10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 7
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
24,751 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #71

Oct 232022

Soul 4-cyl

  • miles
Catalytic Converter kept getting hot, was at dealership for a recall on engine in May 2022, light kept coming on and off. October 3, 2022 broke down on freeway for the Catalytic took to mechanic spent $1200 for repair on Catalytic converter, oil and spark plugs, within a day kept burning oil, by Sunday, October 23, 2022 broke down on freeway again and engine fried and burned piston #2 - I have many receipts for oil changes every 3k miles, always keep car maintained and have a notebook for everything I have repaired. The headlights and brake lights went out a month ago and never did get the brake bar light replaced. The passenger window motor is shot and the airbag light is on. Currently, it's at the dealership parked and I am waiting for Corporate to give a go ahead to say it's a go to fix it, and I'm missing work and will loose my job without having a car. So I am asking why is my car not on the recall list if I am having the same issues as the recalled 2016 Kia Souls are having. I haven't had the car very long and I had a 2009 Kia Sportage LX that is still going over 330k miles it's way better than these Souls. They all need to be sent back to the dealership and destroyed. Shame on Kia Corporation for allowing these 2016 cars on the market and shame on the Dealership to sell me this car back in August 2019. People are out here struggling and only shows the Corporations stay strong and the little guys loose. What kind of crap is that" Why isn't my car on the VIN RECALL LIST? PLEASE TELL ME" I'M JUST LUCKY THE CAR DIDN'T START FIRE, BECAUSE IT BURNED PISTON #2

- Burbank, CA, USA

problem #70

Sep 202022

Soul

  • miles
Catalytic converter is bad

- Montgomery, AL, USA

problem #69

Sep 152022

Soul

  • miles
VEHICLE STARTED FIRE. while driving we smelt a weird burning smell but went away we got off the highway and smelled it again but couldn't figure it out opened the hood and flame came up from back side of engine I was able to dump water on it and extinguish the fire then I noticed the cause of the fire the rubber strip under the hood towards back side of the motor somehow came off and fell into engine compartment laying across front pipe and exhaust manifold. Luckily no damage to vehicle

- Plant City, FL, USA

problem #68

Sep 132022

Soul

  • miles
Check engine light stays on parts house said catalliconverter bad dealer said it's not covered car only has 112000 also said that the steering not covered now what

- Lawton, OK, USA

problem #67

Sep 012022

Soul

  • miles
My car went out on me and was towed to the shop on Thursday 9/1/2022. I was told by the shop that I have been taking my car to for 15 years the catalytic converters were stopped up. I got online and looked up my car and found there was a recall issued on it. I never received anything telling me there had been or I would have taken it in for repair. This is what I found online.... MARCH 4, 2019 Kia is recalling 2012-2016 Soul vehicles equipped with 1.6L Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines. High exhaust gas temperatures may damage the catalytic converter, possibly resulting in abnormal engine combustion, damage to the engine's pistons, and possible piston connecting rod failure. Engine damage can also stall the engine or result in an oil leak, which increases the risk of vehicle fires. I called Kia Covington Pike and talked with the service department and was told there was nothing they could do. I also talked to a supervisor there and was told the same thing and that the warranty had expired. I looked up do car recalls ever expired and this is what I found. When a manufacturer issues a recall for a car because of factory errors or faults, it fixes all affected vehicles for free. But what happens if you only learn that they recalled your vehicle several years after the recall announcement? You may be worried that the dealer would charge you for the repair since the recall was announced a while ago. Car recalls don-??t expire. So according to this my car is still covered under the recall. Since Kia did not offer for me to bring it in and have them take care of the repair at no charge, I am asking when I get the bill for having my car repaired that Kia reimburse me for their error. I am writing to the Consumer Protection Agency and the Department of Transportation to file a complaint. This repair is costing me $1500 which I had to borrow from the company I work because I didn't have the money.

- Memphis, TN, USA

problem #66

Aug 012022

Soul

  • miles
Ignition DESIGN MAKE (Kia Soul) MY2016 KIA SOUL EASY TO STEAL ON 8/2/2022 When I woke to go to my work my back passengers window was broken.police was call during the investigation the officer showed my steering wheel dis connected not able to drive. Due to Kia not warning consumers that their cars are easy to steal has cost me deductible and rental fees to get to work. My car has not began to be service due to the back log of repairs for this incident that is not the consumer fault even if the car repaired is not safe because its target along with posting on social media how to steal kia cars in 30seconds and Kia Boys tik-tok challenge.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #65

Jul 102022

Soul

  • miles
While driving to work vehicle oil light started flashing and vehicle started making metal on metal noises and vehicle would not accelerate. I pulled over, turned off the engine. The vehicle would not start again. Took vehicle to a mechanic and he told me that I needed a new engine. I went to the dealer when I found out about the recall. I was told they couldn't do anything for me because I never had the car serviced there.

- Orlando , FL, USA

problem #64

Jul 132022

Soul

  • miles
my car starting making knocking noises and as im on the interstate my speed was 70 but I was not going 70 and I never had any trouble out of my car

- Murfreesboro, TN, USA

problem #63

Jul 012021

Soul

  • miles
Vehicle is constantly burning oil. I have zero engine leaks, no oil spots on engine. Where is the oil going. I took it to Kia. They said it was a catalytic converter. Oil loss and p040 code are incorrect. Misdiagnosed. Possible pcv problem. Bought from widrick in Watertown NY.

- Carthage , NY, USA

problem #62

Feb 082022

Soul

  • miles
Check engine on. Code of catalytic converter. It was changed at Velazquez auto repair in Milwaukee WI, but now the engine is burning oil fast it lasts less than 2000 miles after each oil and filter change. I can't afford another car and Im disabled. My VIN is not included in the recall but my car was impacted, I've spent $1,780 on the catalytic converter already.Please help!

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #61

Jun 292022

Soul

  • miles
Coming home from town our 2016 Kia Soul lost power. The engine light came on flashing then we could not accelerate the gas pedal. It would not go over 55 mph even if I had the pedal to the floor. I checked recall and it says none. I was reading the other complaints from Kia owners. They are having the same issue. It should be a recall. This needs investigated. We-??ve only had ours since May 2022. Kia needs to make this right. I know I probably won-??t buy another Kia.

- Fairbanks, IN, USA

problem #60

Jun 302022

Soul

  • 126,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at 35 MPH, when he heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. When the contact arrived at home the vehicle shut down and would not restart. The battery was replaced but the failure reoccurred again. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer or the manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 126,000.

- Columbus, IN, USA

problem #59

Apr 262022

Soul

  • miles
On a rainy night, I lost all external visibility due to excessive condensation on the front windshield and the other windows on the car seemingly made worse by utilizing the de-fogger on my car. Of the result of this, I ended up in opposing lanes of traffic and narrowly avoided head on collisions with several vehicles. I am a professional driver with thousands of hours behind the wheel and I know how to react in nearly every emergency situation due to advanced experience and quality training. Upon further research, I discovered that this issue is amongst the more commonly reported complaints on the soul forums most commonly attributed to a design flaw in the Air conditioner drain where the drain line is built too small and tends to become clogged. Component failure: AC Drain Line. Safety risk: complete loss of external visibility resulting in high potential for a head on collision with opposing traffic. Reproduction: Unknown. Inspected: no MILs Illuminated: none.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #58

May 202022

Soul

  • miles
My car has been shaking some while I-??m sitting still at for example a red light. My car does not shift properly when I-??m trying to increase speed. There is no check engine light on but it-??s definitely something wrong with my car.

- Elgin, SC, USA

problem #57

Apr 152022

Soul

  • miles
The Catalytic Convertor clogged and issues with excess oil consumption This is an issue I have seen and heard of from many other Kia Soul owners as well. I have the repair bill if needed

- Marshall, WI, USA

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

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