10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 49
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
76,982 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2014 Kia Soul:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #319

Dec 112020

Soul 4-cyl

  • 126,310 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle shut-off independently. The contact stated the failure persisted after the vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was taken to trophy Kia (22020 recreation karson ca 90745, 424-306-3311) where it was diagnosed with a sluggish a engine. The contact stated that the repair would be out of pocket. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 126,310. The consumer stated the vehicle was taken to the Kia dealership twice for a software update to no avail. The consumer stated he was charged for a new engine and did not honor the recall.

- Redondo Beach, CA, USA

problem #318

Jan 012019

Soul

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the engine failed. The contact stated that the engine was consuming oil prematurely which caused the engine to stall without warning. The vehicle was taken to crowley Kia (223 broad street, bristol, ct 06010, (860) 589-4444) to be diagnosed. The mechanic was unable to locate the engine oil leak. The contact stated that the starter was replaced however, the repair did not fix the failure. The vehicle continued to consume oil prematurely and stall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

- Plainville, CT, USA

problem #317

Mar 022021

Soul

  • 123,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 19V120000 (engine, engine and engine cooling). The vehicle was taken to butler Kia (4950 crater lake ave, medford, or 97504) where it was diagnosed with the catalytic converter needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The contact was informed that he would receive a callback within 3-4 days. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Williams, OR, USA

problem #316

Mar 012021

Soul

  • 1,725,000 miles
Bought this vehicle used it's always using excessive oil no leaks its just using even when it was newer. Had to replace the catalytic converter because of the excessive oil burn. Had problems with poor engine performance gradually until it got severe enough it was not able to be driven. Took it in for a recall on the engine they stated it had passed all test even though there was a ticking sound coming from the engine. All so strong smell of fuel coming out the tail pipe. From my research at least couple of the items discussed here are common with these vehicles. The 1.6 has had similar issues and had the engine recalled altogether. The 2.0 needs a recall as well instead of with technical requirements to work around replacing all engines. I think something is wrong with the design of the engine. I'm hoping Kia can recognize & resolve the issue.

- Snow Hill, NC, USA

problem #315

Dec 072020

Soul

  • 116,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 60 mph, the vehicle would slowly start to lose motive power and failed to exceed 40 mph with the accelerator pedal depressed. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 20V750000 (engine) at cooper Kia (5056 commercial dr, yorkville, NY 13495) however, the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed with the engine needing to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired as of yet. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.

- Rome, NY, USA

problem #314

Mar 022021

Soul

  • 118,000 miles
There was a recall on the engine at one point in 2019 which I was never notified of and I have had to replace ignition coils several times since my purchase in 2017. The engine light kept coming on and it kept burning out the coil packs took it to julio jones Kia in tuscaloosa Alabama and they tell me the piston rings are worn and that I need a new engine but it wasn't covered under the manufactures warranty even though it had been recalled for this same particular reason and I was never notified of that recall. I believe it should be replaced by Kia being there the ones that recalled it for the same issues I'm having now just a short time ago.

- Cottondale, AL, USA

problem #313

Aug 172020

Soul 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle shuddered and shook abnormally. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 19V120000 (engine, engine and engine cooling) prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to roseville Kia (830 automall dr roseville, ca 95661) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

- Rocklin, CA, USA

problem #312

Mar 052021

Soul

  • miles
I have been calling Kia dealerships in the Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia area to have important safety recall 20V750 service work performed on my vehicle due to the possibility of engine fire risk, and all of the dealerships either do not return my calls, or say they don't have recall appointments until May 3rd, almost 60 days away, even though regular service appointments are available within 7 days, and this is a safety recall. Is this legal, to refuse to perform a safety recall and delay the work for 53 days? dealers in questions were Kia of woodbridge(called 3 times and each time gave all information and told they would have a service rep call me back, and darcars Kia temple hills said not safety recall work for 60 days, but other service work they would do next week.)

- Alexandria, VA, USA

problem #311

Jan 272021

Soul

  • 136,972 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was at tom dolan's reno Kia (9455 S Virginia St, reno, nv 89511) to replace the catalytic converter and two recall repairs. The contact stated that when he was driving the vehicle home, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken back to the Kia dealer where the failure was diagnosed as an oil leak. The contact stated that he received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V750000 (engine) however, the dealer informed him the failure was not related and that the repair was not covered under the recall. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The contact had not yet informed the manufacturer of the failure. The failure mileage was 136,972. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Washoe Valley, NV, USA

problem #310

Oct 012020

Soul

  • 80,600 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was excessively consuming oil, which resulted in oil changes before the required mileage oil change recommendation. The contact was informed by an independent mechanic that there were two recalls under NHTSA campaign number: 19V120000 (engine and engine cooling) and 17V608000 (steering). The contact contacted dan O'brien Kia norwood (105 boston providence hwy, norwood, MA 02062) and was informed that there were no recalls in the system for the vehicle, except for software updates. A VIN search confirmed that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 19V120000 (engine and engine cooling) and 17V608000 (steering). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the oil pan and several unknown sensors. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,600.

- Bedford, NH, USA

problem #309

Dec 102019

Soul

  • 106,000 miles
Manufacturer recall number sc200ps NHTSA recall number 20V750 300,000 effected vehicles. Engines blowing up I have personally been without my car for 74 days now despite constant attempts to contact the dealer. My engine blew up twice while I was driving. The first time I had to pay for the engine and now its happened again but there is a new recall addressing what happened in both engines. The new recall also states "if I have incurred any expense to remedy this issue prior to this recall notice I can be reimbursed." According to title 15 chapter 50 of the U.S. code, in sections 2301-2312, section 15 usc 2304 subsection (a).4: (4) if the product (or a component part thereof) contains a defect or malfunction after a reasonable number of attempts by the warrantor to remedy defects or malfunctions in such product, such warrantor must permit the consumer to elect either a refund for, or replacement without charge of, such product or part (as the case may be).

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #308

Jan 152021

Soul

  • 157,245 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at 35 mph, there was a burning oil smell, noises coming from the engine, and the vehicle would not accelerate as it stalled. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to fred anderson Kia of raleigh (9209 glenwood ave, raleigh, nc 27617) where the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be diagnosed as their computer systems were down. The contact also stated he received a recall notification with NHTSA campaign number: 20V750000 (engine)and the recall could not be serviced as the Kia dealers computer systems were down. The vehicle was not repaired and was still at the dealer. The contact then contacted the Kia manufacturer, whom confirmed that their computer systems were down and no further assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 157,245.

- Creedmoor, NC, USA

problem #307

Nov 112020

Soul

  • miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that their son was driving 65 mph, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal but the vehicle was decreasing in speed. The contacts son noticed smoke coming from the front hood of the vehicle. The contacts son pulled over the side road and then saw oil on the ground and pieces of medal. The vehicle was towed to their residence. The vehicle was later towed to local dealer Kia of bradley (1010 tighe dr #4621, bradley, il 60915) who diagnosed the failure as a medal rod going thru the engine causing a hole in the engine. The contact later found out on their own that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number: 19V120000 (engine, engine and engine cooling). The contact notified the dealer of the recall but the dealer advised that the failure was not related to the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Midlothian, IL, USA

problem #306

Feb 122019

Soul

  • 102,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle failed to exceed 60 mph, with an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. The contact checked the oil dipstick which showed no oil present. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where an oil change was performed. The vehicle then was taken to jones Kia (2001 bel air rd, fallston, md 21047, (410) 877-1700) where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had oil consumption and a test was performed. The ECM was updated on February 3, 2021 however, the failure recurred. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 20V750000 (engine) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with a case number. The manufacturer declined to provide an engine replacement. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

- Cockeysville, MD, USA

problem #305

Jan 012021

Soul

  • 93,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at unknown speeds, the check engine and oil warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that there was an abnormal fuel odor detected. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17V608000 (steering) and 20V750000 (engine). The vehicle was towed to trophy Kia downtown los angeles (1945 S figueroa St, los angeles, ca 90007, (213) 342-0802). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the system was down. The failure mileage was 93,000.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #304

Jan 012017

Soul

  • miles
Knocking noises for long time. Scraping noise. Lighting dim and flases. Noise tunnel causing auditory hallucinations. Burning smell. Leaking oil

- Vallejo, CA, USA

problem #303

Feb 062021

Soul

  • 98,000 miles
I received a recall for the engine issue with the 2014 Kia Soul.a proposed settlement of a class action lawsuit known as in re: Hyundai and Kia engine litigation, no. 8:17‑cv‑00838‑jls‑jde and flaherty V. Hyundai motor company, et al., no. 18‑cv‑02223 (C.D. cal.) allege that 2011'2018 and certain 2019 Kia optima, 2012'2018 and certain 2019 Kia sorento, and 2011'2018 and certain 2019 Kia sportage vehicles suffer from a defect that can cause engine seizure, stalling, engine failure, and engine fire, that engine seizure or stalling can be dangerous if experienced, and that some owners and lessees have been improperly denied repairs under the vehicle's warranty. Neither kmc nor kma have been found liable for any of the claims alleged in these lawsuits. The parties have instead reached a voluntary settlement in order to avoid a lengthy litigation. The individuals who owned or leased class vehicles are known as 'class members.' Settlement class members may be entitled to compensation if they submit valid and timely claims that are approved pursuant to the review process described in this notice and approved by the court. Even though I am receiving the recall information, I am being told my VIN is not in the recall. I have already paid for the engine repair because I was initially turned down when the engine locked up during driving on a highway.

- Clearfield, KY, USA

problem #302

Dec 162020

Soul

  • 106,000 miles
Kia is refusing to fix my car although the VIN matches the recall notice! I have already paid once to have it towed and inspected and they are demanding I do it again at my expense because they threw away the report! the report I paid for and never received a copy of. While in motion, the engine in my vehicle failed and the car is no longer operable. My engine has failed and the cause of the damage seems to be directly related to the defects listed in manufacturers "product improvement campaign" document number pi202B and more recently 20V750. The document states Kia motors America, Inc. Is conducting an important product improvement campaign to perform a software update on 2014-2016 my Soul vehicles equipped with 2.0L gasoline direct injection ('gdi') engines to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage. The document also states that Kia will also extend the warranty coverage for the engine sub-assembly to 10 years starting from the date of first service or 120,000 miles. (reference: Https://static.NHTSA.gov/ODI/tsbs/2020/mc-10179254-0001.pdf). - emphasis on the words "to protect the engine from excessive connecting rod bearing damage" meaning the manufacturer is aware of the potential and probability of bearing damage in existing vehicles. This campaign is an attempt to prevent the damage but in my case the damage already occurred. I have contacted my dealership and paid for a diagnostic fee but they are denying the claim due to "a loss of oil pressure, and the presence of metal in my oil" 3 both of these issues are clearly due to what is mentioned in document pi202B as "excessive connecting rod bearing damage." The bearings failed (which retain oil), obviously resulting in a sudden loss of oil pressure and the metal from those failed bearings mixed with the oil.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #301

Oct 142020

Soul

  • 175,000 miles
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V750000 (engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle loss motive power and hesitated to accelerator above 50 mph. The vehicle was taken to Kia country of charleston (2361 savannah hwy, charleston, SC 29414 (843) 573-2300) where it was diagnosed that the vehicle had oil consumption failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact managed to drive the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed a second time and determined that the catalytic converter failed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 175,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Johns Island, SC, USA

problem #300

Jan 222021

Soul

  • 122,000 miles
I had the recall performed for the engine fire issue in late 2019/early2020 then about janurary 20, 2020 my car broke down with a failed catalytic converter which was an issue for the recall. One year later my catalytic converter has failed again! I don't think the "fix" for the recall worked! if these cars are burning up the catalytic converters still, there needs to be a other recall to have them fixed properly.

- Rixeyville, VA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »