10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 53
Injuries / Deaths:
9 / 0
Average Mileage:
60,396 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #16

Sep 102018

Soul

  • 30,000 miles
Engine idles more rough then when we first bought it, our Kia Soul does now have 30,000 miles but it just seems to idle differently when we first start it in the morning when it is cold the way it starts though and is idling makes the car shake in away that it didn't when we first got

- Bremerton, WA, USA

problem #15

Oct 062018

Soul

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owned a 2015 Kia Soul. While driving approximately 25 mph, flames appeared within the engine compartment. The contact pulled the vehicle over and exited as flames quickly spread throughout the vehicle. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The fire was extinguished by the fire department and the police arrived, but no reports were filed. There were no injuries. The contact called boniface hiers Kia at 321-951-9595 (located at 880 S apollo blvd, melbourne, fl 32901) and was informed to call the insurance company. The manufacturer was notified and stated that the failure would be investigated. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

- Palm Bay, FL, USA

problem #14

Sep 202018

Soul

  • 65,000 miles
I was driving at a slow speed and I noticed a strange noise. I was going up a hill and experienced a loss of power and the noise got worse. I pulled over and saw the oil light flickering below 1500 RPM so I shut it down. I waited a few minutes and checked the oil. The oil was full. I had it towed to a shop to diagnose and they told me an internal engine component has failed and that I would need a new engine. I had it towed to a Kia dealership to confirm. I received the same diagnosis. The car has 65K miles on it and requires a new engine. The car has been maintained and was not neglected. I reached out to Kia for assistance and they are unwilling to assist. They have also discontinued the long block engine replacement so the repair costs more now. There seems to be a shortage of the 2.0L engine so it isn't available from rebuild shops or junkyards. I suspect that the high rate of failure of the 2.0L engine is to blame for the shortage.

- Freedom, PA, USA

problem #13

Jul 022018

Soul

  • 79,000 miles
Engine started making knocking noise at 79,000 miles. Took it in to dealership and they said I need a new engine. Since I was the second owner, it in not covered under the warranty. Dozens of people are having the same problem with this engine. This recall is long overdue

- Irmo, SC, USA

problem #12

Jun 202018

Soul

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. While driving 60 mph, the vehicle lost power and smoke appeared from the engine compartment. There were no warning indicators illuminated. A police report was not filed. A citizen extinguished the fire. There were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to jim bone Kia (1255 santa rosa ave, santa rosa, ca 95404, 707-545-7050) where it was diagnosed that the engine failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number to the contact. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. The VIN was unknown.

- Windsor, CA, USA

problem #11

Aug 312018

Soul

  • 68,000 miles
8/31/18 my oil light started flickering, acceleration slowed down, almost chugging on interstate 65 North. A 35 minute drive took me a hour and a half because there is no other way to get home but the interstate. 9/1/18 I started the car, drove it a couple miles, going to the dealer, it started knocking, almost stalling, oil light flickering and then died in the middle of the road. Had it towed to Kia of rivergate. 9/5/18 they ask for all my oil change receipts, which I don't have because I get them where ever I have a coupon for.(I am currently trying to back track and get the records) mac, at the dealership) tells me there is "sludge" and this only happens when the maintenance was not done. There was never any problems with the car, when oil changes were done everything checked out every time, no indications about oil, no check engine light, nothing and then this happens without warning. Help!!

- White House, TN, USA

problem #10

Jul 282018

Soul

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owned a 2015 Kia Soul. While the contact's son was driving 60 mph, smoke appeared from the front of the vehicle, the vehicle stalled, and an abnormal noise was heard. The contact's son exited the vehicle and observed that the bottom of the engine was on fire. Within a matter of minutes, the entire vehicle caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire and indicated that the vehicle was a total loss. The vehicle was towed. The cause of the fire was unknown. There were no injuries and no police report was filed. The manufacturer and dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Jonesboro, GA, USA

problem #9

Aug 112018

Soul

  • 91,100 miles
This incident occurred on Saturday, the 11th of August, 2018 at 12 noon. In motion on interstate I75 southbound. Medium traffic, dry and clear conditions. I heard what sounded like a rock or other road debris hitting the bottom of the car. About 15 seconds later I started hearing a sort of tapping noise from the engine compartment. All the gauges showed normal. I pulled over thinking I may have picked up something under my car. I pulled to the shoulder and examined under the car and saw nothing. I started driving again and changed my destination to the Kia dealer where I purchased my car. I noticed the noise increasing and it seemed as if the engine lost lost compression. I then turned on my flashers to alert the drivers behind me. About this time the lcd screen turned white and had the message that the system may have received an error message from the engine and noted that I should get to a Kia dealer asap. The screen then went blank. I drove for about another half a mile and the engine light illuminated and the engine died. I was able to get to the shoulder and I notice "steam" coming from under the hood. Upon opening the hood I saw the steam was smoke and flames were shooting from the top of the engine, from under the oil cap. I took a blanket from the back of my car to beat out the flames and it caught on fire. At that time I got away from the car and dialed 911. At that time a trucker had pulled over and came running back with a fire extinguisher and doused the flames. A fire truck arrived and wrote a report which I do not have. The car was towed to sons Kia of mcdonough, ga.

- Mcdonough, GA, USA

problem #8

Aug 112018

Soul

  • 112,000 miles
My car is only 3 years old, 112,000 miles and my air conditioning compressor went out. The fix is over $800. I have owned 6 cars in my lifetime and have never had this happen, I've never even ran out of freon in my cars.

- Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA

problem #7

Apr 082018

Soul

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. While driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle experienced a complete loss of engine power. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the vehicle did not have any engine oil. The vehicle was towed to another independent mechanic who also diagnosed that the engine seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and was towed back to the contact's residence. A dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that there were no warning indicators illuminated prior to the failure and no signs of any leakage. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Freedom, WI, USA

problem #6

Apr 052018

Soul

  • 30,000 miles
I was driving my 2015 Kia Soul on my normal route to work on 4/5/18. It was a dark, clear morning on a busy highway. I was moving with traffic at approximately 60 mph. At just about 5:30 a.M., the vehicle made a noise and lost acceleration. I was able to get to the side of the highway and park the vehicle. I was parked for approximately 3 minutes when I saw smoke and flames coming from the engine. I exited the vehicle. Shortly thereafter, the vehicle was fully engulfed in flames. No other persons or vehicles were involved in this incident. I purchased the vehicle new and it had had no significant mechanical work in the 2 years that I owned it, just normal oil changes and a couple of safety recalls. Neither the firefighter on the scene, nor the insurance adjuster, were able to determine the cause of the fire, only that it started in the engine.

- Murrieta, CA, USA

problem #5

Feb 172018

Soul

  • 77,000 miles
Engine developed a loud knock. Was not able to drive car. This is the second time. First time was 09/05/2017. It took 4 months before we got car back. Engine was warranty replaced. Towed car on 2/17/18 to dealership. Still waiting for repairs to be done.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #4

Aug 102016

Soul

  • 23,600 miles
The engine failed at 23,600 mi. I was sitting in traffic when the "oil" light came on and the engine seized up completely. Fortunately this did not happen on the highway. The Kia dealership denied the powertrain warranty stating that since I did the oil changes myself the warranty was void. I paid a mechanic to replace the engine. When I took it to the shop the mechanic said they had just replaced the engine in a 2014 Kia optima and where more than familiar with an engine swap on a modern Kia. These cars are not safe, the government should be investigating Kia motors for their fraudulent practices.

- North Richland Hills, TX, USA

problem #3

Aug 312016

Soul

  • 14,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. While driving various speeds, the transmission lunged without warning. In addition, the contact observed that the vehicle shook vigorously while idling or while driving. Also, the vehicle would sometimes fail to switch gears. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine mount needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer again where it was diagnosed that the fuel injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 14,000.

- Oakboro, NC, USA

problem #2

Aug 242016

Soul

  • 27,475 miles
The car caught fire under the hood of the engine. Upon arriving home from grocery store passenger noticed smoke under the hood. The fire was extinguished and the Kia emergency roadside service was called. The local Kia dealer doesnt want anything to do with the car even though the car is still under factory warranty. Kia corporate isn't much help either saying it will be 2-5 business days before someone from there will be able to come and inspect it. In the meantime I am stranded in fort wayne with no transportation. Again the car is still under factory warranty!!!!!!!!!

- Hernando, FL, USA

problem #1

Dec 172015

Soul

  • 3,000 miles
Car is equipped with eco-boost and active "intermittant stop and go" system, which is active every start cycle unless "deactivate" button is engaged.car has been driven by 18 year old daughter for 3,000 miles in 6 months. The engine has shut down and not been able to be restarted on 2 separate occasions.both times the isg system switch was depressed, the system was deactivated, and the car was stationary. The second time the car shut down was at a very busy intersection, my daughter is a new driver-she was hysterical. Dealer claims there is nothing wrong with the car, they are saying it is operator error. I have told them that she always deactivates the isg every time she starts the car. She has seen the "deactive" light go out several times while driving the car. This is a very dangerous situation. We were not told by the dealer about the isg system when we purchased the car, if we had known about it, we would not have bought it.I feel there might be a software problem that is causing uncommanded shut down. Dealer cannot find a problem with the car.I am an airline aircraft mechanic with 30 years experience on boeing jets, and have been working on cars for 40 years.

- Mesa, AZ, USA