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.
While driving on the highway, my car blew a puff of smoke, and I was no longer able to accelerate higher than 15 mph. I had to stop and get my vehicle towed to the local Kia Dealership because my vehicle was inoperable. The dealership told me that DTC P0420 was triggered and that I would need a catalytic converter replacement, exhaust flex pipe replacement, and a new drive belt. There is a recall (NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000) for the exact issue I experienced and my vehicle falls in the category of MY2012-MY2016 Kia Soul with a 1.6 liter engine, but the dealership is stating that my vehicle is not part of the recall population and it will cost $3,000 to fix this known issue. This is unacceptable and the recall population needs to be expanded.
I took my car to KIA to get its recall fixed and my engine started knocking before hand. They denied the recall stating that the recall is in place so they wouldn-€™t have to replace the engine, but the recall clearly states -€œDEPENDING ON THE EXTENT OF ANY DAMAGE, THE ENGINE MAY ALSO BE REPLACED-€ and isn-€™t specific about whether it-€™s replaced after the recall has been handled, which is what KIA is stating to me.
For about a year now our Kia Soul has been shutting off at random times. There is no warning or sound that indicates a problem with the engine. While driving the engine may just shut off at any time. I started recording the engine to capture this and the last time it happened I was traveling down a busy road with my family going 65MPH and it just shut off. I had to shift the car into neutral and restart the engine. Since then we have stopped driving it accept for short distances close to home because it's not safe.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Coolant) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The engine burns an excessive amount of oil; I have to replace the oil in the car every month. If I drive from Kansas City to Oklahoma City, by the time I get to Oklahoma city, I have to replace 3 quarts of oil. This has been an ongoing issue since I purchased the car.
- Kansas City, MO, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
I had went I. To Waukegan auto warehouse dealership and around Mar25-26 I went home in black 2014 Kia Soul and not even to months later my engine blown and they don-€™t wanna let me trade for something else that-€™s even in the same price and or let me have a curtsy car and I-€™m at the risk of losing my job if I can-€™t get back to driving around and it-€™s been ridiculous
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that he had received an unknown recall notification. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and four unstated recall repairs were performed. Upon return of the vehicle, the contact stated that the vehicle would stall and hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the oil pump, oil sender, and air compressor were all replaced. Days after the repair, the check engine light appeared on the instrument panel. The independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The mechanic then called the dealer and he was informed that the vehicle was under warranty. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it remained in their possession for a week; the dealer then informed the contact that the manufacturer would not cover the repair under warranty. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Soon after buying my car used in 4/2021, I took the car into a KIA dealership to have the check engine light evaluated and asked for the open recalls to be addressed also. They didn't check the codes before doing the recalls and said the recalls performed cleared the codes and the check engine light was no longer on. I then had my mechanic do a tune up of spark plugs and oil, lube and filter change. The car performed better but would randomly experience loss of power while on the highway or when accelerating from a stop as though it was chocking and ready to stall. The check engine light never came on during this time. I have had to keep a very close eye on the oil level this whole year and there has not been any signs of a leak. But I have had to add a quart or more of oil approximately every 500 miles plus have the regular oil and filter changes. Also installed a new PCV valve. I have put 11,500 miles on the vehicle in one year. Now one year later, I couldn't get the car to accelerate to highway speeds and yet no check engine light comes on. I took the car to another KIA dealer to have it diagnosed. The codes were showing misfires on multiple cylinders. And their diagnosis is that the catalytic converter and gaskets and O2 sensor need replaced plus the spark plugs need replaced because they are burnt. Also the fuel system needs serviced due to excessive carbon build up. I have researched the recalls on the 2014 Kia Soul and see that there is a NHTSA campaign:19V120000 that addresses this same issue but somehow my VIN is not included. I am not able to have these repairs made (nearly $4000) and this car is just an accident waiting to happen. Why is my VIN not included in this known issue that already has a recall associated with my make and model?
Been leaking oil and the engine shutting down and not starting after this. I get my oil chaged every 3,000 miles and I have to keep a check on the oil and add oil every couple weeks due to the oil leak. I noticed that others owners have had this problem with the same make and model of there Kia Souls and had to have there engie replaced.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The vehicle had previously been serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) at the dealer; however, the failure recurred with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed back to the dealer and diagnosed with cylinder #1 misfire and a compression level of 150. The dealer performed a fuel treatment and informed the contact that the spark plugs and engine needed to be replaced; however, the engine replacement was not covered under the warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000. The consumer stated the vehicle was taken into the dealer for a recall on the converter. The recall was not covered under warranty due to the vehicle being over 150k mileage.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming oil at an excessive rate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on multiple occasions, however, the failure persisted. The contact also stated that the vehicle was making an abnormal sound. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a misfire. The contact then received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine) however, the dealer informed her that the parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
March of 2021 I started to experience slow take off speeds also the car was riding a little rougher than usual when accelerating with engine light on. I took it to the Kia dealership when they advised me that my catalytic converter went out and had messed up entire exhaust system which they ended replacing which cost me $1800. September I noticed car was ONCE again riding rough with the engine light randomly coming on and going off, I figured maybe I needed an oil change because I was close to the mileage listed. THey advised me that my oil was really low and I should keep an eye on it. November I was trying to accelerate and the car was hesitant at this time my engine light was on while experiencing the issue. Took it back to the dealership they told me my catalytic converter was dirty and they cleaned it out which should fix the issue and my cars oil was once agin dangerously low, which they topped off because it wasn't time for an oil change. Mid december I went back to the dealership because my car was not accelerating properly and engine light was back on. They told me I had NO oil in my car at all, and my engine was not processing oil correctly, I would eventually need a new engine but as long as I kept oil in my vehicle it would operate correctly. While leaving the dealership it seemed to accelerate slightly better than before. I was able to hit 50 mph without an issue while riding in the middle lane my car started to quickly decelerate while my foot was on the gas pedal, I had to immediately move to the shoulder in the middle of traffic I almost was hit seeing that I was decelerating at such a fast pace.My engine light was on and solid when this happened I was able to merge to the shoulder without being hit or hitting someone.Turned the car off and started it back up attempted to get home car will not go past 25 mph. Car is currently not able to be driven safely
Complete engine failure at 120,000 miles. Engine will need replaced. Old engine will be sent back for core charge. The car went in for repairs at a local car repair shop. Kia dealership has done all the recalls on vehicle. No warning lights or noise prior to failure. Getting on the interstate and the vehicle started misfiring. Car went into limp mode and had to take the next exit to get to a safe spot to pull over. Got towed to local repair shop. They pulled the heads off and found gray gritty material sitting on the cylinders. There was also metal dust in oil.
A loud bang was heard while driving approx. 35 MPH on a clear day. The vehicle lost all power, smoke started coming from the hood area and the cabin began to fill with smoke. Driver pulled over, opened the hood and discovered the entire engine compartment in was engulfed in flames. Passersby tried to extinguish the flame with fire extinguishers, but it kept reigniting. The fire department arrived and put out the flames. This could have been life threatening if the driver did not get out of the vehicle. Amica Insurance's claims processors and an independent forensic investigator engaged by Amica Insurance have concluded the engine fire was the result of catastrophic engine failure. The forensic investigator noticed an outward bump in the oil pan and indicated this was likely the result of a separation of crankshaft and or piston rod elements. The investigator indicated he sees about 10 of these engine fires each month. Kia's special unit that addresses their engine fire problem has been notified and are dragging their feet. We have not heard anything from them after filing a claim on or about 3/22/2022. There were no warning signs prior to this catastrophic failure event. Gauges and warning systems were all normal. The engine and the engine compartment are a complete loss. Other damage occurred as the fire department worked to extinguish the fire. The forensic investigator and Amica's claims processor have declared the car a total loss.
I had my car -€œrecall-€ checked out at a dealership. They preformed a software update but I have had problems ever since. I-€™ve replace the catalytic converter twice. Had to replace spark plugs after the dealership blew them all and only decided to fix one. I-€™ve had engine misfires and burning smells and have had those issues fixed multiple times. The car is not safe to drive. They won-€™t do anything because there-€™s no active recalls, but I am having these issues continuously. The engines either going to blow up or stall and someone including me is going to get hurt. Kia needs to be help responsible for this. I-€™ve had regular maintenance and oil changes my entire time owning the car. I shouldn-€™t be having to replace coil packs, ignition coils, spark plugs and catalytic converters every 4 months. My car is also burning oil like no other.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph when the vehicle's engine was making a grinding sound then it started making a winding noise as if it was revving up. The contact stated they noticed that something had dropped from underneath the hood of the vehicle. Smoke began to come from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact pulled over and used a fire extinguisher to put out the fire. The fire department arrived however the contact was unsure if a report was made. There were no injuries or medical attention needed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who had not officially diagnosed the vehicle. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and a case was open regarding the matter. The approximate failure mileage was 96,000.
I recently had the engine related "recalls" done to my 2014 kia Soul car. The dealership made no mention of my bad engine noises on the service invoice or when he called me to come pick up the car that had "passed" the engine test and the ecu update. My faint engine noise is escalating greatly following the recall completion. After speaking a second time with the service advisor at Kia, he did admit the noise was present and said it was not my fault but, no coverage was available for me. My car was already over the extended warrantee mileage cap back when I received the initial recall notice so it seems I was always to be out of any engine repair coverage by Kia. I have a nice car in which I have overspent effort and money maintaining the engine better than the manufactures recommendations and it is basically junk now due to the engine prematurely breaking down. It sits in the street and I am without my car and I am far from alone as a Kia Soul owner. A car that is worth many thousands of dollars to me running is now worth only about $200. to the junk man. You can't find a good, affordable car to replace it with today. My question is: Why would the 2.0 Kia Soul owners not have the same, unlimited mileage warrantee on their engines which the other Kia and Hyundia owner's engines have received for these defective engines? I think it is criminal, literally stealing money from people by selling a defective item and not compensating the owners for that defect. this action also forces the customer to spend more money on another vehicle, way before the time it should be necessary to do so. I could have easily put 50-75K more miles on this Kia Soul car if it were not for the bad engine.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the engine and oil warning lights illuminated. The vehicle then emitted smoke from the front-end and rear-end of the vehicle began to smoke. The vehicle then shut completely off. The contact had the vehicle towed. The dealer diagnosed that a rod edge shot through the engine causing the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 126,000. Vin is invalid.
I am unaware of what is able to be inspected of the vehicle at this time due to the amount of damage. My own and other drivers-€™ safety was at risk when my car began smoking and eventually caught fire. Nothing has been reproduced, inspected, or confirmed by any manufacturer, dealer, or independent contractor. I had my car in park for 2 hours before I began my trip. When I started the car up in the parking lot, the engine ran for about 10 minutes before I left. Within 2 miles of driving, the check engine light came on and the engine started smoking. I pulled the car over as soon as I could do so safely, put the car in park, turned off the ignition, and evacuated the vehicle. Soon after, the car ignited into flames under the hood and I called 911. The fire department extinguished the fire and reported to me that it was an electrical fire.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Wixom, MI, USA