My 2024 Kia Soul has experienced three serious steering failures while driving since June 2026. The steering system suddenly malfunctioned, causing the steering wheel to become completely locked and leaving me unable to control the vehicle, putting my safety and the safety of other drivers and pedestrians at serious risk. During the last two incidents, the vehicle became completely undrivable and had to be towed to an authorized Kia dealership. During the most recent incident, dashboard warning lights appeared for approximately three seconds before the steering wheel locked completely. The vehicle has been at the dealership since October 10, 2026. Following the first two incidents, Kia replaced the alternator and addressed an overheating steering column control module. During the third incident, Kia diagnosed a battery issue and replaced the battery. Despite multiple repairs involving different components, the same potentially life-threatening steering failure has continued to recur, raising serious concerns about the vehicle's safety and reliability.
The worst 2024 Kia Soul problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Electrical9
- Driver assistance6
- Engine5
- Brakes2
- Lights2
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical9
- Driver assistance6
- Engine5
- Brakes2
- Lights2
- Steering2
- Transmission2
- Acceleration1
- Tires1
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Technical service bulletins for the 2024 Kia Soul 29
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Reimbursement form (WTY041)
- Owner notification (WTY041)
- Dealer principal memo (WTY041)
- Dealer parts and service manager memo (WTY041)
- Question and answer (WTY041)
- AVN gen 5.0 wide software update
- Front view camera replacement (CA2605)
- Key and cylinder set replacement
- Infotainment system software update using update.kia.com
- Pitstop: technical operations: external damage to ultrasonic sensor
2024 Kia Soul fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4‑cyl | FWD | 27-29 | 33-35 | 30-31 |
What 2024 Kia Soul owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The engine goes from rest to automatic shut down when you accelerate if the Auto rest for the engine at pause is enabled. Completely shutting downs the car when it’s supposed to be accelerating
The check engine light on my 2024 KIA Soul came on. I took the car to the dealer and had them check it. They said said that there were multiple problems with the transmission. They recommended that I have the transmission replaced. I had them replace the transmission for over 4,100 dollars. I bought the car brand new from KIA. I drive for Lyft and the car has 127,738 miles on it, but I think that a transmission should last longer than 2 years and 127,738 miles.
The car will not lock via the key fob or automatic door locks. When you turn off the ignition and open the drivers door it chimes and you can not lock the doors. It’s in park, and I turn the steering wheel. I’ve unplugged the negative battery, and had the fuses checked.
Had to make a panic stop in rain on interstate due to vehicle in front of me using emergency turn around (vehicle was not authorized to use). Brake pedal went down furthur than normal amd abs did not activate. Barely missed having an accident. Exiting 12 miles later brake pedal went to floor. Stopped (had to pump pedal repeatedly to stop as iy was going to floor) & checked brake fluid level. It looked low. Drove carefully home. Upon parking at home, 'Low brake fluid' light came on. Checked fluid in resevoir. Only one third was remaining.
The trunk/ back hatch and it will not open i have tried to use the key fob and nothing it just failed randomly. I went to open it and nothing happens. I have tried locking and unlocking and nothing. This is extremely dangerous because one if I need access to my spare I can't get to it. Also if there was a crash and someone had to pull me or my child out through the back we can not get out. Especially with children in the back seats.
Intermittent failure of multiple safety‑critical Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) while driving. Forward collision avoidance, lane safety, and other driver‑assist features disable simultaneously without warning.
This 2024 Kia soul, 2 issues 1. the instrument cluster does not show, when turning the vehicle on the instrument cluster is blank, meaning I cannot see the speed limit, how much fuel or use any adaptive features, braking, lane departure, cruise control, etc ****this creates a dangerous situation and I do not believe the car is safe to drive**** I see there is a recall for this issue on 2023 models Kia 23V298000 Kia SC270 2. Intermittent window issues with the automatic windows, when opening from the driver side the windows will not come back up, have to pull over and turn vehicle on and off and /or try to close the windows from each door individually I called to report this to Kia at [XXX] and asked them to repair both and they were not much help, I asked this be reported and am not confident the person will actually do so They did tell me there were issues already noted which I requested be raised to a technical service bulletin or a recall and extend the warranty for all affected vehicles thank you INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at night, the low beam headlights were very dim. The headlight control was set to automatic, but the dimness of the headlights was the same as when switched to manual control. The failure was not as noticeable while using the high beam headlights. The contact stated that the low beam headlights failed to properly illuminate in low-light areas. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The local dealer was contacted and advised the contact that there was no fix for the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.
My vehicle has less than 8K miles. This weekend my horn stopped working (a definite safety problem) and the signal that I had locked my car doors using my fob failed to work. The lights did flash to signal they were locked (I checked just to be sure!) I need to have the vehicle checked before part(s) can be ordered. That requires 2 trips to the dealer instead of one. I was told that this problem is a "recall under warranty". Kia isn't doing anything to keep their customers with this lack of service.
Compare the 2024 Kia Soul
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Other model years
2010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Questions about the 2024 Kia Soul
Is the 2024 Kia Soul reliable?
Owners have filed 31 complaints about the 2024 Kia Soul, fewer than a typical Soul model year.
What is the most common problem with the 2024 Kia Soul?
Electrical system, with 9 complaints. Next is driver assistance (6).
How many recalls does the 2024 Kia Soul have?
No recalls on record.
What year does the Kia Soul have the most electrical problems?
The Kia Soul model years with the most electrical complaints are 2014 (98 complaints), 2015 (75 complaints) and 2013 (73 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2024 Kia Soul get?
Official estimates for the 2024 Kia Soul range from 30 to 31 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.0L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 27-29 city and 33-35 highway.
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