On March 2nd. We were driving our 2020 Kia Soul S. we were driving on I95north. The RPM's kept pulsing, we took the car off of cruise and it seemed better for a few minutes. After the few minutes the pulsing returned, giving it the gas the RPM's went up but our speed was slowing. We got in the inside lane planning on getting off the next exit. The engine started racing with no change in our speed. We got off at the next exit state road 527 in South Carolina. We had to practically floor it to get off the road. We pull to the side and called roadside assistance. The car at this point had 8006 miles on it. We could not move the car at all at this point. It took a few hours, but the car was towed to the closet dealer, in florence SC. The next day the dealer checked the car and said the transmission had failed. At approximately 4:30 pm, the dealer called to let us know that Kia had approved substitute transportation. The following morning the dealer picked us up and drove us to get a vehicle. We unloaded most of our belongings from our car to the rental and continued our delayed journey to Massachusetts. I have called the dealer twice, and left messages. After the second call, I did get a call back. I was told that the replacement transmission was on backorder and should be delivered May 11th. After reading many similar problems on this site, this is not an isolated case and is a dangerous situation. I am now seeing that the 2020 Soul has an engine recall. Obviously these vehicles have problems.

- Ellenton, FL, USA

The transmission failed twice the first time they replaced the transmission and now they have to replace it again they are saying. The vehicle was on the highway and all of the sudden the rpms went through the roof and the vehicle just started to die.

- Cleves, OH, USA

When the automatic start stop start is on when I stop and the engine shuts off as it should, when I release the brake it makes a whining noise for a few seconds. Also happens when going up my driveway. Have read that this is happening in a lot of people's 2020 Kia Soul's and nobody seems to know or have a fix.

- Jarrell, TX, USA

Bought brand new. At 32K miles (4months after 30ktune up) engine light came on. Took to earnhardt Kia in phx. Who initially stated there was 'something broken in the transmission' after a few hours they then stated the car had 'internally overheated and there was combustible gases in the radiator. The thermostat never indicated overheating. Coolant reservoir was bone dry (after filling it the day before). After 31 days at Kia a new head gasket was put on.. though I was told the car was getting a new engine. I asked the dealer on each call... what about the transmission whereas I was told koa would make sure everything would be fixed before returned. Car was returned to me on 2/21. On 4/1 after driving 380(+/-) miles from phx to san diego to see my marine deploy, the car began to surge, rpms skyrocketed and car barely made it up hill. Surging continued, until it began to slip and I pulled off the road and into a shopping center. Car towed to escondido Kia who kindly gave me a loaner. Now back in AZ, I am told that when it's fixed, Transport to me is unlikely and if approved Kia does not guarantee against any damage during Transport. Its a new car! due to medical needs here, driving 6.5 hours there and then back just isn't feasible. Kia doesnt care. I will be out of this car asap and you can bet my next will not be a killer Kia!

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

While driving on the freeway at 70 mph, the vehicle began to 'surge, ' the RPM varying erratically between 2000-3000 RPM. We got off the highway and stopped at a light'when the light turned green, I pressed the accelerator and the engine accelerated but the car remained stationary. Finally, with the RPM at about 4000, we were able to slowly drive into a parking lot. No check engine light. We got a tow to the nearest dealer. The service dept analyzed the problem, and said we needed a new transmission. The new 'soft' date to receive the transmission is 13 Apr, almost six weeks after the original transmission failure on 2 Mar. The car has less than 3000 miles on it.

- Dunedin, FL, USA

I own a 2020 Kia Soul, it has ~2300 miles and I had it for about a year. The transmission is shot, I was driving on the highway, the car would not accelerate, I had it floored and got up to maybe 50 mph, luckily it was rush hour and traffic was crawling otherwise I would've been run over. L was able to pull off the highway. I ran error codes and there were two related to the transmission. Kia's had the car since March 3rd, they provided a rental which is nice. I'm told there are 4 - 5 other Kia's there that need new transmissions. I wish I could just get out of the car now.

- Stafford, VA, USA

Purchased a 2020 Kia Soul Jan 2020. 2/15/21 I came to a stoplight hit the gas and realize there's no power. Had to put the car in park and restart the engine. Check engine light is on. Go to dealership the check engine light is on the whole time. They tell me the whole of Kia's computer systems are down and don't know when they can look at my car. They didn't have a loaner and I had to rent a car. Two days later they tell me the mechanic scanned the car and they couldn't find anything wrong. The check engine light is no longer on. I'm out $125 for the rental car. I pick up the car. 3/3/21 I'm about to drive onto the freeway. I come to a stop before entering the slip road and the engine turns off. I put the car in park and restart the vehicle and again the check engine light is on. I drive it to the dealership and the guy tells me he can't look at it till tomorrow. I said I'm not getting another rental and then have you tell me that there's nothing wrong with it tomorrow, so he took it back to the mechanic who hooked it up.to a device. He came back and said it had shown that it needs a new PCM. I asked what that was and he said it's basically the brain of the computer. (powertrain control module) the car's been in the shop six days now, the dealership is paying for the rental. The odometer reads 8900 miles.

- New Smyrna Beach, FL, USA

Was driving on the interstate when the rpms on the vehicle started randomly fluctuating. The issue got worse and they began to fluctuate between 7 and 8 along with engine revving. The malfunction light came on. I pulled off of an exit and was able to gradually come to a stop to call a dealership to ask if it was safe to continue operating the vehicle. I was told that as long as the malfunction light wasn't flashing, I could continue driving. I got back on the interstate and the issue was even worse, engine revving, rpms fluctuating chaotically. I then could no longer accelerate. I put the gas pedal to the floor and was thankfully able to get to the side of the interstate before stopping. My car had to be towed back to where I live, 95 miles away. It has been at the gossett Kia dealership in memphis, tn since Saturday and still has not been diagnosed. I am afraid it will be completely unsafe to drive without a major transmission overhaul. Vehicle has just over 5,000 miles.

- Memphis, TN, USA

2 transmission fails in less than 12 months. When running, it effects the ability to maneuver in daily driving routine.

- Hampton, VA, USA

Transmission failed while driving on highway creating a potentially very dangerous situation. As I was driving on the highway, I noticed the engine revving up for no apparent reason. At first I thought that perhaps the tires were spinning on black ice or a frozen frost on the pavement. Nope, it continued to happen on very dry sections of the highway. Maybe it was the cruise control causing the engine to surge. Nope, it continued to happen after turning it off. The car began slowing on a long uphill grade even though the engine was still running. An error message stating "a problem has been detected with the transmission control unit" was displayed. I pulled into the emergency lane and discovered that the transmission would no longer engage into any gear - reverse, drive, or manual shift mode gears 1, 2, 3, and 4 - nothing. I turned the car off and restarted it. Same results. After 30 minutes of doing this, the transmission engaged into an under-powered gear and I was able to slowly drive in the emergency lane a mile to the next exit. It had a lighted intersection at the end of it and I had to come to a stop. When it turned green, the transmission failed to engage again. I ended up blocking the ramp as I sat there for an hour trying to get the car mobile again. I was afraid that I was going to get rear-ended. Eventually it re-engaged and I was able to drive the car to a safe parking area out of traffic and wait for a tow truck. Kia is going to replace the transmission but I will not trust the reliability of it once I have the vehicle back. I'm very worried that it will happen again and feel that this vehicle is now very unsafe. What would happen if it failed again late at night in an unpopulated area with no cell service during a blizzard and my wife was driving? this is creating a potentially extremely dangerous situation and a recall should be mandated.

- Franconia, NH, USA

After having my car for 9 months and putting 17,000 miles on it my transmission started to fail. I was on the interstate going 70mph and the car began jerking like it couldn't switch gears. It then began to rev high but wouldn't accelerate. It eventually got so slow I had to pull off the side of the interstate and sit on the shoulder for a few minutes with the car off and then tried to recrank my car in which it started but continued to jerk/rock when driving. I got closer to home and when I stopped at a stop sign the car was still on but when I pressed on the gas it refused to go my car wouldn't move. I turned it off then turned it back on and it drove. The next morning I tried to drive my car to work and the car then began to jerk again and eventually the highest speed it would go to was 50 it continued to decline in speed until it eventually just stalled and wouldn't move. I tried to take it to the dealership and on my way there it broke down I then had to get a tow truck on the side of the interstate and tow it to the Kia dealership where they said that I had in fact received a defective transmission. This occurred on January 15th, 2021 it is now February 25, 2021 and I don't have my car and they have no eta as to when my transmission will be here and I can have my car back. I asked if the new transmission would work properly and was told "even some of the new transmissions will be defective so we really don't know". I just want my car I bought a car brand new because I thought it was reliable it was not and there's no recall notice and a transmission stalling on the interstate is a very dangerous thing. This is unacceptable.

- Spring Lake, NC, USA

The transmission has failed twice in this 2020 Kia Soul, once at 4K miles and again with a new transmission at 12K miles. Twice within 18 months. Each time driving on I-10 expressway near pensacola, Florida when engine starts decelerating and can not accelerate until the point where the engine starts whining and the car is basically coasting at 10-15 mph.

- Daphne, AL, USA

Just prior to christmas of 2020 was the first time my transmission went out. The car was not even a year out from purchase and had less than 15,000 miles on it. They told me that 'there's a bad one now and then'. they said they had fixed it. Today while driving on the highway the RPM started fluctuating and surging even when I wasn't pushing on the gas. The car then would not speed up when I gave it gas to keep up with traffic flow. The engine would rev up but the car would not accelerate and continued to slow. It slowed so much that I was barely moving on the highway. I could not change lanes because I was in the far lane and if I attempted to get over I would have been hit by the cars passing. This was during rush hour I'm a major city. Luckily there was an exit to the left I was able to steer off to get off highway. I attempted to get off the road and the car completely stopped on the exit ramp in the middle of traffic. I was stuck and couldn't move out of the way. I had to call law enforcement who closed the ramp lane until I could be towed. This is the second time the transmission has gone out in my 'new' car that I bought in order to have a more reliable vehicle. I'm seriously regretting rid of my old vehicle. I should have just fixed it. This has been the worst purchase of my life. I have been so afraid both times this car has broken down, both times on the highway. This is a serious safety issue that could get someone killed.

- Louisville, KY, USA

Lifter tapping and burning oil. Took it to Kia of savannah around 2000 miles and they said nothing was wrong with it, even oil was full which I know is incorrect had car checked out by mechanic before I took it there.

- Yulee, FL, USA

My 2020 Soul was not even 1 year old with approx. 12,000 miles when I was taking a trip from stl my home to Colorado. 5 hours out in lawrence Kansas at 12:15 am my Soul began shaking, with RPM's acting weird when I would press gas peddles RPM's would rev up to the very top and car would not go. I was approaching a toll booth and when I got my ticket and tried to move the car was obviously having transmission problems. I pulled onto side of highway and called roadside assistance and was on hold for about 1 hours when I noticed via the Kia app that roadside assistance could be reached by the navigation unit. I hit roadside assistance and a women answered within a few minutes. She seemed extremely confused how to do her job. She asked me location, my name, and other info several times. The call was about 30 minutes when she finally said assistance would be on the way. I received 3 text messages over the next 1 stating sorry for inconvenience we are attempting to get a service provider. While waiting I obviously googled and saw may stories about 2020 Kia Soul transmission problems. It was now about 6:00am and a state trooper came and said I don't think anyone is coming and I was exhausted, starving, and needed to desperately use the restroom. He called and got me a tow truck. I paid $179 and towed my car to dealership in lawrence Kansas. I then checked into hotel which was $125 and rested while I waited for them to call. That afternoon around noon they called and said my basically new car needed a new transmission.

- O Fallon, MO, USA

I was on a two-hour drive when the car started making odd noises and the automatic gears did not seem to be syncing/shifting correctly with my acceleration. I had to pull over off the highway several times. Then the check engine light came on. That's when it started to get really bad. I was over an hour away from home driving up to a courthouse to file a petition that was on a deadline. So I called the local Kia dealership and explained what was happening. I asked them if it was safe to keep driving and whether the engine was going to blow up. The man with whom I spoke said he knew what was probably wrong with the car because it was not "uncommon" but he could not tell me any details because of the "warranty." However, he said I was safe to keep driving. I was not, in fact, safe to keep driving. The transmission died when I was going 75mph on the highway. The car is now in the service department at the Kia dealership in burlington, nc, waiting for a new transmission that is now on backorder. This was a brand new car, and it literally almost killed me. The man at the service barely batted an eye. You would think I was getting my oil changed. I could not believe how matter-of-fact he was when he described how "common" this problem is in the new Kia. This should not ever be a "common problem" for any brand new vehicle. This is absolutely infuriating and completely disturbing. I don't even have any paperwork on this. The dealership had me picked up by enterprise and gave me literally nothing. I will be calling them tomorrow morning when they open to request this documentation.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

1-on three different times I pulled out onto the highway to go and my car goes into limp mode no power how much you push the gas petal them eventually it takes off and goes. Called the dealer where I purchased my car and they told me to just drive my car in sport mode. I don't like having to drive my car in sport mode the RPM's run high and it uses more gas. 2- my forward collision assist system causes my dash lights (collision light, ABS light, traction control lights come on and again went back to Kia and they basically told me until they can duplicate it they don't have anything to call Kia about. 3- my gas hand lies at times I can fill my car up and the hand goes to half a tank and takes hrs to a day or two for the hand to move to full. 4-just recently in a walmart parking lot my car just shut of as if I turned the key off again my dealer said if the can't duplicate it there is nothing they can do. I don't feel safe driving my car something needs to be done I wonder if anyone else is having the same problems. This has been happening over 5 months with the last episode on Jan.6,2021

- Vanceburg, KY, USA

At 10K miles the vehicle shut off multiple times with no warning or dummy lights right after I slowed and made a turn. Oil change was scheduled for the following week. Took vehicle in and was almost out of oil. At 13,400 miles vehicle started making loud ticking noise and was not properly accelerating. Each time I had slowed to make a turn and when I attempted to accelerate, the RPM would go up, but the vehicle did not go as if it was in neutral. Took it to the dealership and they said there was no oil on the dipstick. They started an oil consumption test and said the acceleration issue was due to lack of oil. 5 days and 200 miles later I took it back to the dealership because it was making the loud noise again from the engine and also not accelerating properly. They test drove it and said there was nothing wrong and to come back in 300 more miles. This vehicle is not safe to drive 300 more miles due to the acceleration issues. I called Kia corporate and they said the dealership knows best. I am fearful of driving it because it has already almost caused an accident once.

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

I started experiencing slipping under the 9K mileage mark while accelerating. Recently around 25K, while getting an oil change, the dealership said there was an update required for the transmission that needed to be loaded to the computer. About 300 miles after that update, while in park, my engine shut off, followed by the engine light coming on, then the oil light and the battery light. This has happened several times recently in several weather conditions, and after several different previous driving distances. I called the dealership and they were unable to recreate the issue. I brought it back a few times and I recreated the issue and they documented it, but they were unable to get a tech to come out and read the codes. I brought it back again and they were still unable to locate any issues. I asked if they had checked the transmission, but they said that they had not. I received a letter in the mail from Kia saying that there was a known issue with the transmission and that if it was turning off the engine that it may need replacing. I called the dealership and let them know that I wanted them to verify there weren't shavings in the transmission as it should have been one of the diagnostics run. They said to bring it back in and they would have their techs run more tests. I am still waiting to find out the issue.

- Greeley, CO, USA

Today while driving home. My 2020 Kia Soul hit 23000 miles. Shortly after as I was on highway on way home still. My vehicle started sputtering like bad gas. Then started jerking and rpms kept revving up even thou I wasnt pushing on gas any harder.about 27miles from home rpms shot up and car started slowing down. Quickly pulled over. So I put in park the shifted to drive again tried to give lil gas but car didnt move had to get towed home.

- Longview, TX, USA