2020 Kia Soul purchased in March of 2020. Vehicle started to develop a mild "ticking" noise from the engine compartment that progressively became worse and worse at the end of October 2020. On 10/11/2020, the vehicle developed a considerable grinding/clicking noise from the engine compartment, but was still drivable. We were stopped at a stoplight that afternoon when the vehicle attempted to lurch forward, but was stopped by the brakes being applied. The vehicle made a screeching noise very briefly, and died. Vehicle was not able to be restarted, and had to be pushed to a parking lot. On attempting to restart the vehicle a few minutes later, the engine turned over, made some very considerable grinding noises and shut off again. All dash indicator lights were illuminated. Kia roadside towed to a dealership, and I have not heard from them at all. I have called 2-3 times, and was only told today by a secretary that it appeared the vehicle needs a whole new motor. I still have not been directly communicated with by the service advisor. Had this failure occurred on the freeway at speeds, the end result could have been very different.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

In the mornings vehicle is not starting. Takes 20 tries...has occured last 5 days.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

Bought car new in October of 2019 in March 2020 car turned off as I was driving I put it in park turned back on with a loud noise called the shop they said it was low on oil but they just changed the oil 3 weeks prior so they added more oil told me to come back in 30 days and a month later it shut off on me again so I brought it back to the dealership and they determined I needed a new engine so they ordered a new engine and something was wrong with the new engine so they had to order another engine I finally after about 2 months maybe more I got my car back on June 4th I picked up my car and on Monday June 8th I turned on my car and a message about the tire pressure system needed to be checked and the auto shut off light was blinking the ABS light the emergency break light engine light and others were flashing and the steering wheel felt loose and the speedometer was reading 0 while I was driving I left it running and after a while they all shut off and speedometer worked and steering wheel felt fine well yesterday in Friday June 12th I turned the car on at 8am and all the lights were flashing again including the auto of light the speedometer read 0 while I was driving and the steering wheel felt loose again and the tire pressure light and system message came on again I took a video this time brought it back to bev smith Kia and had no car all day until I finally asked about a loaner at 4:30pm was told to go to the dealership to get a loaner waited there for an hour for the loaner but at this point I don't even want the Soul back.

- Fort Pierce, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at 55 mph, the engine revved up and decelerated to 3 mph and stalled without warning. The contact and vehicle occupant struck the dashboard however, there were no reported injuries. The vehicle was towed to fuccillo Kia of greece (4321 w ridge rd, rochester, NY 14626, (585) 720-8000) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was metal shavings inside of the transmission. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 2,300. The VIN was not available.

- Hamlin, NY, USA

I just purchased a 2020 Kia Soul in December and it doesn't even have 5,000 miles on it yet. When I was driving in the city and stopped at a red light, the engine completely died. I tried pushing on the gas to see if it would go and the car would not move. All the lights on the dashboard were flashing. I had to immediately put my hazard lights on, turn the car off, then all of a sudden it started running again. It was such a crazy experience. It's really sad that I purchased a brand new car and it cannot even keep me safe. Kia needs to do a recall on the engines and transmission. There seems to be a major issue with this. I am so scared to drive this car now on freeways or anywhere long distance. And I've only had it for 3 months!

- Dallas, TX, USA

I went to start the vehicle up on March 2, 2020. I turned the ignition, car turned on and started to violently shake the entire vehicle. I turned it off, check oil level (it's a new vehicle and just had an oil change) oil level was good. I turned it on again, car went to 1.5 rpms, then died (0rpms). I took the key out, waited a while, and started it back up again. Turned on just fine, but this time with the check engine light on. Had Kia road side service tow it the following morning to hanlees in davis. I haven't been given much information as to what was wrong with the car. After 2 weeks of them trying to figure out what was going on, I got a call saying that Kia has authorized to drop a whole new engine in the vehicle and my car would be ready in a week. I called today, March 19, and they still haven't received the engine, so I'm still without a vehicle. I am moving across the us in a week from now, and have to cancel the move because my car is still not ready and the dealership will not ship my vehicle once it is finished. It has been almost a month, and I'm stuck in this lease for another 3.5 years.

- Woodland, CA, USA

Transmission had issues it had to be replaced at 7K miles

- Apple Valley, MN, USA

I noticed my car was accelerating differently and seemed to not be shifting right. I called the service department and they advised me to put fuel cleaner in it. I did so as advised. A few days later I was making a turn across a highway and my car revved up really high and then died in the middle of the lane of oncoming traffic. The car started back up and we got it out of the road but it was not running right. The next day we got it in the shop and they told us it needed a whole new transmission. The car has less than 17,000 miles on it and it has been nearly a month in the shop.

- Somerset, KY, USA

On 12 Feb 2020, I was driving on hwy 75S in ga and lost all acceleration to the vehicle while surrounded by traffic. I was able to push the accelerator to the floorboard and had 0 rpms. Pulled over and restarted the car it ran fine until I got off at my exit and started at a red light again no acceleration 0 rpms held my foot on the floorboard and it finally started to accelerate after about a minute. Took the car to the sons Kia dealership in mcdonough. Dropped the car off had a diagnostic ran and was told they were unable to replicate the issue. Immediately called Kia hq to report the issue. Guess I'll drive it till it fails completely.

- Covington, GA, USA

I can not believe when I read more than 30 complaints that no recall has been activated. I purchased a 2020 Kia Soul in August of 2019 and by December of 2019 I had almost been hit several times on the highway due to a lag in the transmission. When I took it to the dealership I was told that it was just the eco system and that they all do this. Then to find out later that they did another test on my vehicle to find out that it had metal fragments in the transmission and would need a new transmission. As too much to my dismay, I find that it takes over two months to drop a new transmission in my vehicle. This is my first Kia and now I have no trust in this car. Now I am requesting to get out of this loan on this vehicle because now I do not trust this brand.

- Bloomington, MN, USA

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle decelerated independently. The vehicle was towed to a dealer (hendrick Kia of concord located at 7550 hendrick auto plaza nw, concord, nc 28027) to be diagnosed. The mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code. An undisclosed repair was performed however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 7,900

- Mount Holly, NC, USA

Vehicle RPM began fluctuating while on cruise control in rainy weather. Switched to manual (sport mode) control and the problem lessened. Vehicle began to loose power and was shifting randomly between gears automatically, eventually redlining while maintaining 74mph. A loss of power occurred and nearly caused a collision on interstate 10 as my speed fell dramatically. I was able to coast to the nearest exit but the car would not shift out of 5th gear. We were stranded in a thunderstorm for several hours and dealership offered no help. Aaa saved the day, got the vehicle back, and then the dealership refused to issue a rental car for several days after the incident. Please be aware that if the transmission fails at interstate speeds, the risk of injury is high and do your best to get off the main road as safely as possible. Dealership has since issued a rental car and informed me that a transmission would be re-manufactured. For my vehicle. I am not afraid to drive a brand new vehicle anywhere away from home.

- Pensacola, FL, USA

I purchased a new 2020 Kia Soul LX with 16 miles on the odometer. 2 months later, my car began to lose power suddenly. The engine increased RPM as I've lost power. The car would only accelerate to about 25 mph. I drove it immediately to the dealership who told me I needed a new transmission. My car stayed in the dealership shop for two months awaiting a transmission that was on back order.

- Pinebluff, NC, USA

While driving on a southeast Texas 2 lane road with a posted speed limit of 70mph, I was following a truck going less than 50mph. When visibility was clear, I pulled out to pass the truck. At about 3/4 throttle, the transmission downshifted to provide more power but the vehicle suddenly lost power in the oncoming lane of the roadway about halfway around the 18 wheeler. At this point, I started to see oncoming vehicles, at which time, I applied wot. The engine light immediately came on and flashed 3 times and the car felt to be sputtering and in some type of limp mode. I made a split second decision to brake hard and squeeze back in behind the 18 wheeler to avoid a head on collision. The situation was made worse by a vehicle behind me simultaneously trying to pass the 18 wheeler. Stopping at the next gas station I notice sputtering even in park at even very light throttle. I turned off the vehicle hoping that the ECU needed to reset. It did reset and the problem went away. Had I not made the decision I did when passing and had the person behind me not also applied the brakes quickly, I would likely have been in some type of collision whether it be head on or having to swerve off the roadway completely to avoid oncoming vehicles.

- Manor, TX, USA

The car would shut off and I will start it back up it will crank then shut back off and to be clear it has plenty of oil so that's not the problem

- Kankakee, IL, USA

When using the auto start and stop feature when releasing the brake and the engine cranks back I hear a strange noise that sounds like a cat squalling when the engine starts. This doesn't happen when your not using auto start. Plus when you shift into park while stoped it doesn't make this noise. My wife also has the same issue with her car same year modle and make. No clue I fear this maybe related to the transmission. As when placing in park it doesn't make the noise when you release the brakes. My wife's car has less than 12000 miles and mine has 6000 miles and it's starting to make the noise. Seems to happen more when hard braking occurs. Sound is comming from the drivers side of the car.

- Flat Rock, AL, USA

Problem with idle stop/start system-when I stop at a light, the engine shuts off, when I try to accelerate, I hear a loud groan sound, and the car shutters before eventually moving forward. I immediately took it to the dealership where it was purchased, and was told that the sound they heard was "normal", but if it continued try to get a audio recording of the sounds I was hearing, and they would look in to it. Ridiculous! I have seen at least 2 more complaints for this same issue. Right now I turn the function off as soon as I get in the vehicle, what good is it if you can't use it?

- Chesnee, SC, USA

I bought the car in May 2020. I first reported the problem in July. It has something to do with the idle stop and go feature, as it only happens when this it is being used. When I come to stops at red lights and stop signs. Everything shuts down. When I release my feet off the breaks the car makes a dull quake like noise. I have had the car in the shop at the dealership for 7 days already. They changed the break booster thinking it was the problem, but it was not. I have been trying to schedule someone at the dealership to ride with me for a few minutes to listen to the noise. About a week and half ago I got an reply to an email telling me to hold off on that, because another car has come into the dealership with the same problem. I was told they will contact me when they figure out what it is. This problem had been going on working on 5 months now.

- North Richland Hills, TX, USA

The idle stop - start system seems to be broken. Whenever I pull up to a light and stop the engine shuts off. Then, when I try to accelerate the engine starts but the calibers lock up on the disc creating a loud groaning sound. It causes the car to shutter and barely go forward. Additionally, the car consistently pulls to the right. It causes the vehicle to begin to veer off the road. On two occasions the dealer, Kia of irvine, told me they did not have the equipment fo fix this problem.

- Hesperia, CA, USA

The contact owned a 2020 Kia Soul. While driving at 70 mph, the vehicle stalled as the engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle was merged to the side of the road. When the contact attempted to restart the vehicle, the engine caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was filed. No injuries were sustained. The vehicle was towed to an impound yard. The vehicle was totaled. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred 10 days after the vehicle was purchased. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 600. The VIN was invalid.

- Dundee, MI, USA