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 contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started jerking abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and had the vehicle towed to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no additional assistance. The failure mileage was 120,000.
The oil light flickers at idle.... weak oil pressure. Blowby issues. Oil consumption an usage excessive...only has 130.000 miles. taken consistent care of it on oil changes. Motor louder than normal. Ticking sounds an loud tacking. I think the engine going south. The date shows it to be 12/16 model.but the serial numbers show it to be 17/17 what's up with that.... I believe the engine was left over 16 year. The one with problems. I need this thing fixed, it's my daughter's work car!!! She's been having to drive my truck to get to work....
NO CODES KICKED BUT WHEN I SWERVED TO MISS SOMETHING IN ROAD OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND WENT RIGHT BACK OFF GOT HOME CHECKED OIL IT WAS 2 QT L0W I HAD JUST HAD THE OIL CHANGED I ADDED OIL AND SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN SHORTLY AFTER THE NEXT OIL CHANGE. THEN ON IMY WAY HOME ONE NIGHT THE ENGINE BLEW!!! ALL THIS STARTED AT BETWEEN 60 AND 70 THOUSAND MILES ENGINE BLOWN AT 112,000 MILES. I HAD THE ENGINE REPLACED AND HAD TO GET A NEW CATALITIC CONVERTER. WHEN THIS ENGINE REACH 70, OOO MILES IT STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN I HAVE HAD TO ADD 2 QTS OF OIL OFTEN TO KEEP IT GOING. AFTER CHECKING THIS SAME ENGINE IN THE 2011-2016 WAS RECALLED. KIA WAS ALLOWED TO KEEP PUTTING SAME DEFECTIVE ENGINE IN THE 2017 AND UP CARS WITHOUT FIXING THE PROBLEM. WHY IS THE 2017 ENGINE NOT RECALLED? 2nd ENGINE HAS NOW FAILED COMPLETELY AND CAR IS PARKED PLEASE HELP BY MAKING KIA PUT THESE CARS WITH FAULTY ENGINES ON RECALL LIST. {sorry about the all caps I did not know that this meant I was yelling not meant to be yelling Thanks for your help
I was driving down the interstate and my car made a loud noise, so I pulled over. Smoke started pouring out then it was immediately in flames. No prior issues. No injuries as I was able to get out. If fire recalls were till 2015, clearly my vehicle had issues too. What do I do?
The car will burn through almost a full 4 quarts of oil within 1000 miles. From reading online oil consumption issues are a common problem for 2014 through 2017 Kia Souls, but even some later models are having similar issues. Beyond the issue of the car burning that much oil that quick, the check oil light does not fully turn on even when the car was as the dealership put it, "Bone Dry" meaning that I as the driver had no idea that my engine could have seized up or stalled out at any moment. Also due to the fact that Kia Souls have an oil pressure driven timing chain the low oil issue extends down another level making engine stalling that much more likely. Though the most recent incendent occurred at around 94000 miles ot has been an ongoing problem for around 20000 miles.
- Mcewen, TN, USA
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The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the "low oil level" message displayed even though the engine oil had recently been changed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who serviced the engine for an oil consumption test. No additional information was available. The vehicle was retrieved but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who had replaced the engine. On another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to shake and vibrate with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer who diagnosed that the catalytic converter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 80,000.
May 2021 catalytic converter failed on vehicle. It was on back order and could not be replaced until July 2021 at 106,612 miles. At that time, I had dealership and national check for any recalls or recommended repairs. There were none. November 18, 2021, while siting at a stop light, engine suddenly began to knock loudly, I pulled over immediately and had it towed to dealership, at 118,729. Engine failure due to rod bearing failure. Engine had to be replaced. National claims there was a recall repair that was not performed before November 2021. As of oil change in October 2021, there was none. Recall repair was issued first week of November 2021. I received the mailed flyer after November 21, 2021.
Bought 2017 Kia Soul from Carmax Jan 2021 w/MaxCare extended warranty. All maintenance had been done as scheduled and no problems no warning lights. At approx 79K miles, on 9-14-22, noticed a slight knocking sound. had already sched an oil change so i asked them to check out the knocking. Tech said there was metal in my oil but it was not a big deal, just get the oil changed more often. 9-15 picked it up, the knocking seemed to go away a little drove approx 10 miles home. 9-16, started it up and the knocking and rattling were terrible engine light came on and car died. luckily i was in my driveway and not on the highway or driving in traffic, i count myself lucky that my car did not catch on fire like many others. 9-19 paid to tow to a repair shop on my warranty plan, they said it is engine rod bearing failure and engine needs to be replaced since it was covered by kia's warranty it had to go to a Kia dealership, i paid to tow again on 9-23. Kia dealership said it is a known issue with these engines that they fail all the time but kia will not cover it. they claim there is a "product improvement campaign" which is different from a recall. since i did not get a notice to install software that would tell me WHEN the engine fails they refuse to cover repairs. asked dealership for repair estimate: $8000. Local repair shop told me Kia Soul engines are on back order, even with a refurbished engine that had 70K miles on it their estimate is $13,000 I've had it less than 2 years and still owe 11K I see online class action lawsuits one was just filed in Sept 2022. Kia is selling a sub standard, defective and dangerous product. refusing to pay for repairs or compensation on something they know is going to fail then hiding behind a software update that does nothing to prevent the damage. whether or not the software is installed the engine will still fail and they know this. Kia is putting drivers at known risk then leaving us with the bills
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 50-60 MPH, the vehicle emitted an abnormal sound and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the roadway. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the residence. The local dealer and an unknown dealer were notified of the failure but had not called the contact back. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. There was no additional assistance provided. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
On or about June 20, 2022, I began an approximate 700 mile roundtrip from my home to the Oregon Sunstone Mines in SE Oregon. Approximately half way into the trip (and in the mountainous area where cell service is spotty at best and non-existant at most) my KIA Soul lost all propulsion beyond a top speed of 30MPH. With highway traffic, which consisted mostly of semi trucks and campers, trying to pass me on this two lane highway I was forced to impede the flow of traffic until I could find a place to pull to the side of the road. Once I pulled over I called my dealership to explain the problem. When I returned home I took the vehicle in to the dealership immediately. The problem was diagnosed as the Turbo which apparently got so hot it welded itself to the manifold. Since the vehicle was still under warranty the dealership kept the vehicle for repairs. It took 7 weeks to get my vehicle repaired and returned to me (at least 4 of those were without a loaner, ) I embarked on another planned trip on August 15, 2022, of approximately 800 miles roundtrip. I only traveled 65 miles when the vehicle repeated its previous issue. I returned to the dealership and left the vehicle for repairs once more. As of September 6, 2022, I have been told the part is back order and the dealership is uncertain when or if it will be available. I believe this issue fits within a safety recall as it leaves drivers stranded in areas where services of any kind could be limited or unavailable and where the engine gets so hot it welds the parts together. We have been told the CEO of KIA is aware of this issue but has yet to recall the vehicles.
The contact owned a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, a cloud of black-colored smoke began to emit from the vehicle without warning. The contact attempted to stop the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal; however, the brakes failed to operate as needed. The contact used his emergency brake to stop and immediately exited the vehicle. Upon exiting the vehicle, the vehicle quickly caught fire; by the time the fire department arrived, the vehicle was incinerated. A fire report and police report were both filed, and no injuries were reported. The vehicle's remains were towed to an independent tow yard. The contact went to the unknown dealer where he was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard where an independent mechanic diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
Purchased used Kia Soul 2017 and extended warranty in October 2020, in Niles, Michigan. Engine failed at 44,000 miles (approx. May 2022) in San Diego, CA. Towed to Kia Dealer, El Cajon, CA. Waited four weeks for new engine to be installed (Purchase of extended warranty covered cost of replaced engine). Drove vehicle for one week and then total engine failure on second engine. Towed to Kia, El Cajon, CA. Dealer provided no explanation other than "engines come wrapped to us, and we don't know if it is good or bad before we put it in the car." Totally unacceptable. Luckily, engine failure happened as it was exiting the freeway (San Diego) and was able to safely get to the curb on both occasions. Because vehicle was needed to drive from San Diego to Michigan (moving), and Dealer has had vehicle since second engine failure, Dealer agreed to buy vehicle, which we agreed on. Purchase 7-14-22. We are no longer the owners of this vehicle, but hope the situation is noted with NHSA. Thank you.
Kia was supposed to send me recall notifications. However I am the second owner of the car and kia told me on the phone that they sent my recall notifications to the original owner. I currently have unprepared recalls on my car. I made an appointment with a dealership and they had a 2 month waiting list to get my car serviced. While waiting for that 2 months to go by, while driving on the highway at 65 mph, my engine seized due to one of their recalls. I almost crashed because of that. Now I'm trying to get my engine repaired due to a manufacturers defect and kia is refusing to fix it. I have exhausted all other options and don't know what to do. But this is definitely a safety issue.
The contact owned a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal, knocking noise would emit from the engine without warning. The contact notified the dealer and they informed him that the knocking noise was normal vehicle operation. The contact then stated that while driving at 60 MPH as the knocking noise persisted, the noise grew increasing louder without warning. The contact looked out of his rearview mirror and saw a cloud of white smoke coming from underneath the vehicle. As he pulled over, he inspected the hood and saw flames encroaching towards the front driver's seat. The contact instructed his girlfriend to exit the vehicle, as he went back to retrieve a cell phone, he burned the hairs off both arms, and his right leg, as well as some hair on his head and face. The contact called the authorities while the vehicle became engulfed in flames as his children's safety seat and strollers were inside the vehicle. The children were not in the vehicle at the time of the failure. The contact also stated that part of a highway sign was burned due to the fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department and a police report was filed. The contact sought medical treatment at the scene where paramedics checked his vital signs and the burns to his body. The contact stated that both he and his girlfriend have suffered severe mental anguish as a result of the fire. The contact has suffered from traumatic dreams and hallucinations since the failure. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard and deemed a total loss. The dealer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The contact then filed a complaint with the manufacturer. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
My cars check engine light has come on at 87,659 miles with a p0420 code. My dealer has determined that this is a defective catalytic converter and because of the mileage it is not warrantied. In doing research the 2012-2016 Kia Soul with the 1.6 gdi engine. My car is a 2017 experiencing the same symptoms as the cars a year older. The recall campaign is 19v120000 with the NHTSA and SC 176 with KIA dating back to 04/17/2019. My cars model year being a 2017 had not been determined at that time to be effected as the mileage had not yet accumulated to the mileage of the previous years. Now that my 2017 car had reached the mileage in which previous cars where effected, it too is experiencing this defect. The safety issue lies in that when the car is driven it could overheat without any warning lights indicating that and overheating a cylinder, piston damage will occur leading to catastrophic failure that could launch a connecting rod out the side of the engine block and allow oil to spray onto hot exhaust manifold leading to a fire.I would like to see that the recall to cover added years (2017-2019) to this recall as this is a continuing safety issue. The dealership is not wanting to acknowledge and help in this matter so I am filing this complaint to document continuing failures to aid in extending model years covered.
We were driving down the highway and the engine started making sounds like something was breaking. I pulled over and then couldn-€™t start it again. We had to have it towed to the dealership where we were told we needed a new engine without them explaining what happened or why. There were no symptoms of failure prior to the failure itself. Engine failure while driving down the interstate is dangerous and we are lucky nothing bad happened to us.
Engine seized and the piston rod put a hole in the engine block, spilling out all the oil. There was no warning light illuminated before the incident. There were no knocking before the incident. Kia is refusing to replace the engine. Stating I did not take it in to get the safety recall campaign. However, I never received a notice about this.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Wilson, NC, USA