Kia Soul: Factory Reset Stereo System

Plenty of drivers like to listen to music or tune in to the radio while they drive. Unfortunately, radios and stereo systems don’t always work as intended. If you’re having trouble with the stereo system in your Kia Soul – like a frozen screen or unresponsive buttons – a reset could fix the issue.

In this guide, we’ll list multiple ways to factory reset the stereo system of a Kia Soul.

Push the Reset Button

One of the simplest ways to factory reset your Soul’s system is via the reset button, which exists for this very purpose. This button can be hard to find, however. It’s not labeled in any way, and it’s much smaller than any other button on or around the radio and infotainment unit.

In fact, on the outside, this button looks just like a tiny hole. To press it, you have to poke something very thin into that hole, like a paper clip or the end of a pen. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Find the reset button. It should be situated somewhere on the faceplate of the radio. Often, it’s in the bottom-right corner, but could also be in the upper-right or some other area of the faceplate. Just look for a tiny hole. Check your owner’s manual for guidance.
2. Take an unfolded paper clip or a pen (or a similar object) and poke it into the hole. Push down on the button for a second to reset the system.

Alternative Reset Button Combos

On some Souls, there may not be any reset button. If you can’t find one, or your owner’s manual doesn’t list a reset button as a feature, you’ll need to do things differently. Fortunately, there are a couple of other button combinations you can press to reboot the system.

For most Souls produced between 2015 and 2019, the following method should work:

1. Turn the ignition to the “On” position.
2. Press and hold the “Mute” and “Tune” buttons at the same time until a 4-digit code appears on the screen.
3. Using the “Tune” and “Seek” buttons, enter the following code: 1234. You should get a “Code Accepted” message flash up.
4. Press the “Mode” button to get to the Settings menu.
5. Use the “Seek” button to scroll through and find “Reset.”
6. Press and hold the “Mode” button for around 10 seconds.
7. You should see a “Factory Reset” message on the display, indicating the reset has been successful.

For older Kia Souls, try this instead:

1. Power off the stereo system.
2. Press and hold the “Volume Up” and “Volume Down” buttons at the same time for approximately 10 seconds.
3. Let go of the buttons to reset the system. It’ll turn itself off during this process.
4. Power the system back on. Your stereo system should now be reset.

Removing the Fuses to Reset the System

If none of the button combos above seem to work, you can take things a step further by removing the sound system fuse. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Make sure your car is switched off completely before you do anything.
2. Open the driver side door.
3. On the panel just inside the door, you should see a little removable door marked “Fuse.”
4. Pull that panel away to reveal the fuses. You should see a large yellow module inside, which contains two fuses. Pull it out by squeezing the top and bottom parts to release it from its housing.
5. Leave it disconnected for around 30 seconds. You may also want to inspect the fuses at this time to see if either one is damaged and needs replacing. If so, there are usually spare fuses in the box under the hood of the Kia Soul.
6. Reconnect the module and see if the problem has been resolved.

Disconnecting the Battery

The last method to consider is disconnecting your car’s battery temporarily. This sometimes works to reset electronic systems and resolve any random bugs or issues they’re having.

1. Turn off the engine.
2. Pull the hood release lever to pop the hood of your Kia Soul.
3. Locate the battery and, wearing gloves for protection, disconnect the negative terminal with the aid of a socket wrench
4. You can then disconnect the positive side too.
5. Leave the battery disconnected for a couple of minutes before reconnecting everything carefully.

If All Else Fails, Consult the Pros

Hopefully, one of the methods listed above should be enough to get your radio reset and running as normal once again. However, if nothing seems to work, there may be a deeper underlying issue with the system, like a burnt fuse or a wiring problem. In that case, you’ll most likely need to seek out the services of a pro technician.

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