2018 KIA SOUL Complaints

My granddaughter was traveling to Florida from Texas for a short vacation on [XXX] 2024. Car just lost power and slowed in the middle of the interstate traffic, no lights, warnings or anything. Thank God she was able to get to the side of the highway without getting hit. It was knocking and clattering in the engine. Killed it and let it rest a bit and checked the oil and it was [very low, added some oil and started it back up, but it still was knocking and not running. Had it towed to an independent garage in Crestview Fl. The mechanic diagnosed the engine with a possible bent valve and loose timing chain. The car has 104000 miles on it. We had the oil changed at 102000 and have had oil changed regularly at 5000 miles or less since we bought it in March 2022. We still owe a loan on this car. Mechanic said the engine would have to be replaced and quoted 7000.00. We cannot afford this. We are the 3rd owner and was not informed of any safety recalls or software updates until the Mechanic told us about the Class Action Lawsuit and the issues with the engines in Kia and Hyundai. Kia is not forthcoming with this information and does not notify but only the 1st owner. This is ridiculous and not right to do the consumers this way. We bought the car from a Nissan dealership in Mckinney Tx and was not told anything about this. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

a.e.b. ,autonomous braking system has been a defect since the day it was delivered in 2018. the company and the dealership have attempted to fix this problem 13 times in five years, and it keeps coming back. they kept throwing parts at it until the warranty expired on 12/31/2023 and they refuse to fix it again. they will not extend the warranty or buy it back as requested. the factory tech that the company sent to look at it stated he did not know what was wrong with it back in 2019 but he will start with the forward camera. fast forward to 2/2024 and i paid to have it looked at the dealer and the tech stated on the work order that he did not know what was wrong with it and he would start with the forward camera, same problem five years later. the car is like new with only 37,000 miles on it. not only is it a defect but kia has been commenting fraud by hiding the defect. now i have a car that cannot be fixed and i cannot sell. i have all of the work orders and Communcation with kia. your help in this issue will be appreciated

On [XXX], 2024 had a complete break down while driving on the highway on the way home from work. No warning light prior to the incident. Towed via ERS on my auto insurance policy to Plaza Tire Service, [XXX] . They replaced spark plugs and coils. Still sputtering and code on cylinder 3. Then taken to HW Kia of [XXX] in Ballwin, Mo (this was the closest dealership that said they could get to it right away). Has been there ever since (going on 2 months now). What I have been told has be done by Ian, Service Manager: Compression test done, no compression in cylinder 3. Warranty company (JMNA) sent out inspector. 2 weeks later warranty company asked dealership to do a full breakdown of the engine. On [XXX] got call from Ian that warranty company denied fix under warranty because the damage is to piston rings. (Month and a half just to get this determination from the warranty company) Ian told me that this is a known issue by Kia so he is requested engine replacement directly from Kia Corp. As of today ([XXX], 2024) I am still waiting to hear back if this replacement has been approved. Previously told by Ian (when I initially dropped off the vehicle) that once/if approved it will take approximately 10 days to get a new engine ordered and into the dealership. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

While driving vehicle, engine reduced power and went into a limp mode, pulled off Highway and stop. Check engine light came on and blinking. Later found motor had lost over three quarts of oil. Now engine knock and have been advised by mechanic that engine is about to throw a rod thru the the side. Vehicle has had oil changes at 5000 miles intervals thru out its 124,000 miles on the road also oil checks often too. Now we are without a vehicle with a damage engine. I understand thru research that this is a common problem for this type vehicle and motor.

Car stalled in the middle of the road while driving. Took it in to dealer ship for a recall to get this repaired or flashed. Engine burning excessive oil. Car has always been kept up with maintenance. While operating the vehicle the car stalled due to low oil compression. Vehicle has aprox 155k miles. Check engine light has came on. Due to the issue that car engine is burning oil there is a new permanent code p0420 which is a bad catalyc converter since the cars emission system is failing. Car has been sitting at home for about 1 month or longer as we don’t drive it and are still financing the vehicle

2018 KIA SOUL gas pedal stopped working while driving on interstate 695. On April 7, 2024 my car displayed the following warning message on the dash while I was driving on the beltway. “Transmission Temp high please stop safely”. The warning light went off, but I took my car to the Koons Kia service on April 9, 2024. A few days later I was informed by the dealer that the transmission needed to be replaced and that the engine had sludge. I was later informed that the clutch actuator also needed to be replaced. The Transmission was covered under warranty and Koons Kia allegedly did the repair. I picked my car up on April 17th. The very next day (April 18) the transmissions started making noise. I contacted the dealer on the 18th and reported the concern. They told me to bring the car back on Tuesday , April 23rd. At no time did anyone warn me of the potential safety issue. I do not know what the mechanics at Koons Kia did, but the car was worse and more dangerous after the repair. Unfortunately, on April 22,2024 while driving on interstate 695, my car started to lose power and suddenly slow down. Cars rushing by and my car would not accelerate when I applied the gas pedal. The warning message “ Transmission temp high stop safely “ appeared again. I pulled over on the shoulder until the car cooled off. This time there was a smell along with it. When the car cooled off, I slowly drove the rest of the way with my hazard lights on. I contacted Kia dealership, Kia roadside assistance, and Kia customer service. No one warned me of the extreme safety issue nor did they offer any assistance with getting me home or with getting car back to service department. My car is back at the dealership. But this is a major safety issue. The gas pedal stopped working without warning while I was on interstate 695 going well over 50mph. There were other cars zooming by. very dangerous. I could have been hurt or someone else could have been hurt.

Second time in last six months car went into “limp mode” with the knock sensor. First time it was “just” a faulty knock sensor and under warranty. Happens again now it’s the all too well known the oil is burning too fast on this engine. Kia/hyundai will not take this under warranty as it is not a rod bearing issue while numerous owners have the exact same issue. This cars engine can probably fail at any time with this oil issue continually happening. The cars oil has been maintained per manual and was not expecting an oil change yet the level is way too low already (3000ish which is way before the 5000 mile mark per owners manual and Kia)

My husband [XXX] and I own a 2018 Kia Soul, 102,000 miles, and in February, my daughter was driving to school and the front end of the car became shaking violently. It was so dangerous that my husband would not let my daughter drive it, as it was easy to lose control of the car. We took the car in to the Kia Dealership to be diagnosed. The steering shaft needed to be replaced, a total cost of $941.53, paid 2/19/24. After talking with mechanics and researching this part, it was clear that this part should last the lifetime of the car; in fact, I spoke with a mechanic who said they have never seen this issue, let alone in a 6 year old car. I continued searching online and saw that this was a problem in older models of Kia Souls, and there were recalls on the 2012- 2016 models for the same issue we experienced. So I called Kia to see if there was a recall on the 2018 model. They said no and that since there was not an extended warranty on the car, they would not reimburse or pay for the repair. I sent a message stating my position of outrage, that this repair is unacceptable since the part should last the lifetime of the car, and that obviously there was faulty manufacturing of the part. This posed a danger to my daughter, who is a college student, and Kia should be responsible for the repair. Kia sent my complaint to the escalation department for review, where I have been communicating with Kayla from the Customer Care Unit. I have been corresponding and waiting for a decision for reimbursement since February, and today I was told that my request was denied. My case number is #[XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

unknown. My car was stolen last Monday 2/26 about 10:15 AM. I've filed a police complaint as well.

2018 Kia Soul with excessive oil consumption. 1.6 Liter GDI engine. Base model. Oil is being overly consumed in between oil changes, needing double the quarts in between Kia's manufacturing guidelines.