Thread: How safe is the KIA Soul?

HERE YOU GO MODS. A COLLATION OF ACCIDENT POSTS FOR CONVERSION TO A STICKY

Testing by various governments safety organizations has proven the Soul to have high safety ratings.

Euro NCAP | Kia Soul | 2009 | Crash test - YouTube

2010 Kia Soul side impact test - YouTube

2011 KIA Soul NHTSA Side Impact - YouTube

2011 KIA Soul NHTSA Frontal Impact - YouTube

2011 KIA Soul NHTSA Side Pole Impact - YouTube

2010 KIA Soul NCAP Side Pole Impact (New NHTSA Test) - YouTube

IIHS-HLDI: Kia Soul


Question is........how do these ratings translate into real-world accidents and how well off are the occupants when the worst happens? If you own, or are thinking of owning a Soul, the following collation of various incidences and the comments and insights from others will likely make you feel pretty confident. MT-ED


My Soul kept me safe, may it RIP nlthomas 11-16-2011, 12:29 PM
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I haven't posted here in a long time, but thought I'd share this with you all. Last Tuesday night I got in an accident. Someone on the expressway swerved and her Mercury Mountaineer ended up sideways directly in front of me. I didn't have any time to react, and ran directly into the side of her vehicle at probably 55-65 mph (traffic was beginning to slow down a bit, so I'm not sure of the exact speed). After I hit her, my Soul did a complete rollover, landing back on its wheels on the side of the road.

The reason I'm sharing this info is so you all can get an idea of how you might fare if (God forbid) a similar accident should ever happen to you. I was able to get out of the car and walk to safety on my own. I did have my seat belt on. All the airbags went off, including the side curtain ones. Because of that, my head never touched the window, even during the rollover. I have lots of bruises, a few cuts (my left elbow DID manage to hit the window) and lots of soreness, but no broken bones, no internal injuries and no head injuries at all (not even a scratch). I'm amazed at how well the Soul protected me during that crash. The paramedics, emergency room doctors and the insurance people were all surprised that I have as few injuries as I do.

I'm attaching a few pics so you can see my poor car. So, my lovely car is wrecked. The insurance adjustor said there was over $21,000 worth of damage to it. And as soon as I get the check, I'll be going to purchase a 2012 Soul. It's going to be a while before I'll feel safe in any car, I think, but I was very impressed with how the Soul held up and protected me, so I'm going to stick with what I know. I really do miss my car, though.







nlthomas 11-16-2011, 01:33 PM

conwelpic, it was a 2010 Kia Soul +. I really loved that car! I did a ton of research before I bought it, had the dealership search for a week or two for the one I wanted, haggled as much as I could... LOL can you tell I miss it?

Cobra259, the accident was on I-696 Eastbound, just past the Telegraph exit. At least I don't have to drive on 696 regularly. I'm not looking forward to the first time I have to drive past that spot.

NurseDiesel, the paint stayed on the front pretty well, which surprised me too. The sides have huge white streaks on them, as expected, from the rollover. If you look at it from the back, though, it looks pretty much untouched. (attaching a pic so you can see). A few friends have also suggested that I share the story and pics with Kia, and I think I will. I'm very grateful to them for building such a safe car.

I kinda feel like Chococat in my back window is waving goodbye



mnsoul 11-16-2011, 06:25 PM

glad you are ok
our soul faired very well and saved us from sever injury when rear ended at 65 mph




mnsoul 11-18-2011, 08:35 AM

scirocco

yes the headrests did help avoid severe neck injury
the force of the crash bent both front seats backrests and bases on both
but i would say the headrest did their job


chillas 09-02-2011, 04:47 PM

So, I was on my way to pick my wife up from work this afternoon. I was on a ramp between two different interstates when a skunk darted out in front of me. I reflexively slammed on the brakes. The car behind me plowed into me.

I was still moving, though slowly. I'm not sure but I think he was still going full speed.

His car, a recent Dodge Stratus, is totaled. Front end is pretty well gone, pieces all over the freeway.

We won't know for sure until the shop looks at it, but my 2011 Soul+ looks to only have minor cosmetic damage. The rear panels are a bit loose, and there's damage to the bumper and license plate. Tail lights are intact and functioning, rear opens like normal, car is drivable and I can't feel any shudders, shakes, pulling or anything at all out of the ordinary.

I still feel bad that my baby (got her in April) is damaged, but she sure did a hell of a job in the crash.
The other guy is being cited for failing to keep a safe distance, by the way.


chillas 09-14-2011, 11:26 AM

Once they got the panels off they found a little more damage that hadn't been immediately visible, including realizing the muffler had been seriously damaged and needed to be replaced.

The good news is that there was no actual structural damage.

The estimate came to about $1,800.00, including labor. I should have it back in a few days.


Soul Accident Survivability Thomas6449 03-23-2011, 03:11 PM
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Here is a link to an article in a local paper with pictures of a Soul involved in a head on accident due to slippery roads. It looks like the Soul held up pretty well!

TheRecord - Spring snowstorm the worst in four years



First Accident :/ Mblackiston2011 10-13-2011, 10:57 PM

This was my first accident I have ever been in. I was rear ended by a 2007 Pontiac G6 who was doing 35mph and I was doing 15mph. The accident was completely his fault and his insurance paid for all my repairs. My poor Soul but hey I turned out a hell of a lot better than he did!












Another Accident SOUL4U 08-25-2011, 07:22 PM

Our Customer, don’t worry she's fine, came in to buy parts... might need some more now.




Accident Soul SOUL4U 06-18-2011, 10:46 AM
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This is a pic from a customer buying a new Sportage, he was driving a Nissan, but it was written off, along with the Soul that was behind him in traffic on the highway, when the soul was hit at almost 100km while at a dead stop, by a truck, the Soul got squished, and they had to use the jaws of life to cut the b pillar away, thankfully no one killed. In fact he said the driver of the soul walked away. Pic looks nasty but pay attention to the driver area. The inside dash looks like its still brand new.




The rest of the thread from this post makes very interesting reading and clarifies some laymen’s misinterpretations of a car’s appearance after an accident, relative to injuries that might be sustained by occupants.

Accident Soul

here's a couple more:

Guy hitting a tree at 50mph (No injuries except hip)
KIA Soul Saved My Life or Soul--Totaled

Another driver hitting a tree
Real Life Crash Test Pictures.

Here's one in a head on collision:

KIA Soul Saved My Life or Soul--Totaled



Guy walked away.

All i gotta say is that the Kia Soul is a mini TANK.

Originally Posted by MT-ED

HERE YOU GO MODS. A COLLATION OF ACCIDENT POSTS FOR CONVERSION TO A STICKY

Wow - thanks SO much for compiling this list.

I knew about the Soul's high safety ratings before buying it, but was still somewhat apprehensive after trading a (much bigger) 2008 Chevy Malibu. The Soul is my DD right now, but it was actually purchased for my soon-to-be 16-year old daughter to drive. Seeing real-world proof of the Soul's solid performance in accidents is very welcome reassurance that my daughter will be safe.

Thank you. It's exactly for reasons like peace of mind that I thought collating this stuff was worthwhile. Hope your daughter loves the Soul and drives safe.

Here's my 2012 base model that was totaled in October. I was in a 50 MPH collision, walked away with only minor spine injuries. If i was in my old car, which had a tendency to not deploy the airbags, I would probably still be in the hospital having my face rebuilt. I'm sold on Kia now.

Totaled by Wire Man, on Flickr

Notice how perfect the headlights are. They are indestructible!

Originally Posted by Wire Man

Notice how perfect the headlights are. They are indestructible!

well - there you go !

the soul could be made even safer if they would ring the body with a string of headlights -

If you string the headlights all around, then the car would look like a UFO on wheels. It would be great if the Soul would be in an Alien color!

Thanks for compiling these. I'll have to find the pictures I took of mine. Nowhere near as dramatic as some of these, though.