10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 10
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 4 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 26,560 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.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
My car has starter problems. Starter clicks and grinds. Was completely dead the first time and was jump started. At the dealer, it was completely dead and couldn't be jump started. They have replaced the starter 3 times and tell me it's defective starters. I think it's an electrical issue and they can't find it. I have brought it in 6 times and problem still remains.
- Colchester, VT, USA
In Dec 2014 I leased a new Kia Soul. I was really happy with the car for quite some time and then it randomly wouldn't start at odd intervals. This happened while parked at my daughter's dance studio, having driven there to pick her up (Jan 2016). I had it jump started then so I could get home. Had to have it jump started again the next morning so I could drive kids to school and drive to the dealer. Dealer charged the battery and car worked fine until Nov 2016 when I drove from home to walmart, did some quick shopping before work, and the car wouldn't start when I came back out. I had Kia roadside service jump the car, drove it to the dealer (was late for work) but the dealer returned the car to me saying they couldn't duplicate the issue. Again in Nov 2016 on thanksgiving, car would not start in my garage. I had Kia roadside service jump start it and was able to drive to my mother's 2 hours away. I parked the car there and after sitting for a couple of days, it started fine. Took it to the dealer who again could not duplicate any issues. At that time I would not take the car back without a new battery, for which Kia did reimburse me later. Again I March 2017, car would not start at home. Had it towed to the dealer. They again could not pinpoint the issue and returned the car to me. I've had the attny gen of mn contact Kia but they refuse to reimburse me for anything I lost in trading the car before the lease was up. Kia said (see letter attached) that because nothing was found to be wrong with the car, they are not liable. I think the fact that the car wouldn't start is something wrong with it!
- Bloomington, MN, USA
Car purchased new in Feb 2016. Car had approximately 9,000 miles on it at the time of incident. My daughter was driving the car and upon arriving at her destination parked the car. On exiting the vehicle she and her friend noticed smoke rising from the passenger side of the hood at the windshield. This quickly developed into a small flame. The entire car was consumed by fire within the 13 minute response time of the fire department.
- Purcellvillle, VA, USA
I have had this car for just over a yr now. This will be the 3 or 4 radio it has been install
- Midwest City, OK, USA
Entered lease on 2015 Kia Soul exclaim on 2-9-15 when lease for 2012 Kia Soul exclaim was about to terminate. Ever since purchase, when I come to a complete stop and am idling at a stoplight, the car will feel like it wants to go. I've taken the car into dealership at several different intervals, so mileage on car keeps growing. I have to put both feet on the brakes at times in order to keep car from trying to accelerate forward. I've gone to the dealership several times and they are not able to determine the cause. They have recent the computer to factory new settings, more than once. On 11-21-15, I took it to dealership again and they took all sort of readings and were on the phone with Kia tech for suggestions. The one person who could read more about the findings was not going to be available until 11-24-15. I called this evening and the service advisor had talked their tech who had talked to Kia tech and they still could not find anything. I continue to be concerned about being at a complete stop and potentially ramming into the car in front of me. I've tried turning the fan off or making sure the car has warmed up so that the fan doesn't have to run to see if that helps, but it still will do this.
- Sandy Springs, GA, USA
First occurred at 134 miles on my 2015 Kia Soul...bouncy vibrating shaky ride could be felt under my feet like something bumping the bottom of the car and in the steering wheel like someone was tapping on it continuously. Passengers front and rear can feel the vibrating shake. Has been returned to dealer five times with this problem and has not yet been repaired. It is so bad it's uncomfortable to ride in and drive. Two service techs have told me they feel it but don't know what it is. Local dealer refused service after the fourth time saying they would not try to "fix" it again so Kia corporation sent to another dealership. The second dealership feels it but they don't know what it is either. A field tech is being sent with a new machine to determine the problem. New tires and wheels have been put on the vehicle...they made a difference but it still has the vibrating shaky feeling. Twice, when gas pedal is pressed, the car would not move...service techs don't know why. The car shudders many times when sitting at a red light or stop sign or parking lot...it will be running smoothly, then suddenly begin the shudder and shake. After a few minutes, it runs smoothly again. And no, it is not the ac compressor kicking in...the vibrating shaky ride occurs on all types of pavement and road surfaces. When turning the steering wheel to go around a curve, the wheel shakes as if the axles are bad. It has been doing this since purchased June 24, 2015, new, and now has 4,000 miles on it and is still doing its vibrating shaky thing. Anybody else have these problems? this is the third 2015 Kia Soul we have owned! the other two are great! no problems...totally different from this one.
- Meridian, MS, USA
I purchased a Kia Soul in 2012 (2013 car) and a month later was in intensive care for 5 days with mysterious symptoms. (I am a healthy woman and take no medications.) over the next 2 years I still had problems but they lessened. For the past 6 months, I have had no symptoms. Last month I purchased a Kia Soul 2015 and in the following week I was back at the er, again, no diagnosis whatsoever. Since then I have had similar symptoms. Putting the dates together, I then researched Kia Soul for toxicity, and it is the top car for high toxic levels. Is this not an important safety issue to be on your website? I am shocked that so little is known about this, but the sources I researched are most reliable. Kia Soul is a dangerous car.
- Harpswell, ME, USA
Was driving down an interstate on a July afternoon. Temperature in the mid 90's with ac set on 72. Driving with no cars around at 60mph and all of a sudden hear what sounds like a gun shot. I looked around to see if I could see anything wrong and did not see anything until I looked up. The panoramic sunroof had shattered completely. The roof fragments I could see was lifting outward. I called my haircut appointment to cancel and drove straight to the nearest Kia dealership. On the way over, the small glass fragments between the actual broken fragments started to fall so I closed the sunshade. Also on the drive to the dealership, some of the broken glass fell out onto the road behind me. Its been 2 weeks and so far no news from corporate Kia on replacing my sunroof.
- Tucker, GA, USA
Kia country of charleston, South Carolina sold me a new 2015 Kia Soul while under an active recall, prior to the recall work being completed, in apparent violation of 49 U.S.C., section 30112(a)(3). Kia service campaign 116, a safety recall to correct a potential unsafe condition resulting from the fracturing of the accelerator pedal, appears to have been in effect well in advance of my purchase date of 02 April 2015. It seems that in the rush to sell me the vehicle, the recall work was not completed, and I was not notified that a recall was in effect. I only found out about the recall after registering on a Kia website as a Kia owner, when an automated system matched my new vehicle's VIN number to the recall, and indicating it as incomplete. The Soul was taken in for service and the recall was completed on 24 April 2015, after the vehicle had been driven 1208 miles with the potential unsafe defect, with no other notification from the dealership or the manufacturer.
- North Charleston, SC, USA
- Racine, OH, USA