Kia Soul Complaints
5,626 consumer complaints on file.
- #11425410July 19, 2021ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owned a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that soon after purchase of the vehicle, she discovered both low coolant and low oil levels upon inspection of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer on two separate occasions. On her second visit, the contact stated that the dealer informed her to bring the vehicle back in 1,000 miles to check both oil and coolant levels to monitor the issues. The contact called the dealer back the next day to inform them that the coolant level had already begun to run low. The contact also stated that the auto start feature failed to operate by stalling upon depression of the accelerator after coming to a complete stop, without warning. The dealer offered the contact a trade-in. The contact was placed in another vehicle. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The contact no longer owns the vehicle. The failure mileage was 2,416.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11425121July 16, 2021ENGINE
Banging in engine Consuming excessive amounts of oil Oil light flickering Check engine light on Loss of power Car shakes when idle Gas/ fuel odor Brought to mechanic, valves pistons replaced. Banging stopped other stated problems continue.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11425135July 16, 2021POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the transmission failed causing the vehicle to stall. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the transmission needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,175.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11425201July 16, 2021ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at 75 MPH, the vehicle began to stall. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated she was able to pull to the side of the road, and the vehicle lost power when it was shifted into PARK. The contact stated she was able to restart the vehicle after two attempts however, she heard abnormal knocking sounds coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who informed the contact that the vehicle could not be diagnosed nor repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) as it was out of warranty. The vehicle was towed to the residence of the contact's boyfriend. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the recall repair for NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) could not be completed on the vehicle because the vehicle did not have an extended warranty. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was 87,450.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11424919July 15, 2021ENGINE
The contact owned a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. Another driver notified her that there was smoke coming from the vehicle. After the vehicle was stopped, the driver saw flames coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The fire department was notified of the fire and arrived and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed away from the scene of the fire. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The cause of the fire was not yet determined. The contact mentioned that previous to the fire there were several cylinder misfires. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The contact indicated that the original engine had been replaced in 2018. The failure mileage was 238,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11424986July 15, 2021ENGINE
The contact owned a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while her leaseholder was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that there were flames coming from the engine compartment. The fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed away from the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 95,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11424733July 14, 2021ENGINE
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, a fluttering sound was present coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle would drive very poorly and occasionally stalled. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact was later informed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number 21V259000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the part for the repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Parts distribution disconnect. The failure mileage was 21,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11424745July 14, 2021ENGINE
Cause Unknown . I was driving my Kia Soul at 35-38 mph on a busy city street. The engine suddenly and completely shut off. I had it towed out to the Kia place ( 2 pm.) , checked it in and left. That was about the a couple of days before I received my recall notice letter. I have not been able to find out anything about my car in about 3 or so weeks. All I am told is that it is being diagnosed. ( I did have a service guy snap at me that " when they finished , they would call and ask me what I wanted to do about the car".)
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11424639July 13, 2021VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at low speeds and accelerating the vehicle was pulling. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving there was an undetermined abnormal sound detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11424409July 12, 2021EXTERIOR LIGHTING:LIGHTING CONTROL MODULE
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact stated there was an abnormal fuel odor inside of the vehicle. Additionally, the brake lights were inoperable prior to replacing the rear taillight housings. After replacing the brake lamp housings, the contact became aware that the brake lamps remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the abs module failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was warned that the vehicle was at risk of catching on fire. The dealer also informed the contact that the vehicle was smoking, and the wires were melting. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not covered by recall or warranty. The approximate failure mileage 109,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11424514July 12, 2021UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Started my 2010 kia soul ➕, it had a loud ruff idle to it & felt like it was choking each time i hit gas pedal. AutoZone scanner gave codes of c1513 brake lite switch implausible & code c1503 esc switch input low. Pls help me. Ive had a family emergency & need my vehicle to get my dying family memeber
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11424035July 9, 2021ENGINE
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle loss motive power and stalled without warning. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle failed to properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer several times and the battery, spark plugs, and ignition coils were replaced however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the Vin was included in the NHTSA campaign number: 21V259000 (Engine). The failure mileage was 14,750.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11423862July 8, 2021ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I purchased my car in March of 2020. A month after I had my car the brake pads wore out with NO indication and the calipers broke. I called Kia and explained what the issue was. They tried to blame my mechanic. I told them that their technicians had to have known the brake pads were low if they did a thorough inspection. I was laughed at. I told the man that I was going to report them to the Better Business Bureau. He then told me to bring it to Kia. I told him it was at my mechanics and I no longer trusted their technicians to do the work on my car. Had my breaks failed I could've had a very serious accident. June 24, 2021. I had my intake gasket repaired by my mechanic. My car drove fine until I was exiting the highway. It started to lose power. I barely made it off the highway when it stopped. I contacted my mechanic and they were able to get it started to get it back to the shop. After he took a further look at it, he advised me to contact Kia to run a diagnostic which I did. They charged me $80. They then confirmed what my mechanic stated the issue was. Kia wanted to charge me over $1000 for the work. I don't trust them to do the work as well as not having the money. My mechanic repaired the vehicle but it was still doing the same thing. He spent hours trying to figure out what the issue was. He told me Kia needed to find the issue. I contacted Kia on July 7th and spoke to Jack in their service department. I asked him to have his technicians call my mechanic so they could figure it out. Jack took my information and my mechanic's information and said he would have them call. No one called. I called back that same day around 3:45pm. First Jack told me they were busy. I told him so was my mechanic. He then said they don't normally have technicians speak to mechanics. I told Jack he should've told me that when I spoke to him previously. By that point i was very angry. I told him they need to fix my car and i wasn't paying for it and i won't.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11423868July 8, 2021ENGINE
Right around kia announced catalytic converter recall issues with 2016 kia souls my car stopped running it was brought to a kia dealership where the muffler intake manifold was replaced for $3,000 and told it wasn't the catalytic converter despite having 90% of the listed "symptoms " of the recall.. a complaint was put in to you guys. An extended warranty Catalytic Overheating Protection Engine Control Unit logic to prevent overheating of the catalytic converter.was put on. A year later car Stopped again where i was told catalytic converter and even with replacing so much damage had been done most likely to engine since it was burning so much oil that it was a temporary fix. Only way i could sell it was to get it fixed though so another $2800 was spent to replace it. Yet all the issues i have with car are exactly what the recalls state. I feel the first dealership knew this and didnt want to eat the cost of labor. My car was kept there for a few days for them To diagnose and fix which ive never had happen maybe needed overnight but never for days unless a car was at a body shop. I believe the car issues and costs relate to Recall no. 19V120000 Kia's number for this recall is SC176.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11423945July 8, 2021UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving the vehicle was slow to move and stalled. The oil level warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the oil was dirty, the oil level was low, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The Vin was included in NHTSA Campaign number: 21V259000 (Engine). The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, declined to offer any assistance for the repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11423949July 8, 2021POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would not accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact also stated that due to the transmission failure, the vehicle would not allow the contact to shift gears. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with some loose wiring needing to be repaired. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The contact then took the vehicle back to the dealer where it was diagnosed with the transmission needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The contact then took the vehicle back to the dealer for the third time where it was diagnosed with the catalytic converter needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine cooling). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and informed the contact that they would contact the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11424016July 8, 2021VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
Accelerator is beginning to catch at three distinct points when pressed halfway down or greater. The accelerator seems bent and proceeding in accordance with these recall codes: NHTSA 15V123000 and Kia SC116. These codes are for 2014-2015 Kia Souls manufactured until January 8, 2015; mine is a 2015 Kia Soul but was manufactured shortly after that date. There were no indicator lights related to this issue. Weston Kia in Gresham, OR refused to even examine the issue without a $130 diagnosis, guaranteeing nothing but diagnosis--then I'd pay for parts and labor--despite them being aware of this issue with 2015 Kia Souls. I contacted Kia directly while at the dealer and they refused to cover the diagnosis fee or acknowledge the recall being for the same model year. Customer service said, and I quote, "Well if the pedal falls off, make sure to take it in for service." I couldn't help but laugh at her.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11423715July 7, 2021ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 KIA Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming a quart of engine oil for every 1,000 miles, without warning. The contact also stated that the coolant would evaporate without warning soon after refilling the coolant reservoir. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who confirmed the oil consumption issue. The mechanic referred her to a dealer. The contact took the vehicle to an unknown dealer where an oil change was performed, and she was instructed to return every 1,000 miles to check the oil level. Upon checking the oil level after 1,000 miles, the contact became aware that the oil level had not changed. The contact was concerned that the dealer had overfilled the engine oil. After another 1,000 miles, she noticed that the vehicle had consumed another quart of oil. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11423615July 6, 2021ENGINE, STEERING
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 mph, there was an abnormal cracking sound detected before the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering gear and pinion plug needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was like NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V608000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but declined to offer any repair assistance. The failure mileage was 70,055.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11423522July 6, 2021ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
My 2013 Kia Soul has been stalling while idle or at red lights. In addition, sometimes it is difficult to start and I have to attempt several times. Lately, once I do start the vehicle and begin to drive, it’s as if the vehicle doesn’t know which gear to maintain. As a result, the car will attempt to “cut off” driving and l literally will have to pull over immediately in attempt to not be hit or run off the road, as the car is practically in neutral by its own choice. Also, the “emergency brake” light is on, even though the emergency brake is not being used.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0