2014 Kia Soul Exterior Lighting Problems

NHTSA component category: EXTERIOR LIGHTING · data through 07/12/2026

124Exterior Lighting complaints

14%Of all 888 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 exterior lighting ranks on this vehicle

ENGINE544 · 61.3%

EXTERIOR LIGHTING124 · 14%

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM93 · 10.5%

Unspecified / other81 · 9.1%

POWER TRAIN56 · 6.3%

Share of the 888 complaints citing each category; one complaint can cite several. Full breakdown on the 2014 Kia Soul overview page.

What owners report

“MY HEADLIGHTS GO ON AND OFF AT RANDOM. THEY WILL GO OFF WHILE DRIVING. THEY FLICKER AND THEN GO OFF FOR A FEW SECONDS.”NHTSA complaint 11102262 — filed 06/18/2018

“THE HEADLIGHT SOCKET HAS MELTED AND THIS CAUSES THE VEHICLES HEADLIGHT ON THE DRIVER SIDE TO GO OUT WITHOUT WARNING. THIS HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE A…”NHTSA complaint 11101271 — filed 06/11/2018

“WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT MY HEADLIGHTS FLICKER A FEW TIMES THEN COMPLETELY GO OUT. IT'S SCARY! THEY GO BACK ON SHORTLY AFTER BUT I'M AFRAID…”NHTSA complaint 11096909 — filed 05/20/2018

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

Exterior Lighting complaints by year filed

Frequently asked questions

Does the 2014 Kia Soul have exterior lighting problems?

Exterior Lighting is the #2 most-reported problem area on the 2014 Kia Soul: 124 of 888 complaints on file (14%). Complaints are unverified owner reports, not confirmed defects.

How many complaints does the 2014 Kia Soul have in total?

888 complaints were on file with NHTSA as of 07/12/2026. Across all categories, 33 involved a crash, 68 involved a fire, 27 reported injuries, and 1 reported deaths.

What does NHTSA's exterior lighting category include?

NHTSA assigns each complaint to standard component categories; this page reports the EXTERIOR LIGHTING 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.