Kia Soul Complaints

5,626 consumer complaints on file.

#11549431October 11, 2023
ENGINE
Apparently the engine according to the dealership. The engine has been stalling a slow speeds usually in stop and go traffic. No because they told me they will only drive it about a half a mile and not in the same conditions as I explained. I am being told the dealership has inspected this. Absolutely nothing appeared as a warning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11549266October 10, 2023
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I believe the recalls for the ‘Engine’ and the ‘Engine and engine cooling: Exhaust system: Emission control: Catalytic convertor’ apply to the continuouse issue I’ve been having with my car. I was told it’s not affected but I believe it is. I have an oil leak somehow but its not leaking outside the car, there are no oil stains in the driveway. When the oil starts to get just a little low the car starts wanting to stall and doesn’t resolve when oil is put in . Days of not driving seems to resolve it. There have been burning smells and white smoke. This has been happening frequently for years and we get regular oil changes at the Kia Dealership. I’m afraid if one of the recalls is actually the cause that we could be affected by it while we’re being told our VIN isn’t included in the recall
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11548900October 8, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I received a letter stating that there is a major increase in contacts focus on certain Kia and Hyundai cars, including my car that is registered in New York State. It also is televising me that I can receive advice of tools, available free of charge to help my car from getting stolen.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11548699October 6, 2023
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at 10 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal noise and noticed that the vehicle was hesitant to accelerate. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was the catalytic converter and it needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and suggested to get the vehicle diagnosed at the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11548713October 6, 2023
STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
About 3 months ago my steering wheel started rattling and continues to get worse I haven’t had it looked at yet but I think I need to also my dash lights come off and on all the time do you think I have a problem
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11548674October 6, 2023
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V531000 (Power Train) 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. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11548398October 5, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
See attached document from complainant
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11548256October 4, 2023
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ENGINE
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 40-45 MPH, the vehicle stalled in traffic. While driving the following day, the vehicle stalled again. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine, and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11548263October 4, 2023
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating. The contact stated there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547930October 3, 2023
ENGINE
Currently on 2015 Kia Soul the A/C Heat Exchanger as well as radiator behind it have lost the heat exchanger fin materials between the fluid conducting pipes. This is causing an over pressure condition in the A/C for the car and causing car to run hot and also potentially damage radiator behind it. The radiator is also suffering same issue where exchanger materials between fluid pipes is falling out. I have video of A/C exchanger and if you look closely, you can also see the radiator is suffering similar heat fin materials loss. This is across the exchanger from one side to the other. This is what I would call a manufacturing defect/failure of the exchanger due to poor manufacturing processes. This is not limited to my 2015 Kia soul (96K miles) as my son has a 2016 Kia soul and is starting to see same issue happen with only 49K on car. I have video of his heat exchanger as well.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547957October 3, 2023
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine light, oil light, and battery light remained illuminated and blinked off and on. Also, a knocking and ticking sound was coming from the engine compartment along with a burning oil odor. Additionally, the vehicle would not exceed speeds over 60 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was later taken to the local service center which determined that the catalytic converter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 23,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547738October 2, 2023
ELECTRICAL 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
#11547759October 2, 2023
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled; however, the contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that after the vehicle was shifted into park, the vehicle failed to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and then towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximately 171,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547572October 1, 2023
STEERING
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
#11547601October 1, 2023
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OIL/LUBRICATION
I had and oil change refused because the dip stick showed no oil. I had to add an additional oil of 2.5 quarts to get the oil change done at another service center. there was no visible oil leeks. The 1.6L engine burned thru the oil in 3000 miles. my odometer reads 96361 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547446September 30, 2023
AIR BAGS, ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Engine rod bearings loose torque and piston break make a hole into block, I fix the engine but my cat converter failed
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547457September 30, 2023
STEERING
The steering on my 2013 Kia soul makes a clunking noise when steering left or right. The steering feels very unstable while driving. If I reach 75 mph the steering gets very noisy and loose. I’m now afraid to drive the vehicle. Upon researching this issue, I found that I am not the only one experiencing this problem. I haven’t taken it to a dealer as of yet. I wanted to see if there was a recall on it. There has been no warning lamps or messages appearing.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547507September 30, 2023
ENGINE
The catalytic converter on my 2015 KIA soul had spontaneously went out. There were really no warning signs of a problem, it just one day stopped in the middle of me driving on the road. I had to make it over to the side of the road to safety and the car had to be towed to my dealership; which is where they told me the catalytic converter was clogged and had to be replaced entirely. An over $2,000 job they were telling me. The warranty apparently did not cover this. But I did hear of there being a recall or safety issue having to do with this model cars engine. I have experienced this problem and it caused my car to stall out in traffic, multiple times. This was not due to my carelessness; as I had taken the car for regular maintenance and oil changes. This caused me to be at a complete loss of the car, as I'm not able to pay for the repair right now, and the dealership has told me selling the vehicle back wont work because it isnt worth anything to them. Now I've been in a catch 22 as the car isnt paid off and I still owe more than the car is even worth at this point. With the repairs costing as much as they have and do now.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547248September 29, 2023
ENGINE
I took my 2018 Kia soul into the Kia dealer for a couple recalls, one of them was that KSDS (knock sensor detection system) shortly after that, my engine light started going on. I took it back to the Kia dealer and they change the oil And charged me for it. My engine is burning oil and it's having to be replaced by a quart every couple weeks. I pulled into Valvoline the other day and explained what happened and the young man called his supervisor and came back to me and said they cannot change the oil because , my car engine is at fault and could start a fire or blow a rod. I've been in touch with my Kia dealer and they tell me that my extended warranty is not valid however, when I look at the proposed class settlement soon for engine issues, such as engine, fires, or engine failure… it tells me once that KSDS has been updated. I automatically qualify for extended warranty. I've been instructed not to drive my car and to park it in a safe open place. I need a rental car and my local Kia dealer is unable or unwilling to assist me. They also told me that they have no one to work on that issue for two weeks. They also told me unless my engine blows a rod or catches on fire. There's nothing they can do to assist me and covering the cost. My kia soul will not go faster than 60 miles an hour on an open highway for more than 20 miles an hour going up a local residential hill. Obviously something is drastically wrong with my engine but I can't seem to get any Kia person to assist me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11547389September 29, 2023
STEERING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am writing upon instruction of Minnesota Attorney General Ellison's Office regarding my stolen Kia. Our 2019 Kia Soul was was purchased less than a year ago from a dealership. In the last year, the Kia Soul has been stolen twice. Both times we incurred significant expenses to repair the car's broken windows and disassembled steering column. We also experienced huge inconveniences to arrive at work since we were without the vehicle for over a month each time. To make matters worse, our insurance company increased our rates each time the car was stolen. I now fear the car will be simply uninsurable when the policy reups. The only support we have seen from Kia is receipt of an anti-theft steering lock ("club"). This device is worth about $25. It is an insult given the expenses we have incurred. We just got the car back from the autobody shop today. I remain very concerned about putting this car back on the street. We do not have a garage or can afford off street parking. The car is principally used by our son who lives in an apartment in Minneapolis. We have heard of many instances when the car's windows are smashed even when an anti-theft device is on the steering wheel. I believe a vehicle recall is the only fair alternative. I realize that Ellison's office is pursuing a class action suit with this goal. Please support that campaign and help us address this entirely impossible situation. If we try to sell this vehicle, we will lose nearly five thousand in value since it was purchased last year. We have already incurred about $3,000 in addition to insurance increases. Yet, I am sure we have any other option than selling it if our insurance either refuses to insure or jacks our rates even higher than they did last year. Sincerely, [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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