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.
The headlights will turn off and on randomly without warning. My driving panel shows no indicator or warning lights. This is an ongoing and extremely dangerous issue. I-??m told it will be very expensive to diagnose and repair due to the need to remove the entire steering section to access the headlight control wand.
The check engine light came on a day after i bought the car and never went off it read for several code-??s including a catalytic converter fuel cap timing solenoid all which I replaced and the light still was on after oil changes it was discovered there is a low oil condition and the engine needed to be replaced and a few months later the car stopped running and it needs a new engine the dealership knowingly sold that vehicle to me in that condition and they won-??t even fix it.
Ive gotten 3-4 tuneups every year for the past 4 years. Each year the car randomly shuts off and start running rough they change the coil packs and the spark plugs but every year I drive locally and not far yearly but I still have to get tune ups, 3rd party insurance and state farm spent a total of 12-14k of electrical wiring the doors were controlling the A/C the lights would flicker when trying to turn on A/C. The windows stopped working wouldnt go up or down, the A/C heat wouldnt work this was work everything new and rewired Kia of Anderson kept the car for 4-5 weeks and I had to turn around 2 days later bring it back because the doors and A/C and heat repeated the same thing, they changed the door panel on driver side and 4-5 months ago A/C heat stopped working randomly while my kids were waiting on bus one moring and couldnt use the heat...contacting Kia they said they were booked for a couple of weeks then, I would call get voicemails over and over and then I finally drove up there and they stated it may be the air resistor but then, under the car i hit a ditch where road work was being done on a one way in one way out street for 3 months cause the already loose muffler to cause the rest of the vehicle to not work. The A/C when on my son nose bleeds everytime if we are in the car for longer than 45 min to an hour. My daughter get migraines headaches dizzy spells when A/C heat is on, so do i. Also there is a random weird smell randomly off and on not everyday but atleast 12 days out of the month...scared to drive the car sometimes. Last week twice the car shut off once on the bridge randomly and then turned back on. Also, if i drive the car for more than 30-45 min my left leg swells with fluid never happened in any other vehicle...random devices can connect to my radio without me authorizing it..strange but i can wake up and have to delete a Windows or MAC desktop from radio, when using the radio the same ads play over and over not sure why we have to turn
During normal driving operation, the car makes a loud bang and the drive system shuts down. The dash lights remain on indicating that the main drive battery needs to be checked. I've had to coast to the side of the road each time as there is no power at all. When I shut the car down and restart it, it drives normally. This happens at least once a week. I try to drive the car only in low traffic conditions. This has happened in places where I couldn't pull out of the traffic lanes and caused traffic to pile up behind me. I called the dealer the first time it happened and was told they didn't understand what it could be.
January 2021 starting burning engine oil. Have been to the kia dealership numerous times complaining. Negative results regarding the situation. Engine spits - hisses - hiccups and dies. Car hopped forward and rolled backwards into traffic on the highway. Car burned through three quarts of oil within a three week time period. Check engine light is on again. Do not feel safe Respectfully request to have the item researched Thank you
- Westport , MA, USA
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January 2021 starting burning engine oil. Have been to the kia dealership numerous times complaining. Negative results regarding the situation. Engine spits - hisses - hiccups and dies. Car hopped forward and rolled backwards into traffic on the highway. Car burned through three quarts of oil within a three week time period. Check engine light is on again. Do not feel safe Respectfully request to have the item researched Thank you
CARMAX sold a recalled vehicle in 2019 in 2020. KIA has still improperly repaired the vehicle the car is still doing the exactly same thing it was doing. That lead to the repair. After picking within the hour the engine light came back on and had been on ever since. I now have electrical issues with the window since KIA Napelton of Elmhurst repaired the vandalism the wiper is malfunctioned at pick up. I want a refund the vehicle is a safety issue mechanical and for theft.
The car was recalled in 4/2019 for a repair. I purchased the car 8/2020. The repair indicated catalytic converter assessment to ensure that the engine did not need to be replaced. It was not checked or verified. The recall was insufficient done and the car should had never been sold. And the recall was not completed prior. I took the vehicle in to complete a recall on a hazardous vehicle. Kia had my car for a month and half replacing the engine and within hours of picking up my car the engine light came back on. The car is still doing the exact same thing it was doing leading up to original repair. That Kia was suppose to had fixed. The car is also a theft safety issue as targeted I already paid 2700 for theft vandalism. The car is targeted and unsafe.
Car cuts off when idling. I took it to the mechanic several times and they produced the issue once but could not diagnose and would give it back to me at no charge. When it cuts off the RPMs will sometimes stay at 0 even when I start the car again. Sometimes the check engine light will come on along with the traction light. Mechanic said it shows catalytic codes but said nothing is wrong with catalytic converter. They said they can-??t find anything wrong to warrant repair. The check engine and traction control lights stay on and then go off randomly. The car cuts off at stop lights and today it cut off when I was turning right at a stop sign. I was already out in the road and someone was behind me. Thankfully no one was coming down the road at full speed. I am afraid to drive the car but no one knows what is wrong with it or how to fix it.
Catalytic Converter kept getting hot, was at dealership for a recall on engine in May 2022, light kept coming on and off. October 3, 2022 broke down on freeway for the Catalytic took to mechanic spent $1200 for repair on Catalytic converter, oil and spark plugs, within a day kept burning oil, by Sunday, October 23, 2022 broke down on freeway again and engine fried and burned piston #2 - I have many receipts for oil changes every 3k miles, always keep car maintained and have a notebook for everything I have repaired. The headlights and brake lights went out a month ago and never did get the brake bar light replaced. The passenger window motor is shot and the airbag light is on. Currently, it's at the dealership parked and I am waiting for Corporate to give a go ahead to say it's a go to fix it, and I'm missing work and will loose my job without having a car. So I am asking why is my car not on the recall list if I am having the same issues as the recalled 2016 Kia Souls are having. I haven't had the car very long and I had a 2009 Kia Sportage LX that is still going over 330k miles it's way better than these Souls. They all need to be sent back to the dealership and destroyed. Shame on Kia Corporation for allowing these 2016 cars on the market and shame on the Dealership to sell me this car back in August 2019. People are out here struggling and only shows the Corporations stay strong and the little guys loose. What kind of crap is that" Why isn't my car on the VIN RECALL LIST? PLEASE TELL ME" I'M JUST LUCKY THE CAR DIDN'T START FIRE, BECAUSE IT BURNED PISTON #2
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Kia Soul vehicles equipped with 1.6L Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines. High exhaust gas temperatures may damage the catalytic converter, possibly resulting in abnormal engine combustion and damage to one or more of the engine's pistons and possible piston connecting rod failure. Recall consequence Piston damage may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash. A broken connecting rod may puncture the engine block allowing engine oil to escape. The leaking oil may contact the exhaust, increasing the risk of a fire. Recall action Kia will notify owners, and 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, free of charge. The recall began April 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC176.
The rotating contactor switch for the heat/air conditioning fan on the dashboard appears to get very hot on the internal side. This resulted in discoloration of the plugs on the back side of the control panel, and melting of the contactor housing within the control box. No modifications have been made to this system to my knowledge, and no fuses were burned out prior to the dial failing, due to the melting plastic creating an air gap between the contactor terminals. Half of the plastic on the housing appears to be a heat resistant glass reinforced polyamide, and the (melted) half appears to be made of standard ABS plastic. This implies engineering expected this component to get hot, but still cut costs irresponsibly by using cheaper ABS in hope that the other half of this component would not get hot enough to melt (or potentially catch fire, had the plastic not melted away in a fashion that simply disconnected the contactors). I believe this case is not unique, as failures of this component appear common online. However I believe the true cause of failure (and potential risk of fire from the heat) has not yet been identified due to this contactor being located within a sealed control board assembly.
For a week or two when I turned the heated seat on I would often feel a very intense heat from the seat back when it started up for a period of time. I had just recently had a back injury so I thought perhaps my back was being overly sensitive. Finally on the 27th just after I started driving the car in the morning I felt the burning feeling on my back again and stuck my hand behind me to feel the seat. I felt burning on my hand and pain and yanked my hand away immediately, pulled over, and looked behind me at the seat, in time to see a curl of smoke coming out of a small hole on the back of the seat. I also found that the palm of my hand had a small mark beneath the base of my thumb where I had felt the burning pain. It took at least half an hour for the burning sensation to fade. I also detected an odor of smoke for a bit afterward. I had no warning that this was going to happen other than the burning feeling the heated seat had started to generate upon my back- no warning lights or such. I have not had any service done on the problem yet though I intend to contact Kia soon; so the car is currently in the same state although obviously I don't turn the heated seat on anymore since I don't want things in my car to be on fire.
My Kia Soul's engine failed when we were exiting the highway. The car started making awful grinding sounds and went into "limp mode." When I tried to restart the vehicle, the oil lamp and check engine lamp illuminated. The car had shown NO issues the entire day and I had put oil in it earlier that morning because I noticed it was low (I try to check the oil every time I get gas). I had my partner and our dogs in the car with us and had to walk down the highway to the gas station to call somebody since we didn't have service. It was also 110 degrees outside, so the car failing put us in a pretty dangerous situation. We had JUST gotten the recall notice for the vehicle's engine a week before (it looked like it had gotten lost in the mail) and had called around to the Kia Dealerships in the area and none could see us for over a month, which was a problem because we were going to be moving back to the PNW from Death Valley (we had to relocate because I was laid off due to COVID) in less than a month. The closest dealerships were also 100+ miles away. We towed the car with us to WA and got it into a dealership ASAP and they confirmed that the engine had a knock, but Kia refused to fix the issue, stating that because the Knock Sensor Detection Software hadn't been installed, it was not under warranty. The car got serviced at least once every 4 months (I have service records), and I would check and fill the engine oil regularly because the car would burn through it like crazy.
When switching from AC to heat, moisture starts spraying from vents, rapidly dripping on floor and completely fogging up windows causing zero visibility. I was forced to pull off roadway for fear of a collision. It then takes at least ten minutes for the moisture to stop and the windows to clear. This happened a year ago at the same time when the weather is changing from warm days using the ac and then using the heat on cold mornings. The dealership charged me to replace the cabin air filter which did not fix the problem. I have seen this complaint by other KIA Soul owners on a number of public internet sites.
On Monday September 6, 2021 at about 11:30 pm, I was driving home east on interstate 90, just east of Roselle rd. near Schaumburg, Illinois. When the car began to violently shake. The dash board lights began to flash and the engine just stopped. We managed to steer the car to the side of the express way, in an attempt to restart the car with no luck. A Illinois Dept. of Transportation road side assistance driver tried to start the car when the car explored into fire, the driver put the fire out and provided us with the number of a toe truck, which we had the car toed to the Schaumburg Kia Dealer, located at 1100 East Golf Road, Schaumburg, IL 60173, phone No. is (847) 908-0502, where the dealer is trying to determine the cause of the fire and the amount of damage, if the car is a total loss or not. My car is a 2016 Kia Soul. At this point I have not heard from the dealer after a week, I have called the dealer several times with no reply at all.
The lights flickered and I lost both head lights. Head light bulbs keep going out randomly. Sometimes both at the same time. I have replaced them 4 times this year.
Seems the check engine light comes on and off and when taken to the dealership. They cant find nothing wrong with it. The check engine light can stay on for days and the engine runs ruff. When this is told at the dealership they say they cant find anything. This light is on when the car is running weather its sitting still or driving.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Chattanooga, OK, USA