conditions, in one case ending in a crash into a tree.
2010 Kia Soul complaints: complaints filed per quarter252010 Q12011 Q32013 Q22015 Q22016 Q42018 Q42020 Q42023 Q4
171 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2010 Q1 to 2026 Q3; peak 2010 Q3 (25).

2010 Kia Soul recalls

3 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.

  1. NHTSA 14V822000Dec 29, 2014Structure & Body95,314 vehicles

    Structure:body:roof and pillars

    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.

    Risk: A detached headliner plate may increase the risk of injury to the occupant during a vehicle crash.

    Remedy: 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 customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC112.

  2. NHTSA 13V114000Apr 1, 2013Electrical System980,377 vehicles

    Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch

    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 Borrego vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Kia recalled 623,658 model year 2007-2010 Rondo and Sportage, model year 2007-2011 Sorento, model year 2007 Sedona, model year 2010-2011 Soul, and model year 2011 Optima vehicles. In September 2013, Kia informed the agency that it was adding an additional 356,719 vehicles to this campaign. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 980,377. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

    Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of PARK without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: 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. Owners may contact Kia at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's recall campaign number is SC098.

  3. NHTSA 10V388000Aug 31, 2010Electrical System35,185 vehicles

    Electrical system:wiring

    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 lighting speakers, located in the front door trim panels, and the kia sorento vehicle's interior accent illumination, located in the front and rear door trim panels, may have been improperly soldered.

    Risk: When the lights are illuminated under certain conditions, an electrical short may occur that can result in a fire.

    Remedy: 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 service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on september 13, 2010. Owners may contact kia consumer assistance center at 1-800-333-4542.

2010 Kia Soul fuel economy and fuel cost

City
25 MPG
Highway
30.5 MPG
Combined
27 MPG
Annual fuel cost (EPA)
$2,400
15,000 mi/yr
Fuel
Regular
Current regular gas
$4.32/gal
national avg.

EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.

2010 compared with other Soul years

Complaint Index by model year (0 = fewest issues, 100 = most)0255075100’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Complaint Index: 0 = fewest issues, 100 = most, relative to other years of this model. Avoid Caution Good Best
YearVerdictIndexComplaintsRecallsMPG
2010Best20126327
2011Good47194326.5
2012Caution73514326.5

All Kia Soul years: best and worst →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2010 Kia Soul reliable?
Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2010 Kia Soul has a complaint index of 20, the lowest (best) of any Soul model year on record, and ranks 13th out of 16 years from worst to best.
What are the most common problems on the 2010 Kia Soul?
NHTSA data shows the Electrical System is the top problem area with 27 complaints (21% share), including 10 fire reports, followed by Airbags, Brakes, and Engine complaints, each with 20 reports.
Does the 2010 Kia Soul have any recalls?
NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2010 Kia Soul: a sunroof headliner plate recall, a wiring harness/electrical recall covering multiple Kia models, and a lighting wiring harness recall specific to the 2010 Soul.
How does the 2010 Kia Soul compare to other Soul years?
The 2010 Soul's complaint index of 20 is far lower than later years like 2013-2016, which range from 80 to 100 and carry 'Avoid' verdicts, making 2010 one of the better years for this model.
What mileage do 2010 Kia Soul problems typically show up at?
Median mileage at failure across all reported issues is 21,650 miles, though Electrical System and Engine complaints tend to appear later, around 63,000 to 64,000 miles.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.