2021 KIA SOUL Complaints

I am experiencing a serious safety issue with my 2021 Kia Soul. My vehicle is consuming excessive oil, which should not be happening under normal operating conditions. The check engine light is on, and while driving, the car suddenly shuts off and displays the battery symbol before losing power completely. This has happened multiple times, creating a dangerous situation where my vehicle loses power unexpectedly on the road. I took my car to a mechanic, who confirmed that the engine is consuming oil at an abnormal rate. The mechanic also informed me that there is a known recall on certain 2021-2023 Kia Soul models due to defective piston oil rings, which can cause excessive oil consumption, engine failure, and even fires. However, when I contacted Kia’s customer service and provided my VIN, they stated that my vehicle is not included in the recall, despite exhibiting the same symptoms. This is a serious safety hazard, as my vehicle is at risk of sudden engine failure while in motion. Kia has issued recalls for similar models, but my specific VIN has been excluded, even though I am experiencing the exact same defect. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this issue further to determine whether more vehicles should be included in the recall before this defect leads to accidents or injuries. I am available to provide further documentation, including inspection reports, oil consumption records, and any additional information needed.

The contact owned a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that there was an abnormal burning electrical odor. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on other occasions while the vehicle was idling, the RPM fell. The dealer and manufacturer were made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

ON WAY TO WORK MY CAR STALLED ENTERING HIGHWAY TOOK CAR IN TO GET CHECKED THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT ..IT NEEDED OIL CHANGE .THAT WAS APPRO. 60000 MILKES...THEN JULY 2024 EXITING HIGHWAY IT STALLED AGAIN I HAD TO RESTART HAD IT CHECKED IT WAS ABOUT 72000 MILES THEY SAID SAME THING. THEN IN SEPT OF 24 IT STALLED AGAIN DAY AFTER OIL CHANGE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. i TOOK IN AGAIN THEY SAID ITS THE OIL PISTON RINGS SAID MY ENGINE NEEDS REPLACED AND ITS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. sO NOW ITS 8000 OR MORE MONEY TO REPLACE ENGINE. i HAVE KNOCKING SOUNDS LIKE SOMEONEONE IS THROWING JACK AROUND CAR...

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound emanating from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the piston rings. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who confirmed the diagnosis. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V099000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); but the contact was informed that the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 62,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V0999000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly stalled and shut off unintendedly. The contact restarted the vehicle and continued driving. There was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment while driving at various speeds. The failure was intermittent. There were no warning lights illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 67,533. Parts distribution disconnect.

Consistent oil burning of about one quart per 1,000 MI I think an exact number would be .8 per 1000 occasional misfiring and stalling presumably due to improperly heat treated piston rings like other recalls

Engine failure of the 1.6 liter turbocharged GDI engine at 102,670 miles. Engine light went on while driving back on the Atlantic City Expressway and engine lost power reduced to 45MPH. Had car towed to dealer and was told the engine was no longer usable and had to be replaced. KIA engines are failing at an alarming rate and a recent recall of the same year KIA Soul is in effect. My KIA engine is not the recalled engine but my failure was pretty much the same as the 2.0 Liter engine. I think an investigation of my 1.6 liter turbo GDI should be made as well.

The contact owns a 2021 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while turning the ignition on and off, there was a knocking sound coming from the dashboard. After pulling into a parking lot, a red exclamation point illuminated the instrument panel, and the steering wheel seized. The contact was able to coast out of the way by driving forward. The vehicle was turned off and towed to the dealer. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure occurred two more times while driving at various speeds, and the vehicle was towed to the dealer each time. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The dealer informed the contact to return the vehicle if the failure recurred. The manufacturer was informed of the failure by the dealer and a case was opened. The manufacturer advised the dealer to replace the electric power steering module should the failure recur. The failure mileage was 53,000.

Engine does not work properly. It is loud and car shakes. Dealership had me do maintenance and did not fix the problem. Rear windshield wiper pours out fluid and turns on with no reason. They say there is a short however it turns on and blocks my rear window view every while just driving, or using my turn signal, I have to mess with the switch while driving to finally get it to stop.

We were going south on [XXX] about 25 mph intending to make a left turn onto [XXX] My wife said “slow down or you won’t make the turn” to which I replied “I am trying but it won’t slow down” As I applied the brakes to slow down to turn, instead the car started to speed up and I could not make the left turn. I continued down the road trying to slow down enough to attempt a left turn on to [XXX] But the car continued to go even faster, so I pumped the brakes trying to slow down and get the car to stop. Instead, the car kept speeding up faster. In seeing I was close to the end of the dead-end road I swerved to the right to avoid the parked Train cars at the end of the road only to crash into the corner of a building which stopped us. At which time I was rendered unconscious. Something caused the car to speed up excessively and the brakes were unresponsive and should be available for further inspections. Not being able to physically get the car under control put the safety of my wife, myself, and others at risk. In researching I have found that this problem has been reproduced in real time and experienced by multiple others in recent years. Our insurance company has had the cars EDR data inspected although further inspection is warranted. There were no prior warnings or symptoms of this problem until the above incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)