2015 KIA SOUL Complaints

The contact owned a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, there was smoke coming from the exhaust, with an abnormally loud popping sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road, and the contact exited the vehicle and became aware that there was a line of fire on the main road leading to the bottom of the vehicle. The contact stated that a week prior to the failure, there was an abnormal burning odor coming from inside the vehicle. The contact called the Emergency Services, and the Fire Department arrived and extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and was deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Dealer refusing to honor open recall remedy for SC200 / NHTSA 20V750000 on 2015 Kia Soul VIN [XXX], approx 100k miles. Recall shows "no unrepaired recall found" on NHTSA VIN lookup, but KSDS update and engine bearing test were never performed. Kia of Cheyenne states: 1) must pay for recall because update not done, 2) must pay for unrelated repairs first, 3) must provide all oil receipts, 4) will not perform free remedy. Second dealer Fort Collins Kia service phone rings no voicemail. Request NHTSA reopen recall and enforce free remedy per 49 USC 30120. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Please see attached documents. I have also put them in the US mail. One to KIA: Kia Customer Care Center, Kia Motors America, Inc., P.O. Box 52410, Irvine, CA, 92619-2410 and one to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E., Washing, DC 20590.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); the dealer informed the contact that the vehicle had passed the inspection and no repairs were needed. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds on a slightly inclined road, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with an oxygen sensor, catalytic converter, and other unknown engine failures. The vehicle was repaired out-of-pocket. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

The contact owned a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, bystanders notified the contact that the vehicle was on fire. The contact pulled over, exited the vehicle, opened the hood, and there were flames coming from the engine. No warning light was illuminated. The contact's boyfriend called 911. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A Police report was not filed. The Fire Department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 99,000.

Engine went into limp mode on highway on June 30th 2026 and is available now for inspection. Partner and daughter were almost hit by a semi. VIN was registered on Kia website..Kia and dealership inspected and took responsibility for engine recall and deemed it safe on October 6th 2025. Check engine light came on.

My engine light came on about 6 months ago because I was smelling a gas. I had it run on a code computer and it just showed a gasket needed changed. I didn't think that that was serious enough to address urgently because was unsure how much the cost would be. But was going over a big mountain about a week ago and car was on cruise control at 55 Mpr and all of a sudden it just started dropping down totally stopping on me in very active traffic had my grandchild in the car also, got off the road barely in ongoing traffic and called for roadside assistance, but my son showed up and got it to start I barely got it back to his house in Rogersville tn. Where I was staying for a visit , I Ran a code computer on it again and it said it was the Cadillac converter, I looked it up and there is a recall on this situation. Why your sight is saying it's 0 idk why. This is my report and I think u need to change that problem there . I am currently still at my sons house staying cause I can't get my car home cause it won't climb clinch mountain or any sharp hills. Thank you

The vehicle burns an unreasonable amount of oil. This clogs tue catalytic converter creating risks of breakdown or fire. There are many documented cases of this on the vehicle models and yet Kia has not resolved. Instead we pay for the issue. Car ownership has been consistent on maintenance and yet this issue remains.

The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with knock sensor failure, valve cover gasket failure, and an inoperable oil pan. The contact was informed that the knock sensor, valve cover gasket and oil pan needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was released to the contact. The contact stated that within two minutes after leaving the dealer, the failure reoccurred. The check engine warning light illuminated and the engine sputtered. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a clogged catalytic convertor. The contact was informed that the catalytic convertor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 118,981.

The vehicle is a 2015 Kia Soul with the 1.6L GDI engine. The check engine light came on solid, and a dealer later confirmed diagnostic trouble code P0420, indicating the catalyst system efficiency is below threshold on bank 1. The catalytic converter and engine are still on the vehicle and available for inspection upon request. This condition matches the defect described in Kia’s SC176 safety recall for 2012–2016 Soul vehicles with the 1.6L GDI engine, in which overheating of the catalytic converter can lead to internal engine damage and even a fire. My concern is that a failing catalytic converter or related engine damage could lead to sudden loss of power, engine failure, or fire while driving, which puts my safety and the safety of others at risk. The problem has been confirmed by an authorized Kia dealer, which documented the solid check engine light and DTC P0420 on a written repair estimate. In that document, the dealer referenced recall SC176Y as the possible applicable recall and noted that it would need to contact Kia for coverage because the vehicle has a branded rebuilt title. To my knowledge, the manufacturer has not yet performed any SC176-style ECU logic update, compression test, or catalytic converter/engine inspection on this vehicle, and the manufacturer has declined to escalate or review recall coverage for this defect. The check engine light and P0420 code remain the primary warning indicators, and they first appeared shortly before the dealer visit on the repair estimate date.