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severe Owners of the 2014 Kia Soul have filed 19 NHTSA complaints about the airbags, typically surfacing around 50,000 miles at roughly $1,100 to repair (U.S. federal records, as of July 2026). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. See airbags across all vehicles →
| Model year | airbags complaints |
|---|---|
| 2010 Soul | 17 |
| 2011 Soul | 23 |
| 2012 Soul | 13 |
| 2013 Soul | 17 |
| 2014 Soul (this page) | 19 |
| 2015 Soul | 14 |
| 2016 Soul | 16 |
| 2017 Soul | 14 |
| 2018 Soul | 10 |
Of the 19 airbags complaints filed for the 2014 Kia Soul, here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 50,000-75,000 mi.
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted. Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
Among the 13 model years of Kia Soul in our records for airbags problems, this one ranks #2 by owner-complaint volume.
No new NHTSA airbags complaint has been filed on this vehicle in over 5 years — the issue may be aging out of the active population.
Front air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering airbags on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
TSB: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: ACU LOGIC UPDATE (SC117) - THIS BULLETIN PROVIDES INFORMATION RELATED TO THE UPDATE OF THE AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT (ACU) LOGIC OF SOME 2014~2015MY SOUL (PS) VEHICLES, PRODUCED FROM JULY 21, 2013 THROUGH NOVEMBER 26, 2014. TO INSTALL THE NEW LOGIC, THE ACU SHOULD BE UPDATED USING THE GDS/KDS DOWNLOAD, AS DESCRIBED IN THIS BULLETIN. KIA IS REQUESTING THE COMPLETION OF THIS SERVICE CAMPAIGN ON ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES, INCLUDING DEALER STOCK, PRIOR TO DELIVERY. FOR CONFIRMATION THAT THE LATEST REFLASH HAS BEEN DONE TO A VEHICLE YOU ARE WORKING ON, VERIFY ROM ID USING THE TABLES IN THIS TSB.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO: ATTENTION: ALL DEALER PRINCIPALS - KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC. WILL BE CONDUCTING A VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN, TO UPDATE THE AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT (ACU) LOGIC WHICH PREDICTS LIKELY ROLLOVER EVENTS AND DEPLOYS THE CURTAIN AND SIDE AIRBAGS FOR CERTAIN 2014-2015 MY KIA SOUL VEHICLES.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗DEALER PARTS & SERVICE MANAGER MEMO: ATTENTION: ALL KIA PARTS & SERVICE MANAGERS - KIA MOTORS AMERICA, INC. WILL BE CONDUCTING A VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN, TO UPDATE THE AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT LOGIC FOR CERTAIN 2014-2015 MY SOUL VEHICLES. KIA PROVIDES SOFTWARE LOGIC FOR THE 2014-2015 MY SOUL WHICH CAN PREDICT CERTAIN ROLLOVER EVENTS AND PROTECT THE OCCUPANTS BY DEPLOYING THE CURTAIN AND SIDE AIRBAGS IN ADVANCE OF A ROLLOVER. KIA HAS BECOME AWARE OF A FEW EXTREME DRIVING EVENTS, TYPICALLY AT LOW SPEEDS AND INVOLVING PARKING VALETS AND/OR PROLONGED MULTI-LEVEL GARAGE DRIVING, WHICH CAN DEPLOY SUCH AIRBAGS BY COINCIDING WITH A SPECIALIZED PORTION OF THE ACU ROLLOVER DEPLOYMENT LOGIC WHERE IT IS N
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗KIA 2014-2015MY SOUL: BULLETIN WHICH CONTAINS NEW /REVISED INFORMATION RELATED TO THE AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT OF CERTAIN 2014-2015 VEHICLES FROM JULY 2013-NOVEMBER2014.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
Owners report frontal airbags failing to deploy during head-on and front-end collisions at speeds from 25 to 70 mph, with occupants sustaining head injuries, lacerations requiring stitches, bruising, and whiplash. One crash at 40 mph into another vehicle's rear resulted in no airbag deployment and head impact into the windshield; another head-on at 25 mph caused the driver to require hospital treatment for head injury plus two follow-up visits for head, neck, back, and arm pain. A 65–70 mph barrier impact caused severe front-end damage with no deployment. One owner's daughter hit a vehicle at 40 mph with severe front-end destruction and no driver-side deployment; the occupant sustained a head injury requiring medical care.
Kia issued Recall 22V096000 in April 2022 for an ACU software update to enable frontal airbag deployment—no parts required. However, multiple owners report three Virginia and Maryland dealerships (Koons, Ourisman, DARCARS) refused to schedule appointments despite repeated requests over months, with dealers claiming parts were unavailable despite the software-only remedy. One owner was told the recall wasn't covered under warranty. Another dealer demanded unrelated head gasket repair before proceeding with the recall.
One owner experienced spontaneous passenger curtain airbag deployment just by inserting and turning the ignition key. Another reported airbag warning light and engine failures (sputtering, hesitation, stalling) following recall service work.
Dealers have consistently delayed or blocked recall completion, leaving owners in vehicles flagged for critical safety defects.
Same Kia Soul airbags reports on nearby years: 2011 · 2012 · 2013 · 2015 · 2016
Frontal airbags did not deploy during head-on or front-end collisions at speeds ranging from 25 to 70 mph, leaving occupants with head injuries, lacerations, bruising, and whiplash. In some cases, severe damage occurred to the front end of the vehicle.
When: During collision events at 6,000 to 94,000 miles; incidents occurred at various speeds (25 mph head-on, 40 mph rear-end, 45-50 mph frontal, 65-70 mph barrier impact)
Symptoms owners cite: No airbag deployment during frontal collision; Occupants' heads struck steering wheel or windshield; Severe lacerations and head injuries to occupants; Vehicle front end destroyed but airbag remained inactive
Repairs/costs cited: One complaint mentions airbag warning light remaining illuminated after unrelated spark plug replacement; dealer diagnostic estimated occupant sensor replacement at $1,500
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: NHTSA Recall 22V096000 issued requiring ACU software update to enable frontal airbag deployment; dealers reported parts not yet available despite software-only remedy; multiple owners report dealership service delays and refusal to schedule recall work
Airbag warning light illuminated due to passenger seat occupant sensor malfunction, disabling passenger-side airbags while driver-side airbags reported to still function.
When: At approximately 77,000 miles
Symptoms owners cite: Airbag warning light illuminated; Passenger-side airbags disabled
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer estimated repair cost at approximately $1,500 for passenger seat occupant sensor replacement
Passenger-side curtain airbag deployed without warning or impact when the ignition was turned to the on position.
When: At approximately 111,000 miles
Symptoms owners cite: Spontaneous curtain airbag deployment during key insertion and ignition turn-on; No impact or collision event occurred
Repairs/costs cited: Owner referred to independent body shop; vehicle remained unrepaired in body shop possession
After dealer service under NHTSA recall campaigns (engine and airbag), vehicle exhibited airbag warning light illumination, engine sputtering, hesitation, and occasional stalling. Cause of failures not determined.
When: At 80,000 miles, following recall service under Campaign 20V75000 and 22V096000
Symptoms owners cite: Airbag warning light illuminated after recall service; Engine sputtering and hesitation above 40 mph; Check engine warning light illuminated; Occasional vehicle stalling during acceleration failure
Repairs/costs cited: Spark plugs replaced but failure continued; cause not determined
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Related to NHTSA Campaign 20V75000 (Engine) and 22V096000 (Air Bags) recall work
Owners report widespread difficulty obtaining recall service at authorized dealers. Multiple complaints indicate dealerships claiming parts unavailable despite software-only remedy, refusing to schedule appointments after repeated requests over months, or citing unrelated repair issues as prerequisites to completing airbag recall work.
When: Complaints filed September 2022 through reporting date; recall notifications dated April 2022 for Campaign 22V096000
Symptoms owners cite: Dealership refusal to schedule recall service appointments; Dealership claims of parts shortage despite software remedy; Months-long delays without service scheduling; Dealership claims recall not covered under warranty; Dealership insistence on completing unrelated repairs (head gasket) before recall work
Repairs/costs cited: Recall 22V096000 remedy involves ACU software update requiring no replacement parts; multiple dealerships reported not honoring requests despite owner contact
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: NHTSA Recall 22V096000 issued April 2022 for ACU software update to enable frontal airbag deployment; affected dealerships include Koons Kia Woodbridge VA, Ourisman Kia Alexandria VA, DARCARS Kia Temple Hills MD, CarTown Kia Florence and Columbia SC
Synthesized from 19 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
After hitting a snow pile left from a snow plow I jumped the snow pile and hit a concrete barrier going between 65 and 70 MPH air bags didnt deploy. I hit it mostly on the passenger side but nothing happened still. I destroyed the bumper and the undercarriage protection is cracked but no air bags? Its not the first time from what I can see from this model that a 2014 soul with an issue with air…
"takata recall " I had a rear end accident and the airbags did not deploy when the rear end accident occurred on the highway I was hit from the rear and the airbags did not deploy I was moving very slowly at 45 mi per hour I believe the airbags should have deployed the police have photos
It's a meaningful issue. 19 complaints have been filed and the failure mode causes operational problems for owners. Repairs average $1,100.
Across the 13 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most airbags failures cluster between 36,000 and 94,000 miles, with the median around 50,000. A quarter of owners report trouble before 36,000; a quarter make it past 94,000. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
Independent shops typically charge around $1,100 for airbags repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Yes — 1 active recall(s) cover airbags issues on this vehicle. Recall fixes are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status. Use the VIN decoder at the top of the page to check if your specific vehicle is affected.