10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 7
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
28,618 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #56

May 192022

Soul

  • miles
I received a notice from Kia that my car was part of a recall affecting the engine. I brought my car into the nearest Kia dealership to me and they confirmed that my car had a recall in which they were to run a program and check the catalytic converter and engine. I confirmed before and after this visit that they checked everything and was told that yes they checked the catalytic converter and everything was fine and they updated the engine program that was called for by the recall. I have brought my car in atleast 3 times and never having any issue previously was insured that my car would be covered under the recall but that we had to essentially wait for the engine to fail before that could be done. My car has lost power suddenly on the highway twice since this program has been run. Every visit i was told that my car was safe to drive. The most recent visit - which happened less than 30 days from the previous one where I was told my vehicle was safe to drive - has resulted in me being told that my catalytic converter has suddenly become clogged and that -??my vehicle is not effected by this recall-??. The visit before no such issue was mentioned in fact I was only informed my engine had -??some codes and a few misfires-?? - again this was less than 30 days before my catalytic converter suddenly clogged. It is important to mention that this all happened with 6 months from the time the program was ran until today. I have the receipts of all of my visits to Kia. This most recent visit on May 19, 2022 in which I was told about the catalytic converter was the result of the second loss of power on the highway dropping from 70mph to 40mph suddenly and then continuing to decrease as I tried to navigate to the side of the road while traffic continued at normal speed around me; putting me, my child and others on the road at great risk of accident and injury. This is unacceptable.

- Kenosha, WI, USA

problem #55

Mar 142022

Soul

  • miles
as i was heading home from work, about 12 miles into road, vehicle started loosing power, and at it would turn engine off at stop lights, and it would turn back on, and started shaking and running under 40 miles an hour, the next day, warranty was able to tow it to the manufacture dealership service, the service adviser called and said it was the engine, its been three weeks and the issues has not been resolved due to warranty not wanting to pay for repairs.

- Jarrell, TX, USA

problem #54

Feb 012020

Soul

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil while driving. The contact also stated that the vehicle would stall upon depression of the accelerator pedal with an abnormal, banging sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where it was diagnosed with a defective catalytic converter. The contact was then informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer had been notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Hillman, MN, USA

problem #53

Oct 152021

Soul

  • miles
Trouble is when i get speed with the car and press the brake the system fail and i dont have any acceleration. Ex. When i go about 50mph or more and press the brake. The electrical system fail and show on dashboard "check ev system" and after restart or shutdown the car and power on again the system works normal

- Santo Domingo, FL, USA

problem #52

Jan 282022

Soul

  • miles
My catalytic converter has gone out 3 times! There has to be something wrong more than just normal wear and tear

- Opelika , AL, USA

problem #51

Jul 152021

Soul

  • miles
There is an on going issue about the cold start. The light went off twice and came back on. It is still the same code. The code is P050A.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #50

Jan 012022

Soul

  • miles
The car lost power suddenly while I was on highway I had a semi truck almost hit me it's the second time it's happened and I had to replace catalytic converter twice and I just got it back from Kia dealership in hurst tx it's still making the ticking noise I heard after they replaced the catylic converter the first time they also didn't look into finding out why my Kia soul is using so much oil it burns up fast like in three days from an oil change I'm almost out completely I feel like I would like it if you guys could give me a more reliable car I have a child and I can't keep losing all power while on the highway

- Fortworth, TX, USA

problem #49

Nov 272021

Soul

  • miles
For a week or two when I turned the heated seat on I would often feel a very intense heat from the seat back when it started up for a period of time. I had just recently had a back injury so I thought perhaps my back was being overly sensitive. Finally on the 27th just after I started driving the car in the morning I felt the burning feeling on my back again and stuck my hand behind me to feel the seat. I felt burning on my hand and pain and yanked my hand away immediately, pulled over, and looked behind me at the seat, in time to see a curl of smoke coming out of a small hole on the back of the seat. I also found that the palm of my hand had a small mark beneath the base of my thumb where I had felt the burning pain. It took at least half an hour for the burning sensation to fade. I also detected an odor of smoke for a bit afterward. I had no warning that this was going to happen other than the burning feeling the heated seat had started to generate upon my back- no warning lights or such. I have not had any service done on the problem yet though I intend to contact Kia soon; so the car is currently in the same state although obviously I don't turn the heated seat on anymore since I don't want things in my car to be on fire.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

problem #48

Sep 202021

Soul

  • miles
When switching from AC to heat, moisture starts spraying from vents, rapidly dripping on floor and completely fogging up windows causing zero visibility. I was forced to pull off roadway for fear of a collision. It then takes at least ten minutes for the moisture to stop and the windows to clear. This happened a year ago at the same time when the weather is changing from warm days using the ac and then using the heat on cold mornings. The dealership charged me to replace the cabin air filter which did not fix the problem. I have seen this complaint by other KIA Soul owners on a number of public internet sites.

- Lackawanna , NY, USA

problem #47

Jun 112021

Soul

  • 61,056 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 50 mph, the vehicle began to jerk upon depression on the accelerator pedal as the check engine warning light. Despite the failure, the contact was able to drive the vehicle home. Upon startup of the vehicle the next day, the contact stated that an abnormal knocking sound was emitted from the engine. The contact called her independent mechanic who informed her that her vehicle may have been placed under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) and referred her to a local dealer. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer but was informed that her vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure but offered no further assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was 61,056.

- St Paul, MN, USA

problem #46

Jul 052021

Soul

  • 83,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle would not accelerate above 5 mph and would stall with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed and repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

- Whittier, CA, USA

problem #45

Jun 142021

Soul

  • miles
My car just stopped without warning.. Kia dealership states it need a catalyst converter and 02 sensor.. no engine light came on.. it just stopped.. after they put an software for 50000 incase the engine fail.. well my catalyst converter fail.. without any warning

- Covington, GA, USA

problem #44

Nov 212019

Soul 4-cyl

  • miles
The engine light is starting to appear more frequently this started about two years ago and every few months would appear and the oil would be a little low and more recently after oil changes... I had brought the car in late last year to check on the recall of the engine & mentioned concern... I was told everything was fine and this problem started occurring while before I reached 100,000 miles... I've been waiting over two weeks for an appointment and have one scheduled for July 14 which I made over two weeks ago when the problem occurred once again and I had my mother in the car 90 year old... I've been told by the Kia dealership that everything was good however it appears that this is put me in a situation that could be extremely dangerous if all the oil burns off or there are other issues similar to the below...Optima Hybrid, 2012 Sportage, 2012-?"2013 Sorento, and 2012-?"2013 Forte and Forte Koup with the 2.4-liter Theta II engine; and the 2014-?"2015 Forte, Forte Koup, and Soul with the 2.0-liter Nu engine. Kia will notify owners starting on January 27, 2021. Dealers will inspect the engine compartments of affected vehicles, make repairs, and potentially replace engines. Kia also intends to carry out a software update to add a Knock Sensor Detection System as soon as possible, and the NHTSA report states that Kia will provide 15-year/150,000-mile warranty coverage for engine repairs needed "due to connecting-rod bearing damage." Kia will also reimburse owners for any repair expenses already incurred related to the problem, NHTSA's report says...Just to recap we can't get an appointment till the 14th they're trying to squeeze me in earlier I'll know next Tuesday however I have just paid off my Kia after five years and was hoping to enjoy many more years... I'm very disappointed that the safety of the car and the drivers and the owners are not of the upmost importance Something should be done immediately for their loyal customers... Call [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

- Highwood , IL, USA

problem #43

May 252021

Soul

  • miles
Check Engine Light came on day before I took it in for KIA recall 4/27/2021. It was off after service done. 2 weeks later light came on again and went off 5 days later. Light came on again 2 weeks later- I went Auto Zone and Firestone to have code scan. Both scans showed code P050A----PCM has detected a problem with the idle air control. When I called Montrose KIA Sheffield Lake, Ohio Chris in service said they don't trust Auto Zone codes and wanted to charge me $129.99 for them to check code. He told me if the light was steady don't worry about and was very rude and unprofessional. While investigating code info online I found it was a known problem to KIA and nothing could be done-problem in ECU logic -no fix-expecting software update. If I went to dealership who knows what they would of done and charged me for.

- Bay Village, OH, USA

problem #42

May 252021

Soul

  • miles
On a partly cloudy, warm day, I got in my vehicle and closed my driver door; upon the driver door closing, the rear passenger door window exploded, shattering all over the back seat and floor of the car.

- Plaistow , NH, USA

problem #41

Feb 192021

Soul 4-cyl

  • 87,100 miles
My car caught on fire. The whole car is damaged. There is no front the interior is gone. I have started a case with Kia. My vehicle was going up a hill about 30 minkes an hour when it started smoking. It was pulled over and the hood was popped. The engine was on fire. Soon the whole front and middle of the car was on fire. This was at 14000 jericho street at the entrance of bowie state university in bowie md. Police and fire departments were called.

- Upper Marlboro, MD, USA

problem #40

Mar 012021

Soul

  • 40,000 miles
Panoramic sunroof won't close

- Hull, MA, USA

problem #39

Mar 092021

Soul

  • 75,000 miles
Check engine light on more than off or so it seems. Engine code P0S0A. Dealer attempts to fix. Code comes back

- Wayne, OH, USA

problem #38

Dec 242020

Soul

  • 85,300 miles
After taking my car into the dealership for a recall and an upgrade to computer software, I was traveling on the highway at 65 mph and lost power to the engine while in the middle lanes of traffic. I took the vehicle back to the dealership, and upon the completion of an inspection, they said the vehicle is safe to drive and power was restored. I was not offered a loaner car, and had to walk or use public transportation for several days. I am now experiencing the same issue again. I cannot travel out of town without the possibility of the same thing happening as a safety mechanism triggers. I have to find my own means of transportation and only travel locally. If this happens again while on the highway with more traffic I could be involved in a very serious accident. They have also not offered any form of compensation for my time loss with my vehicle. This is very difficult to deal with from day. When the safety mechanism triggers, the vehicle will barely do 35-45 mph. It takes more than 15 seconds to attain that speed which is not safe in heavy traffic or moderate traffic. The car will start as normal; however, with trying to takeoff the vehicle will not accelerate as normal. Prior to this 'upgrade' the vehicle never had issues with acceleration.

- Burlington, NC, USA

problem #37

Jan 312021

Soul

  • 65,000 miles
After the recent recall for my vehicle's computer issue, I took my vehicle in for the repair. My car has not been used much this winter due to covid-19. The engine light has recently turned on with code po50A (cold start idle air control). This has been an issue for many after the recall. Kia says that the recall triggered this faulty engine light and it won't turn off.

- Castro Valley, CA, USA

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