2018 KIA SOUL Complaints

The contact owned a 2018 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a loud pop and smoke emanated from the engine compartment, prompting her to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection, the contact observed flame jutting up from the engine. The contact was able to extinguish the fire herself using a gallon of water she had on hand. No warning lights were illuminated. A fire report was filed. A police report was not filed, and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a nondescript failure with the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to an NHTSA Campaign but was unaware of the NHTSA Campaign Number. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 125,000.

While climbing a hill, the engine began to sputter and lose power immediately, throwing multiple CEL codes. I was barely able to get it off the side of the road and shut the engine off. We were very lucky to be driving at a time when the road was not as busy as usual and experienced no collisions, though we were stranded on the side of a road with no cellular service for 2 hours before we could get towed. A mechanic reviewed the engine and suggested the piston rings blew and there was oil leaking from the exhaust manifold. Smoke was pouring from the rear of the engine, likely from it burning through the exhaust manifold, and the back of the engine was covered in oil and dripping out what oil was left in the engine at a rapid pace on the side of the road. This aligns with known issues for these engines involving oil consumption at unreasonable rates and the class action settlement for rod knock issues. The vehicle is able to be inspected. I am not comfortable starting the car as it continues to make horrible noises. The CEL codes produced were multiple misfires and individual cylinder misfires, P0300, P0301, P0302, P0303. The CEL illuminated after the engine lost power and made the noises, flashing repeatedly along with the oil indicator light. The oil light had not illuminated at all prior to indicate an issue with oil levels or pressure. Oil was present in the vehicle at acceptable levels approximately 95 minutes or 100 miles prior to the failure. Only the mechanic hired has looked at the engine so far.

The camshaft bolt broke off and destroyed the engine. A second bolt worked itself loose and photos show it at least half way out. Less than 100k on vehicle. The car was on the freeway when it lost acceleration ability. The dealership requested the extended warranty cover the replacement of the engine and they denied coverage. A few months before the codes for camshaft sensor came on. We replace the sensor and the car worked fine until recently.

My 2018 Kia Soul burns oil creating the engine to misfire, stall, putter, tick. Ive had my oil changed on a Friday, and by Tuesday, there is no oil left in my engine. The local Kia dealership is currently doing an "oil consumption" test, however was alerted by Kia Corporate to not go any further unless I get them 7 years of my oil change records. My car is still under warranty. I have provided the oil change records. The local KIA dealership advised I drive my car if I need to, knowing there is a faulty engine, and that could cause harm or death! KIA does NOT stand by their warranty and tries to nickel and dime their good, loyal customers. They manufacture faulty engines, putting peoples lives at risk! My car is sitting at the dealership, waiting on approval from KIA while I am left with no car. Also, the dealer does not have any loaners available.

While driving on the interstate @70mph with the cruise control activated and set the engine started without any warning to slow down. at this time the engine was sputtering, and the check engine light came on and we were unable to keep the car at speed. 12The vehicle was then driven about a mile to a KIA dealership. We were then told the engine had a multiple engine misfire and they would want the car for about 3 weeks to determine what happened. We then had the car towed to another mechanic who in a couple of days told us that there was no compression in cylinder #4 and the engine was blown.

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact had to add one quart of oil per week. The battery was replaced on three occasions. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 57 MPH while driving. There was an abnormal creaking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact also stated that there was no oil in the oil pan, but there was no indication of a leak. The oil light was illuminated. The contact stated that the engine was limp, and the starter was becoming inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine was becoming inoperable, and an engine replacement was recommended. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Kia of Naples (3325 Westview Dr, Naples, FL 34104) for an oil consumption and rod bearing test. The manufacturer was contacted and extended the warranty to 150,000 and declined to replace the engine due to missing maintenance records. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed and approaching a stop sign, the vehicle almost stalled. The contact stated that her daughter was able to safely park the vehicle in a parking lot and the had the vehicle towed to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 116,000.

The brake lights do not work even after they change all of them at the dealership

We purchased this vehicle for our [XXX]. It was going to be his first vehicle, and we shined it up and changed the battery, detailed it, changed all spark plugs, the whole nine yards…so on his [XXX] we give it to him, and we take it for a test drive, and the engine seizes up and we have to tow it to our mechanic. He assesses the car, and its rod bearing wear that is under a class action lawsuit. After calling Kia, they will not do anything about it because it has never had a specific software update that is under a product improvement action. A knock sensor detection that would detect prior to engine failure. I told Kia that we looked up recalls on the vehicle and there was nothing regarding that on the search. From both their website, and NHTSA. And they said that it wasn’t their responsibility to do so. But it was their failed product and design, that put my child at risk, and we had no reasonable way of knowing about it. They said it wasn’t their responsibility. I don’t understand how a detection system of the engine failure, would be required after the failure? There’s no prevention aspect to the “product improvement”. At this point, it serves no purpose, the engine failed for that reason. And installing the software update prior to failure wouldn’t have changed anything. They have orchestrated a loophole to not be accountable for a design and product they out on the public market, which they received financial compensation for, that could have cost my child’s life. In fact, they won’t even pay to replace the deficient engine that broke because of their negligence in design and risk assessment. They are 100% unwilling to address the defective product they sold. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the oil level was low after a routine oil change. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the gasket and catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.