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.
On or about 10/11/22 while driving I completely lost control of the vehicle suddenly. I was unable to break or use my steering wheel. The vehicle rolled over twice and the front airbags failed to deploy.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle wobbled and hesitated to accelerate. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming excessive amounts of oil. The local dealer and Gurley Leep Kia (4028 Grape Rd, Mishawaka, IN 46545) were made aware of the failure. Both dealers informed the contact that the next available appointment was on December 20th. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact learned that there were two recalls associated with the VIN; NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V608000 (Steering) and 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Despite the fixed recall of the steering coupler, this vehicle makes a steering cluck noise when turning which can be felt in the steering wheel. This especially occurs when first driving the vehicle. While under warranty the dealership reported either the sound was normal or they could not reproduce it. Now that it is out of warranty, the dealership says that the steering column needs to be replaced at my expense. A quick search shows that even after the steering coupling recall, this is a very common problem which can cause accidents.
My steering has a significant klunk noise. After searching the internet for information regarding this situation I find that there is a rubber drive coupling between the steering wheel and the shaft which transfers the rotary motion of the steering wheel to the linear motion of the steering rack which steers the front wheels. The consensus is that this can easily result in loss of control of the vehicle steering which would end in a totally unpredictable crash. The rubber part apparently disintegrates with time such as crazing found in old plastic, plexiglas etc.
- Grand Bay, AL, USA
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I bought a new battery and the next day my check engine light cut off and my car turned off a week later at stop light. Also, a clicking noise when I try to turn.
Thursday I had a check engine light come on and called Kia service and they said as long as engine light is not flashing I will be ok to drive it so they scheduled my appt. For the following Monday. Saturday I was driving 45mph on a busy road and my car starting making ticking noise & lost power and steering. I smelled a chemical smell similar to gasoline. I had my oil changed every 3000 miles for the life of this car. Connecting rod cap to piston rod came out of my engine. My Kia is @ dealership waiting for Consumer Affairs process. Dist.mgr has already declined repair. Now waiting for escalation dept to contact me. Its now been 19 days. My Kia is a 2014 with the 2.0 engine. My son has a photo of the cap sticking out of the engine.(I will try to upload once I get it.) why does the recall for the engine not pertain to all engines when the same problems are happening" and why has Kia not sent everyone letters notifying of the recall especially when a crash or engine fire is possible? is this safe and acceptable when human life is at risk? or do we wait for the first person to die"
I am writing in regards to a previous complaint I filed earlier. I was never notified by the Kia company about a recent recall on 2014 Kia Soul hatchbacks. The recall for faulty catalytic converters which can lead to engine damage is what is stated under the advisory. When my Kia Soul was looked at by a local Kia dealership it was found that the engine needed to be replaced. The repairs fell under the recall at no cost to me. I'm relieved it's being taken care of, but disappointed with Kia's customers service. My concerns are about safety. Kia needs to know that the Kia Soul hatchback + is affected by the recall and they need to notify their customers to prevent what happened to me.
As I drove home I heard an unusual sound coming from my engine. The oil pressure light began to flicker on and off. Once home I checked my oil level and I had no oil showing on the dip stick. I filled the oil reservoir with the correct oil type but now the indicator light was solid and no longer flashing. Driving home a few miles after getting oil my vehicle would not accelerate and I almost lost control of steering twice. No smoke was coming from the engine but my vehicle is not safe to drive. I contacted Kia customer service with concerns about the current recall on the Kia Soul but was told there is no recall on my particular model. Usually I am notified if my vehicle is affected by possible recalls and they are fixed right away. I was never notified about this recall and now my vehicle may have possible damage because of it. My concern is that I wasn't notified and repairs might not be covered by Kia. I ran my VIN number numerous times and nothing came up for a recall. I researched possible symptoms of what could cause what I experienced. I was surprised to learn that possible damage caused by the catalytic converter could be what happened to my vehicle. The following issues were loss of acceleration, loss of oil, loss of control in steering. Thankfully no engine fire though.
I went to the Kia dealership and they did the recall on my engine. The cuyler dealership told me that they would need to replace the cop ECU logic and the catalytic converter. They told me that the engine doesn't need to be replaced. I got the recall done on a Friday., and the next day my check engine light was back on and my oil light keeps coming on. I believe I need a whole new engine. I'm just really disappointed in how it turned out. My check engine light should not be on!
I was on business 85 my steering wheel went out I couldn't turn my wheel left. I ended up having to jerk my steering wheel to the right turning in a complete circle to avoid traffic and get off the road. After completely stopping I ended up near a ditch and grave yard. At this point I turn my car off and turned it back on to see if it would work, but my steering wheel would just turn in a complete circle. My horn or nothing wouldn't work on my steering wheel it just made clicking noises.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. Shortly after the vehicle was purchased, it randomly stalled. The engine was hesitant and the check engine indicator illuminated. Riverchase Kia (2200 us-31, pelham, al 35124, (205) 987-6518) was notified of the failure. The contact later received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 19V120000 (engine and engine cooling) and 17V608000 (steering). The contact scheduled an appointment, but the dealer did not provide the repairs within the timeframe that they indicated. The dealer did not offer a loaner vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was not available.
The steering wheel will exhibit a sticky or notchy feeling when making small adjustments. It causes fatigue while driving and most dangerously on sweeping turns the steering wheel will take extra effort to adjust.
Hi I was looking at recalls for the Soul after I saw a possible fire hazard and actually typed my VIN in and saw my car was recalled for a steering issue that could've lead to accidents and I was actually in an accident in 2017 in my 2014 Kia Soul because of something that happened with my steering that caused me to hit someone? a woman in front of me slammed on her brakes and when I tried to get over it's almost like the wheel had completely locked but up but I could still turn it, if that makes sense. There was a weird clunking noise when it happened and sometimes I still hesrit occasionally. I would like to know how to go forward with this. Thank you so much.
I was driving about 30 mph North on harbor blvd and first St in California sudendly I heard a loud knocking/clicking sound coming from the lower left side of the engine & no error codes came on prior to the noise so I pulled over and called a tow truck to take my vehicle to the nearest mechanic. Until today mechanic has unknown origin of problem
At 10000mi, this car lost pick- up, then charging outlets failed. By 30000mi, the brakes were mushy and weak, the engine makes noise, steering issues and weird smells started to occur. By 45000mi, the brake light failed, vibration/shaking, hesitation and lurching (on its own), gas millage was cut in half, rmps/idle unusually high, faulty/ failed sensors, fuel gauge failure, heating/blower failure. Dealerships will not look into anything without a "code" tripping, and I was told by their mechanic that Kia corporate will not allow any investigation of issues without a diagnostic code, so my warranty woun't cover the high price of finding the issues. I get in the car, start it up and the noise and rev is not normal. I drive 10 feet and the car starts shaking and making noise. When I tried to turn on the heat, loud noises started under the hood, and the engine would rev, when the car revved, the heat would kick on for 2 sec then fall out again. It now doesn't perform at all. When I accelerate after a stop light, it won't move for several seconds, then putters and goes. I have almost gotten into many accidents because of this.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. While driving at unknown speeds, the front end of the vehicle shook. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the struts needed to be replaced. The contact was referred to the local dealer. The vehicle was taken to Kia of dayton (8560 troy pike, huber heights, oh 45424, (937) 500-5461) where it was diagnosed that the steering column bolt was missing, there was front end damage, and the rocker arm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 46,900... 'parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'
Recall 17V608 did not fix prior recall 14V332 and 15V736 problems, caused failure of steering, airbags, and engine. Accident ensued. Vehicle was driven on city street at speed under 40 mph. Driver went to change lanes and steering would not work. Rear-ended vehicle in front. Air bag did not go off, change lane indicator was noted on at scene. Driver states vehicle would not move into lane to the right and, therefore, rear-ended vehicle. Severe damage to front end of Kia Soul noted. Kia was contacted.
Received an important safety recall on 12/01/2017 regarding the pinion gear that may separate from the steering gear assembly causing loss of steering & result in a crash. I called immediately to set an appointment on 12/12/2017. I was called just 1/2 prior to my appointment to be told they do not have the tools to fix the problem. In fact, no Kia dealership in the area has it. I am driving across the state of fl in a few days & am extremely worried since I will be driving at high speeds in traffic. So, Kia alerts Soul owners & fails to provide the means to fix the problem. I am told it will be several weeks before they have the tools needed to repair. My particular car has had a stiffness in turning the steering wheel a few times. I need my vehicle for this trip, but, will inquire about a loaner car. This is unacceptable.
We received a recall letter. The pinion in the steering is faulty and could come loose causing an accident which may result is serious injury or death. I brought it in immediately. They could not fix it. I asked them to keep it as we do not feel safe driving it. We asked for a replacement car while we waited. They said no. We left the car anyway and I called the number on the recall notice. It said they would reimburse us for any inconvenience or expenses incurred. The woman said they would not reimburse me until the car was looked at. She asked me to continue driving around a vehicle with a known issue risking my family's lives because they won't give me a replacement vehicle. As money is very tight we are making due but it has been a severe inconvenience to say the least. This problem has nothing to do with us and leaving the car with them is a safety issue. Not work I wanted done or upgrades I chose to wait for. It is their mistake and I don't believe a customer should be forced to pay for it. I would like companies with recalls to be held responsible and service people fairly. I'm great full that we have not been injured due to this issue and to drive knowing it is there is foolish. The companies response asking me to drive around in a potentially hazardous vehicle is absurd.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Houston , TX, USA