10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
4,928 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2020 Kia Soul miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2020 Kia Soul Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #31

Oct 132023

Soul

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My vehicle was stolen.. They broke out window. The problem of kia-??s being stolen has increased to the point local officials have filed a lawsuit against kia. The problem of these cars being easily stolen has been all over the news recently. People are getting killed because of reckless driving by the persons stealing the vehicles. I had no idea my car was vulnerable to this and was told when my engine was replaced, all updates had been made. I am not rich, i have no car and even though i have insurance doesn't mean they will pay off my vehicle. Stolen vehicle report has been made to the police. I have tried to file a clain on the kia claims website but it says theres no recall for my vehicle. It is a 2020 kia soul and has been a nightmare since i bought it.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #30

Oct 142023

Soul

  • miles
My vehicle was stolen this morning from my home. I was not notified of a defect causing it to be stolen easily. Glass left in parking spot where car had been parked.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #29

Jun 102023

Soul

  • miles
I have two complaints. One just occurred while driving down the highway. My hood popped open. I do not go under the hood. I have my car serviced. The last time it was serviced was over a month ago. The hood popped open immediately the alarm began to ring and I pulled over. I got out on the side of the highway to close it. I immediately called the dealer and they say they have to keep my car to address this and another issue I previously reported. The other issue is my car revs and sounds like a race car. When I told them this they asked how many miles I have. I did pay for an extended warranty. The last time I serviced the car with them in November they said it was taken care of but it is not. I told them don't wait until the mileage reads high and the warranty has expired. I need my only vehicle to run appropriately. I looked today and it seems that the 2020 kia soul has engine issues which might account for the rev and poor running. I was told they should make the corrections free of charge. I am a woman dealing with this so it has been my experience that the treatment and service provided for a man and a woman is not always equitable. Please help.

- Fairfield, CA, USA

problem #28

Jun 032023

Soul

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The auto start-stop function sometimes will not restart. This time it happened in the middle of traffic at an intersection, and I had to put the car in park and restart it before I could move. This could cause a collision in busy traffic times or if people are not paying attention. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer at this time. During the time it shut off, the battery light and oil light came on, but I just had the car serviced three weeks ago and was told it passed their inspection (I only go to my manufacturer's dealership for service). The oil light and battery light shut off and did not reappear again after restarting the car. The vehicle can be available for inspection depending on time and date. This happened once before about a year ago, but the dealership said nothing was wrong with the vehicle.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #27

May 272023

Soul

  • miles
On 5/27/23 I was stopped at a light in the middle of active traffic. When traffic started moving again, I put my foot on the accelerator. Nothing happened: the "check engine" light appeared on the dashboard as well as the "Auto Stop" light, which showed up yellow. The engine was dead. Cars in back started honking. I put on my hazard lights, turned the ignition off, waited a few seconds, then on impulse turned the key on again. Car started without a problem, and the indicator lights disappeared. I called the dealership but could not get a service appointment until Thursday. I am afraid my own car will kill me if this happens again in active traffic.

- Shirley, NY, USA

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problem #26

Feb 102023

Soul

  • miles
The car has rebooted (like a computer) three times in the last month as I am driving the car. Not in Park, not just starting the car. I am in drive and the car just reboots. Today, I received a warning about my forward collision system and all the lights on the dashboard lit up.

- Delray Beach, FL, USA

problem #25

Dec 262022

Soul

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

While driving along the interstate, going 70 MPH, I noticed the RPM gauge started to fluctuate. Shortly after, I started having issues maintaining the speed. I pressed the gas pedal, but the vehicle wouldn-€™t speed up - instead started loosing speed. I started to hear grinding noises as I pressed the gas pedal. Eventually, I kept loosing speed and there was nothing I could do to make the vehicle move. I had to pull off and coast into a parking lot to be towed.

- Mobile, AL, USA

problem #24

Jul 252022

Soul

  • miles
My car was stolen using a usb cord. The manufacturer needs to correct this error in design. There are internet videos detailing how to steal these cars. The consumer is left to foot the expense of this design error.

- Louisville , KY, USA

problem #23

Feb 012022

Soul

  • miles
Unknown

- Jacksonville , FL, USA

problem #22

Dec 152021

Soul

  • miles
My issue is constant engine stalling. It is a very scary experience.

- Powell, TN, USA

problem #21

Aug 062021

Soul

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The car started knocking at 65 mph while excelling to 70 the engine then had a loud bang and the engine block broke apart and spilled oil on to manifold almost starting a fire I have been informed that the engine is recalled for piston rings. This is an extremely dangerous situation. LUCKILY I managed to exit highway and not engulfed in flames. So far Kia has been unwilling to assist me and I also purchased an extended warranty with Automotive Protective Corporation in Atlanta Ga. and no body is helping me.

- Finleyville, PA, USA

problem #20

Jun 012021

Soul

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving the vehicle was slow to move and stalled. The oil level warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the oil was dirty, the oil level was low, and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The Vin was included in NHTSA Campaign number: 21V259000 (Engine). The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, declined to offer any assistance for the repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

- Milpitas, CA, USA

problem #19

May 052021

Soul

  • miles
When pulling out into traffic the car started to go, RPMs spiked all the way and the car just died-€¦ I shut it off, and all was fine-€¦. Then I stopped to get gas, and when the auto stop/start kicked in, the car didn-€™t restart-€¦ the oil pressure light turned on, battery light, and check engine light all at the same time. Would not let me shift into park. I had to push the shift release to let me put it into park. I was then able to shut off the car properly and start it just fine, and no lights active. This all happened around 19,000 miles. The last 2 times I-€™ve been in for an oil change, there has been 2 recalls completed, and now this new recall related to the oil piston.

- Davenport, FL, USA

problem #18

Jun 042021

Soul

  • miles
6/4/2021 Returning from picking up my children in Maryland, my vehicle stalls out at MD 137 in Hereford. The idle stop and go system repeatedly engages and disengages, the engine continued to sputter and rev. I took the vehicle to the nearest service station, as all the Kia service techs no longer were working past 4 PM. I was able to have a Jiffy Lube service tech read the code P0420 (which has been a previous issue with catalytic converters wearing out at 80,000 miles for previous Souls) as well as several codes for the Camshaft sensor and Crankshaft.

- Newark, DE, USA

problem #17

Jun 012021

Soul

  • miles
Recently I noticed when I stop and the stop-start system feature and the Blind-spot sensors are turned on the car will either shut completely off or stall once I step on the gas.

- Hampton , VA, USA

problem #16

May 012021

Soul

  • 28,000 miles
Stopped at stop light, light turned green. Pressed gas and dashboard symbols came on and car died. Tried starting again and it was dead. Pushed it to parking lot and tried to jump it. Didnt jump.. pushed to auto zone. Tested battery it was at 10%. they didn't have a battery. Used a jump box and car started. Was able to drive it home.

- Converse, TX, USA

problem #15

Apr 122021

Soul

  • 26,500 miles
When the automatic start stop start is on when I stop and the engine shuts off as it should, when I release the brake it makes a whining noise for a few seconds. Also happens when going up my driveway. Have read that this is happening in a lot of people's 2020 Kia Soul's and nobody seems to know or have a fix.

- Jarrell, TX, USA

problem #14

Feb 202021

Soul

  • 2,500 miles
I was driving the vehicle with less than 3,000 miles on it. I was on a city street about to go on highway ramp. I stopped at a red light and as usual isg (idle stop and go) feature shut down the engine, but when the light turned green and I moved my foot off the break, the car did not start again, instead there was an engine light and battery and oil lights that went on. There were cars behind me. Thankfully, since I was on a hill I was able to steer the car towards the curb allowing the cars behind me to pass. After that I used my car key to completely turn off and then turn on the car, at which point the engine started again. In the past I haven't had problems with this isg (idle stop and go) feature, but now I'm worried that this can happen on a highway or if I cannot start the car with my key.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #13

Nov 292020

Soul

  • 9,000 miles
I stopped at stop sign and the car shut off and made a ding sound but radio never disconnected. Not the usual shut off this was different. Then it started but it made an unusual ding sound. Plus, sounds like the transmission is dragging it was a recall and I took the car back for maintenance and now it's doing same thing again plus this time it was whining for about 10 seconds while I was driving.

- Rock Hill, SC, USA

problem #12

Nov 202020

Soul

  • 3,100 miles
Our Kia Soul 2020 has some failure related to the auto stop feature (isg). Starting at about 3000 miles, the car groans as it comes out of auto stop, with the noise coming from the front left. Kia corporate does not acknowledge this as a repeated issue, though there are many forums online recording this exact problem around this mileage. There seems to be no consensus on the repair, and no consensus on whether it is safe to drive. If the auto stop (isg) feature is disabled, the noise does not happen. More accounts can be found here: Https://www.kiasoulforums.com/threads/engine-grinds-when-coming-out-of-the-auto-start-stop.116042/ a video with the same noise can be found here: Https://youtu.be/1ta6bh6zpu8 this unnerving noise occurs after about 10 minutes of driving (no noise prior to that).

- Chicago, IL, USA

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