general problems of the 2012 Kia Motor Soul - part 1

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" policy. I don't have the money to fix it and I drive uber every day. This problem can cause accident or collision if the wheel column stops working on the road.

Steering makes a clicking noise and will pull either direction while driving straight. I took it to the dealership and they want me to pay for the repair. They state that the problem is the steering coupler. To me this is a safety issue, they said my warranty is expired so they wont cover the cost. I am afraid to drive it. It is also making my tires wear to fast and they are new.

Steering is slightly loose and thumps when turned to the right.

I have self diagnosed the problem thus far. The issue is with a severe hesitation in the steering wheel. . It started 3 days ago and is getting worse. I feel as though I will lose complete control of my vehicle at any time. I am scared to death to drive my car. I will contact my dealership in the morning for a professional diagnosis. Praying this is covered by extended warranty as I have no money for an expensive repair. My dealership is 25 miles away and I'm terrified to drive it that far. . If the steering fails, it will be a complete catastrophe.

In March 2023 I reported my keys stolen by a tow truck driver and in March 2025 I discovered my auto registration documents was forged by the auto dealer. The time in August 2024 my id was stolen and because of slander hpd refused to investigate. All of this was followed by more violence against me and I decided to move to another state. I believe my car has been tampered with as the reasons for the theft of the keys which have been replaced three times. Now I am having problems with the gear shifting. I believe someone is trying to slander me as a person with dementia to stop me from driving disrupting my life. No pictures of the harassment I have received but I have tried to take notes of certain events. My previous vehicle was kia Soul also, a newer model but it was totaled by a nigerian attorney’s son when the whole family was in the car. The police officer who wrote the crash report , the prosecuting attorney and my attorney and judge I believe were all paid off so that the son could walk free without penalties for hurting me and totaling my vehicle. I believe this harassment has gone too far and is actually threatening my life and others by being allowed to continue harassing me and cause damage to my vehicle. I need direction on how to take care of of this issue as why I have contacted NHTSA. I also believe this is age related discrimination issue with strong attempts to stop me from driving although I have an excellent record in three states with one traffic ticket. My recent oil change was an unpleasant event because the technician refused to do a battery replacement and allowed me to drive away in that condition although I explained earlier, I needed my car checked completely so safely to drive a trip out of town. I had to return to the repair shop and speak to the manager and get my car serviced again with a new battery. I hope you can direct me on how to resolve this issue to drive safely without harassment and personal property violations.

I am submitting this complaint regarding a known defect with the steering wheel coupler in my 2012 kia vehicle. The steering coupler is a component that has been subject to recall concerns due to premature wear. When this part becomes worn, it can result in looseness or failure in the steering system, creating a serious safety risk for the driver and others on the road. Despite this being a known and widely reported defect, kia has not adequately addressed the issue for all affected vehicles. Instead, owners are being charged significant out-of-pocket costs to replace a part that is defective by design and poses a safety hazard. I believe kia should be required to fully acknowledge this defect and provide repairs or replacement of the steering coupler at no cost to consumers. Charging customers to correct a known safety-related defect is inappropriate and places an unfair financial burden on vehicle owners while leaving a critical safety issue unresolved.

The contact owns a 2012 kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA id number: 10247553 (steering, structure, electrical system), and the vehicle intermittently failed to start. While driving at various speeds and while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle jerked and shut off unintendedly. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent; however, the failure mostly occurred while the radio or a/c was in use. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact used a diagnostic machine and retrieved a code for a failure with the ignition, and that an unknown software update was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

While driving kia 2012: it will suddenly quit running while driving. Loss of control of steering. Loss of electrical controls, brake lights, head lights & all electrical devices. Dangerous to drive.

Premature wear of the motor-driven power steering (mdps) flexible coupling. This wear causes a "knock" or "clunk" noise when turning the steering wheel, especially at a stop, and may be accompanied by a tight or loose steering feel.

The contact owns a 2012 kia Soul. The contact stated that while reversing and parking the vehicle, the steering wheel malfunctioned and became difficult to turn, and the driver was unable to control the direction of the vehicle, causing the rear passenger side wheel to strike the curb. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who diagnosed that the steering failure was due to a faulty ignition key. The keys were replaced, but later the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who indicated that the keys needed to be reprogrammed. The keys were reprogrammed. Later, while at the dealer the steering wheel failure reoccurred. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 45,000. The VIN was not available.

The attached mdps flexible coupling warranty announcement identifies "noise when turning the steering wheel" and later "especially when stopped" as the concern for which kia would authorize a repair within warranty. The same is in the attached technical service bulletin posted to your site. Identifying noise as the concern is deceptive, the noise arises from the fact that there is loss of synchony between the steering wheel and the steering. So, while while the car is in motion and the steering wheel is held steady, the wheels and steering turn somewhat in reaction to the road surface, at times alarmingly. I first became aware of this several weeks ago but am told by another driver(my child) that it's been happening for a while. My mechanic was aware of the issue and thought there was a related recall (which proved wrong), but still suggested I seek repair at kias responsibility as a safety concern. After having contacted kia customer service, I scheduled recall service (unelated items) with a kia dealer and added discussion of the steering to the visit (11. 25. 24) through kia customer service. In the course of that visit, the dealer indicated that the mdps would continue to deteriorate and could result in the steering locking up and offered to repair at my cost. At that same time, I was on the phone with kia seeking their responsibility and I declined the dealer's offer. Today I received an unsolicited telephone call from kia (jen-escalated case representative 520. 274. 1098. ) the purpose was to inform me that because I declined the dealer's offer to repair at my cost, any harm that might come from the defect is my responsibililty. Presumably, owner assumption of responsibilty is behind warranty announcement's instructing the recipient to provide the notice to new owner(s) in the event of ownership transfer. Please review this mdps defect for consideration for safety recall. Kia knows that noise is not the concern. I am glad to allow your inspection.

My kia Soul started having play in the steering and sounding clunky when driving. I took it in today to jeff eyler kia on mitchell Ave cincinnati ohio to do recalls and to check this out. They said I should replace the whole steering wheel. Online there are many complaints about this steering problem yet you have not made kia to recall. It seems that it is a plastic part coupler yet the kia dealer service is trying to get me to replace the whole column. What is being done about all these complaints. I see on the complaint website there has been 6 accidents and 2 deaths. Please do something.

Despite being assured for years by kia that my vehicle was not affected by this recall, I received a recall notice in December 2023 for the hecu. Now it is April, and my vehicle still is not repaired because kia still has not supplied the part required to fix this safety issue. Because of the high theft issue of my vehicle, I cannot park it outside and kia is now telling me I cannot park the vehicle inside because of fire hazard. I have had to pay a higher insurance premium just to keep my car insured and have even been denied insurance by farmers and progressive. I am afraid to drive my car and how am I supposed to afford another car? some dealers will not even consider the car as a trade in.

No warning but the steering is shaking a going out on turns. It almost didn't turn properly in oncoming traffic with children in the car. Kia refused to fix the "star flexible coupling" from their recall: wty013 or chao74revision2 or the mdps flex coupling replacement was not done by by kia as the allowed owners get a free repair. We didn't get notice and now the kia dealers refuse to fix this. Kia refuse to fix it or help. For the steering going out because the steering is shakey and is not stable, its unsafe, risky and my children are in the car. The repair notice was not received at the previous owner and we bought car and moved to FL. I want to complain that kia will not honour its recall and fix this. I want to use kia of ft. Walton beach, FL for the repair. Kia company has my case number 16336979 on 4/22/24.

Steering clicking, vibrations,.

The engines makes a weird chatter noise all the time.

The steering wheel began to shake violently at highway speed and when making turns. When stopped, the steering wheel make a clunking noise when moved from side to side. Mechanic said it was a worn flexible steering coupler in the steering wheel power steering unit. The car is dangerous to drive and only has 80,000 miles on it. I am told this issue is common in kia Souls and should be subject to a recall. ,.

2012 kia Soul - steering column makes horrible clicking / shaking noise when turning wheel. Car only has 36k miles on it. Kia has identified this repair nationally already and offered to extend warranty to 10 years / unlimited miles due to a failed motor driven power steering (mdps) flexible coupling. Turns out mine conveniently failed right outside of this 10 year mark and they allegedly mailed a letter in 2019 to a home address that I moved from 5 years ago, even though I have been to the kia dealership many times since, was never told of this and they had my updated address for sure. I firmly believe this is a safety issue and life or death situation as this is causing my car to shake on the roads / highway and for the steering handling to be extremely frightening to me when driving. Kia hq was called by me today on this and refuses to step up. They simply told me no exception and this is a customer paid repair. This repair is likely $ 500 and I am certainly not going to accept this when this should be a recall as it impacts steering !!!.

The steering flex coupler is worn down, making a loud clicking noise when the steering wheel is moved. The wheel shakes a lot when pressing the brake and the steering wheel begins to shake.

The steering coupler is worn on on my car. It causes the car to vibrate and a clunking sound to happen when driving. This is a common problem with kias but isn't covered by a recall.

Clicking and knocking when turning or just parked turning the steering wheel. I hear it’s a steering coupler issue with lots of kias and Hyundai’s that can be dangerous. Did I miss a recall, how do I get this taken care of?.

The vehicles steering wheel makes a clunking sound and there is a lot of play in it. It makes noise from left to right and vibrates at higher speeds. I have to drive with both hands gripping the wheel to hold it steady. I drive on the freeway at least once a week to visit my son and grandkids and now to nervous to drive it as it’s an hour drive. I am a senior and cannot afford to pay out of pocket. I’ve had my 2012 kia Soul since 2013. I bought it used with 22,000 miles on it. I now have reached the 100,000 mile mark. I paid $20,000 for this vehicle over time and now I need kia to step up and pay for this defect. Since it’s happening in almost all their cars it must be their fault. I don’t understand why they are not fixing the 2012’s but all other years are covered. That is a mistake that will kill someone soon and then they will have a lot more problems than they are facing now. They recently offered me a steering wheel lock so that my car can’t be stolen, that’s funny cause I don’t think that it would be worth stealing cause the steering is already compromised. Please get them to step up and take care of all their customers as it’s their fault. The part is a little rubber star thing that costs $8. 00 but labor is 400 dollars and up. Thank you for listening.

Power steering making clicking noise and loose steering.

My 2012 kia Soul has a problem with steering wheel make a clunking sound when move left to right and also when driving at speeds around 65mph steering wheel vibration we need a full recall on steering coupler.

Beginning of June 2023 started noticing a problem with steering wheel, rattles and feels loose when turning left or right. Kia dealership said its the flex coupling needs to be replaced can get worse to the point can't steer car. This should be a recall on this car. I've never had a car that had problem with steering, can be pretty serious if it can cause an accident. Im getting it inspected, will cost approximately $400. 00 to replace.

Steering wheel clunks and has "play" when turning left and right. I consider this to be a problem if it gets worse, possible loss of steering completely. Have looked on internet and found this problem is talked about. There are no warning lights or lamps displayed.

Steering column rattles and makes cracking noise.

There is a loud knocking noise coming from the steering motor/mechanism underneath the dash. The steering feels unstable when I am driving and when the vehicle is not in motion, there is a loud thud noise and feel, when I turn the steering wheel.

The steering wheel developed a looseness whether the car was on or off, and a clicking noise became apparent when turning the steering. When driving over 60mph the steering wheel began to shake uncontrollably. The problem has been confirmed by my mechanic to be the steering flexible coupler. According to online sources, I should have received an extended warranty on this part but did not. Though, it would not have helped due to the fact that the part failed 2 months after the extended warranty expired.

The contact owns a 2012 kia Soul. The contact stated that while making a turn, there was an abnormal clicking and grinding sound coming from the vehicle. While driving at various speeds, the steering wheel drifted from one side to the next out of the hand of the contact. The steering wheel turned partially in one direction and aggressively before returning to center. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.

Steering wheel jerks and moves suddenly when driving.

Clicking in the steering. Seems to be the flex coupler.

Unknown. Piston rings have blown, oil leaking into muffler.

Apparently the steering coupler has started to fail in my 2012 kia Soul. Thousands of reported failures but no recall from kia? how can this be? when the $5 part fails, the car isn't able to steer. If this happens on the highway you could die.

My steering column, when slightly turning it left and right is clicking hard. This is causing an issue while driving to and from work. As I commute one hour each way 5 days a week. If I hit a bump it jerks the wheel. If I try to drive a little past 65mph it clicks hard and fast. It is getting worse. I have not taken this in to a dealership yet, but I will be soon.