10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
15,393 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.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2020 Kia Soul:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

Get free help with your lemon!
close ad

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #86

Feb 272023

Soul

  • miles
Compete engine failure at just over 100,000 miles. Driving down a busy road and vehicle suddenly lost engine power. Had to unsafely travel at well below speed limit to local Kia dealership. Dealership evaluated engine and stated it would need replaced entirely. There was no reason or explanation given.

- Rockwell , NC, USA

problem #85

Mar 262023

Soul

  • miles
While driving on the highway at 60 mph, the vehicle Started To feel like it was trying to go forward (thrusting) on its own. It then accelerated on its own to over 80 mph. I slammed on the brakes and pulled over and put it in park.the engine was revving in park. After Kia roads on assistance couldn't send a tow truck, I thought I would be okay driving on the emergency lane The 2 miles home from the highway. As I put the car in drive, the engine was revving at 6 On the gauge but the vehicle Wouldn't go over 20 miles an hour. It is at the dealership today. There were no warnings or lights or sounds.It all started with the slight thrusting of the entire car. I could have easily slammed into the back of another vehicle if it had been in front of me.

- Chesterfield, VA, USA

problem #84

Mar 202023

Soul

  • miles
there were a series of recalls on my 2020 kia soul, one of the recall notices stated that they installed non heat treated piston rings in the engine that went into my. the recall was singed off at a dealership in north carolina without making any repairs or recomendations. the engine has not yet failed but is consuming oil with no leaks. kia service states that 1 quart of oil usage every thousand miles is okay. they did not send any notices or make any verbal statements that owners must check and add oil between the recommended oil change intervals. the safety complaint here is that owners of these vehicles could have their engines seize up while on the highway at speed due to lack of lubrication. i have lost confidence in the safety of my 2020 kia soul.

- Belvidere , IL, USA

problem #83

Jan 312023

Soul

  • miles
I was driving down the road when all of a sudden the engine started to sputter and shake violently. I couldn't get it to accelerate. I pulled the vehicle to safety and shut it off. I looked under the hood and saw or smelled nothing unusual. I restarted the vehicle and it ran okay. I went immediately to a Kia dealership. I was told that if it was running okay to make an appointment for the next day. I did. The battery was changed out and I was told it was fine. It is not. The same thing happened again, several times. I am being told that if they can't duplicate the problem, they can't fix it. This problem is very unsafe given the entire vehicle slows to an almost stop, even on the highway, at times. I have researched this and it is a common problem with this engine. Many have caught on fire. Kia sent out to the dealerships a Technical Service Bulletin, Number 203, on March, 2019, for Model 2020My Soul(SK3) 1.5T, addressing this problem, yet the local Kia dealer does nothing about it. I was told the recall on this vehicle for the Improperly heat-treated piston oil rings was taken care of but I have to wonder.

- W. Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #82

Mar 122023

Soul

  • miles
My car will not turn

- Visalia, CA, USA

problem #81

Jan 062023

Soul 4-cyl

  • miles
Hello, I purchased a 2020 Kia Soul S in Oct. of 2019. Soon after I received a letter noting an engine recall in relation to the oil pistons. This manufacturer defect causes the engine to stall, and if left long enough, can cause oil to leak onto the engine and potentially catch fire (https://www.cars.com/research/kia-soul/recalls/). I have needed three engine replacements since purchasing the car. The first replacement was in January of 2022 with less than 20,000 miles, the second was in October of 2022 at around 33,000 miles, and my vehicle is currently awaiting another engine replacement at about 35,000. To my knowledge, the issue has been the same oil piston engine associated with the initial engine recall. I'm concerned because it seems like Kia is replacing defective engines with more defective engines with the same issue. Sometimes a check engine pops up intermittently, but in all three cases, the tell was the car stalling. Thankfully I've learned to take it to the repair shop quickly when this happens to avoid worse side effects.

- Sarasota, FL, USA

problem #80

Jan 272023

Soul

  • miles
Vehicle shut down while driving

- Woodstock, GA, USA

problem #79

Dec 102022

Soul

  • miles
Car stalled while driving,

- Stockbridge , GA, USA

problem #78

Nov 112022

Soul

  • 57,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle started overheating. Additionally, the piston rod had gone through the engine block. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

- Hickory, NC, USA

problem #77

Dec 262022

Soul

  • miles
While driving along the interstate, going 70 MPH, I noticed the RPM gauge started to fluctuate. Shortly after, I started having issues maintaining the speed. I pressed the gas pedal, but the vehicle wouldn-??t speed up - instead started loosing speed. I started to hear grinding noises as I pressed the gas pedal. Eventually, I kept loosing speed and there was nothing I could do to make the vehicle move. I had to pull off and coast into a parking lot to be towed.

- Mobile, AL, USA

problem #76

Nov 302022

Soul

  • miles
The vehicle stalls and turns off while stopped. The vehicle turns off quickly with all dash light sensors turned on with a front collision warning. The vehicle can only be restarted when is boosted. The battery was checked and is in good working condition.

- Deltona, FL, USA

problem #75

Dec 122022

Soul

  • miles
The dealership installed the knock sensor in my car in November 2022 due to recall. Yesterday 12/12/22 when I left work, my car knocked so loudly the whole car was shaking. The car slowed and the check engine light came on. The car slowed while I was in process of accelerating to get up to speed on a busy urban street. There were several cars and I was afraid I was going to get hit due to the sudden deceleration. My car was towed to a Kia dealership. I was told it would be one to two week before they could even do a diagnostic on it and they could not give me a rental. I-??m paying a car payment for a car that has broken down multiple times. The dealership said they were having a lot of cars being brought in because kids were stealing them after watching a tik tok where they-??re shown how easy it is to steal a Kia and taking the cars for joy rides and wrecking them. When I took the car to the dealership in November, they didn-??t fix anything, only put the knock sensor on. Now, just a few weeks later, its knocking and and the sensor is going off. I told them it sounded odd, knocking sort of when I found out about the recall. I bought this car because I needed a more dependable car. My other car was getting older and I am getting older and have health issues. I do not feel safe in this car with all the problems I-??ve had.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #74

Jan 032022

Soul

  • miles
For many months car has been randomly stalling. It has never been able to be duplicated at dealership, therefore it hasn't been addressed. In recent weeks the stalling is more often and is now accompanied by a check engine light.

- Slidell, LA, USA

problem #73

Aug 052022

Soul

  • miles
At around 91, 697 miles, our 2020 Kia Soul EX began to have issues with the engine stalling out while downshifting in lower speeds, We took our Kia into the local (still an hour away from our home) dealership, for the recall "fix" which involved uploading a firmware update to the ECM for the knock sensor. We also had the dealership look into the issue of stalling out, but they could not replicate the issue and therefore sent us on our way. About two weeks later, the vehicle started making an extreme knocking sound (I am a mechanic and knew what the issue was immediately), and it brought up a check engine light, however there was no oil light or warning of any kind that came on. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that there was no oil in the vehicle. Upon filling the vehicle back up with oil, everything seemed normal, until the weekend of 11 October, when the motor again had an extreme amount of oil consumption, to the point of the same symptoms, along with a loud rattling sound, as if something had broken due to lack of lubrication, despite having an oil change completed less than a month prior, with approximately 1200 miles due to the next oil change. This almost left us stranded approximately 1.5 hours away from home. Again, we filled the engine with oil, and drove with extreme caution as the check engine light never shut off. Again, no oil light or indication the vehicle was experiencing a no-oil condition was present. After getting an appointment and taking the vehicle into the dealership on 20 October 2022, the technician stated that there were multiple CEL codes, including P0017 Crankshaft Position, multiple cylinder misfire codes, and low compression on cylinders 2,3, and 4, with cylinder 2 being the lowest. It was deemed that the top end of the motor looked good, with no obvious signs of neglect in maintenance, or issues that may cause false codes. The vehicle continues to exhibit stalling, and low acceleration, posing a severe safety issue.

- Crossville, TN, USA

problem #72

Jun 052022

Soul

  • 21,700 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that twelve hours after the vehicle was purchased while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The traction control warning light and the check engine warning light are illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed and lubricant was placed on the wiring however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was offered an appointment scheduled for a diagnostic test and offered a trade for the vehicle, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 21,700.

- Racine, WI, USA

problem #71

Sep 172022

Soul

  • 37,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30-40 MPH, the vehicle started jerking. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop at the traffic light, the vehicle shut off. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the vehicle experienced internal engine failure. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be dis-assembled to provide a final diagnostic result. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine) which she associated with the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.

- Monroe, LA, USA

problem #70

Feb 232022

Soul

  • 90 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the fuel injectors were replaced; however, the failure later reoccurred while refueling the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer Gunther Kia (1900 S State Rd 7, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33317) on four different occasions where the spark plugs were replaced and the fuel tank was drained; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90.

- Lauderdale Lakes, FL, USA

problem #69

Aug 212022

Soul

  • 26,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The contact indicated that the vehicle had previously been inspected by the local dealer under an unknown Manufacturer-??s Campaign. After performing an oil consumption test, it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine replacement was not yet performed. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced engine failure. The failure mileage was 26,000.

- Kingston, NH, USA

problem #68

Jun 162022

Soul

  • miles
Engine did not restart after Auto/off. Instead, center screen restarted and engine light and battery light came on. Had to restart entire car to get engine back on. Happened at stoplight.

- Carrboro, NC, USA

problem #67

Feb 012021

Soul

  • 19,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and accelerating to 50 MPH, the vehicle began to make an abnormal sound. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued to drive to her residence. The contact stated she added 3 quarts of oil to the engine. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact took the vehicle to a second local dealer: Kia of Lincolnwood (6750 Lincoln Ave, Lincolnwood, IL 60712:(847) 581-7500) where an oil consumption test was completed however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine). The contact called the local dealer: Kia of Lincolnwood and made them aware of the letter. The dealer declined to service the vehicle. The contact stated she continued to experience the failure and added another less than a quart of oil. The contact called the local dealer: Kia of Lincolnwood and made them aware of the failure. The dealer made an appointment for the next day. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer however, the dealer declined to service the vehicle. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and the contact was referred to Napleton's Kia of Elmhurst (727 W Grand Ave, Elmhurst, IL 60126: (630) 530-6866). The contact took the vehicle to Napleton's Kia of Elmhurst but only had an oil change performed. The contact's husband also took the vehicle to Kia of Port Charlotte (202 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte, FL 33953: (941) 249-6171) however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact continued to experience the failure. The contact towed the vehicle to Berwyn Kia and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.

- Westchester, IL, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »