2013 Kia Soul Problems

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 119,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Ask the seller not to warm the car up, and start it cold. Listen for ticking, knocking or a rough idle in the first minute.
• Pull the oil dipstick and the oil cap. Low oil, a gasoline smell or a milky film on the cap are reasons to walk away or get an inspection.
• Plug in an OBD2 scanner. Stored or pending codes matter, and so do readiness monitors that show "not ready", which usually means the codes were cleared right before the sale.
• Ask for oil change records. A gap in the records on a model known for engine complaints is a negotiating point at minimum.

Tools that help

What owners said

While driving my 2013 Kia Soul 1.6L GDI on the highway, the vehicle suddenly lost significant engine power and the Check Engine Light began flashing. The sudden loss of power at highway speed created a safety concern because I could no longer maintain normal highway speed with surrounding traffic. I exited the highway and drove home at…Owner complaint, filed 2026

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 23V652000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) and 19V120000 (ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was restarted, and the check…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 127,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 70,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Turn the wheel lock to lock while parked and listen for groaning, clicking or binding.
• On a straight road the car should track straight with the wheel centered and no loose feeling.
• A power steering warning on the dash, even briefly, deserves a mechanic’s look before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

There is play in the steering wheel. Mechanic advised me a small plastic o ring holds steering wheel steady but I can’t just replace the o ring. Said I have to replace a lower a arm to get the o ring. He thinks it is a design flaw. It had no been fixed. I drive with the wiggle.Owner complaint, filed 2026

I've had no issues with the vehicle until 2 years ago when the steering column began getting incredibly loose. I can turn the wheel 10 degrees before turning. Now the car can no longer go above 40 MPH because the steering wheel will shake violently and the front end will vibrate and it feels like it will flip. I've read that it's most…Owner complaint, filed 2026

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 76,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The pedal should feel firm and the car should stop straight without pulling, grinding or a pulsing pedal.
• The ABS and stability control lights should go out after startup and stay out.
• Look through the wheels at the rotors. A deep lip on the edge means brakes are due soon, which is a fair thing to negotiate on.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, turned off, and unoccupied, the contact heard a noise outside and discovered that the vehicle had caught on fire near the engine compartment. The contact extinguished the fire using water and salt. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign…Owner complaint, filed 2026, at 222,892 miles

The contact owned a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked at night, the neighbor knocked on the door approximately 4:00 AM in the morning to alert the contact that the vehicle was on fire in the driveway. The contact went outside and saw that the front of the vehicle was on fire. The contact believed that…Owner complaint, filed 2025, at 200,000 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 61,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Test every switch: windows, locks, mirrors, seat heaters, the screen, the backup camera, Bluetooth and every USB port.
• Watch the dash at startup. Every warning light should come on briefly and then go out.
• Have the battery and charging system tested. A weak alternator or battery drain shows up here.

Tools that help

What owners said

Recall since I got the car but never been able to afford to bring it go he fixed. Single mother of 2 boys. Both autistic, one age [XXX] and one age [XXX] . INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)Owner complaint, filed 2025

My 2013 Kia Soul has been recalled for HYDRAULIC ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (HECU) which can RESULT IN AN ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE WHILE DRIVING OR PARKED since September of 2023. I was advised to park my vehicle away from the house and wait for a solution from Kia. It has been 6 months that I have been unable to drive my vehicle. Kia states…Owner complaint, filed 2024

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 102,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Smell around the engine bay and under the rear of the car for raw fuel.
• On the test drive, accelerate firmly from a stop and up a grade. Stumbling, surging or a flashing check engine light are red flags.
• Fuel pump recalls are common. Check this exact VIN for open recalls before you buy.

Tools that help

What owners said

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 the dealer. The…Owner complaint, filed 2022, at 105,000 miles

2013 kia soul, just at 90kmiles, consuming motor oil at a rate of .75 quarts per 1000 miles according to kia dealer conducting three oil consumption tests. Kia contends this is normal. Changed pcv valve during second oil consumption test with no effect on oil consumption. The car is driven around town, moderate distances, daily. The oil…Owner complaint, filed 2020, at 87,578 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 28,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Check every light: headlights on low and high, fog lights, brake lights, turn signals and reverse lights.
• Run the wipers on every speed with washer fluid, and run the defroster front and back.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the low beam headlights started to flicker off and on. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 110,000.Owner complaint, filed 2024, at 110,000 miles

Unknown, I was just sitting at a red light and my back glass just shattered out of nowhere, I got out and looked to see if anything hit but there wasn’t a sign, I feel very unsafe in this vehicle between the recall and now my back window just shatteringOwner complaint, filed 2023

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 49,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• The air bag (SRS) light should come on at startup and go out within a few seconds. If it stays on, the system may not work in a crash.
• Air bag recalls are some of the most serious. Check this exact VIN for open recalls and get proof any recall work was done.

Tools that help

What owners said

On 1-16-25 I was involved in a vehicle crash in which the airbags "did not" deploy. The vehicle is at my home, the brakes locked also. I have photos. No inspection to my knowledge. Yet. Insurance claim was filed. I do not have a police report yet. No warning lights or sensors.Owner complaint, filed 2025

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 manufacturer was made aware of the…Owner complaint, filed 2023

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 25,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• On the test drive, press the gas gently and firmly. The response should be smooth with no lag or surge.
• Set the cruise control, then use resume and cancel to make sure each one works.

Tools that help

What owners said

While driving my 2013 Kia Soul, it has turned off while I was sitting still several times this month. The RPM gauge has stopped working and than my vehicle would not drive, actually it was driving very slow and not getting enough power to go the normal speed. Also now my cruise control does not come on any longer. I took my vehicle to a…Owner complaint, filed 2025

Car wasn’t always turning over right away. When it would, sluggish acceleration meaning gas pedal to floor and slow acceleration. Could have caused major accident when crossing traffic or joining traffic. Car turned off when at busy intersection twice when idling. Could have caused to be rear ended. Auto shop cleaned terminal 6. Stated…Owner complaint, filed 2022

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 18,000 miles. Parts named most: Body (11).

What to check before you buy

• Look underneath with a flashlight. Utah road salt is hard on frames, brake lines and the bottoms of doors.
• Open and close every door, the hood and the liftgate, and lock and unlock each one.
• Use a paint thickness gauge and compare panels. A panel that reads very differently from the rest has likely been repaired.

Tools that help

What owners said

Spontaneous paint loss down to the bare metal. Yesterday I noticed a large fist-sized paint loss on top of my car above the drivers side. There is no damage to the area just the paint loss out of nowhere. I also noticed a couple of tiny paint losses somewhat near the large loss, which are about 1/2 the size of a peppercorn. I'm confident…Owner complaint, filed 2021

As my wife was entering eastbound us expressway 83 (interstate 2) just west of minnesota road (approximate time 5:15 pm) the hood flew open and damaged the windshield and hood. The car was safely pulled over but the hood was so damaged that it had to be removed in order to drive the car home. The car had only been driven approximately…Owner complaint, filed 2017, at 69,129 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 108,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive it from cold if you can. Shifts should be smooth in every gear, including reverse.
• Feel for slipping (revs rise without the car speeding up), shudder at low speed and a delay when you put it in gear.
• Listen for whining, which is a common CVT complaint, and clunks when you go from drive to reverse.
• If it has 4WD or AWD, engage it on the test drive and ask when the transmission and differential fluids were last changed.

Tools that help

What owners said

Excessive oil consumption, burning a quart of oil a week. Mechanic looked my car there aren't any oil leaks, said car is burning oil.Owner complaint, filed 2023

I bought my Kia 1 year ago. When I bought it I was told the transmission needed a software update and that’s why it shifts so hard. Took it to Kia dealer and they installed. Didn’t fix the problem. Took to two other mechanics and had the transmission replaced and it’s still shifting so hard that your whole body jerks forward. Nobody can…Owner complaint, filed 2023

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 43,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Drive over a few bumps and potholes slowly with the radio off and listen for clunks or rattles.
• Check the tires for uneven wear on the inside or outside edges, a sign of alignment or suspension trouble.
• Look behind the wheels for oily, wet shocks or struts.

Tools that help

What owners said

Driver's seat collapsed in the center. The car likes to fishtail on bumpy roads causing some loss of control. The car vibrates at 60 plus MPHOwner complaint, filed 2020, at 60,000 miles

Vehicle skitters and fishtails when going over 40 MPH on bumpy roads, especially curves. The ESC seems to correct the skittering immediately, but it is quite scary. So far, this has happened only on dry pavement. I don't know what would happen on wet or icy pavement.Owner complaint, filed 2015, at 3,000 miles

What to check before you buy

• Pull out and latch every seat belt, and let each one retract on its own.
• Try every seat adjuster, and watch for a passenger air bag "off" light when an adult is in the seat.

Tools that help

What owners said

The contact owns a 2013 kia soul. The contact stated that while exiting the vehicle, the seat belt retractor failed to retract the seat belt. The failure caused the seat belt buckle to be caught inside the door frame of the vehicle and was bent. The contact stated that the buckle no longer fits into the receiver. The vehicle was taken to…Owner complaint, filed 2019, at 37,504 miles

After buckling the seat belt on the front passenger seat and going down the road if you try to lean forward one finds that the seat belt is locked and will not permit any movement you have to release the seat belt and then return it to its parked position and then pull it back out again. Once that has been done you can move forward or…Owner complaint, filed 2015, at 4,512 miles

Half of the owners who gave a mileage had the problem by about 27,000 miles.

What to check before you buy

• Read the four-digit DOT date on each tire. Tires older than about six years should be replaced, whatever the tread looks like.
• Check tread depth on all four. On AWD vehicles all four tires should match.
• The tire pressure light should go out after startup.

Tools that help

What owners said

P 195 / 65 R 15 There seems to be an issue with the tires (4) staying inflated My safety was put at risk because vehicle wobbles when I get to a certain speed and I have to constantly put air in the tire daily The problem has been reported to carmax in Stockbridge GA The mechanic has inspected the tires I did not get any warnings about…Owner complaint, filed 2023

Car has 24k miles on it. During a trip the car began to wobble driving on the interstate. I noticed the tire had a bulge on it. I replaced it. The car still wobbled. I took it to a kia dealership and they said another of the tires had gone bad, but it should get me home. I had a blowout on that tire on the way home also driving on the…Owner complaint, filed 2017, at 24,560 miles

What to check before you buy

• Where it is safe, try the adaptive cruise and lane keeping on the test drive and watch for sudden braking or warnings with nothing there.
• Check the windshield in front of the camera and the bumper sensors for cracks, chips or poor repairs.
• Ask whether the windshield has been replaced. The camera has to be recalibrated afterward, and many shops skip it.

Tools that help

What owners said

On Sunday l was driving my car and the car started making noise at green light when l try to press on the accurate to go forward to get to the green light. I try to get though the green light but the car shut off on me in the middle of the intersection. Started the car back up and try to accurate again but was only able move a little bit…Owner complaint, filed 2024

I was driving doing about 30 mph and hit a boulder and came to complete stop and my air bags did not deploy. And there is another feature vogue or on star that is spouse to call for help did not go off either.Owner complaint, filed 2022