Kia Soul Complaints

5,626 consumer complaints on file.

#11432592September 11, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Steering has clunking sound and loose feeling while turning the steering wheel. Research would suggest steering coupler faulty. This same part has been recalled in other Kia models but not in the particular model I own.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432442September 10, 2021
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 mph during rainy weather conditions, the vehicle began to produce a knocking noise, decelerated, and smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact's boyfriend opened the hood and confirmed that there was a fire. The fire extinguished itself and the vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was currently there for diagnostics but not repaired as of yet. During the incident, the police were called but it was unknown if a police report was filed. The contact stated no warning lights were illuminated. The manufacturer was informed of failure and was awaiting a response. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432494September 10, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that during a brakes and struts repair being performed by an independent mechanic, the mechanic informed the contact that there was oil pan leakage but could not fix the failure since the vehicle was under a recall. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer performed an oil change and updated the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software. The dealer informed the contact to drive the vehicle for 1,000 miles then bring the vehicle back. The contact drove the vehicle for 400 miles and the check engine warning light illuminated and the knock sensor went into limp mode. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and diagnosed that the engine was damaged from the previous dealer Richland Motors (4653 Pearl Rd, Cleveland, OH 44109) having the top engine taken apart and rebuilt. The dealer also informed the contact that it was normal for Kia vehicles to consume a quart of oil every thousand miles. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432295September 9, 2021
ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated while turning off the vehicle, there was an abnormal fuel odor detected. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who stated that the vehicle was working as designed and 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 not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432337September 9, 2021
ENGINE, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
My newly permitted driver was driving when after crossing highway my car all of sudden was halted to an almost complete stop. the motor stalled in the middle of the highway, thankfully no oncoming traffic was coming. I took the vehicle to mechanic and they said i could have a recall on catalytic converter, called dealership and they state that my car was not in the recall. However my car did exactly what the recall states. now i'm looking at anywhere from 2000-3000 to fix my car is only 5 years old with 75,000 miles. I'm a very dissapointed customer as i was looking to purchase the new telluride however I think I will stay clear from all Kia Products. Concerned Customer LA
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432354September 9, 2021
ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact then discovered that her vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact called a dealer and scheduled an appointment to have the vehicle serviced. A few days after the appointment was made, the vehicle shut-off without warning while driving at 45 MPH. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle would not accelerate or shift out of first gear. The contact called the dealer and she was instructed to bring in the vehicle to have the recall service. A few days later, the contact was informed by the dealer that the resonator had become defective and was not covered under the recall; therefore, she had to pay for the resonator replacement. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and agreed with the diagnostic result from the dealer. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer and was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432139September 8, 2021
ENGINE
We have been driving the vehicle all day doing some shopping and my fiance took the vehicle up to his parents house after we got home to eat dinner with them. The vehicle had driven fine day long and we had just done an oil change and tune up 2 weeks prior. There was no warning lights no knocking and no indication that there was any issue. Regardless on the way home my fiance calls me and tells me he had just he Had to push the vehicle from the middle of the road where it stopped cold turkey to get it out of traffic. We now have had to drop thousands by due to catalytic converter being faulty it caused the engine to throw a piston. Which just so happens was the exact thing that caused prior years to be recalled . The car only has 110000 and I'm the only owner I purchased it brand new and to top it off I still owe 5000 on the thing
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432181September 8, 2021
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was restarted however, several functions remained inoperable. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic and was diagnosed but not repaired. 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 was informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 231,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432208September 8, 2021
ENGINE
Engined seized and had to be replaced due to an issue known to dealer. (Learned after the fact) Zero issues before it happend. Nearly caused accident. Going up a hill and all at once dead shake, lost acceleration and steering for a moment.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11432044September 7, 2021
ENGINE
Complete engine failure at around 97,000 miles. Car is available for inspection. While traveling 35mph, the vehicle lost power and had to be pulled to the side of the road. Check engine light came on. The car had the catalytic converter changed recently by Kia of Dayton. The car had burned oil at an alarming rate. The car, after pulling to the side of the road, was then driven a couple miles back to my home at around 15mph as that's all it would go. Manufacturer, police, and insurance has not inspected. The problem has not been inspected by dealer or independent service center. The car had no check engine lights previously.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431938September 7, 2021
ENGINE
At around 50,000 miles the engine of the vehicle began knocking loudly. I immediately pulled over and had it towed to the dealership. It has been well-maintained and there were no warning lights. The engine has failed and Kia is refusing to honor the warranty, citing lack of physical records of oil change.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431833September 6, 2021
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
P420 code bad Cat. Seems there was a recall for this. Can't remember if i got it done but if so got a raw deal.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431764September 4, 2021
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My dash lights would flash bright and dim randomly while driving at first. A few weeks later my headlights would flicker from high beam to low beam and dash lights would still flicker. Now about a month into this my headlights still flicker but they have even turned off all while driving and I was told my brake lights go off as well ,dash lights still flicker and my a/c will not work/blow randomly so it seems to be involving electrical .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431628September 3, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS, INTERIOR LIGHTING
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the headlights would intermittently fail to illuminate without warning. The contact made repeated attempts to adjust her headlights to no avail. Due to the failure, the contact stated that another vehicle in the opposite lane had attempted to pass the vehicle ahead. The other driver assumed that there was no vehicle in her lane of traffic and the contact was forced off the road to avoid a head-on collision with the other vehicle. The contact did not lose control of the vehicle and was able to resume normal driving. The contact also stated that the interior and dashboard lights would intermittently flicker on and off without warning. The dealer was notified, and the contact was informed that she had to pay a diagnostic fee to determine the failure. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be serviced or diagnosed. The failure mileage was 52,080.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431670September 3, 2021
ENGINE
Upon startup one day, the engine began knocking. It was turned off and towed. Both an independent service center and Kia dealer have confirmed connecting rod failure, and the need for a total engine replacement. The vehicle is still available for inspection at this time. Fortunately, the issue began when the engine was turned on so the car was not moving at the time of failure, but had it begun on the highway or had a portion of the rod perforated the engine, it could have led to immediate loss of power while in motion and/or leaking oil. There were no warning lamps or messages prior to failure, and the engine had been maintained according to manufacturer guidelines. Periodically prior to this occurrence, the engine did demonstrate temporary reductions in power when accelerating, like it was hesitating to rev up beyond idle speed. However, the local Kia dealer was unable to diagnose the problem at that time (53,293 miles), and simply said to come back if it got worse, giving me the phone number for Kia Roadside Service. Although the loss of power was always temporary and infrequent, it could be a bit surprising when making a right turn into moving traffic, or a left turn across traffic because the car did not move into the traffic as fast as usual, which could have led to a collision with oncoming traffic. Fortunately it never lasted more than a second or two at a time. These symptoms returned the day prior to engine failure in greater frequency and duration. This type of failure is highly unusual for a vehicle of this age (4 years old) and mileage (67,000 miles), and Kia has denied warranty coverage, even though engine issues began before expiration of the warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431686September 3, 2021
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
I took my 2014 soul to get recall done in San Leandro on 01APR21.No repairs done except coil that I paid for.Today 03SEP21 I took my 2015 soul in(same issue as b4 little power)and they are telling me my catalytic converter needs changing. To my understanding when I had them check the safety recall The repairs would of happened then ,Dealers will upgrade the catalytic overheating protection engine control unit logic to prevent overheating of the catalytic converter. In addition, the catalytic converter will also be replaced if it has been damaged. Depending on the extent of any damage, the engine may also be replaced. All repairs will be done for free.This was not done to my 2014 soul.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431480September 2, 2021
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Low-beams will not turn on in any position, while the high-beams continue to function. I was able to use the high-beams to get me home but not having access to low-beams is dangerous.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431519September 2, 2021
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Three issues: 1) Upon stepping on the gas from a stop, the car often takes 4 or more seconds to actually move. This more than once has gotten me almost hit in the back by the other cars. 2) The car often makes "tractor noises" that are extremely loud and annoying. 3) The mechanic at the shop I took it to said that there's a crazy amount of oil going though the exhaust system. This could result in hat accumulation in the engine and jam it up (at best) or actually lead to a spontaneous fire. I am afraid of getting stranded so I haven't been driving very much. The KIA dealership said that there's nothing they can do. are you kidding me?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431386September 1, 2021
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that upon placing the key into the ignition and turning the key in the on position, the passenger side curtain airbag deployed without warning. No injuries were reported. The dealer was notified of the failure and he was referred to an independent body shop for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the body shop and remained in the possession of the body shop. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11431426September 1, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the engine started knocking. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and the contact was informed that they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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