Problems · by component
2014 Kia Soul exterior lighting problems
130 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2014 Kia Soul cite exterior lighting, 14% of all 906 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
130
14% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the exterior lighting
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at night, the front passenger’s side low-beam headlight failed to illuminate as needed. The contact stated that while activating the high-beam headlights, the driver’s side high-beam headlight failed to illuminate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who determined that the driver’s and passenger’s side headlight assemblies had overheated and melted. The headlight assemblies and light bulbs were replaced but the failure eventually reoccurred. The contact stated that the light bulbs and headlight assemblies were replaced on several occasions. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 100,000.”
“The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at night at 45–50 MPH, the headlights became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to pull over, and the headlights returned to operation but were flickering. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the connectors had melted and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA ID Number: 10170778 (Exterior Lighting). The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.”
“Since September 2015 the car Headlamps malfunctioned. I made several trips to the Dealer and was told they are not able to duplicate my complaint. Presently while driving the headlights will go off and by bumping the multi-Function light switch, they would come back on. Please see attached letter & service detail that was sent to Kia without resolution.”
“My headlights flicker or shut off intermittently when driving at night. Sometimes it seems to be associated with using my turn signal. Sometimes it seems to be associated with going from dim to bright headlights. I took my car to the dealer who said that KIA has an extended warranty to cover this repair. But when the dealer's service department could not reproduce the situation in the shop, then said KIA would not pay for the repair. I contacted KIA consumer affairs and was given a case number (14989817). After two weeks I finally was contacted and the policy was repeated by KIA. I explained that the problem was intermittent but they would not do anything on their end because the dealer could not diagnose the issue in shop.”
“The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated she noticed that the driver’s side brake light bulb was inoperable. The bulb was replaced; however, the failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, no failure was found. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.”
“Driver's side headlight flickering on and off at times. Inspected wiring and it looks like the harness socket is burning out. It looks like this is a common problem with this car and can prove to be a safety issue if your lights go out while driving”
Showing 6 of 130 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.