Kia Soul Complaints

5,626 consumer complaints on file.

#11441190November 21, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Steering clicks and feels loose when turning. Inspected by a repair shop and they said it was the steering coupler. It's my understanding this is a issue with most kia souls. This should be a recall item but 2012 year was not included. Very unsafe as steering can fail. Make this a recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11441166November 20, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Still the original owner or our 2012 Kia Soul and experiencing issues with the flex coupler in the steering column. As with other 2012 owners why is there no recall for this year unlike the other Kia and Hyundais make and models??
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11441167November 20, 2021
ENGINE
Catalytic converter was replaced on 10/27/21 as well as Logic update. After driving the car 53 miles it got hot and started smoking and now the head gasket is blown. No warning lights came on except the temp went to Hot. Dealer says they won’t replace the engine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11441058November 19, 2021
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On a Sunday our started to turn off at red lights and stop signs. Then a loud pop happened, white smoke came out, and the car died on the interstate. The piston rod had broke and cracked the engine block. We did not even know there was anything going on until the car broke like it did.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440955November 18, 2021
ENGINE
The contact's daughter owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 55 MPH, she heard abnormal knocking sounds coming from the engine and the vehicle inadvertently began to stall. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact's daughter veered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. Then the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who provided the same diagnosis and advised the contact to tow the vehicle back to the dealer as the failure was a safety issue. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The contact was still awaiting a call back from the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440741November 17, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle began to jerk. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic and had the engine repaired. The contact stated that she experienced the failure for the second time in August 2021. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440772November 17, 2021
AIR BAGS
Car hit guardrail at highway speed. There is significant damage to the front end. The drivers and passengers airbags failed to deploy. The driver side air bag did deploy.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440708November 16, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
On April 9, 2021, I was driving on the expressway and felt an odd change in the vehicle's handling while I was accelerating. Very shortly after, I exited the expressway and came to a stop at the red light at the end of the exit ramp. At that point, the engine simply stopped functioning. The starter did not turn the engine over at all, though the battery was fully charged and the electrical systems were working. I managed to get the vehicle safely onto the shoulder of the exit ramp, and was able to call for assistance. I had the car towed to Pep Boys who told me the oil pan was empty and the engine had overheated, damaging the connecting rod and pistons. A complete engine replacement was necessary. Knowing that this sounded very much like the issue resulting from a previous recall (ID 297880/sc176), which had supposedly been corrected on 6/4/2019, I had the car towed to Sons KIA in McDonough, GA. Sons gave me a repair estimate to replace the catalytic convertor, along with several other replacement suggestions (bulbs, wipers, tires, battery, etc. NONE of which were actually in need of replacement). No mention was made at all about the engine or the fact that the car was inoperable. I eventually discovered that Sons had lost the key to the car, and had only learned of the converter through the DTC codes, and never even looked under the hood or attempted to start the car. Though they claimed to have performed recall update 370541/sc200, they were not even able to access the cabin or engine compartment without a key. I had the car towed to KIA Atlanta South in Morrow, GA, where it has sat since 5/26/2021 awaiting evaluation and repair. I was told that it may take 6+ months before their staff has a chance to look at the car, and it will take even longer to find a replacement engine to make repairs. The Dealership Manager suggested I sell the car to CarMax as scrap, which would be a loss of $7,000+ in value if I can wait indefinitely for repairs they are responsible for.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440335November 13, 2021
ENGINE
Engine completely shutdown in heavy traffic. Very unsafe condition. Teenage driver unable to control the vehicle and nearly caused subsequent accident. No prior warning messages, prior to the engine shutting down, and then getting the check engine light. Had to have car towed to local dealer. Engine no longer usable and needs to be replaced. Vehicle has only 62,000 miles on it, 2000 miles out of warranty. Vehicle unsafe.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440208November 12, 2021
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while his wife was at a stop light, the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The power train warning light was illuminated. Additionally, while driving the vehicle was shuddering. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the vehicle was misfiring and that the oxygen sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to local dealer and was diagnosed with loss of pressure on cylinder #3. The PSI pressure was five. There was an indication of the vehicle leaking and burning engine oil. The manufacturer was notified and informed the contact that the failure was not related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine) however, no further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 164,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440278November 12, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 70-75 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. This was the fourth recurring failure where the dealer had replaced the catalytic converter on three separate occasions. The vehicle was towed a fourth time to the dealer. The dealer did not diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle was then towed to another dealer, Hutchinson Kia of Macon (3931 River Pl Dr, Macon, GA 31210) where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter had melted and caused the engine to fail, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the only current recall was for the piston rod and that the vehicle did not meet the recall requirement or the warranty coverage. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440115November 11, 2021
ENGINE
Had the car for two months the engine light came on and it locked up to where I couldn’t go past ten mpg. I had it towed to Kia of Dayton and they won’t fix it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440153November 11, 2021
ENGINE
I have my oil changed regularly. At about 49,000 miles, upon braking, the oil light came on. When accelerating the oil light would go off. I checked the oil and it didn't even register. I added 2 quarts of oil to bring it to the mid line of dipstick. Took the car in, and had oil changed. 3 weeks later, at 50,000 miles, the oil is now a 1/2 quart low. Took car in to the dealer. They told me that the oil consumption of 1 quart every 1,000 miles is within normal range. This is ridiculous. I should not need to add oil to a 3 year old car between oil changes.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439955November 10, 2021
ENGINE
I took my 2014 Kia Soul into the dealer to have them do the 2 open recalls on the car, the one to update the knock sensor logic detection system and they also replaced the catalytic converter. 2 days later after picking up the car & only driving it 50 miles, the engine blew (head gasket blew) and it overheated all the way & there was white smoke coming out and the oil was milky. The dealer said that I would not be getting a new engine (like the recall said) and that I could have the had the head gasket replaced for around $1500 or that I could pay from $5000 to 8000 for a replacement engine. I feel really let down because it seems like the dealer acted in bad faith and didn't even contact Kia about providing me with a new engine. Before the engine blew, the KSLD system did nothing to alert us (because I think the engine was already messed up) Any help you can provide would be great. Thank you
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439996November 10, 2021
ENGINE
I went and got my oil changed yesterday. The man at the Kia dealership showed me a water bottle that was about 8 oz full with black oil. He told me that that’s all the oil I had in my car and I probably have engine damage. There were no warning lamps or anything else. And I routinely get my oil and tires maintenance. I am now having sounds coming from my vehicle but still no warning lamps.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439463November 5, 2021
ENGINE
Engine still uses oil and the issues is getting worse. Now there is a knocking sound coming from the engine and KIA refuses to acknowledge it. Mechanic told me that there was not a noise that was not unusual for a KIA Soul. The engine stalls and looses power occasionally. KIA mechanic states they did not see any issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439545November 5, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ENGINE
Unknown Consumer stated car broke down on October 29th, car was driven less than a mile, when consumer heard a noise coming from the car. In trying to pull over, car screeched and came to a stop. There was a loud metal knocking. Consumer noticed that the sound was louder when I stepped on the accelerator or started the car. No lights illuminated on the dashboard. Consumer decided that it was not safe to drive and towed it instead. Vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis. KIA Customer Care was contacted to assist with the issue. Consumer was notified that there were 3 recalls on the car. SC-200, SC-155, and PI-2002. At that point, dealer towed consumer's car to a dealership to complete the recalls since it was believed that the car malfunction was due to one of these issues, but no diagnostics were run by the dealership to confirm. On November 2nd, consumer's case was closed without notice. Consumer reached out to KIA customer care and was told that there was nothing they could do to complete the recalls and was not covered under any warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439319November 4, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
During a front end accident the car burst into flames and the driver was trapped and passed away at the scene.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
1
#11439326November 4, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The Plastic Ignition Switch for my vehicle is an invitation to steal my car. Which is exactly what happened. I could have been harmed had I seen this happening. Many people on the streets of Milwaukee could have been harmed as well, because my stolen vehicle ended up in a Police car chase and caused almost $9,000 worth of damage. Kia knows this is happening to their customers. This component have been inspected by the police and insurance company. Their was no warnings of this known problem with the ignition. I would not have bought that problem. I wasn't aware of this until my car was stolen. This is not fair and something should be done. People could die because so many of these Kia car thefts end up in a Police Chase through the City. Also, I could have been hijacked or worse. This is not a safe car to be on the road.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11439189November 3, 2021
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
During the month of March 2021, I received a recall letter from Kia Motors America involving a potential engine fire. The vehicle was taken to the local Kia dealership for service. The problem was the loss of oil. The dealership replaced the pan and I incurred the cost of an oil switch replacement. The next incident, June 2021, was the replacement of catalytic converters. Following this, my check engine illuminated and the car was taken to Kia. They replaced the knock sensor (July 2021). In August 2021, another knock sensor replacement. The vehicle continues to lose power and fail to properly accelerate. October 2021, vehicle taken to dealership and I am informed of the catalytic converter requires replacement. Since they are under warranty, the vehicle was taken to the independent dealership that informed me that this situation with the catalytic converters will be ongoing because the engine is bad. The pistons and valves require replacement. Kia refuses to replace the engine unless the connecting rod barring fails. My concern is the use of the word safety; especially knowing that this vehicle and probably many more will encounter major engine malfunctions.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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