2011 KIA SOUL Complaints

HELP! THE HORN IN MY KIA SOUL DOESN'T WORK, BUT IT IS INTERMITTENT. SOMETIMES IT WORKS AND SOME TIMES IT DOESN'T. I NOTICED THE PROBLEM JUST RECENTLY, BUT I THINK ITS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR LONGER. WHEN I USE THE KEYLESS ENTRY FOB TO LOCK THE VEHICLE, THE FIRST CLICK LOCKS IT, AND THE 2ND CLICK SOUNDS THE HORN. SOMETIMES THE 2ND CLICK DOESN'T CAUSE THE HORN TO BEEP AND THIS IS WHEN I'VE NOTICED THE HORN NOT WORKING WHEN I USE IT MANUALLY IN THE VEHICLE. BUT OVER TIME, IT STARTS WORKING AGAIN. ITS MAKING ME NERVOUS THAT THE HORN COULD NOT WORK WHEN I NEED IT THE MOST. I'VE TALKED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THEY'VE NOT HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM, BUT IF ONE GOOGLES THE INTERNET THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF FORUMS AND VIDEOS OF KIA OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED.

STEERING WHEEL MAKING CLUNKING NOISE ("CLACK"), AS IF GETTING LOOSE, WHEN THE VEHICLE IS ON AND THE STEERING IS TURNED TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT, WHILE STANDING STILL OR DRIVING REGARDLESS OF ROAD OR PAVEMENT. THIS NOISE ALSO APPEARS WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS, RUTS AND RAISED REFLECTIVE PAVEMENT MARKERS, ALTHOUGH IN THIS INSTANCE IS MORE OF A COMBINATION OF MULTIPLE 'CLACK' SOUNDS AS THE WHEELS GO OVER MORE THAN ONE ROAD DISTURBANCE (I.E. CONSECUTIVE REFLECTIVE MARKERS). MANUFACTURER KIA ALREADY HAS A RECALL FOR CERTAIN YEARS OF THEIR KIA OPTIMA MODEL.

THE 18 INCH HANKOOK LOW PROFILE TIRES ARE A DEATH TRAP IN WINTER. I WENT DOWN AN OFF RAMP SIDEWAYS. ON ICE AND SNOW THE ORIGINAL MANUFACTURER TIRES, HANKOOK 18 INCH TIRES, ARE ABSOLUTELY AWFUL AND A THREAT TO ANYONE'S LIFE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. BREAKING IN WINTER IS ESPECIALLY HAZARDOUS WITH THESE TIRES. *TR

THE DIM HEADLIGHTS ON MY KIA SOUL WERE BLOWING EVERY 3 MONTHS. I BOUGHT BULBS FROM THE AUTO PARTS STORE FROM THE CHEAP TO SUPER EXPENSIVE BULBS. NOTHING HELPED. I CALLED KIA AND THEY TOLD ME THAT I NEEDED THERE BULBS. SO, I BOUGHT THOSE BULBS TOO. MY HEADLIGHTS WERE STILL BLOWING. I CHECKED THE SOCKET AND IT WAS BROWN LIKE IT HAD BEEN OVERHEATED. I REPLACED THOSE SOCKETS AND PUT ANOTHER SET OF KIA BULBS IN THE CAR. THAT FIXED THE PROBLEM FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AND THEY ARE BACK TO GOING OUT ON ME. THEY BOTH WENT OUT AT THE SAME TIME WHICH IS VERY VERY DANGEROUS!!!!

I WAS DRIVING MY 2011 KIA SOUL ON A CITY STREET AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH WHEN, AT ABOUT 8:30 AM, THE SUNROOF SUDDENLY SHATTERED. I HEARD WHAT SOUNDED LIKE A GUN SHOT AND FELT AND SAW GLASS COMING DOWN ON AND AROUND ME. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY. I FELT VERY STARTLED AND SHAKY, BUT WAS PHYSICALLY UNHARMED. I GOT OUT TO SEE WHAT HAD HAPPENED AND FOUND THAT SUNROOF BOWED UPWARD AT THE CRACK. NOTHING STRUCK MY VEHICLE, ON THE SUNROOF, OR ANYWHERE ELSE. DRIVING AND ROAD CONDITIONS WERE GOOD. IT WAS A CLEAR AND MILD MORNING WITH A TEMPERATURE OF 56 DEGREES. UPON RESEARCHING ONLINE, I FOUND NUMEROUS OTHER SIMILAR INCIDENTS DOCUMENTED FROM OTHER DRIVERS OF KIA SOULS, OTHER KIA MODELS, AND OTHER CARMAKERS WITH SPONTANEOUSLY "EXPLODING SUNROOFS."

FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT, MY SHOULDER HARNESS COMES FROM LEFT SHOULDER TO RIGHT HIP, WHERE IT IS LATCHED. THE SHOULDER HARNESS DOES NOT STAY IN A CROSS-BODY POSITION AND RIDES UP TO UNDER MY RIGHT ARMPIT. I DO NOT HAVE A BARREL BELLY THAT WOULD FORCE THIS UP. THE STRAP THEN IS HIGH ENOUGH TO CROSS OVER MY NECK. I WILL BE TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEALER TO SEE IF THERE IS ANY "FIX" FOR THIS, BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BE BEHEADED BY AN IMPROPERLY POSITIONED STRAP. I HAVE MOVED THE ADJUSTER ON THE DOOR POST AND CHANGED MY SEAT POSTION. NEITHER ACTION MADE A DIFFERENCE. WITH THE SEAT MORE FORWARD, THE STEERING WHEEL IS PRETTY CLOSE. HOW FAR AWAY SHOULD I BE? ANYWAY, I'M JUST WONDERING IF OTHERS HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE SHOULDER HARNESS RIDING UP AND WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT.L

MY DAUGHTER WAS TRAVELING ON A COUNTRY ROAD AT 50 MILES PER HOUR. ANOTHER VEHICLE CROSSED INTO HER LANE, HIT HER HEAD-ON AND SHE DIED ON THE SCENE. WHEN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT ARRIVED TO INVESTIGATE, THEY NOTICED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL OF HER KIA SOUL DETACHED FROM THE COLUMN AND THEY LOCATED THE STEERING WHEEL (AIRBAG DEPLOYED) IN THE FLOORBOARD BEHIND THE DRIVER'S SEAT.

WHEN IT RAINS THE FLOORBOARDS FILL WITH WATER (LITERAL PUDDLE) FRONT AND BACK, MAINLY ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW AND HAVE BEEN THE ONLY OWNER, I DID NOT NOTICE THE ISSUE UNTIL AFTER THE MILEAGE WARRANTY HAD SLIGHTLY EXPIRED. I CONTACTED THE DEALER ONCE I NOTICED THE ISSUE AND THEY OF COURSE WANTED $$$ TO EVEN LOOK INTO THE ISSUE. IN RESEARCHING FOR A RESOLUTION ON THE INTERNET THIS APPEARS TO BE A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THESE VEHICLES. THE MAIN CONCERN IS HEALTH SAFETY AND POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL ISSUES THAT CAN RESULT FROM SO MUCH INTERIOR WETTING. I HAD CONTACTED THE DEALER AGAIN (BILL BYRD KIA PANAMA CITY FL) TO ASK IF THERE WAS ANY NEW INFORMATION CONCERNING THIS ISSUE AND SPOKE WITH AND ALLAN AND A CHRIS AT THE SITE AND WAS HUNG UP ON BY BOTH INDIVIDUALS.

FILE A VEHUILCE SAFETY COMPLAINT 07/09/2014; CONFIRMATION #: 10609442 AND HAVE NOT RECEIVED ANY FEEDBACK, RESPONSE OR STATUS TO MY ISSUE, WHICH I FOUND OUT MANY KIA SOUL DRIVERS ARE HAVING, BUT NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED TO RESOLVE TEH PROBLEM. THE ECS ON VARIOUS OCCASION COMES ON WHILE DRIVING OR WHEN AT A STOP LIGHT. PUSHING THE ECS ON/OFF SWITCH DOES NOTHING, LIGHT STAYS ON. TURHN ENGINE OFF THEN ON, LIGHT STILL STAYS ON. CONTACTED DEALER THEY SAID BEING IT IT WHEN IT HAPPENS, TO BE CHECKED OUT, BUT THE LIGHT DOES NOT COOPERATE. THE ECS LIGHT PROBLEM STARTED WHEN A RECALL FOR THE BRAKE SWITCH WAS REPLACED. THE PROBLEM STARTED IN 2014 AND OCCURS A FEW TIMES EACH YEAR TO THE CURRENT DATE OF FEB 18 2016.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SOUL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HORN FAILED TO OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000. UPDATED 03/30/16.*JB UPDATED 04/14/16.*JB