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2014 Kia Soul: headlights failing or too dim

125 of the 904 complaints about the 2014 Kia Soul describe headlights failing or too dim.

owner complaints
125
of this car's complaints
14%
typical mileage
68,000
recalls
0
Is there a fix? 5 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Headlights failing or too dim by model year

What owners say

Filed Oct 7, 2025 · Lights · FL

Headlights seem to flicker off and on while using turn signals. Dash lights will brighten during the incident as well.

Filed Sep 24, 2024 · Lights · 100,000 miles · KY

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at night, the front passenger’s side low-beam headlight failed to illuminate as needed. The contact stated that while activating the high-beam headlights, the driver’s side high-beam headlight failed to illuminate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who determined that the driver’s and passenger’s side headlight assemblies had overheated and melted. The headlight assemblies and light bulbs were replaced but the failure eventually reoccurred. The contact stated that the light bulbs and headlight assemblies were replaced on several occasions. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 100,000.

Filed Nov 27, 2023 · Engine · ND

on 11/11/2023: Engine failed/malfunctioned. Engine stalled while driving on the interstate. Traveling 75mph. I felt some sort of slight jolt, looked down at the dash and seen my check engine light blinking. There was not an exit nearby so I proceeded to pull over. As I pull over all lights had become illuminated but check engine light was not blinking anymore and I had first seen my headlights dim twice, next the radio went out, then headlights then my hazard lights and eventually everything turned off. This happened approximately around 10:00 pm and I had made it approximately 20 miles out of town. I felt it was too dangerous to step out of the vehicle. I called for a tow truck to bring my vehicle to the nearest kia and found a ride home myself. My safety was put at risk by being stalled on the side of the interstate with no power to even have the hazards on with high-speed vehicles passing by me. Kia of Fargo, ND inspected my vehicle and found no reason as to why my vehicle had stalled.What they did find was a historic code for my catalytic converter needing to be replaced, which I had brought up to them and they advised me to make an appointment. For approximately the past 2 years I have been bringing my vehicle in to the Kia of Fargo concerning the amount of oil my vehicle is going through between oil changes. Sometimes it seems like the amount of oil "burned" varies but sometimes I can’t even make it until my next oil change without having to add oil into the vehicle. I have had multiple oil consumption tests completed. Which some of them did come up excessive. From there, they recommended to have an overnight cleaning but I did not notice that this did any improvement. The last oil consumption test completed I was told over the phone that my vehicle did not quite hit the mark where warranty would be able to cover it. I was told that I lost about a quart of oil and then I asked how much you have to lose and they said over a quart... attachments wont load. email

Filed Nov 7, 2023 · Lights · SC

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at night at 45–50 MPH, the headlights became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over, and the headlights returned to operation but were flickering. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the connectors had melted and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The contact stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency ID Number: 10170778 (Exterior Lighting). The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Jul 19, 2023 · Lights · FL

Since September 2015 the car Headlamps malfunctioned. I made several trips to the Dealer and was told they are not able to duplicate my complaint. Presently while driving the headlights will go off and by bumping the multi-Function light switch, they would come back on. Please see attached letter & service detail that was sent to Kia without resolution.

Filed Apr 20, 2023 · Electrical, Engine · MI

Since I bought this car, I have experienced hesitation, stalling, high RPM idle, fluctuating idle, burning smell, lurching, running though gas very fast (not due to increased driving), engine noises, dash panel half lighting up, hard to accelerate when the headlights are on, or heat, or air con, odd noises..and through this entire time, check engine light comes on and off and on and off...along with my gas gauge saying empty when its full. I have reported ALL of this throughout the entire time since all bought it. Every single time they say "software update" and send me home with nothing ever fixed. EVER. Now again check engine and false fuel reading, hesitations, etc....again! This engine and fuel pump is bad and explains all of my complaints since 10kmiles. My car has under 80k mi on it, its been a lemon from the start. Hesitation with no pick-up at an intersection and noises....just beyond dangerous. I have not driven my car on the freeway in 5 years because itis not safe, but Kia NEVER checks out problems. They charge for inspection and say "software update". Its maddening.

Filed Aug 29, 2022 · Lights · NC

My headlights flicker or shut off intermittently when driving at night. Sometimes it seems to be associated with using my turn signal. Sometimes it seems to be associated with going from dim to bright headlights. I took my car to the dealer who said that KIA has an extended warranty to cover this repair. But when the dealer's service department could not reproduce the situation in the shop, then said KIA would not pay for the repair. I contacted KIA consumer affairs and was given a case number (14989817). After two weeks I finally was contacted and the policy was repeated by KIA. I explained that the problem was intermittent but they would not do anything on their end because the dealer could not diagnose the issue in shop.

Filed Aug 3, 2022 · Lights · TX

Driver's side headlight flickering on and off at times. Inspected wiring and it looks like the harness socket is burning out. It looks like this is a common problem with this car and can prove to be a safety issue if your lights go out while driving

Filed Mar 6, 2022 · Lights · CA

2014 Kia Soul: Noticed some pretty dim headlights. In checking them out the lens over the headlight has orange peal cracking. On the inside. Took it to Kia dealer where I bought it with a 10 year bumper to bumper insurance policy. They told me it is not covered. To go ahead and call myself and find out. Still waiting for an answer. This is a definite safety issue. I only have 35,112 miles on it. Not happy...

Filed Sep 4, 2021 · Electrical, Lights · TX

My dash lights would flash bright and dim randomly while driving at first. A few weeks later my headlights would flicker from high beam to low beam and dash lights would still flicker. Now about a month into this my headlights still flicker but they have even turned off all while driving and I was told my brake lights go off as well ,dash lights still flicker and my a/c will not work/blow randomly so it seems to be involving electrical .

Filed Jun 25, 2021 · Electrical, Engine · CA

The vehicle had a strange smell ever since we got it a few years back. Earlier in the month, the headlight and dashlight would flicker with the turn signal. We looked it up and set up an apppointment with a local Kia dealership for recall on this issue. Then this week, the engine suddenly quit while the car was parked. The vehicle wouldn't start at all. Kia was notified and they said that there was another recall on engine SC200 on this vehicle that was just announced earlier this year. Online lookup also revealed that the smell issue can be from burning oil or a leak into catalytic converter. Other Kia cars from the same years have also said to have had these issues. Then an OBD II check showed the codes 7E8 and 7E9 which has been noted online by other customers as engine problem recall for which Kia has replaced their engine free of charge.

Filed Jun 16, 2021 · Engine · 93,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine) and a manufacturer's product improvement campaign software update however, the failure occurred. The contact stated that on three separate occasions while driving at 60 mph, there was a rattling sound heard then the vehicle loss motive power without warning. The instrument panel light and front driver’s and passenger’s side headlights flickered on and off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that there was a rod bearing knocking code that appeared on the code reader however, there were no oil leaks found. An oil consumption test was performed which found that the vehicle consumed a quart of oil for every thousand miles. An engine test was also performed, which the vehicle passed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no warranty coverage and advised the contact to drive the vehicle until the engine seized. The failure mileage was 93,000.

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the 2014 Kia Soul headlights

Is headlights failing or too dim a common problem on the 2014 Kia Soul?

125 of 904 owner complaints about the 2014 Kia Soul (14%) mention headlights failing or too dim. 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 5 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 136Stalling 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 7Brake failure 7Power steering loss 7Grinding brakes 6Fuel pump 6Airbag light 5

All model years of the Kia Soul

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