Kia Soul Complaints

5,626 consumer complaints on file.

#11434801September 28, 2021
STEERING
My steering wheel is making a loud thudding sound when I turn it to the left or right. It started when I was driving on the highway during a road trip. It feels super unsafe and I’m bringing it to the dealership tomorrow. This seems like it should be a recall from Kia and that as car owners, we should not have to pay for this common and serious problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11434655September 28, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Car was stolen using a known design flaw. Now both of my cars are in the shop because of this
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11434512September 27, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine). The contact stated that the manufacturer declined the recall repairs because the vehicle was in Puerto Rico, and was not a state, but a U.S. territory. The dealer and another dealer, Caribbean Auto Distributors (Avenida 65 De Infantería, Km 10.2 Esquina Muñoz Rivera, Carolina, 00987, Puerto Rico) were made aware of the recall on separate occasions. However, both dealers informed the contact that they needed approval from the manufacturer before the recall could be performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer declined the recall repair and informed the contact that Puerto Rico was not a state, but a USA territory. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11434249September 24, 2021
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, she noticed that the check engine waring light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer to inspect the vehicle however, the warning light was off prior to arriving at the dealer. The dealer informed the contact that they would not be able diagnose the failure if there was no warning light illuminated. The contact retrieved the vehicle and continued to drive the vehicle. On another occasion while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle decelerated to 30 MPH independently and failed to accelerate above 30 MPH. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and waited for several minutes before driving back to the residence. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the catalytic convertor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11434298September 24, 2021
ENGINE
Had the catalytic converter replaced in August 20, 2020 at Nalley Kia in Lithonia, GA. And one year later while driving on the highway about 60 mph., I heard a knocking sound coming from the engine. Then after taking it to Sons Kia in McDonough, GA and now they are telling me that I need another one, after getting it replaced one year ago.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433933September 22, 2021
ENGINE
Car had knock sensor update about 11/20…. Car started to burn oil. Did oil consumption test but cause it didn’t use more then 1quart per 1,000 miles it’s fine….. The car felt like engine was under a load. Straining rpms jumped up. No acceleration. Flashing engine light to steady on. Car started to shake and buck. Pulled over had it towed. My guess is cat got clogged cause engine burns oil and now has lead to engine failure. Failed at 93909 miles
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433966September 22, 2021
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was unable to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine seized and needed to be replaced. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 111,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433980September 22, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
So, I was driving down the road and there was like a tapping sound coming from the engine. It had been doing that tapping noise for a couple of days. All of a sudden a heard like a loud bang/pop noise and see smoke coming out of my engine area. The car stalled and I slowly let it coast to the side of the road. I looked at my rear view mirror and I see black smoke and a man running toward me yelling, "Get out of the car! Get out of the car! It's going to explode! Get out of the car!" Other cars were stopping and I couldn't tell what all the fuzz was about. I picked up my work lap top, parked the car, and took the keys off the ignition. Smoke was coming into the cabin and I realized this was something else. I opened the door and the man yelled again, "Get out!, Get out!" I did. I slowly got out of the car and made my way away from the car. I began recording because I was mad that this KIA that I had bought just over a year prior had broken down. It wasn't until I stepped further back that I see the fire coming upward and the engine was on fire as well. The KIA Soul 2018 burned completely down in less than 10 minutes. I was lucky to get out alive.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433803September 21, 2021
ENGINE
Started experiencing engine issues around 100,000 miles/6 years with Kia Soul, including very sluggish acceleration, not shifting gears properly or when needed on Highway. A couple of different technicians/dealers looked at car and couldn’t figure it out. In June 2020 at 108,151 miles a Kia dealer/servicer determined the catalytic converter was the issue and needed replacement. Kia refused to provide a new one, as it was just outside the 6 year/100,000 mile warranty. Now in September 2021 the car is having the same problems and a Kia dealer/servicer determined the catalytic converter needs to be replaced AGAIN. Kia refused to replace, as they only give a 1 year warranty on the new one they put in June 2020 (doesn’t EPA require a 5 year warranty on new aftermarket catalytic converters?). Contacted Kia Consumer Affairs and have pending escalated claim for them to provide the catalytic converter this time. There is clearly something wrong with the engine that it is causing the catalytic converters to fail so soon. Seems very similar to the vehicles that were included in the $760 million Kia engine settlement.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433820September 21, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 72 MPH, she became aware that the vehicle was overheating with the high engine temperature warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of road to let the vehicle cool down. The contact then restarted the vehicle and heard a loud knocking noise coming from the engine. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the vehicle with engine damage. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433904September 21, 2021
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
On several occasions now the vehicle has sped up on its own while parked. Thank goodness I had my foot on the brake but as soon as I let go of the brake, it went fast without my peddle on the gas. I stopped it with the break peddle and it did it again once I let go of the brake peddle. It usually takes a couple of times for the car not to do that. Also, the oil light hasn't warned me that the oil is low. The motor began rattling while I was near work and I stopped the vehicle. Someone helped me and told me that there was barely any oil in the engine. So, we added oil but now it's always rattling. It has also stalled while going up a hill. That's happened on two occasions. I believe I may have a lemon in my hands. KIA has yet to accept that it's still under warranty and they keep brushing me off.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433588September 20, 2021
VISIBILITY/WIPER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
When switching from AC to heat, moisture starts spraying from vents, rapidly dripping on floor and completely fogging up windows causing zero visibility. I was forced to pull off roadway for fear of a collision. It then takes at least ten minutes for the moisture to stop and the windows to clear. This happened a year ago at the same time when the weather is changing from warm days using the ac and then using the heat on cold mornings. The dealership charged me to replace the cabin air filter which did not fix the problem. I have seen this complaint by other KIA Soul owners on a number of public internet sites.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433602September 20, 2021
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine) however, while pulling into the driveway the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and became aware that the engine oil level was low. The contact added a quart of oil to the engine. Several days later while the vehicle was started, the contact heard the same abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. Additionally, the engine temperature was elevated, and the vehicle was consuming oil. The contact reached out to an independent mechanic about the failure and was informed over the phone that the vehicle might need a new engine. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433615September 20, 2021
POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
My Kia Soul's engine failed when we were exiting the highway. The car started making awful grinding sounds and went into "limp mode." When I tried to restart the vehicle, the oil lamp and check engine lamp illuminated. The car had shown NO issues the entire day and I had put oil in it earlier that morning because I noticed it was low (I try to check the oil every time I get gas). I had my partner and our dogs in the car with us and had to walk down the highway to the gas station to call somebody since we didn't have service. It was also 110 degrees outside, so the car failing put us in a pretty dangerous situation. We had JUST gotten the recall notice for the vehicle's engine a week before (it looked like it had gotten lost in the mail) and had called around to the Kia Dealerships in the area and none could see us for over a month, which was a problem because we were going to be moving back to the PNW from Death Valley (we had to relocate because I was laid off due to COVID) in less than a month. The closest dealerships were also 100+ miles away. We towed the car with us to WA and got it into a dealership ASAP and they confirmed that the engine had a knock, but Kia refused to fix the issue, stating that because the Knock Sensor Detection Software hadn't been installed, it was not under warranty. The car got serviced at least once every 4 months (I have service records), and I would check and fill the engine oil regularly because the car would burn through it like crazy.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11433460September 18, 2021
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Catalytic converter, recall SC176? Have issues with code: p0420, replaced the Catalytic converter once and code appears again with engine light on, Kia dealership says they won't perform recall since car is slightly over 80,000. Also oil is constantly running out, not noticing a leak on the ground so must be burning away?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432892September 14, 2021
ENGINE
My engine failed and gasket blew with no signs of over heated and no issues prior to failure car had no issues at all.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432721September 13, 2021
ENGINE
After having my oil and filter changed at jiffy lube in approximately 3 weeks my oil light came on. Had to add 3 quarts. Have had to add 1 quart every 400 miles since. Never had to add oil before the last change. No signs of leak/burning etc. Making an appointment with Kia dealer to investigate - also having them perform the WCU upgrade related to Kia Product Improvement Campaign dated 8/20/20. I was never notified. I have read a number of complaints and quite a few are related to both oil and knock sensor issues. I will update after visit to Kia Dealer.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432731September 13, 2021
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
On Monday September 6, 2021 at about 11:30 pm, I was driving home east on interstate 90, just east of Roselle rd. near Schaumburg, Illinois. When the car began to violently shake. The dash board lights began to flash and the engine just stopped. We managed to steer the car to the side of the express way, in an attempt to restart the car with no luck. A Illinois Dept. of Transportation road side assistance driver tried to start the car when the car explored into fire, the driver put the fire out and provided us with the number of a toe truck , which we had the car toed to the Schaumburg Kia Dealer, located at 1100 East Golf Road, Schaumburg, IL 60173, phone No. is (847) 908-0502, where the dealer is trying to determine the cause of the fire and the amount of damage, if the car is a total loss or not. My car is a 2016 Kia Soul. At this point I have not heard from the dealer after a week, I have called the dealer several times with no reply at all.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432801September 13, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the ESC sensors needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the engine started knocking. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull into a nearby gas station. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine, and Engine Cooling) since the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432830September 13, 2021
ENGINE
Vehicle is rapidly consuming oil, regularly burning through all 5 quarts of oil within 2,000 miles of an oil change.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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