2012 Kia Soul steering problems
166 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the steering on the 2012 Kia Soul — 32% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“When I turn my steering wheel left or right there is a very large margin before the tires turn it rattles back and forth back and forth as I'm driving down the street no control for at least three degrees and either direction, also my front of the vehicle turn signals pop out and fall out to the…”
filed Jun 18, 2026
“I have a used kia soul 2012 which I bought 3 years ago. It's steering column has started making strange clicking noises when I turn the wheel left and right. I went to KIA dealership, they inspected the steering column and said it's gonna cost me $1200. They said it's not covered under "recall"…”
filed Feb 2, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Steering problems in other Soul years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 Soul | 1 | 4% |
| 2023 Soul | 8 | 17% |
| 2022 Soul | 2 | 2% |
| 2021 Soul | 9 | 4% |
| 2020 Soul | 16 | 4% |
| 2019 Soul | 5 | 4% |
| 2018 Soul | 5 | 2% |
| 2017 Soul | 10 | 4% |
| 2016 Soul | 30 | 4% |
| 2015 Soul | 44 | 5% |
| 2014 Soul | 55 | 6% |
| 2013 Soul | 150 | 23% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2012 Kia Soul
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.