Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Kia Soul owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Kia Soul 2010 purchased in March 2010. The clips to my front bumper have all broken and it was glued on so it will stay on until our mechanic put bolts to hold it better. Dealership would not fix it since they stated I was in an accident, but I was not in one. The bumper started falling off before 10,000 miles. There are no dents or dings in the front bumper area. The anti-lock brakes locked up after I had by foot on the brakes for an extended amount of time. This happened at about 11K miles. The transmission does not always shift when it should. The brake relay was fixed by the dealership. The brakes did have a small fire when I moved it not realizing it was the brakes. I assumed the transmission was going due to other issues we were having with the vehicle. The side wall of my tire (nexen) had a huge hole after they blew at about 7500 miles. …
The 2010 Soul had a major failure when it impacted a tree at 10 MPH. There were no leaking fluids, signs of smoke or fire. The vehicle caught fire roughly 15 minutes later and burned totally up before fire crews could get there to put it out. The origin of the fire was between the engine and the fire wall. I feel as though the safety bumpers that are required by law to work bellow the 15 MPH constraint are under designed.
Takata recall : somos propietarios desde mayo del 2012 hasta la fecha van 3 ocaciones que le reparamos los frenos y constantemente huele a quemado y se le prende luz de check engine por lo menos una vez por mes desde que lo tenemos y se le apaga a la semana o dos semanas nos mandan de la Hyundai a el dealer de la Kia y en ese dealer nos dicen que no tiene nada nadamas lo reprograman pero el problema continua.
Passenger side front door lock would unlock intermittently initially for the first few years and now does not unlock at all when using the key fob and since there is no manual key-lock cylinder anywhere except on the driver-side door, this front door cannot be opened until after the driver's door is opened.
I have had my Kia Soul since May 2009. I have experienced chips in the glass and paint as well as scratches to the glass from a plastic ice scraper ai have used on 3 other vehicles without issue. I do not use ice scrapers often here in texas, but this is the first time I have had windows scratched by a plastic utensil designed for the task I was performing. I think the windows are made of a hybrid compound that is not fully glass to be so easily chipped and scratched. It reminds me of the polycarbonate used in the glasses I wear. They are "scratch resistant", but when push comes to shove I will have scratches from the most benign occurrences. I believe the glass in this vehicle will be a hazard over the long term by creating issues with viewing the road. The scratches catch the light and cause star effect lighting right in the portion of the windshield in front of the driver. …
I just purchased a new 2010 Kia Soul. I am very careful and take excellent care of my cars, but I have to say the door panels on this vehicle tend to scratch up with the slightest touch of even a finger nail. It is unbelievable how horrible it gets with normal wear, and I consider myself obsessively careful with my cars and its almost impossible to not scratch these panels. Horrible workmanship to the point that it must be some sort of defect. Has anyone else complained about this ? My purchase date was 9/18/09 and my interior door panels look 5 years old and abused. Also, the front end on this car rumbles like something is loose, very sloppy sounding front end when going over bumps. Steering feels fine but the noise and rumbling is unbearable. Very poorly put together and rattle feeling.
I purchased a 2010 Kia Soul ! On 12/31/2009 and within 2 months I noticed 10 -12 paint chips on the front and hood of the car. I drive in a city that only see some snow and some salted. Salted roads should of not caused this much paint chipping. I added a paint protection film to the front of the car at a cost of $587 to protect my investment. Later I learned that this is a problem with this model. Contacted Kia consumer affairs about the issue to and asked to register the compliant, they stated they have never heard of the issue. I asked them to help over the cost of the protection system, they stated they would only do that if the dealer installed it, which my was not. I would like to see that the paint issue is corrected and conpensated for the cost I spent on the protection film.
Deep scratches to pillars, doors, glove box, dash board and center console due to the material used in the manufacturing of the vehicles interior. At 3000 I began letting my dealership know, they said they had no idea, Kia America insists they let all the dealerships know of the defect. Kia America will not submit anything in writing, they only give a reference number and say they are working on the problem. They have working on a solution for close to two years, enough is enough. I can't sell or trade my car in because I have suffered such a loss due to the depreciation of market value. My interior looks like it is 10 years old, I noticed the issue at 1000miles and now have 9000miles and still no word from Kia.
I have 2010 Kia Soul that I bought in April 2009. The problem is that in the interior is very easily damaged. The interior plastic is of low enough quality that when getting in and out of the car one's fingernails can cause a scratch. I take care of all my vehicles and armor all the interiors regularly, but even though the interior looks like a 20 year old car. I already contacted Kia 8 months ago and they told me I would hear back from them with a solution for the first run should interior problem in q1 2010. I have contacted them many times since then and all I have gotten back is that they have received my complaint and are working on a fix.
Factory installed windshield chips and cracks from the edge easily and often. I had the first window replaced at about 5,000 miles and that window was a genuine Kia window installed and now it has two small chips and a crack from the edge of the glass and one big chip at 8,000 miles. I have not changed my driving and have never occurred this many window defects. I believe the window to be not properly annealed or treated in the furnace or it is just too thin.
Related recalls
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.
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.
Body complaints in other Soul years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2010 Kia Soul?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the body & structure of the 2010 Kia Soul, 16% of the model year's 135 complaints. The component named most often is body (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Kia Soul body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 14V-822 (roof and pillars, Dec 29, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2010 Kia Soul body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 3,000 miles, and 88% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 2 fires and 1 injury to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.