Kia Soul Complaints
5,626 consumer complaints on file.
- #11556256November 21, 2023ENGINE
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25 MPH, he observed smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road to cool down. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the cylinder head exhaust valve had failed, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,461.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11556271November 21, 2023STEERING
Steering coupler needs replaced per Dealership. Vehicle has 72,000 miles only. No recall notice received. One owner. I feel they could replace an expensive item less than $550. Goodwill
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11555983November 20, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2011 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not 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
- #11556021November 20, 2023STEERING, SERVICE BRAKES
Stering wheel makes a load clacking sound also lots of slack in the wheel git alignment twice and still making the sound and drifts to the right and steering wheel shakes when driving and breaking.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11556029November 20, 2023ENGINE
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30–40 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was 10,500.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11556031November 20, 2023ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound, the vehicle lost power and the engine became inoperable. The check engine and oil warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty engine. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and determined that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was 89,200.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11556109November 20, 2023ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine) associated with the VIN from Carfax. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made a knocking sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer declined to perform the recall repair due to a lack of service history receipts. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 93,500.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11556121November 20, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while parked, the entire instrument panel had become inoperable and the vehicle had started to smoke. The origin of the fire was unknown. The check engine and electrical warning light were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to New York Auto. The vehicle had been diagnosed by an independent mechanic. The contact was informed that the failure was due to an electrical issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000. The VIN was not available
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11556125November 20, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic), and the VIN was included, but 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 not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11555879November 19, 2023ENGINE
We kept or Kia well maintained. We was driving out of town doing 65MPH and suddenly the engine caused the car to suddenly drop to 10MPH. The engine light came on. Luckily there was no other vehicles on the road. We was able to pull off the road and have the car towed to a mechanic shop. The engine light reads for an emissions error but so far the mechanic has replaced air filter, Cadillac converters, plugs and a bunch of other stuff that we requested to be done hoping it wasn’t the engine even though the mechanic knew it was because of his past experience working on these Kias. Not only did I have to purchase a new vehicle but the Kia is still at the mechanic shop nearly a month of being there and costing us money. We was told that the engine to replace it has been discontinued and that if we found a used one in a junk yard that it would be unsafe and unwise to use. Not only did the engine failure put my family at risk physically if other vehicles would have been on the road at that time but had financially hurt us as well.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11555882November 19, 2023SERVICE BRAKES, SUSPENSION, VISIBILITY/WIPER
I bought car being financed in sac,ca. August 8, 2023. Took back referred to mechanic round corner. Brake rotor issues fixed front this was August 14 noise still exist took back turned back rotors scraping noise pulling to left took to other automotive repairs ,inspections shocks original 2010 208,000 miles , brakes rotors scratches need replacing , pads, sway bar crack or been welded, sway bar link needs replacing crack control arms bushings cracked,windshield wipers needed replacing, check engine light I replaced coils and spark plugs, valve cover gasket leak ,front tires worn . Brakes sway bar axle issues could have have tragic accidents rollover cause injury to self passengers pedestrians and other vehicles. Even though car sold as is there's safety issues that should had been addressed before sold to anyone . I been to midas, Les Schwab, AAA inspection jiffy lube, orange Grove automotive, sales person said I need to take to another mechanic they use in elk Grove sine the mechanic they been using not fixing properly or in denial what's wrong, he said they aren't mechanics it's illegal that I brought car back to lot . I left it there feel unsafe after finding out what all wrong when mechanic said stop noise and salesmen said help me if I take to their people .I don't want car cause what else been overlooked it's about moneys I've spent rentals wage losses Safety first neglected . I feel they need to make deal right another car comparable in performance safety what this car suppose to be or give me $1500 back quash deal cause I don't like disrespect they have given me to be professional defrauding me not concerned my safety just$$$. Then say I illegally left car in lot but not that they illegally sold me an unsafe vehicle. I got full coverage insurance before taking car.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11555795November 18, 2023STEERING, WHEELS, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Car has an heavy gas smell like when the car is started ,has to crank up and car shakes when it’s started steering is off and etc.
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11555660November 17, 2023ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate and independently decelerated to 20 MPH. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to metal shavings in the oil. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11555663November 17, 2023ENGINE
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine made a knocking sound and then lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle coasted to the side of the road and was towed to the dealer. The dealer performed the recall repair under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the failure recurred. The dealer determined that there was sludge in the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but denied the engine replacement due to a lack of oil change records. The failure mileage was 82,858.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11555507November 16, 2023ENGINE
The catalytic converter needs to be replaced. This 2016 Kia Soul has been leaking or burning oil for over a year. I would have to either get my oil changed or put more oil in around 3,000 miles (It recommended to get an oil change every 5,000 miles with synthetic oil). I don't see oil on the ground, so it's either burning oil or leaking into the catalytic converter or elsewhere. I had the PI2002B done, but my car did not qualify for the SC176, 20V750, or SC200 recalls by one year. All of these recalls could affect the engine and catalytic converter. I have also brought it into the dealership at least four times in the last 2.5 years because the check engine light came on. The first time is when they performed the PI2002B (Product Improvement Campaign). Two times they said I needed a new gas cap. The last time they said I needed to have a consumption test done. 100 miles into the consumption test my car became extremely sluggish and made a slight rattling noise at 65 mph. I think the 2016 should have been under the aforehand recalls.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11555530November 16, 2023ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Unresolved Recall. The vehicle was under recall in 2019 and should not have been sold by JTs Kia in Columbia, SC. The piston oil rings were affected in the 2019 recall and also caused an issue for the 2020 Kia Souls. The car was sold under recall. Once the revised recall came out in 2021 JTs Kia did not properly resolved the issue and later the car engine overheated and caught fire. JTs Kia Never took responsibility and told the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs that the Kia Corporation will not honor any repairs. The car was no longer able to turn on and JTs KIA is still selling these dangerous cars that has had piston oil ring issues since 2010
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 1
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11555180November 15, 2023POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
My whole engine will shake and it turns off randomly when stopped. Also, while car is on it will shake the engine which causes it to shake the whole car. My car will shake so bad I have to put my foot on the break hard for it not to move while the jumping is happening.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11554978November 14, 2023ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
For the past two years my 2015 Kia Soul has been rapidly burning through oil. I’m having to get full oil changes every 2 months with me also adding additional top offs every few weeks. I’ve been getting the run around from KIA about this issue. I brought it in two years ago for an engine recall. The dealership in EAST MEADOW LONG ISLAND was a complete joke. They charged me a few because my check engine light was on, the reason I was there! They said my engine was fine and nothing was related to the recall. Lately I have been noticing a stalling when going up a hill and the car has trouble accelerating over 40mph. It stalled the other day while I was trying to merge on the highway. I am so sick of this car and will likely sell it at a loss. Currently has 99,000 miles on it.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11554784November 13, 2023ENGINE
NHTSA - I own a 2016 Kia Soul that has a damaged failing engine; the problem is excessive oil consumption. This defect is causing motor oil to migrate into areas of the engine that it shouldn't be, thus inevitably causing a catastrophic failure; rendering the engine inoperable and irreparable. The oil pressure warning light came on only after the damage was done. Horne Kia in Gilbert Arizona, where I purchased the vehicle, inspected it and found this to be true. However Horne Kia and Kia corporate will not repair or authorize repair, respectively. I was told to continue driving it until the engine is completely destroyed in order to have it repaired...WHAT. So I'm being told that the engine will definitely seize-up and fail leaving me stranded; this is a safety nightmare. What if I'm driving on a highway when this happens. What if the engine failure causes me to lose control of my vehicle and cause who knows what. This not only puts me at risk, it puts others driving around me at risk as well; not to mention passengers that may be in my vehicle. Now there's gasoline mixing with the oil. Beside all of the aforementioned, now there's also a risk of engine compartment fire and loss of life.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11554850November 13, 2023ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Soul EV. The contact stated that the electrical system had experienced power fluctuations, which reduced the charging capacity of the battery to only 8 percent. The EV warning light remained illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact was informed that the vehicle was previously serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V218000 (Electrical System). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 66,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0