This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Driver side headlight went out. Replaced bulb back on and then right back off. Further looking and the adapter plug that snaps into the back of the light is burnt!
Takata recall.. drivers side low beam keeps going out. Previously it would be out one day then when I would start my car it would come back on. In the picture both lights are working but 5 mins before only the passenger side was working. This has been an going issue for about 2 years now. Sometimes I had to replace the bulb after it being out for over a week but the bulb was not blown.
Connector on headlight wires are burning while operating headlights and causeing both headlights to go out while on the expressway. Bulbs are burnt out but headlights will not come on until car sits for a while.
I had to get new headlights at the dealership. It is now getting ridiculous. One head light will not work. It will come on when it feels like coming on. Sometimes it comes on.sometimes it will come on right away others times it will flicker on off and not work at all. It is dangerous because I drive home in the dark and I dnt want to get filled over. I also drive in dark roads and it makes it hard to see when only one headlight works. I am now noticing that is the working in the car not my headlights.
After running vehicle the driver's side rear running light goes out. The tail light assembly was checked and fully functional, turn indicator works, brake light works, hazard light flashes. This is the factory led version of the tail light assembly. This happened 6 months ago. Then I flipped the fuse and it came back on. Now it has gone off again and the fuse flip is not remedying the problem.
- Houston, TX, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
When headlamps are in automatic mode, they will sometimes flicker on/off, or turn off completely until headlamp controls are manipulated (by turning headlamp power switch dial back and forth or by pulling/pushing low/high beam control). This is exacerbated by driving on an unstable road (I.e. a road with potholes or bumps), when actuating signal light controls, and when stopping. This happens mostly when the vehicle is going at speeds over 40 mph, but has happened in city streets at velocities as low as 5 mph. This has happened several times over the course of the last months, beginning around August 2018.
Headlights go out or flicker whenever I use turn signal when I'm stopped and put turn signal on or when I'm driving and put the turn signal on. I've only noticed this when driving on local roads, freeways in my area are well lit so I have no idea if this happens on the freeway when changing lanes
When the multi-function switch controlling the headlamps is in automatic mode, the headlamps will switch off unexpectedly. This sometimes happen when turning on a blinker while turning, but sometimes just driving down the road. This is extremely dangerous, I have been driving at night or in the early morning hours on multiple occasions, and the lights go off leaving me driving blind for several moments on the road. The list of bad things the could happen is endless: Hit a pedestrian or cyclist on the side of the road; have someone pull out not seeing me coming, veer or brake unexpectedly due the shock of the lights going off, you name it. Kia appears to have issues a service bulletin on the topic concerning defective lighting connections, but, the dealership I called seemed unaware of it. Multiple posts on line show the same or similar issues with the vehicle and several state Kia will not issue a recall and will only pay for a bulletin item if the vehicle is still in warranty, which mine is not. This is a highly unsafe situation and should be subject to a recall to be paid by the manufacturer. This online article details the issue: Https://www.cars.com/articles/2014-2015-Kia-Soul-headlight-issue-1420683403693/ Kia needs to issue a recall before someone gets killed, if they haven't already. Please advise. Thanks.
Headlights keep randomly flickering off and on while driving. Started out just when I had my lights on auto and had the turn signals on. Last night they went out on their own while I was driving down a dark road for several seconds. This is very dangerous and seems to be a common problem.
Headlights flicker on and off when I first turn on the headlights. There is no rhyme or reason to when it happens. It is usually fast on/off flickering. This is very dangerous and happens without warning. Most times the car is in park but I am concerned that this will become worse.
Head light bulbs on both side keep burning out or will go out when driving down the road at night. Pig tail to the lights had to be replaced in order to fix the issue. Was not covered under warranty and cost me to have it fixed when it is apparently a re-occurring problem. This occurs during stationary modes and traveling mode. On back roads with no lighting this is very dangerous and could cause an accident.
When driving the headlights will flicker and go off dome times they come back on and some times they stay off also have had the dash lights go off with it it has happened on side streets and on the highway it has happen stoped at a stop sign I have had it to the Kia dealer but they can't find a thing wrong with
Headlights randomly flash off and back on while driving. This seems to happen with the turn signal activated but also happens without. This can sometimes be corrected by turning the lights off then back on manually. All of this is quite dangerous while driving needless to say and should certainly be a recall item.
Rarely drive at night but had to. The exterior front lights flickered and momentarily went off twice. There was a deep ditch extended to about 1/2 a lane with the other lane closed. If the lights remained off, wouldn't have driven the car. Same night - the usb port stopped working but came on again next morning. This is beyond dangerous and further measures will be taken if it's not resolved by Kia.
While driving the car the headlights flicker and sometimes go off randomly. This has now begun to occur while the car is also parked. This is highly dangerous while traveling at night and a huge safety risk.
Headlights and instrument panel go out suddenly. This happens both in motion and stationary. Also upon starting the car or after driving even a short distance. Random actually. Very dangerous at night.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. While driving various speeds, the headlights would flicker and then completely turn off. The contact also mentioned that the headlights would inadvertently illuminate again. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing or repair. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
When I drive my Soul in the dark with my headlights on they start flickering and then they just go completely out. Sometimes it's small flickering and sometimes it is completely out and dont come back on for several seconds. Today I had to turn them off and back on twice before they would come back on at all. This is extremely dangerous when it is dark. Especially driving on a curvy 2 lane highway in the dark like I do. At first it happened when I used my turn signal, but now I dont have to do anything and they flicker and then go on and off.
Drivers side headlight flickers and will go out completely. This happens while driving or stationary, and does not depend on speed. I have replaced the headlight twice. The second time I noticed that the connector that attaches to the bulb itself is starting to melt.
Tested deficiency on multiple conditions (car moving, stationary, engine running and engine off, highway and city roads) and nothing changed the light behavior. Driver's side headlight only. Initially flickered on and off. Sometimes toggling brights on and off would help at first. This went on for about a week and a half. After light stopped working, I changed both bulbs. Light continued to flicker off and on for about a week, then died altogether. Called shawnee mission Kia, in overland park, ks and spoke to service manager joe. He stated he was not personally familiar with the issue, but that some of his service department employees might be. I told him there were 132 complaints on the NHTSA website, but he told me without a recall I could not get a discount or free repair. This is a dangerous condition that could result in a driver losing all headlight function without warning. I am unable to safely operate my vehicle at night because Kia will not repair their obviously defective equipment.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Franklin, NC, USA