25 of 109 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
No elevated drivetrain complaint concentration in the available NHTSA records for the 2010 Kia Soul. Engine, transmission and fuel system account for 23% of relevant complaints.
Better than 82% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 26 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 19%).
Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.
What owners reported
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,STRUCTURE08/24/2010FIRECRASH1 INJURED
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…
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM10/02/2025
Gas tank mounting are rusting and are not the correctly plated
ENGINE02/07/2024
Scanner can not communicate with the ecm/tcm U0101 code shifting issues starting issues
Three of 25 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (3)
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 headli…
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 200…
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 …
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2010 Kia Soul
No elevated drivetrain pattern for this model year. That describes the model, not the car in front of you.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose.
3 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A transmission already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle.
