2012 Kia Soul Recall

On certain vehicles, the compliance label may be missing information in French. The words listed on the label for "Tires", "Rims", "Front" and "Rear" appear in English only, when they should be listed as "Tires/Pneus", "Rims/Jantes", "Front/Avant" and "Rear/Arriere". Canadian regulations require this information to be listed on the label in both English and French.

These small errors do not affect vehicle safety.

This is not a recall. Kia has corrected the compliance label for all new vehicles.

On certain vehicles, the brake hydraulic electronic control unit (HECU) could short circuit.

A short circuit could create a fire risk, even while the vehicle is parked and turned off.

Kia will notify owners by mail and advise you to take your vehicle to a dealership to replace the fuse(s) for the HECU. Kia recommends that you should park your vehicle outdoors and away from other vehicles or structures until the recall repairs have been completed.

Kia Canada is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign that provides an update to the engine control module to detect potential problems before an engine fails. An engine failure could cause a sudden loss of power with an inability to restart. Note: This campaign only affects vehicles equipped with a 1.6 L GDI engine.

A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash. An engine failure could also create the risk of a fire.

Kia will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to update the software for the engine control module. Note: Kia recommends that you should always follow the correct vehicle maintenance schedule, which is printed in the Owner's Manual. If you experience unusual engine noise, reduced power, or a check engine/oil warning light, Kia advises you to immediately visit a Kia dealership to have your vehicle diagnosed.

On certain vehicles, the catalytic converter may be damaged by overheating. This could also cause engine damage or an engine failure. An engine failure would cause a sudden loss of power with an inability to restart.

A sudden loss of engine power could increase the risk of a crash. An engine failure may also result in a fire.

The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to have the engine software updated. This update will prevent overheating of the catalytic converter. Vehicles will also be inspected for other damage. Depending on the results of the inspection, the catalytic converter and/or the engine may be replaced. Note: A driver may notice any of the following symptoms of this problem: a knocking sound from the engine, reduced power or hesitation, and/or the illumination of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL) or check engine light.

On certain vehicles equipped with heated cloth seats, over time, the wiring for the seat heater mats could become damaged. If a heating mat were to be damaged, it could melt a small hole in the lower portion of the seat base or backrest, which could result in injury to the seat occupant. Correction: Dealers will attach a patch on the seat cushion and seat back heater bridge side and adjust the positioning. If there are traces of burning or melting during the inspection, dealers will replace the heater with a new one and adjust the bridge wire side positioning.

A failure of this component (seats and restraints) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).

On certain vehicles equipped with sunroofs, headliner plates may detach from the headliner during a side curtain airbag deployment and could strike vehicle occupants. This could increase the risk of injury. Correction: Dealers will apply adhesive strips to the headliner plates.

A failure of this component (airbag) may increase the risk of a crash or injury.

Authorized dealerships will inspect the vehicle and complete all necessary repairs free of charge (parts and labor).