KnownCarProblems2013 Kia Soul Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 666 complaints with NHTSA about the 2013 Kia Soul, most often about the engine (46% of complaints, typically around 119,000 miles). It is 4th of 16 Soul model years by number of complaints and has 3 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory1 recall for this car came with a park-outside warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2013 Kia Soul problems
Engine
305 complaints · 46%Half of these problems showed up before 119,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system, engine.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. While the vehicle was being operated, the contact heard a knocking sound coming from the engine. The contact researched the NHTSA website and concluded that the noise could be related to NHTSA campaign number: 19v120000 (engine and engine cooling). Paramount Kia of hickory (1205 s…
Fuel efficiency had declined greatly over past month. Car stopped working and had it towed. The Kia dealership replaced the started but said the engine had a knocking and needs replaced. Has only had Kia work on it and all regular maintenance has been done. Checked the recall and say my car is not covered, yet the…
Steering
152 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: column.
Clunk noise similar to recall affecting 2014-2016 vehicles, steering seems loose and a clunking noise is heard , the noise occurs in parki or in motion
At around 69k miles I had a new set of tires put on the car. When I got it back about a few days later I noticed when I was stopped a clicking noise that I could feel in the wheel. It seems to track straight down the road but has some slack in the wheel itself. Took the car back to pep boys and they said it was a know…
Brakes
99 complaints · 15%Half of these problems showed up before 72,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v652000 (service brakes, hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that…
When in motion the car would sputter and struggle to reach speeds over 30 MPH. Multiple times the check engine light would come on and read as a knock sensor. Replaced the knock sensor but the car continued to struggle to accelerate and would sputter. Took it to Kia and they discovered it was the hydraulic module.…
Electrical
71 complaints · 11%Half of these problems showed up before 61,000 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, alternator/generator/regulator, instrument panel.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. While driving 5 MPH, the radio shut off without warning. The dealer (heritage toyota catonville, 6324 baltimore national pike, baltimore, md 21228) stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure occurred several times. The manufacturer stated that since the vehicle was out…
Vehicle will just randomly not start. Get in car turn on key and nothing, lights, radio, ect all work, but car will not start. So far if you wait a short time and try again it starts and all is fine. I thought that it was the battery so I replaced it and all was good for about 6 months, and then about 2 weeks ago it…
Other or unspecified
61 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 98,500 miles.
My vehicle suffered NHTSA recall 19v120. Kia dealership refused to inspect for any engine damage that may have occurred. They just replaced the catalytic converter and did not inspect for any engine damage. The vehicle suffered from catalytic converter issues for over 3 years and they refused to say anything was wrong…
The passenger inside door handle is pealing and sharp the coating that's on the handle is coming off. The windshield wipers always making a horrible sound even when they are replaced
Fuel system
30 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 102,000 miles.
The vehicle stalled while driving and the engine light was illuminated. The car would crank after sitting for a moment and then the car would stall again while driving. This was very dangerous being that this was in traffic. In february, the car was stalling and when towed to the dealer they diagnosed as having bad…
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that upon his wife parking the vehicle, a strong fuel odor was coming from both inside and outside the vehicle without warning. Upon inspection, his wife discovered fuel spewing underneath the vehicle. The contact was called to the scene and the vehicle was towed to…
Air bags
18 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 49,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. While at a complete stop, another vehicle crashed into the front driver side of the contact's vehicle. The contact sustained whiplash that did not require medical attention. A police report was filed. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. In…
The contact owned a 2013 Kia Soul. While at a stop light, another vehicle crashed into the rear of the contact's vehicle. As a result, the vehicle flipped over to the other side of the road. The driver side air bag failed to deploy. The contact sustained injuries from the passenger air bag, causing metal fragments to…
Speed control
17 complaints · 3%Half of these problems showed up before 25,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
My car hesitates when I round a corner or turn on to a highway one day a truck was behind a 18 wheeler scared me and my passenger. Now for the last few months this car is shaking all the time not only when I stop but even when I am drive Kia in athens ga say they can not do anything about it. They say this is natural…
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start on several occasions without warning. The vehicle was able to be restarted by roadside assistance. The failure recurred. The contact also stated that when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to respond. The…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2013 Kia Soul recalls
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the hecu fuse, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed november 14, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed march 29, 2024 through june 18, 2024. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc284.
Full defect summary
Kia america, inc. (kia) is recalling certain 2010-2019 borrego, 2014-2016 cadenza, 2010-2013 forte, forte koup, sportage, 2015-2018 k900, 2011-2015 optima, 2011-2013 optima hybrid, soul, 2012-2017 rio, 2011-2014 sorento, and 2010-2011 rondo vehicles. The hydraulic electronic control unit (hecu) may experience an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Engine
Risk: Piston damage may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash. A broken connecting rod may puncture the engine block allowing engine oil to escape. The leaking oil may contact the exhaust, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will upgrade the catalytic overheating protection engine control unit logic to prevent overheating of the catalytic converter. In addition, the catalytic converter will also be replaced if it has been damaged. Depending on the extent of any damage, the engine may also be replaced, free of charge. The recall began april 17, 2019. Owners may contact kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is sc176.
Full defect summary
Kia motors america (kia) is recalling certain 2012-2016 kia soul vehicles equipped with 1.6l gasoline direct injection (gdi) engines. High exhaust gas temperatures may damage the catalytic converter, possibly resulting in abnormal engine combustion and damage to one or more of the engine's pistons and possible piston connecting rod failure.
Body and structure: roof and pillars
Risk: A detached headliner plate may increase the risk of injury to the occupant during a vehicle crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Hyundai and kia ABS module fires
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) has received eight hyundai motor america (hyundai) and eight kia america, inc. (kia) part 573 recall reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or hydraulic electronic control units (hecu) manufactured by the equipment supplier mando. The part 573 recall reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions for the same or similar equipment supplied by mando. Safety recalls included in this audit query (aq) review include: hyundai recalls 20v-520, 20v-543, 21v-161, 21v-160, 21v-303, 22v-056, 22v-810, and 23v-651. Kia recalls 16v-815, 20v-518, 20v-519, 21v
Engine fires
Summary
On march 29, 2019, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened two preliminary evaluations (pe19-003 on hyundai and pe19-004 on kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year hyundai and kia vehicles.â during the pe investigations, hyundai and kia issued several recalls to address vehicle fires, including those due to engine failures involving various engine types.â the remedies for the engine failure recalls typically involve engine inspection (to detect existing damage), and if necessary, engine replacement.â additionally, both manufacturers have been installing an engine control software modif
Non-crash vehicle fires
Summary
During this preliminary evaluation (pe), the office of defects investigation (odi) assessed the scope, frequency and potential safety-related consequences of non-crash vehicle fires caused by both engine failures and failures of other vehicle systems/components in model year (my) 2011-2014 kia optima, my 2011-2014 kia sorento and my 2010-2015 kia soul vehicles equipped with theta II, gamma, nu and lambda II engines (approximately 1.7 million vehicles). Odi also reviewed field and other data on other kia vehicles (approximately 3.6 million additional vehicles) equipped with the same engines used in the above-mentioned vehicles.as a result of this pe, kia has issued NHTSA recalls 20v-750 and 2
Non-crash vehicle fires
Summary
In a letter dated june 11, 2018, the center for auto safety (cas) petitioned the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) to initiate a safety defect investigation into non-collision related fires on model year (my) 2011-2014 kia optima and sorento, and hyundai sonata and santa fe vehicles. In a letter dated july 24, 2018, cas requested that my 2010-2015 kia soul vehicles be added to the petition. Cas stated that there is a higher number of complaints to NHTSA regarding non-crash fires on these vehicles compared to other similar vehicles. The office of defects investigation (odi) had already opened recall queries (rq17-003 and rq17-004) on all kia and hyundai vehicles equipped
Questions about the 2013 Kia Soul
- What are the most common problems with the 2013 Kia Soul?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (305 complaints, typically around 119,000 miles); steering (152 complaints, typically around 70,000 miles); brakes (99 complaints, typically around 72,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2013 Kia Soul have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from September 25, 2023 (brakes). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2013 a bad year for the Kia Soul?
- It is 4th of 16 Soul model years by number of complaints, with 666 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.