Kia Soul Complaints (2012)
516 consumer complaints on file.
- #11560308December 15, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11558881December 7, 2023STEERING
Steering is very shakey when going over 55
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11558303December 4, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11557672November 30, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the contact saw and smelled a smoke odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The VIN was included however, parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11557715November 30, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11557778November 30, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, she detected a burning plastic odor. The contact pulled over and had the vehicle towed to a dealer. The dealer did not diagnose the vehicle and advised the contact that she could not leave the vehicle at the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 70,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11557416November 29, 2023POWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, AIR BAGS
The contact owned a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact stated while stopped at an intersection, the vehicle independently accelerated while depressing the brake pedal. The contact steered the vehicle to the left in an attempt to stop the acceleration and repeatedly depressed the brake pedal. Due to the failure, the contact hit a curb, a sidewalk post, and finally, a retaining wall which stopped the vehicle. The sidewalk post was damaged due to the crash. The contact was unaware if any warning lights appeared on the instrument panel. The air bags did not deploy at any time during the failure. A woman was knocked over by the vehicle as a result of the failure. The woman sustained a cut to her right hand and suffered pain to the right side of her body. The woman was taken to the hospital by ambulance for treatment, her whereabouts remain unknown. The contact was treated at the scene by paramedics but did not need further medical assistance. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed from the scene to an independent mechanic and was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 99,700.
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 2
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11557426November 29, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact also stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly shuddered before returning to normal functionality. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic, but the dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was 115,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11556989November 27, 2023STEERING
THE STEERING COLUMN MAKES A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE WHEN OPERATING THE VEHICLE. EVEN IN PARK WHEN YOU TURN THE WHEEL YOU HERE THE NOISE. WHEN DRIVING THERE IS A DEFINITE SHAKING NOISE ANDTHE WHEEL FEELS VERY LOOSE WHICH MAKES STEERING HARD TO CONTROL. I HAVE MADE AN APPOINTMENT AT THE DEALERSHIP TO BE INSPECTED AND ESTIMATE OF REPAIR. THE CAR HAS 43.798 ORIGINAL MILES. IT IS NOW ONLY DRIVEN TO KEEP THE BATTERY CHARGED. WE ARE EXPECTING A FULL EXPLANATION OF FROM KIA.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11556703November 24, 2023STEERING
The steering coupler is worn on on my car. It causes the car to vibrate and a clunking sound to happen when driving. This is a common problem with Kias but isn't covered by a recall.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11556475November 22, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact's mother owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact's mother received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11554619November 11, 2023ENGINE
I was driving at night down a major highway when the car stopped dead. I towed it to a repair shop and they told me that the engine was completely gone. They informed me that there was a class actions case on Kias due to engine failure. I need my Kia to have the engine replaced and covered under this situation as it totally does not work anymore and from what I am told it is a catastrophic occurrence happening to many, many Kias. Who can I contact about getting this fixed?
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11554605November 10, 2023UNKNOWN OR OTHER, STEERING, ENGINE
The engines makes a weird chatter noise all the time
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11547738October 2, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, SUSPENSION
DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT A SPEED OF 65MPH AND MY CAR JUST BEGAN TO IDLE AND SLOWED DOWN TO REDUCING SPEED QUICKLY. I COULD NOT GIVE IT ENOUGH ACCELERATION TO PICK UP SPEED. I PULLED OVER TO SHUT MY ENGINE CAR OFF. TURNED CAR BACK ON AND MY RPMS TO SHIFT TO 2ND GEAR WERE LOW. I HAD TO SHIFT MY GEARS QUICKLY TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE. SINCE THEN, MY ENGINE LIGHT IS BLINKING AND I CANNOT GO FASTER THAN 50MPH
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11547572October 1, 2023STEERING
The steering wheel began to shake violently at highway speed and when making turns. When stopped, the steering wheel make a clunking noise when moved from side to side. Mechanic said it was a worn flexible steering coupler in the steering wheel power steering unit. The car is dangerous to drive and only has 80,000 miles on it. I am told this issue is common in KIA Souls and should be subject to a recall. ,
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11546870September 27, 2023POWER TRAIN, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
My 2012 Kia soul base, had this SC176 recall which I took it into the dealer, at that time I really didn't know exactly what the recall consisted of, until months later after researching the performance of my car, my engine lights comes on and stays on for two weeks ,then go off a day and it's back on, my car drives sluggish and it's acceleration power is bad , where it won't get up to necessary speed, and it making a loud noises when I accelerate ,which the mechanic said it's my Cadillac converter which was under recall and most likely damaged , from high exhaust gas temperatures,I do believe it's all under the last recall, my engine was damaged and should of been replaced along with the catalytic converter, I believe the KIA dealership knew of the damages but didn't replace my catalytic converter or my engine, my cars performance has gone down tremendously , month by month because of this recall that didn't work , I loved my car but sometimes I don't feel excited about cranking it up and driving it away from my house, because I'm not sure if I'm going to make it back home safe or maybe have it towed, I'm depending on Kia to do the right thing and fix this recall ,because I could be a returning customer.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11545000September 17, 2023STEERING
Power steering making clicking noise and loose steering
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11544977September 16, 2023STEERING
Steering column rattles and makes cracking noise
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11543503September 8, 2023ENGINE
The car experienced a sudden catastrophic engine failure. We had just pulled out of the driveway and were on our residential street, so there was no accident, we were able to pull over and stop the vehicle without incident. It was towed to the Kia dealer (Premier Kia of Carlsbad 5331 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad, CA 92008). After detailed inspection by one of their service technicians they determined that the cause of the engine failure was the same connecting rod bearing failure that other years/classes of Kia Soul have experienced. The dealer initiated a claim with Kia to try to get the extended warranty and engine replacement covered for my vehicle since it was exactly the same issue they have seen with the vehicles covered in the legal settlement (Techline case #15756680). However, Kia has denied responsibility for what is clearly a defect in the engine affecting other Kia owners not currently being reimbursed for their loss by previous recalls and legal settlements.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11541331August 29, 2023STEERING, SUSPENSION
The vehicles steering wheel makes a clunking sound and there is a lot of play in it. It makes noise from left to right and vibrates at higher speeds. I have to drive with both hands gripping the wheel to hold it steady. I drive on the freeway at least once a week to visit my son and grandkids and now to nervous to drive it as it’s an hour drive. I am a senior and cannot afford to pay out of pocket. I’ve had my 2012 Kia Soul since 2013. I bought it used with 22,000 miles on it. I now have reached the 100,000 mile mark. I paid $20,000 for this vehicle over time and now I need Kia to step up and pay for this defect. Since it’s happening in almost all their cars it must be their fault. I don’t understand why they are not fixing the 2012’s but all other years are covered. That is a mistake that will kill someone soon and then they will have a lot more problems than they are facing now. They recently offered me a steering wheel lock so that my car can’t be stolen, that’s funny cause I don’t think that it would be worth stealing cause the steering is already compromised. Please get them to step up and take care of all their customers as it’s their fault. The part is a little rubber star thing that costs $8.00 but labor is 400 dollars and up. Thank you for listening.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0