2015 KIA SOUL Complaints

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the vehicle made abnormal ticking sounds. The vehicle then appeared to be hydroplaning though the road was dry. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving and exited the highway. The contact veered to the side of the road and noticed a trail of oil on the roadway. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the connecting rod had dislodged and had become embedded in the engine block, causing an engine oil leak. Additionally, it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was in the process of being diagnosed. The dealer informed the contact that she needed to provide 7-years of service record on the vehicle before considering whether to repair the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). However, the VIN was included, and the failure was related to the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,200. The consumer stated after several attempts to get the problem rectified they made the decision to scrap the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the catalytic converter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact indicated that the vehicle was previously serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the failure occurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 85,000.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that a clicking noise was present when turning the steering wheel in either direction. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the power steering failed causing the steering wheel to seize, rendering the vehicle undrivable. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering gear was faulty and needed to be replaced; however, the parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified but no assistance was offered. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 85,000.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that engine had developed a fuel leak and was leaking engine oil. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the vehicle did not qualify for an engine replacement. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the vehicle shutoff with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was overheated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic; however, the mechanic was unable to the determine the cause of the failure. Prior to the failure, the contact stated that the oxygen sensor, water pump, alternator belt, and battery were all replaced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which she linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

On 11/14/22 I was driving on the freeway in my 2015 Kia soul, when the acceleration ability began to slowly decrease, eventually to nothing at all. No lights or anything on my dash area indicated what was happening, nor had I ever experienced this before. I was able to safely pull over to the right shoulder of the road. This was around 10pm at night so fortunately not a ton of people on the road to lose acceleration. Then my car would not start. I called AAA. I get 7 free miles of towing with them so I had it towed to the nearest auto mechanic store. The mechanics determined through a series of checks that it was the catalytic converter (not stolen, but congested, so needing to be replaced)— please see the “notes” section from the mechanic invoice. I am not sure if it would be available upon request at this point, likely not, but the mechanic could be called/asked. The mechanic was able to begin repairs the following day, and then I learned Kia might be able to reimburse me based on a catalytic converter recall for my make/model/year of car. My car is only about 7 years old so it seems odd that this significant of a repair would need to take place. I contacted Kia customer service for a reimbursement request via web submission on 11/19/22. On 11/29 I called Kia and spoke to someone on the phone. The representative told me that the catalytic converter recall was not for my exact engine type. He then indicated I report my problem to safecar.gov, and potentially this might be a problem more people with my engine of my make/model/year have experienced. I did not know about this website or that recalls developed from this! Very cool!

While driving my father-in-law in his 2015 Kia Soul to ironically get a lube and oil service done on the vehicle, there was a loud "pop," immediately followed by smoke coming out of the engine compartment and rear of the vehicle. Almost immediately, the engine shut down, and I pulled the vehicle over. There were no warning lamps indicating any kind of problem with the engine up to that point. Thankfully, there were two off-duty wild land firefighters that had been traveling the same roadway behind us, and they pulled over to help us. They got us out of the vehicle and immediately called 911. Once we were far enough away from the vehicle, they told us that when they heard the "pop" they saw flames shooting out the back of the vehicle. While waiting for the fire department to arrive, they checked to make sure that the fire was out, which it was. The fire department arrived, and determined that it was safe to have the vehicle towed, which we did, to our local Kia dealership. The service department inspected the vehicle and determined that there was a piston rod that broke and shot out the engine, leaving a "silver dollar size hole." The service department has since said that it was due to customer neglect, and refuses to help. Similarly, the insurance company is no longer willing to cover anything. My father-in-law tried to have the current recall for the overheating catalytic converter, however our local Kia dealership refused the repair saying the car didn't qualify for the recall, and instead tried to charge $1400 to complete the repair. I believe the necessary repair was a software download. Everyone traveling that roadway was in danger. My father-in-law and I were in danger. The residents in the adjacent neighborhood were in danger. Kia needs to stop blaming these issues on their customers and take care of these problems before they get hit with wrongful death lawsuits.

As I was driving up a hill close to my house, there was suddenly a loud popping noise from the front of the vehicle and very quickly the cab of the car was filled with thick black smoke. I quickly exited the car and saw that the entire engine was completely engulfed in flames. I initially tried to throw snow on the fire but realized that it was already totally out of control and unable to be put out. I ran away to a safer distance from the vehicle and called 911. The entire car was completely engulfed in the flames by the time the police and fire department responded. It still took about ten minutes for the fire to be extinguished by the fire department. The vehicle is a complete loss including many personal items that I was unable to recover. There was absolutely no warning of any issues with the engine such as a notification from a gauge indicating that the engine was over heating or any other warning lights showing any issues. I maintained the vehicle with regular oil changes and other standard maintenance. It only had 41,000 miles on if at the time of the fire. I expected it to last for many more years. Thankfully my son and our dog was not with me at the time.

Engine consumes excessive amount of oil before next oil change that causes catalytic converter to clog and the car not to perform well. This is a known Kia issue and everyone should be eligible for the engine recall. This is dangerous and cars have been catching fire over this issue. Kia knows and they refuse to fix the issue for 2015 Kia soul + owners.

NEGLIGENCE OF AN IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL Please refer to file attached, all details included in file attached