Kia Soul Complaints

5,626 consumer complaints on file.

#11501455January 12, 2023
ENGINE
On 12/29/2022, the check engine light came while driving to work on my 2021 Kia (25k miles). I called the dealership right away and made an appointment for inspection the next day. At lunch time the same day, I got into my car and went through a local drive thru. On the way back, the vehicle stalled out WHILE driving. It stalled out repeatedly driving the 3 blocks to my office. Knowing the vehicle was unsafe, I had it towed to the dealership. The dealership has had my vehicle for two weeks. Changing all the emission parts, and tried to tell me I had no oil in the car (regular maintenance through them is up to date). Now they keep telling me, they are waiting for the Kia hotline to contact them. I do know this, the car was burning excessive oil. Parts of the engine were gunked up from this. Engine started stalling out. It's the exact description of the recalled 2021 Kia problems, yet they claim not mine it was not part of the recall. These engines are dangerous. Kia is doing NOTHING to resolve the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501248January 11, 2023
ENGINE
The contact's cousin owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while her cousin was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound and then lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with connecting rod and rod bearing failure. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced but declined the engine replacement due to a lack of adequate oil change records. The contact stated that her cousin had owned the vehicle for less than a year. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501298January 11, 2023
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle started to hesitate then stalled. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle but was only able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact towed the vehicle to her residence and then towed the vehicle to the local dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500986January 10, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I first reported an issue with the car rolling while in park back on 8-23-22 (NHTSA complaint #11480710). It has rolled while in park 4 times on 05-21-2022, 8-16-2022, 8-30-2022 and again on today 01-10-2023. I took the car into the Kia Dealership on 09-26-2022 at the instruction of [XXX] from Kia's Corporate U.S. Headquarters. [XXX] coordinated having a Kia engineer fly out to look at my car. Unfortunately, none of the issues were resolved. I reached back out to [XXX] who put me in touch with [XXX] ([XXX] manager) @ [XXX]. I spoke with [XXX] for 15 minutes on 10-31-2022. He agreed to have [XXX] arrange for my car to be looked at again and all issues resolved, however [XXX] has not followed up with me and has not been responding to my emails (please see the attached email transcript). 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
#11501019January 10, 2023
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Whenever needing to accelerate sharply on highway or roadways a plume of white smoke is released from the engine manifold compartment area and creates a smoke screen surrounding and behind vehicle. Had numerous mechanics fix things on this, fuel injectors recently, Kia dealership states it needs a new engine but extended warranty would not cover the cost. Vehicle was sold to me and under financing through Westlake Financial and is lien holder, but vehicle is claimed by dealership to be unsafe to drive. Forced to purchase an additonal new vehicle and still paying and insurinance on this vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501020January 10, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VISIBILITY/WIPER
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while reversing the vehicle and depressing the brake pedal to stop the vehicle, the brake pedal was rigid and failed to stop the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, the brake pedal operated as needed. The contact stated while the vehicle was in park(P), the message to shift to park(P) was displayed. Additionally, the oil pressure and charging warning lights were intermittently illuminated. The contact stated that the front windshield wipers failed to work intermittently. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer; however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure persisted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501058January 10, 2023
ENGINE
In early October of 2022, the engine failed in our 2018 Soul. We deposited the vehicle at the dealership service center and we’re told the engine failure was due to a recall issue. They placed an order to replace our engine and to this day, the engine has still not arrived, nor can the dealership inform us on when the engine is due to arrive. We have been passed around from department to department with Kia Consumer Affairs, and we cannot get any assistance. We cannot afford a rental and we are still financially responsible for our Soul.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501080January 10, 2023
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started jerking abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and had the vehicle towed to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no additional assistance. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501165January 10, 2023
ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES
Traveling at approximately 75 mph on interstate and check engine light began to flash, car lost power directly in front of tractor trailer, car was pulled over onto an exit ramp, car was rattling/knocking, brakes would not stop the car when applied. The car was moving slowly enough up the exit ramp that once it came to a stop it began to roll backwards. Unable to stop the car from rolling by applying the brakes, had to shift the car to park to stop it. Car was towed approximately 30 miles to the nearest dealership. Dealership diagnosed as needing a new engine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11501026January 10, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, PARKING BRAKE
Purchased this 2023 Kia Soul on 12/9/2022 from Gateway Kia of North Brunswick, the incident occurred on 12/30/2022 and subsequently occurred a second time after that, I don't have the exact date for the second occurrence. Both occurrences happened with less than 1000 miles on the vehicle. After driving I put the transmission into PARK, with my foot still on the brake pedal, I applied the parking brake (this model has a manual brake you pull not the electric brake) this brake is also known as the "emergency brake" or "hand brake." After a few seconds with my foot still on the brake pedal I heard a loud bang and the parking brake disengaged all by itself, all the way back down. It just slipped. If the vehicle had been in neutral it could have rolled away. Just so happens that both times this happened I was on a relatively flat surface but the vehicle could still have rolled slowly. I contacted the dealer I bought it from today, 1/10/2023, not to make an appointment for service but to let them know this happened so it's on their radar in case another Kia vehicle comes in with the same problem. If I were to bring it in for them to look at it, they most likely won't be able to duplicate it and send me home telling me it's fine so I don't want to waste my time. If it happens again I will be contacting the manufacturer and for sure escalating the issue, in the mean time I just make sure to park on a surface that is as flat as possible and of course make sure to keep the transmission in PARK.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500854January 9, 2023
ENGINE
I was parked at the curb in front of a house, the engine running. I tried to go in reverse, nothing happened but my car kept getting closer to the car in front of me til I was touching the car. The person came and moved his car. With difficulty, I turned the steering wheel left and rolled out into the street but couldn't turn left when I tried. I was sitting in the middle of a four way intersection and people had to go around me. I sat there for about 20 min with the engine running, unable to move. Finally the car started to move and I was able to drive and control the car again. It was very frightening. Nobody has inspected the car yet. I'm trying to get in contact with the dealer to have it looked at.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500617January 7, 2023
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I have did a diagnosis on the car and it’s coming back to the catalytic converter, the gas in my car is draining out like crazy it’s like i’m putting in so much just for it to run out. The RPMs won’t go up when suppose to. The seems like it’s trying so hard to switch in and out of gears
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500584January 7, 2023
ENGINE
On 12/28 at approximately 5:00 pm my vehicle shut off 2 times within a span of 30 minutes while I was driving it. It happened on approach to a highway. It was NOT the Stop-Start System. My car was moving while it happened. My car lost all power, and every warning indicator flashed in my dash and I even lost my power steering. I took my car to KIA and they categorized this as my car “stalling”, but I wouldn’t say that is accurate. My car’s computer seems to have malfunctioned or was hacked. Indeed KIA’s repair document shows that they performed a software update on my car to solve this. My car’s engine was certainly malfunctioning while driving on 12/28 after both events of losing all power to my car. It sounded like my engine was in the wrong gear after these events. I didn’t drive my car after that episode and KIA refused to tell me what was wrong after they “repaired it” and performed a software update. This article yesterday about KIA/other auto’s breached is unnerving. I don’t feel safe driving the car and wish I had the ability to cut off KIA’s API to my car while driving. They should only be allowed to perform software updates or access the car’s computer remotely while the car is stationary and the driver should be alerted that KIA or a third party is accessing the car’s computer and/or engine, etc. I just want to make sure if I get in a serious accident that this is on record. https://www.cyberscoop.com/car-hackers-vulnerabilities-research/
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500469January 6, 2023
ENGINE
I purchased the vehicle new (2014 KIA Soul, 1.6 liter) and in 2019 (85,000), under NHTSA Recall ID: 19V120000, I took the vehicle to a dealer who allegedly effected the repair, claiming, according to KIA, the catalytic converter was ok. I had a warranty on the vehicle to 120,000 miles. At 125,000 miles, today, the catalytic converter is damaged structurally probably due to overheat, specifically the issue that prompted the recall. I feel that the dealership may have not properly performed the software change and/or failed to identify damage to the catalytic converter. Understand that the vehicle was driven sparingly, low annual mileage, as my wife, the driver, was disabled in 2014 and subsequently only used the vehicle mainly for local errands.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500526January 6, 2023
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
Engine failure due to campaign 19120000. I was never notified via phone or mail back in 2020 when this was released. Now it’s not being honored. I’ve been placed on hold, spoke with someone who then put me on another hold and back out to the beginning of the hold process. My car is doing exactly this in this campaign # and while doing so multiple other failures are following.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500554January 6, 2023
POWER TRAIN
Driving vehicle on roadway and started braking to stop at a stop sign when the engine revved higher, had a shudder, and then then car abruptly stopped in traffic. Check engine light illuminated. Put in Park, checked under the hood; no engine issue that I could see. Motor ran smooth with no shudder. When transmission shifted to D, vehicle did not move; would not move in any gear. Towed to KIA of Dothan (AL). Several transmission codes given. Service Dept. advised transmission had a total failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500238January 5, 2023
ENGINE
My engine failed and I thankfully was able to get my car to my mechanic but had I not, I could have stalled on the highway and caused a car accident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500278January 5, 2023
ENGINE
Own my way home from work. It was foggy and rainy. I did not realize it flooded. I ran my car in the water. After that it started messing up and not running right. My insurance sent it to Kia and Kia claims that the catalytic converter is all of a sudden messed up and said it don't have water damage. Know I can't drive my vehicle bc my insurance want fix it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11500246January 5, 2023
AIR BAGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
While crossing an intersection a Jeep Gladiator ran a red light causing my vehicle to hit it broad side. Front and side airbags did not deploy. The frontend was damaged is buckled, hood about 6", fenders crushed and the grill was destroyed. Driver's door wouldn't open. The seatbelt didn't restrain my wife enogh to keep her from hitting the steering wheel. This caused bruises on her leg , abdomen and chest areas.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11500089January 4, 2023
ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The dealer replaced the catalytic converter; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics, who replaced the catalytic converter on two separate occasions. The failure recurred, and the vehicle was then towed to The Kia Store (5327 Preston Hwy, Louisville, KY 40213) where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter and engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

← Back to Kia Soul