10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 17
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
88,875 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #72

Nov 012019

Soul

  • 190,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. While driving various speeds, the engine suddenly shut off. While checking the engine oil, the owner noticed the oil levels were very low weeks after replacing the oil and the oil appeared to be dark. Also, a valve noise was present coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to ricart Kia (4255 S. hamilton rd, grove, oh), but the cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: 13409487. No further assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 190,000.

- Thornville, OH, USA

problem #71

Sep 302019

Soul

  • 117,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was taken to palmen Kia of kenosha (5301 75th St, kenosha, wi 53142, (262) 671-1877) where it was diagnosed that the catalytic manifold needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the vehicle also needed additional repairs that were not included in NHTSA campaign number: 19V120000 (engine, engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.

- Kenosha, WI, USA

problem #70

Oct 142019

Soul

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. While the contact's parents were driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to gossett Kia (located at 1900 covington pike, memphis, tn 38128, 901-255-6320) where it was determined that sludge in the engine caused the engine to burn oil too quickly. The dealer stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that because the diagnostic code shown for the vehicle was different from the one mentioned in the class action lawsuit, the vehicle would not be covered. The manufacturer provided case number: 13404459. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000. The VIN was invalid.

- Pfluggerville, TX, USA

problem #69

Dec 102019

Soul

  • 90,000 miles
Bought a 2012 Kia Soul from graham's dealership in Ontario, Ohio in 2016, I started getting a knocking sound from my motor about 7 months ago and took it in to be looked at for a recalland said there was no issues and gave me a tire rotation and oil change which had nothing to do with what I asked. The systems continued to get worse as I was buying four quarts a week for a 1.7 liter engine so I got it in and all of a sudden the motor was bad enough for them to believe considering it is absolutely horrible sounding so graham's calls Kia and they say they'd replace it with a new motor (this was said on 12/11/20). Brian at graham's auto mall said he would call in the morning with the date for it to be replaced. I get the call the next day and they said that the manufacture was not going to do the recall even tho I was told it was going to be done and than changed the next day. Brian said they're was basically nothing to be done which I believe is a complete lie. I've been a loyal customer paying over 16,000$ through three years just for them to not take the recall and replace my motor. I am very upset over this and would love to have something done about

- Mansfield, OH, USA

problem #68

Jul 012019

Soul

  • miles
Vehicle constantly misfiring or attempting to stall with a check engine line that doesn't stay illuminated whether running, driving, or at a stand still. Potentially very dangerous!! when able to read code it states it's a cylinder 2 issue, but only provides generic code. Still has issues despite getting fixed! this Kia should be a part of the engine recall as well!

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #67

Nov 222019

Soul

  • 119,780 miles
I bought a used car a month ago. The car is the 2012 Kia Soul. Personally, I love this car. The design is pretty and I like it so much. But there is a problem with the engine. The car's engine is a 1.6 gdi engine. This is a car made in a Korean factory. It ran 119,800 miles. Engine knocking noise is very serious. The knocking sound was very loud. I changed the engine oil about 50 days ago. And I ran about 1,000 miles. I checked the amount of engine oil today. Engine oil has been reduced by about 1 liter. I was surprised. If I hadn't checked, there would have been a big problem with the vehicle. I saw a lot of news about the engine of this car in Korea. Already, the ministry of land, infrastructure and Transport of the Korean government has done a lot of research and testing on the engine of the car. They found that engine oil decreased a lot, and Kia motors acknowledged this. I'm afraid the car will suddenly stop on the street due to engine failure. I want my family to be safe. I contacted american Kia motors. They only say that my vehicle is out of warranty. If so, should I just continue to ride this car at risk" and I live in Hawaii. By the way, the Kia customer service center tells me to go to another island, honolulu, for inspection of the vehicle. In order to do that, I have to ship this car and I have to take a plane. But what if the vehicle takes several days to inspect" I think Kia should respond wisely and quickly.

- Kailua-Kona, HI, USA

problem #66

Nov 192019

Soul

  • 119,800 miles
It's only seven years old, but it leaks engine oil and a very large metal bump and knocking coming from the engine. It can be heard very loud even outside the car. I'm very worried if the engine is on fire or if it stops suddenly. In Korea, the government has already recommended that the car's engine be repaired free of charge. I want to be solved well in the U.S.

- Kailua-Kona, HI, USA

problem #65

Nov 052019

Soul

  • 92,000 miles
I was on the freeway, and all the lights lining the freeway were out. It was pitch black, and a cow had made its way into the middle of the freeway. It was struck by another vehicle and sent into the air, and flew right into my car. It is my understanding that one of adot's fences were down that was containing cattle. I was in a severe accident because of this, along with multiple other vehicles. I filed a police report and have that case number as well. I have photo and video evidence proof.

- Mesa, AZ, USA

problem #64

Oct 132019

Soul

  • 119,000 miles
In March 2019, vehicle began making noise and was brought in to Kia dealership service department. Was told that oil was unexpectedly low despite last oil change in November 2018 and mileage/use of vehicle was much lower than normal during this time period. In October 2019, vehicle began making same noise and before it could be taken in, vehicle stopped functioning mid-traffic during left hand turn on to a side road from a 45 mph state highway. Brought again to same Kia dealership service department. Technician reported on diagnosis report that "oil level seemed low (added 1 quart)" and verbally reported by phone that engine has unrepairable damage and entire engine needs to be replaced. We were quoted $6,000-$7,000 by the service department at the Kia dealership to replace engine. Vehicle is currently sitting in our driveway unusable after being an extremely reliable vehicle requiring only regular and usual maintenance until March of this year.

- Williston, VT, USA

problem #63

Sep 092019

Soul

  • 116,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA campaign number: 19V120000 (engine, engine and engine cooling). The contact called rusty wallace Kia of knoxville (701 callahan dr, knoxville, tn 37912, (865) 688-8886) and scheduled an appointment; however, the contact missed the appointment. While driving, the contact noticed a large amount of blue smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The contact continued driving to her destination. The vehicle was later towed to the contact's residence where her husband and son noticed a hole in piston number two. The vehicle was towed to the same dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle still remained at the same dealer where they failed to honor the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and provided case number: 13379468. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.

- Speedwell, TN, USA

problem #62

May 032019

Soul

  • 123,000 miles
Before taking the vehicle in for the recall it was burning oil. It would be completely empty after just 2000 miles of getting my oil change. I took it in to get the recall fixed. They replaced the computer as well as the catalytic converter. It still continues to burn the oil the same as it did before. They told me they couldn't do anything especially since it has 123000 miles now.

- Liberty, MO, USA

problem #61

Oct 172019

Soul

  • 110,633 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. While the vehicle was running, smoke appeared from the exhaust pipe and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure recurred. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,633.

- Irvine, KY, USA

problem #60

Apr 022019

Soul

  • 95,000 miles
Car is jerking/bucking and misfiring while idle and when driving it jerks. Car check engine light constantly turns on and off on its own.

- Rockwell, NC, USA

problem #59

Sep 132019

Soul

  • 90,000 miles
While driving to a family function in Kentucky our 2012 Kia Soul started making a very loud clacking noise as it tried to maintain the 55mph speed limit while going uphill. When we pulled off we checked oil levels and checked the noise, it was much louder than the lifter noises and seemed to be a possible rod issue. After paying for a tow we contacted the Kia dealership in pikeville and was told that our Kia Soul was not under their recall. If the 1.6L gdi engine is recalled for any model in this model year should it not be applied to all models? Kia doesn't seem to want to help in any way.

- La Rue, OH, USA

problem #58

Nov 292018

Soul

  • 200,000 miles
The contact's company owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact stated that oil had to continuously be placed in the vehicle. While driving approximately 35 mph, the engine seized. The company received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 19V120000 (engine, engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was contacted and stated that they would replace the engine; however, the company would be responsible for the labor cost. The contact stated that there were three other Kia Souls with the same failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer fully replaced the engine in another Kia Soul at no charge, but would not replace the engines in the other three vehicles per the recall. The dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 200,000.

- Natick, MA, USA

problem #57

Aug 012019

Soul

  • 84,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. While driving various speeds, the contact smelled a fuel odor coming from the engine compartment. The contact also stated that the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the catalytic converter failed. The contact also believed that the vehicle seemed to be burning fuel excessively once the catalytic converter failed. The contact drove the vehicle to several repair shops and received various estimates on the replacement. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 19V120000 (engine, engine and engine cooling), but the vehicle was not included in the recall. The contact called kearny mesa Kia (7303 clairemont mesa blvd, san diego, ca 92111, 858-223-3131), but had not received a response. The manufacturer was notified and stated that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 84,000.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #56

Aug 092019

Soul

  • 160,000 miles
I took the car to the Kia dealership for recall number 19V120 they did an euc upgrade in June 2019. After that the car developed knocking noise from engine and started consuming more oil then previously 1 qt. Per 700 miles. On August 9, 2019 the car suddenly lost power barely making it up the hill at a stop idle was rough enough to shake the car. The car was diagnosed need new engine oil on spark plug 3&4 compression on 3&4 at 90 and 70.

- Volcano, CA, USA

problem #55

May 012019

Soul

  • 160,000 miles
I received a recall letter in the mail regarding the catalytic converter. The rec all indicated that if you hear a knocking in the engine the needed to check engine to see if it was damaged due to the catalytic converter. I took vehicle to 2 Kia dealerships and both refused to look at engine but acknowledged that it was making knocking noise

- Phenix City, AL, USA

problem #54

Dec 142018

Soul

  • 135,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. While accelerating from a stop, the vehicle stalled and there was a strange, hot odor emitting from the engine. The vehicle was taken to Kia of puyallup (111 valley ave ne, puyallup, wa 98372, 833-217-6008) where it was diagnosed that there was a blown rod and metal debris within the engine. The vehicle was not repaired at the time. On April 12, 2019, the contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 19V120000 (engine), which listed the failures the vehicle was experiencing. The vehicle was taken to cars pros Kia Tacoma (7230 Tacoma way, Tacoma, wa 98409, 877-879-7067) where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter and engine were damaged. The dealer also determined that the vehicle required a catalytic overheating protection engine control unit logic update. The catalytic converter was replaced, but not the engine. The contact stated that a knocking sound was coming from the engine compartment. The manufacturer provided case number: 13184439 and a written notification of the remedy, which stated that the catalytic converter and/or the engine needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 135,000.

- Eatonville, WA, USA

problem #53

Jul 102019

Soul

  • 2 miles
My 2012 Kia Soul's engine started on fire with no warning while my 19 year old was driving home only two miles on a 35 mph road! the flames where so hot but luckily we live by a fire department which was there within minutes and put it out. Waiting on Kia to make right!

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

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