2012 KIA SOUL — Complaint #1756916
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE filed July 12, 2021
NHTSA complaint #1756916 (ODI reference 11424409) concerns a 2012 KIA SOUL and was filed on July 12, 2021. The owner reports the failure occurred on February 1, 2021. The vehicle had 109,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to Florida based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as exterior lighting:lighting control module, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: no, fire: yes, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same KIA SOUL cohort independently describe similar exterior lighting:lighting control module failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2012 KIA SOUL shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact stated there was an abnormal fuel odor inside of the vehicle. Additionally, the brake lights were inoperable prior to replacing the rear taillight housings. After replacing the brake lamp housings, the contact became aware that the brake lamps remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the abs module failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was warned that the vehicle was at risk of catching on fire. The dealer also informed the contact that the vehicle was smoking, and the wires were melting. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not covered by recall or warranty. The approximate failure mileage 109,000.
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 1756916 |
| ODI Number | 11424409 |
| Date Filed | July 12, 2021 |
| Failure Date | February 1, 2021 |
| VIN | KNDJT2A6XC7 |
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.