10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
0 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.

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problem #7

Jun 052024

Soul

  • miles
I had my vehicle in PARK in my driveway. I was standing outside the vehicle & after I pulled the keys out of the ignition, the vehicle started rolling backward. My feet were on the ground the whole time, the vehicle was in park. I pulled the emergency brake as it was rolling with my legs stuck between the car and the door. I was finally able to push myself into the car to hit the brake with my foot & the car stopped right as it hit the curb of the other side of the street. My legs are extremely bruised from this and if anyone had been behind the vehicle, they would have been ran over as I could not stop it even though it was in park. This just happened so it has not yet been inspected by a mechanic or the dealership. There were no warnings, messages, or symptoms before this happened. It was clearly sitting in park perfectly fine before the engine was turned off. This is extremely dangerous. I have a video from my security camera that shows the entire incident. I'm unable to upload.

- San Tan Valley, AZ, USA

problem #6

May 022024

Soul

  • miles
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel Replacement

- Redding, CA, USA

problem #5

Aug 232023

Soul

  • miles
[NHTSA SITE NOT ALLOWING ME TO UPLOAD DOCUMENTS - CONTACT ME FOR PICS/VIDEOS] All safety and driver assist malfunction warning lights display in succession - see pictures and video if upload-able. Had two Kia dealership service centers inspect and neither could replicate malfunctions nor would they document the issue. Incident has occurred sporadically between August and December 2023. If these aren't safety concerns (according to both dealerships), then when can a driver discern between fake and real malfunctions and safety failures. 8.23-24.23 - Spitzer Kia - purchased from and reported malfunctions on same/next day; told the windshield camera (sealed no less) is dirty or obstructed. Neither the case. Reported to salesman Caleb who consulted with service department. Told not a safety concern. 9/26/23 - Halleen Kia; Repair order 1709180/1 - Can't replicate; no diagnostic codes. Told not a safety concern. Dealership did not document on repair order. 11/8/23 - Spitzer Kia; Invoice - [XXX] Can't replicate. Told not safety concern unless warnings remain constant (not flashing). Dealership did not document on invoice. Asked if Spitzer reports these concerns to Kia. I got no response. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Olmsted Township, OH, USA

problem #4

Oct 162023

Soul

  • miles
Event Summary: The incident involved a 2023 Kia Soul, a relatively new vehicle, which had been in use for only three months at the time of the incident. The driver, hereafter referred to as the "operator, " was attempting to park the vehicle in a parking space. SUA Occurrence: Right before the operator intended to park, an unexpected and rapid acceleration of the vehicle occurred. This acceleration was not initiated or controlled by the operator in any way. It is important to highlight that the operator did not intentionally press the accelerator pedal. Collision and Airbag Deployment: As a consequence of the sudden acceleration, the vehicle collided with a front wall. The impact of the collision was significant, leading to the deployment of the vehicle's airbags. EDR Data Retrieval: Event Data Recorder (EDR) data from the vehicle has been obtained. This data is anticipated to provide insights into the sequence of events leading up to the SUA incident and is a crucial component of the investigation.

- Lakewood, WA, USA

problem #3

Sep 282023

Soul

  • miles
I have had my car to the dealership 3 times and scheduled for a4th time for this same issue. It is intermittent which I realize makes it hard to diagnose however the dealership kept it overnight in 2nd visit to try to reproduce it and they did. When driving, the car will randomly start beeping and errors cycle thru in the dash. It tells me that my braking system needs to be checked then lighting system, airbag system failing etc. It goes thru about 5 or 6 system errors. Not always same sysyems and not going at same rate of speed when it happens. I have been told it isn't a safety issue however they apparently do not know what it is causing it to do that so I'm not sure how they can definitively say that. 1st visit I was told they did a software update and that"fixed the problem". After a few weeks it started again. Then I was told that the front camera needed to be recalibrated. 3 weeks after that when the part arrived I was told that fixed the issue. A week later, It is again intermittently alarming while driving. It is very distracting not to mention scary when it happens. The fact that the part was backordered for 3 weeks that they thought would fix it leads me to believe it is happening to a lot of kia cars. It is also on some online forums where others are talking about the same issue. My car has less than 5000 miles on it and I have owned it for 9 months. I am afraid to drive it because it scares me when this happens. This has been ongoing since June.

- Prospect, CT, USA

problem #2

Jul 112023

Soul

  • miles
The driver's door opens while the cat is moving. I spoke to the Service Manager at Vision Kia in East Rochester, NY and he told me this is a safety feature. I don't believe the doors are supposed to open when the car is moving at highway speed. They do lock o once the vet moves but still open from inside.

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #1

Dec 212022

Soul

  • miles
Hands free dialing became disabled after a service visit. Infotainment system reports "Downloading contacts, please try again later" when trying to use the hands free dialing system, despite the most recent contacts being loaded. This forces the driver to make a call using the infotainment system screen by either referencing recent calls or the contact list. This creates an unsafe condition the hands free dialing system is supposed to prevent.

- New Castle, DE, USA