10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
29,434 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2015 Kia Soul engine problems

engine problem

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2015 Kia Soul Owner Comments

problem #19

Sep 172022

Soul 4-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My 2015 Kia Soul recently went out of service. One day last month my car randomly started stalling and shaking to the point of barely being drivable. There were no signs or dashboard lights. Thursday, September 15th, 2022, I took my car to a local repair shop and they ran a diagnostic that came back as a bad Catalytic Converter on Friday, September 16th, 2022. According to the mechanic, the converter nearest the engine had broken off and pieces of it had gotten into my engine and fuel line resulting in a need for a new converter and a complete engine flush. The mechanic pulled up a recall and suggested that the car be taken to the dealership as this particular issue should have been covered under that recall. He suggested that I no longer drive the car prior to getting it repaired for my and my children's safety as my engine could have blown up at any time and caught fire. Also on Friday, September 16th, 2022, I had the vehicle towed to the Kia dealership in Napleton Mid Rivers as advised by the mechanic. The car was towed to the dealership where I made them aware of the issue and I was advised they would have to perform a second diagnostic to confirm. Monday, September 19, 2022, I get a text message from Dennis Gearhart, a service advisor for Kia - who informs me that their diagnostic came back showing that I need a replacement Catalytic Converter, oil change, and minor tune-up. Dennis advised me that the repair would cost over $2800 and would not be covered under the recall because I'm no longer under warranty and the recall was marked as done. Upon further questioning - I was advised that the service advisor in May 2019 did NOT perform a replacement under the recall because it "didn't need it" yet here I am less than 7 years after getting a new engine from KIA and I'm being told to rectify an issue they were responsible for fixing and yet refuse to mitigate. They placed my and my family's life in danger due to the negligence of their staff!

- Wentzville, MO, USA

problem #18

Oct 022022

Soul

  • miles
My car just shut down out of the blue. There was no warning of any sort as far as anything showing that needed repair with my vehicle. It just started jerking one day. I took it to the Kia dealership and they confirmed that it was due to the recall part but will not fix the part.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #17

May 212022

Soul

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated his mom was driving the vehicle on the expressway at 55MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle did not accelerate and the speedometer was decreasing. The contact stated no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle resummed to perform as normal and the contact drove home. The vehicle was driven to a dealer and diagnosed but not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

- Sylvania, IA, USA

problem #16

Apr 292022

Soul

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Engine light and ABS light always on, kia hasnt explained this issue or expressed concern about it.. Engine randomly started leaking oil, blowing out white smoke, stalling out upon accelerating causing safety issue in traffic. Kia has had car for 2 weeks now with no answers to resolve. Being told the recall issue is "fine" I use my car for work and this unresolved issue is affecting my livelihood. This all began on 4-29-22 and am now being asked to pay for further testing for diagnostic purposes. Told there are no loaner vehicles and to rent one at my own expense.

- Kalaheo, HI, USA

problem #15

Mar 042022

Soul

  • miles
while driving my vehicle all of a sudden in the middle of a busy road I lost power. My vehicle would no longer accelerate and came to a stop. Engine light came on. This caused a big safety risk to myself as well as others on the road due to my vehicle coming to a sudden and unexpected stop. The engine light came on, which was not on prior. I was just able to have my vehicle towed today to a Kia dealership.

- Parker, CO, USA

problem #14

Dec 252021

Soul

  • miles
Acceleration system/ on highway at high speeds It stay accelerating at very high rpms as it shifts into the next gear and it is consuming a very large amount of fuel at the same time. It is available for an inspection. It has not been inspected by anyone. While driving on the highway at high speeds I felt it was putting my family and myself at risk of crash or engine failure or being stuck on the side of the highway.

- Twin Falls, ID, USA

problem #13

Jun 272021

Soul

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My car started making a loud noise and the car would not accelerate as I was returning home on the highway. I was driving home on I-75 South when my car started to slow down and it was very hard to accelerate and was making a loud noise. I made it to the next exit off Sharonville Rd and made it into a gas station. I opened the hood to check the oil and it was extremely hot and smoking. I had to wait until it cooled off and put in some oil to try to make it on home. The check oil light was not lit which didn't even provide any indication that my car was out of oil during the 1/2 hour drive. I do not feel safe to drive this car, since this incident. I took it for auto repair immediately the next day. Please help with assistance with this issue.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #12

Aug 202020

Soul

  • 111,723 miles
1. I experienced this twice now. Driving down an ally the vehicle turned off on me. The second time I was parked ran into my house came out and it was off. Luckily I wasn't on the highway at the time of this happening. Also in somehow lock my keys in the vehicle when I came out to grab something from the trunk. 2. you'd think a 2015 vehicle wouldn't let you do that especially with the keyless entry. 3. also I'm noticing a vibration in the idle when sitting parked with the engine on. 4. while in cruise control I noticed that the car does not stay at a consistent speed especially going up and down hills. The vehicle loses speed within a 10 to 20 mile per hour range.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #11

Aug 232020

Soul

  • 95,000 miles
Vehicle out of nowhere while driving on expressway started to decelerate I immediately pulled over safely and noticed the lights on my dashboard were illuminated check engine light and engine oil light. I took vehicle to havoline oil express and they checked my codes changed spark plugs and ignition coils but car still sputters and power is low lights are dim I have it now at a Kia dealership because I believe it to be the engine or something in the powertrain. Nothing like this has ever happened to the vehicle since I've purchased it.

- Round Lake Beach, IL, USA

problem #10

Jul 282020

Soul

  • 116,193 miles
I brought my vehicle up to benson Kia to get recalls repaired on my 2015 Kia Soul. There were issues with the catalytic converter due to a recall and I was informed by the servicing station at benson Kia that the issue was resolved. There is a rattling noise that is coming from the vehicle. Before I drove my vehicle off the lot the ratting noise was still present. I asked them to look at the vehicle before I drove off the lot. The mechanic brent looked at the vehicle and told me that it is the resonator making the noise and it is from a build up of gas fumes from the exhaust. I was then informed that the resistor falls out of warranty. Prior to getting the recalls repaired I never heard the noise. The dealership is not wanting to fix the issue that was caused by them changing the catalytic converter and told me that they no longer help me as their me chi sonics have done all that they could and they refused service on my vehicle. They then proceeded to inform me to go to a different Kia dealership to have them look at the vehicle. The dealership is approximately 30 minutes away from me and I am unable to get the vehicle to the shop

- Spartanburg, SC, USA

problem #9

Jul 222019

Soul

  • 40,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On the evening of July 22,2019 I was leaving targets parking lot put my vehicle in reverse and when I put in drive my 2015 Kia Soul took off. The rpms were the highest it could go going 40 miles P hour in a busy lot all I could was honk my horn. I tried the breaks putting in park and turning the key off. My wife and I were in shock. We hit the curb fly across 3 lanes of traffic the median and hit two cars. My wife was pinned there was white smoke in the cabin. People got her out fire dept came. My wife was transported to uci trama and I went back the next day to concerned for my wife rather than myself. Wife had 8 broken ribs separated and a broken back myself 7 broken ribs and bleeding of the brain. One hour prior approx to this accident we were next store eating and when leaving to go to target the engine started making a loud clicking noise I tuned it off and waited a few mins tried again and still the same noise. Then the 3rd time it was fine proceeded to target. All maintenance has been done and on time prior to this terrible accident. Our lives have change dramatically

- Garden Grove, CA, USA

problem #8

Mar 262019

Soul

  • 72,323 miles
Starting the engine the idle speeds up fast, a few seconds later it slows to normal. When driving today, there was no acceleration when attempting to. Vehicle was difficult for fuel to allow acceleration. I used my car all day today. This evening the vehicle won't start with the steering warning light turning on. Almost like the battery was dead. The vehicle finally started with acceleration high, the the engine light turned on and stayed on. I decided not to use the vehicle and will contact the dealership. Purchased the vehicle from a dealership in November 2018. These problems are new and have never occurred before. These issues occurred while driving today for the acceleration problem and the remaining non-starting/lights while stationary in my parking lot this evening.

- Biddeford, ME, USA

problem #7

Aug 032018

Soul

  • 0 miles
A couple of months ago the car said we have a problem with the engine and with the cooling system Kia had check it out and said nothing was wrong but it keeps going on it has a gas smell low push to do 70 on highway won't let me put on cruise control for long I can feel car ready to shake and stop needs oil all the time when I drive for 1 hr to work car starts to shake at a red light after I'm almost at work I changed battery on 3/10/19 I also changed the catalytic converters also brakes always have to change before there do on 3/15/19 have an appointment to change the flex on the car also because the oil was leaking on the engine it needed a seal and the top part I forgot what it's called replaced that's all I now for now

- Franklin, NJ, USA

problem #6

Aug 312016

Soul

  • 14,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. While driving various speeds, the transmission lunged without warning. In addition, the contact observed that the vehicle shook vigorously while idling or while driving. Also, the vehicle would sometimes fail to switch gears. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine mount needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again where it was diagnosed that the fuel injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 14,000.

- Oakboro, NC, USA

problem #5

Aug 012016

Soul 4-cyl

  • miles
Current issues with my car, lurches forward, loses power when accelerating. Kia is refusing to fix, do to me living on remote island in Alaska. Case #'s of calls with Kia consumer assistance center: [xxx] recall information SA206 seat belt SC116 safety recall accelerator pedal SC117 logic update SC125 safety recall pinion plug options: Kia buys back the defective car Kia Soul VIN# [xxx] 2015 they sold me. Kia barges my defective car to Washington, and pays for my rental car until my Kia is fixed and returned. Kia sends tools to local all american auto repair, so they can fix this is not a game, my car has two major safety recalls, and two minor recalls having to do with software and seatbelt. I believe the Kia manufacturer is obligated to provide a free remedy, and keep me and my two children safe from injury or death. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Ketchikan, AK, USA

problem #4

May 232016

Soul

  • 18,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. While the vehicle was stationary in the reverse gear, the contact attempted to reverse but the vehicle accelerated forward and crashed into a tree. The contact attempted to depress the brake pedal, but the vehicle did not respond. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign number: 15V736000 (steering). The vehicle was previously repaired for this recall prior to the crash. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.

- Winter Springs, FL, USA

problem #3

Sep 152001

Soul 4-cyl

  • miles
Consumer checked the VIN against the recall website and it showed a recall on the accelerator pedal and the recall showed as incomplete. The consumer stated the vehicle was a rental. Updated 04/06/16

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #2

Jul 092015

Soul

  • miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V123000 (vehicle speed control). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer had not been notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

- Trenton, NJ, USA

problem #1

Jan 012015

Soul 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 2,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. While stopped at a traffic light, the vehicle would not accelerate when the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact heard a loud noise and had to shut off and restart the vehicle in order for the loud noise to stop. The vehicle also failed to start properly. The failure recurred multiple times. The oil warning light and other lights illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing; however, the mechanic stated that they were unable to locate a failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 2,000....updated 01/05/17 updated 10/18/2017

- Bonneylake , WA, USA

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