NHTSA Safety Recalls
2012 Kia Soul Recalls
The 2012 Kia Soul has 3 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on September 25, 2023.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2012 Kia Soul. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 3
- Owner complaints
- 515
- Crashes reported
- 25
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
23 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2012 Kia Soul, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
3 recalls on the 2012 Kia Soul
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module
- Campaign
- 23V652000
- Reported
- September 25, 2023
- Vehicles affected
- up to 1,730,192
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire and injury
- NHTSA advisory
- park outside, away from buildings
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013 Soul, 11 other models
Engine
- Campaign
- 19V120000
- Reported
- February 22, 2019
- Vehicles affected
- up to 378,967
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and fire
- Same campaign
- also 2013–2016 Soul
Structure: body: roof and pillars
- Campaign
- 14V822000
- Reported
- December 29, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 95,314
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2011, 2013 Soul
2012 Kia Soul complaints by year
NHTSA has received 515 owner complaints about the 2012 Kia Soul, the newest on October 22, 2026. Of these, 25 describe a crash (5%) and 23 a fire; owners reported 25 injuries and 2 deaths.
In complaints about the 2012 Kia Soul, the component group named most often is the engine (41%), followed by the steering (32%) and the electrical system (7%).
1 of the 2012 Kia Soul's 3 recalls also concerns the engine.
Where 2012 Kia Soul owners gave the mileage (309 complaints), the median was 87,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Engine210
- Steering166
- Unknown Or Other39
- Electrical System38
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic34
- Engine And Engine Cooling32
Complaints received, by year
| 2011 | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 19 | |
| 2013 | 19 | |
| 2014 | 7 | |
| 2015 | 13 | |
| 2016 | 8 | |
| 2017 | 25 | |
| 2018 | 50 | |
| 2019 | 96 | |
| 2020 | 43 | |
| 2021 | 50 | |
| 2022 | 47 | |
| 2023 | 62 | |
| 2024 | 39 | |
| 2025 | 22 | |
| 2026 | 12 |
Complaints about the 2012 Kia Soul peaked in 2019, when NHTSA received 96. 12% arrived between 2011 and 2015, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2012 vehicles, the 2012 Kia Soul drew 0.9× the complaints of the median Kia Soul year in the same window: 9th highest of the 13 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★☆
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 515 complaints about the 2012 Kia Soul are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Kia Soul by model year
Other 2012 Kia models
Newest record on this page: October 22, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted