I was driving my 2014 Kia Soul on Friday 12/12 when without any warning the brakes went out. Thankfully I was able to get it to a parking lot without incident and requested a tow. After having it repaired, the mechanics stated the brake lines completely popped due to brake line corrosion. After researching this issue, I found that my Kia Soul had a Voluntary Service Campaign recall regarding the exact corrosion on the brake lines that would likely be responsible for this catastrophic failure. I was never notified of this possibility despite having my car routinely serviced in NJ and VA. This is a huge oversight on Kia’s behalf – other people with this make and model need to be notified that there could be unseen corrosion happening. Fortunately, I wasn’t on the highway when the brakes went out and thanks to my careful navigation I was able to avoid getting into an accident with others on the road at the time my brakes suddenly failed. Afterwards, I called Kia and requested reimbursement as this was a recall that I was never notified for but they refused as my VIN was not listed under the VSC. Due to the catastrophic nature of the failure and the potential for damage to property, severe injury, or loss of life, I am notifying the federal safety agency in hopes of escalating this issue and to raise awareness for other Kia Soul drivers. Prior to this incident, NO lights, NO audible warning, OR other signs of impending failure occurred. Had I been notified of this issue through the inclusion in the VSC, I would have been able to take steps to preemptively address this issue and avoid the associated risk of operating such a potentially compromised vehicle.
2014 Kia Soul: brake failure
7 of the 904 complaints about the 2014 Kia Soul describe brake failure.
- owner complaints
- 7
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- recalls
- 0
Brake failure by model year
- 20231
- 20213
- 20201
- 20191
- 20181
- 20173
- 20164
- 20157
- 20147
- 20131
- 20122
- 20111
- 20101
What owners say
Brakes failed my husband (primary driver of the KIA vehicle) came home from work on 8/19/2024. He pulled off at the local mechanic. Brakes were rusty and there was rust in the brake line so we had to replace. Rusty brakeline became a voluntary recall because it was not just our car that had this problem. We have been going back and forth with Kia since June notice (their case #XXX) and they are blaming the criteria of their voluntary recall with the federal safety agency that says that you can only get reimbursed if you can return the parts and document that they were the original manufacturer's parts that were replaced. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Upon backing the Kia out of my driveway the brakes failed completly. Upon removing the brake line shield I found extensive corrosion of the brake line resulting in a massive fluid loss. There is a Voluntary Service Campaign by Kia Motors for this issue. But, it only pertains to automobiles driven in high road salt usage states. I live on the coast of Alabama where the air is laden with salt. In fact our building codes here require the utilization of only stainless steel fastners due to this effect. In my opinion this recall should include the coast of Alabama. I did speak with Kia (Case number 25706168) but they could offer no remedy as my car was not operated in a high road salt state.
Went to back out of driveway noticed puddle of water substance near right passenger door grd. Thought possibly from AC unit, I had been previously out and about. Few days later went to leave no brakes! Had it towed, currently at dealership, so far report crack in brake line not sure yet why. Scary this could have been tragic.
When I was at work and driving in the parking lot the brake pedal went to the floor. I realized that I didn't have any brakes so I used my emergency brakes to stop. I checked and looked to find the problem: the pressure brake line was leaking under the car before the gas tank. I got my vehicle towed home by AAA. The next day I called the local dealership for the part and they didn't have one and said they could not get one. I waited for the snow to clear here in NC and for the weather to warm up before attempting to replace the line, my next option was the vehicle recycling center (Junk Yard). When I went to look at same-year models and vehicles, they were all rusted in the same place. Please look into this problem before someone gets killed.
When first taking off in it in the mornings, it jumps and goes very fast and reverse. There’s no control in it. I have no brakes they go all the way down so the car just like flies backwards when I’m backing out of my garage I don’t even even have to hold the gas it’s going it’s gonna fly out anyway and when it does that the brakes go completely completely to the floor.
Intermittent loss of brakes (no pressure, straight to the floor, pumping does not help), extremely difficult to replicate on command. After loss of brakes in a parking lot, then at an intersection, replaced all rotors/pads, master cylinder and no leaks or other warning signs. Given issue with replication, never received a diagnostic code after 4 weeks of trying. Replaced ABS system, as only option left to fix a braking issue, and issue appears to be resolved. Kia has had problems with ABS modules but only recalled for certain vehicles with fire hazard. Spent thousands of dollars trying to resolve this issue and could not drive due to safety hazard for over 1 month while trying to figure out the problem.
Service bulletins that may apply
- Voluntary service campaign: owner renotification (SC334
- Voluntary service campaign: underbody inspection & anti-corrosion material application (SC334)
- Voluntary service campaign: owner notification (SC334)
- Voluntary service campaign: dealer principal memo (SC334)
- Voluntary service campaign: dealer parts and service manager memo (SC334)
- Voluntary service campaign: question and answer (SC334)
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2014 Kia Soul brake failure
Is brake failure a common problem on the 2014 Kia Soul?
7 of 904 owner complaints about the 2014 Kia Soul (1%) mention brake failure. The model year with the most reports is 2014.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2014 Kia Soul?
There are 0 recalls and 6 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2014 Kia Soul
Check engine light 215Engine failure 158Knocking 136Headlights 125Stalling 111Oil consumption 101Loss of power 75Fire or smoke 68Overheating 29Misfire 22Hesitation 20Jerking 19Won't shift 18No deployment 16Won't start 16Fuel smell 14Adaptive cruise 12Warning lights 12Harsh shifting 11Steering noise 9ABS 8Battery drain 7Power steering loss 7Grinding brakes 6Fuel pump 6Airbag light 5
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