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.
My 2016 soul burst into flames following a loud explosion in the engine compartment. The vehicle is a total loss; but, the fire department extinguished the fire before the flames reached the fuel tank. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" Engine and No How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Could have easily been killed had I not recognised the symptoms immediately and had the time to react. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Irrellavent. The vehicle caught fire. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No. There is nothing left to inspect. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" Only seconds before.
Excessive oil consumption-1 quart of oil every 400-600miles. This had been verified by a certified mechanic. The excessive oil consumption has destroyed the catalytic converter, code 420. The check engine light has been on since 95k miles. Spark plugs had to be replaced sooner than normal because they were covered w oil. Tail pipe has oil encrusted on the inside. While starting from a complete stop after 15 minutes of driving the car lost power and would not go over 45mph. Going up hill dropped to 15 mph. This has been replicated by a mechanic.
Vehicle is experiencing oil &/or carbon-like debree exiting out of the exhaust system. There are no warning indicators of any kind displaying. The car has regularly been taken to the dealership for service and maintenance problems. Motor has documented record of oil consumption due to testing at dealership. This is currently the second catalytic converter to be replaced. I have all receipts for work performed.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, there was a knocking sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact checked the oil level and became aware that the vehicle was low on oil. The contact added oil, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 151,748.
Bought 2016 Kia Soul one year ago (May 2022) with 79k miles. Feb 2023 engine light came on. Took it to Kia service center & they reset it and told us to come back if light came back on. It did along with oil change light (June 2023, 92k miles). We were told it had no oil, it was consuming oil, sludge in motor and there was nothing they could do. Service mgr told us to check oil level regularly, top it off as needed and get regular oil changes and if/when it failed, then they would replace engine under new lawsuit settlement (extended warranty to 15yr/150k). We consulted another mechanic and he said it is faulty piston rings that caused oil consumption, that caused low oil and that ultimately caused possible sludge. Why aren't they fixing the problem instead of waiting until the engine fails? Probably because they were waiting to see if your engine fails after 15yr/150k mile warranty expires. New lawsuit in the works regarding oil consumption because it's happening to a lot of KIAs.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle vibrated violently and lost motive power. The contact stated that while accelerating, the vehicle failed to exceed 10 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the mechanic failed to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly shifted into LIMP Mode and decelerated to approximately 15 MPH. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the oxygen sensor and catalytic convertor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The oxygen sensor and catalytic convertor was replaced on three separate occasions however, the failure persisted. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 120,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the catalytic convertor. The contact was informed that the catalytic convertor needed to be replaced. The contact investigated and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.
The car continues to lose oil. The catalytic converter was replaced. An Independent service area made note of oil leakage. No parts were necessary to correct this problem. The oil pan and any seals were intact. Car maintenance is on time and up to date. Many Oil changes were performed at KIA dealership. The car started making a knocking noise and was unable to accelerate over 20 mph. My check engine light then came on after the occurrence. There was no warning. I was on a highway with speeds of 45 mph when my car started to malfunction. Emergency lights were immediately turned on to prevent rear-end collision. I was alone and stranded at 10:00 p.m. I will obtain receipts of repair and submit as soon as possible.
Catalytic converter recall not being honored by warranty or original dealership where vehicle was purchased. Car engine making knocking sound and burning oil
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
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the engine consumed 2-quarts of oil every week. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who informed the contact that the vehicle had previously been repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) and that the dealer was unable to perform the repair free of charge a second time. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer would not sell her a new engine. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
I WAS DRIVING AND BLUEISH GRAYISH SMOKE CAME POURING OUT OF MY EXCAUST. CAR LOS5 POWER AND I HAD TO HAVE ITTOWED TO A CAR DEALER. I WAS TOLD IT NEEDS A NEW ENGINE. I HAVE A EXTENDED WARRANTY AND THEY ARE GIVING ME A HARD TIME NOT APPROVING A NEW ENGINE. I KNOW KIAS HAVE ALOT OF ENGINE RECALLS FOR THIS PROBLEM. WHY WAS MY CAR NOT ON THAT RECALL LIST? 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.
While traveling down 20E around MM83 in South Carolina, the car suddenly lost power and throttled down to around 10-15 miles per hour. Upon having in towed to a garage for a diagnostic, I was told that the catalytic converter had overheated and stalled the vehicle. This appears to be an issue that would be covered under NHTSA Recall 19V120, dated April 12 2019, which reads in part "Under certain conditions, the catalytic converter may become damaged due to overheating caused by an excessive increase of exhaust gas temperatures." The heat scoring on the catalytic converter and the stall are consistent with this kind of behavior. When I contacted the dealer, they denied any such recall existed. I am currently waiting for a response from Kia America, Inc.
I was driving to Bend, Oregon on the highway when suddenly my car started making clunking noises and the oil light and check engine lights came on. I started to lose power and the car was slowing. I immediately managed to pull over, but it gets very dangerous since it was a busy highway. I had the car towed to a mechanic who said the engine blew and needed to be replaced. Kia has denied my warranty claims.
No warning lights/codes. Veh lost power. Was catalytic converter. Veh VIN did not fall under recall. Had to replace converter at our cost. Safety concern? Car had potential fire from overheated converter and could have killed my 19 y/o daughter who drove the car as primary veh. The car is barely 6 years old and just paid it off. Got the high end adult version w/ sunroof, leather seats, lights, all bells & whistles. Paid 29k & engine failed due to driving car without knowing converter was bad. Never rec'd notice because our VIN was not included. Dealer wants to charge us 9000$ to replace engine at OUR cost. DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE EVER. THEY REFUSE TO FIX IT UNLESS WE PAY FOR IT. Filed a case w/ Kia Consumer Center, but since engine failure is not covered under warranty, they will not replace engine. We now have a car that is useless. We can't afford another car. This was our mid life car that we thought would last a long time that we passed down to our daughter. She drove it about 6 months before this happened. Literally, as soon as it was paid off, it broke. Horrible car and horrible manufacturer. NEVER EVER NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BUY A KIA!!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Wichita, KS, USA