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Woman gets Kia Soul after passing drive test on 960th try

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Hatchback, Kia, Humor, South Korea

2010 Kia Soul

Kia Soul – click above for high-res image gallery

We like to think of ourselves as pretty determined folk here the United States. After all, our forebearers forged our country out of a wild and unsettling terrain, fought off tyrants, cooked up some of the most amazing inventions of the last century and helped populate a symbol of diversity and freedom renowned the world over. That doesn’t mean that we’d willingly subject ourselves to the DMV 960 times, however. Yet that’s exactly what a Korean woman, Cha Sa-soon, did on her quest to obtain her driver’s license. Despite copious studying, the 69-year-old Cha just couldn’t manage to get past the written portion of the exam.

In April 2005, she began taking the 50-minute, 40-question test once a day, five days week, failing each time. Eventually her pace slowed to taking the test twice a week, but on the 960th try, she managed to get enough of the questions right to pass.

Local news outlets ran with the story, and it wasn’t long before the tale caught the ear of Hyundai-Kia. The company asked people to post congratulatory messages online, and after an overwhelming response, Kia handed her the keys to a brand-new Soul.

We like her style.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Kia Soul

[Source: The New York Times]

Woman gets Kia Soul after passing drive test on 960th try originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia recalling Soul, Sorento over wiring faults

Filed under: Recalls, Safety, Crossover, Hatchback, Kia

2010 Kia Soul

2010 Kia Soul and 2011 Kia Sorento – Click on either image for high-res gallery

2011 Kia Sorento The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a recall on two Kia vehicles – the 2010 Soul and 2011 Sorento – to replace interior lighting wiring harnesses. These faulty units, supplied by JCI, can apparently cause an electrical short resulting in a fire. This recall affects 35,185 vehicles manufactured between September 7, 2009 and July 30, 2010.

In the Soul, the wiring harnesses in question are located in the front doors and control the funky accent illumination in the speakers. The Sorento has similar problems, but these wires power the lighting in both the front and rear door trim panels.

The full recall is expected to begin within the coming weeks and dealers will inspect and fix the faulty wiring harnesses free of charge. Hit the jump for the full information from NHTSA.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Kia Soul

Gallery: Review: 2011 Kia Sorento

[Source: NHTSA]

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Kia recalling Soul, Sorento over wiring faults originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NHTSA reportedly opens Kia Soul investigation after steering shaft failure

Filed under: Budget, Safety, Hatchback, Kia

2010 Kia Soul – Click above for high-res image gallery

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has opened an investigation into a potential problem with the Kia Soul. According to the Los Angeles Times, the government safety watchdog is looking into an incident where the steering shaft in one vehicle separated from the steering wheel and then blocked the brake mechanism. The problem resulted in a total loss of control. It’s unclear as to whether or not anyone was harmed in the incident from the LAT report. Typically, the federal government doesn’t investigate single incidents, but in the case of the Soul, the problem presented itself on a fairly new vehicle and was so serious that NHTSA has elected to investigate. The hatch in question is a 2010 model and had just 4,300 miles on the clock when the problem occurred.

Kia hasn’t commented on the situation other than saying that it is waiting for NHTSA’s findings. The 2010 Kia Soul has been one of the Korean automaker’s best-selling vehicles, with over 37,000 of the boxy econocars sold so far.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Kia Soul

NHTSA reportedly opens Kia Soul investigation after steering shaft failure originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Aug 2010 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Economy kills Kia Soul’ster

Filed under: Budget, Hatchback, Kia

Kia Soul’ster concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

If you’ve been crossing your fingers for a production version of the Kia Soul’ster concept from the 2009 Detroit Auto Show, prepare to be disappointed. According to a report from Ward’s Auto, Kia says that expanding the Soul lineup beyond the current five-door hatch would prove to be more difficult than you might think. Earlier reports stated that Kia was keen to the idea of building an open-top Soul, but changing economic times seem to have crushed those plans.

The Soul has done extremely well for itself since going on sale in early 2009, but since this is a niche vehicle that would only appeal to a very narrow segment of the market, the business case for building new variants doesn’t make sense at this time. Kia’s director of product planning, Orth Hendrick, tells Ward’s that the Soul’ster, specifically, would have to be developed as an all-new model, due to its vast structural differences from the standard Soul.

Come 2012, the Soul will undergo its mid-cycle refresh, and we’re expected to see more upscale content, as well as slight changes to both the front and rear fascias. In the meantime, those of you who are super hot for a Soul’ster will just have to scan the local used car lot for a soft-top Isuzu Amigo, instead.

Gallery: Kia Soul’ster Concept