Spare Tire problems of the 2012 Kia Motor Soul

The vehicle does not come with a spare tire of any kind. Instead you are given a small air compressor and a can of tire sealant. This will not help if you have a complete tire blow out. In that instance you would need to have the vehicle towed and taken to a tire dealer. If you are in a remote area, with no cell phone coverage you are stranded. (in my case, the dealer did not tell me that there was no spare. I discovered it after I'd had the vehicle for 2 months. ).

The 2012 kia Soul does not come with a spare tire, instead it comes with a can of fix- a- flat and a air pump. There is no jack either. The flat may be fixed if the damage is on the tread and the hole is under 1/4 inch in diameter. If the damage is on the sidewall or greater than 1/4 inch, the vehicle has to be towed. For those people that have no cell phone or are in an area that gets no reception they will be stranded until another motorist comes along and these days most motorists don't stop for other drivers. Kia offers road side assistance with the vehicle, but if you are traveling in a remote area, in the southwest (like death valley for example) what do you do without a spare? if your cell phone quits, you're done. Even if you have aaa, their driver will have to tow the vehicle as he won't have a spare either. I purchased a spare,jack, and tools for a 2011 kia Soul when I realized I had no spare. Kia told me that all the manufactures have gone to the fix- a -flat and pump verses the donut spare and jack. There are going to be a lot of angry people when they start realizing they don't have a spare and they are in the middle of nowhere and can't get a cell signal. My concern is traveling at night in remote areas and becoming pray to other motorist with not so good intentions. I think this is a potential disaster waiting to happen. Most drivers don't check for a spare when they buy a new vehicle, they just assume it has one. This is a very dangerous trend. If nothing else happens at least look into making kia provide a disclaimer before the vehicle is sold. I found out after I purchased the vehicle.