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2011 Kia Soul Electrical System Problems

NHTSA component category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · data through 07/12/2026

28Electrical System complaints
14.5%Of all 193 complaints
#2Most-reported category

Source: U.S. NHTSA complaint data. Complaints are unverified reports from vehicle owners — a complaint is not a confirmed defect.

How electrical system ranks on this vehicle

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM28 · 14.5%
AIR BAGS25 · 13%
ENGINE24 · 12.4%
Unspecified / other21 · 10.9%

Share of the 193 complaints citing each category; one complaint can cite several. Full breakdown on the 2011 Kia Soul overview page.

What owners report

“CAR WAS IDLE FOR ONLY 3 DAYS BATTERY WAS ONLY 12 30 DAYS OLD CAR WONT START NOT MATTER LIGHT WERE ON, RADIO WOULD PLAY…”NHTSA complaint 11352683 — filed 09/02/2020
“THE HORN ONLY WORKS WHEN IT WANTS TO, I CAN NOT FIND A REASON FOR THIS. DOES NOT MATER IF CAR IS RUNNING OR NOT…”NHTSA complaint 11298308 — filed 01/10/2020
“INTERMITTENT HORN. SOMETIMES IT WORKS, SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T. IN DOING RESEARCH, I HAVE NOTICED A LOT OF COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME THING. WHY HAS THIS…”NHTSA complaint 11192166 — filed 03/28/2019

Excerpts are shortened and scrubbed of personal details; they are individual, unverified reports.

Electrical System complaints by year filed

220111201212013120151201622017320181201942020520236202412026

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2011 Kia Soul have electrical system problems?

Electrical System is the #2 most-reported problem area on the 2011 Kia Soul: 28 of 193 complaints on file (14.5%). Complaints are unverified owner reports, not confirmed defects.

How many complaints does the 2011 Kia Soul have in total?

193 complaints were on file with NHTSA as of 07/12/2026. Across all categories, 27 involved a crash, 5 involved a fire, 29 reported injuries, and 1 reported deaths.

What does NHTSA's electrical system category include?

NHTSA assigns each complaint to standard component categories; this page reports the ELECTRICAL SYSTEM category exactly as NHTSA defines and records it.

About this data — Complaint figures on this page are consumer reports submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a U.S. government agency. NHTSA does not verify individual complaints; a complaint is not proof that a defect exists, and counts reflect what owners chose to report, not confirmed failure rates. Recall information comes from official NHTSA safety recall campaigns; recall repairs are free at authorized dealers. Always check your specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. CarModelProblems.com is an independent site and is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. Data through 07/12/2026.