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.
I began having oil consumption issues with my car in December 2020. I took my car in for inspection and the product improvement campaign that I was notified about. Since that time, I have had my car in the Kia shop numerous times for increasingly worse oil consumption issues. They always claim the oil consumption is fine, even though when I check it there is a problem. Now I am being told my catalytic converter is clogged, but my engine is fine and my oil consumption is acceptable. The catalytic converter is clogged because there is oil leaking through my exhaust system. No oil is ever leaking from my car because there is no leak; however, it is burning through my engine and exhaust. This is causing my car to lose power when driving, which is a safety concern for not only myself and my children, but other drivers as well. Kia is aware of the issue and refuses to acknowledge a problem at the local shop or at corporate offices. I am filing this complaint so that in the event of any serious bodily injury or death to myself, my family, or other passengers on the road there is documentation regarding their negligence in repairing their faulty vehicles. Also, their solution was for me to trade my car in for a new vehicle.
We purchased a 2016 Kia Soul in June 2022, in November 2022 while driving across a highway the engine started knocking, went into limp mood and suddenly stopped almost causing my daughter and her younger sibling to get in severe accident. We had it immediately towed to Edwards Kia in Council Bluffs to have a diagnostic test run, they came back and said it would cost us $8,834.02 for an engine rebuild/replacement and that our car was no longer under the extended warranty because PI2002B had not been done. They informed us that not having the update voids the extended warranty on the car, however we have not been notified as the new owners that this needed to be done. PI2002B is dated Aug 2020 and was revised in Jan 2021. H&H Kia of Omaha took possession of the car 28 Nov 2020 and had it in their possession until 17 Feb 2021. In that timeframe the notice was sent to the General Manager, Service Manager, Parts Manager, Service Advisors, Technicians and the Body Shop manager and it still was not performed by the Kia dealership. Because of this, the extended warranty that we should have been entitled to was invalidated. When we purchased the vehicle, the dealership did a 70 point inspection and ensured that there were no outstanding public recalls on the car before the sold it to us. I have attached all of the documentation from the dealership to include the Carfax report that stated H&H Kia had the vehicle from Nov 20-Feb 21. Kia dealerships have access to the Kia database and should have known if the update was required while they had it in their possession. The engine failed due to a known defect, and they are not willingly updating vehicles on the lots at their dealerships and voiding extended warranty that should apply.
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
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at approximately 70mph the engine failed without warning. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the highway. When attempting to restart the vehicle the check engine light, oil change indicator light, and battery lights were illuminated on the dash. At this time thick, gray smoke quickly engulfed the vehicle and immediate surrounding area. The contact was able to safely escape the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealership and diagnosed with severe rod knock damage and missing piston. The dealership initially denied the claim due to -??negligence-?? to respond to a recall notice which the contact attributes to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact did not receive a recall notice or contact from the dealer or manufacturer regarding this recall. The contact also stated that the vehicle was serviced at the same Kia dealership a few months prior and upon investigation found that the manufacturer and dealership were aware of the recall at that time and were required to perform repairs on all vehicles brought in for service but failed to perform the required software update. The manufacturer granted a one time goodwill engine replacement using PI2002 parts but denied all other costs and repairs attributed with the engine failure and the above mentioned recall. The failure mileage was 74,113. Photos and videos of the vehicle dash and engine smoke are available upon request.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The contact was informed that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 100,000.
- Prescott, AZ, USA
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I purchased my 2016 Kia Soul + on 1/2019 with 32973 miles on it. On 2/25/22 while driving on the highway my car suddenly and unexpectedly jolted and lost power. I didn-??t understand what happened and when I looked down I saw the engine light flashing.I immediately pulled off the highway stopped and called the dealer.It had 53068 miles on it. They updated knock sensor but didn-??t actually repair or replace engine. On 6/16/22 at 55,060 miles my car suddenly lost power as I was driving. I looked down and the engine light started flashing. I immediately pulled over and called a tow truck to tow to the dealer. It was a 100 degree day and I had to wait over 2hours for a tow truck. Suntrup Kia replaced the knock sensor again. No repair or replacement of the engine. On 9/3/2022 I had just got off the highway and was heading to meet friends when my car suddenly lost power and again the engine light started flashing and I immediately pulled over and called a tow truck to take to the dealers. It had 57, "?" Miles on it. It has been at the dealers for almost 7 weeks now in dispute with the warranty company (I have 2 warranties) about replacing the engine. I-??m told the piston rings are defective and caused scoring on the cylinders which caused oil leakage and excessive consumption. A known Kia defect that they have not issued a recall for. The Kia loyalty warranty is disputing with the dealer that they should have to fix it. The dealer disassembled the engine at the warranty company-??s request. The warranty co. inspected it 2-3 times and seen that it was the piston rings. The dealer Suntrup Kia of St. Louis has the report. It is very unsafe to drive as I never know when it will occur again. Or if this time it will catch on fire. It occurred 3 times in approximately 6.5 months in all different conditions. I avoid driving on the highway and I get very nervous if a car is following too closely. I avoid having anyone else with me because this is an extreme life threatening problem.
The contact-??s girlfriend owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while his girlfriend was driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle hesitated and stalled. The contact was unaware if any warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine block needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the contact stated that soon after the vehicle was repaired, while his girlfriend was driving at an unknown speed, the engine started knocking and shaking. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH on the Interstate, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to veer to the side of the roadway. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the engine was making an abnormal knocking sound. The contact was able to drive to a nearby gas station where she parked the vehicle. The contact opened the hood of the vehicle and verified that there was engine oil in the vehicle. The contact added oil to the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine would shudder and lose power while idling, without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was provided an estimate for a diagnostic test. The dealer informed her that bad gasoline might have caused the issue; however, the failure persisted. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which she linked to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.
Motor stalled while I was driving, steering wheel locked taking me to a ditch. No warning on the dashboard, no lights on. It only has 100k on it. My only car to get me where I need to be and I still owe money on it. I called Kia, they said they can-??t do anything unless I take it there and paid their fees. That would mean pay a second toe truck, plus their diagnosis and then labor. The guy I talked to said I-??m looking on about 12k to fix my car! I-??m a single mom. It-??s hard as it is now I have no car. Struggling to find my way to work so I don-??t loose my job!
Engine stalled on numerous occasions causing no acceleration. Last incident occurred on highway at night resulting in a dangerous situation. Several months ago took car to service center that informed us of the oil consumption problem that Kia and Hyundai have been experiencing and to check the oil often. We have been doing this, but the oil light did not come on and no warning before having the most recent incident. We are very disappointed to know that this has been an issue with these makes for some time, yet there has been no recall to address this matter. We currently have one Kia and two Hyundais in our family.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" Cadalic converter we clogged due to carbon emissions. Oil is low and light flashes when below 15 mph even though the oil was changed at a Kia dealership less than 3 weeks ago. Oil leak is visible on engine. The car will also shake and jerk when driving. It would be available depending on the day. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My wife and kids have been stuck on the road twice now due to this issue during heave traffic. The car started shaking and my wife had trouble controlling the car. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center" The dealership said the issue was with the gdi (gasoline direct engine), that it was clogged due to heavy carbon emissions and needed to be cleaned. We paid for the cleaning and sill have the problem. They also stated they have seen this issue before. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others" Yes the dealership has looked at the car. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear" The oil light will flash on and off. So the engine like will come on at times.
My car started losing power without warning and I had to quickly move out of traffic before it shut down completely, at which point the oil and check engine lights came on. This put me in danger having my car stop suddenly on a highway. Kia states that the motor failed because of a recall and denied my claim because the recall was never repaired. However, I never received notice of recall nor is there record of such in NHTSA. This is a huge negligence in Kia-??s part regardless of it was incorrectly fixed prior to my purchasing the vehicle as certified used from a Kia dealership or if it was incorrectly marked as done so I was never notified. Kia should be responsible for their faulty engine because I was never notified and no recalls came up when I searched my VIN number.
Had the car no more than 2 months. I-??ve been forced to get multiple oil changes since. Today, while Driving on the interstate, the oil light comes on and then the engine light comes on. Car drops speed and locks. Cars and trucks barreling behind me. Definitely said my prayers. A Good Samaritan who also was a former Kia owner said this happens to kia owners all the time and it has a lawsuit against the company. Shaken, I Called the lot that sold. They said there-??s been recalls and I-??ll have to take it to the dealership to see if they-??ll fix the recall. Called kia after getting home safe. Kia says I-??ll have to bring it in to -??see if it-??s under the recall-??. Now I-??m with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and without the new car I just purchased.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle would not exceed 40 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after driving for an extended period, the vehicle accelerated to 60 MPH but would not exceed 60 MPH. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed to determine if the vehicle could be repaired under an unknown recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.
My vehicle has around 138K miles, mostly highway miles commuting back & forth from work. The vehicle consumes engine oil very rapidly, after 1500 miles of a recent oil change. Had to top off the oil after checking that there was barely any oil left. There was no oil pressure light or any indication of low engine oil. Every week I have to check the oil levels to make sure there is oil still in the engine. This is a safety risk. Excess burning of engine oil can cause engine failure or worse.
Our car has been plagued with engine and exhaust problems for the past two years. We were told there were no recalls on our model. According to this website that is not true. Today, while driving after over $7500 in out of pocket repairs the car gave an error warning for an engine issue. The engine is less than 3 years old.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Gilmer, TX, USA