Hardware Clearing Faults
Typically, faults on the Kia are caused by the vehicle's native systems detecting abnormal operation of the vehicle. Most of these faults can be solved by fixing the issue that caused the car to think it was in an abnormal state, then restarting the vehicle. The most common cause of these "soft faults" is just forgetting to turn on the OSCC modules before turning on the car. Other less common causes are loose connections between the OSCC modules and the vehicle's native modules that they control (or spoof).
Some faults, however, are "hard faults" and cannot be cleared by fixing the issue and restarting the vehicle. These require additional steps to clear.
Typical causes of these faults are sending spoof voltages to the car outside of a valid range. Each vehicle has a file associated with it (e.g. vehicles/kia_soul.h) that contains values we've determined to be within a range the vehicle expects. If these values are modified improperly, then the vehicle's native ECU will detect that the requested value is out of range and will assume there is something wrong with the vehicle operation. It will then throw a DTC code and hard fault.
If you have hard faulted your Kia Soul, then you will need to follow this tutorial to reset the vehicle to a drivable state. The first step is to make sure you correct whatever initially caused the hard fault. Whatever the cause, if the initial issue isn't fixed the vehicle will re-enter the hard fault again. You will also need a Kia-compatible OBD-II scan tool.
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Switch the vehicle and all OSCC modules off.
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Plug the diagnostics tool into the OBD-II connection on the vehicle. Most likely this connector will be plugged into the OSCC modules, so you will have to disconnect the OBD-II connection before attaching the diagnostics tool.
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Switch the vehicle ignition to "ON", but do not start the ignition.
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Start your diagnostics tool by pressing the button on the device.
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Connect whatever device you are using to talk to the diagnostics tool.
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Once the software is started, select the make and model of your vehicle (Kia Soul PS or AM). The year should be whatever is closest to your vehicle year.
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In the next screen, select the systems you want to analyze. You can select as many as you need, typically at least "EPS" is necessary.
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Select "Fault Code Searching" on the same screen.
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Make sure you follow the instructions on this screen and then hit "OK".
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The software will begin searching for fault codes.
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Select "All Erase" on the screen displaying the list of fault codes found.
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Now, disconnect the diagnostics tool and return the vehicle to a workable state. Start this process by turning the vehicle completely off.
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Remove the diagnostics tool and reconnect the OBD bus to the OSCC modules.
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Switch the OSCC modules on.
The vehicle should now be back to a workable state. Full operation, including power steering and full throttle, should be restored. All dash indications of an error should clear. If for some reason the vehicle is still in a hard fault, then you may need to look deeper into what is causing the issue and repeat this process. Sometimes what looks like a hard fault is actually just a loose connection to the throttle or steering modules, which causes the car to detect an error every time it starts up.