My engine blew at 99,800 miles. At first, I took it to a local auto shop who looked at the codes, looked at the condition, and said... let's do some maintenance on it. The vehicle seems to be in great shape despite the age and mileage. So, $2,000 later, and three short car trips later in a 24 hour period, and the vehicle fails again. I take it back. They look deeper into the engine and go... it's blown?

I don't understand this. This vehicle's engine should not be bad. Called KIA for support who basically told me I was on my own, but were helpful enough to tell me which dealership to avoid. Told me I had to tow it to a KIA dealership for "more options". So, I did. 10 days of the dealership and KIA going back and forth they finally accept the engine is blown. So, engine ordered... ETA? Who knows. Loaner? They are out due to how many cars are down. Rental? I have to pay up front, limit is probably around $45 per dealership, and it'll only be considered for reimbursement AFTER the engine is replaced. Until then... Nothing.

I call KIA again asking for assistance. I get told "This isn't a negotiation". I get told that rentals aren't covered, even though they are offering to reimburse it. I ask if they can reimburse it, why can't they front it... "it's not a negotiation". I ask what can KIA do to regain my trust and get me in a new vehicle? "It's not a negotiation". I ask what can I do to request reimbursement for the costs done based on the codes the engine threw to the auto repair shop when it was really a defective engine - "it's not a negotiation".

The KIA Customer Service line is nothing but aggravating, making you wait an hour to talk to someone who cares nothing about the customer, makes no effort to assist, and basically is a glorified "status writer" and "google searcher". Never dealt with such horrible customer service from an auto manufacturer so consistently as I have with KIA. KIA's answer to everything is "ask the dealer". So, now I'm talking to a lawyer to pursue legal action and filed complaints with the NHTSA and the Illinois Attorney General. Maybe those will gain more traction because I'm exhausted, and at this point, I will never buy another KIA again.

2014 Kia Soul !, purchased in Nov 2017 used, was a lease turn in from my local dealer, with less than 60,000 miles. Car mainly used by my wife to drive kids to school, or herself to the store or work. All trips generally under 5 miles. This was my 5th Kia/Hyundai vehicle, the first to experience an issue of this sort.

By Feb 2019, we had added about 14,000 miles to the car, when the Engine seized up momentarily. Took the Dealer a month working with the extended warranty company to finally resolve the matter. The dealer wanted to do a full engine replacement, as that was the cheapest option. The warranty company only wanted the dealer to replace the short block, and re-use all the external parts of the engine. Really strange as the cost of labor made that option more expensive overall than the whole engine swap.

How incident occurred:

Driving home around 6am, traveling about 60 MPH, wheels locked up for about 1/4 second. There was a loud thud as the wheels started moving again. Where in the moment I thought the brakes had mysteriously locked up, it turns up a piece of metal was loose inside the engine and had gotten into a spot where it literally jammed the engine for the 1/4 second the wheels were locked, then the engine overcame the block and basically tore itself up.

This is the first of 3 complaints I have prior to reaching 100k miles with this vehicle.

My car had, without warning, loud knocking and then heavy smoke as it ground to a halt. Luckily(?) I was outside of town away from traffic. Had it towed, and it is a total engine failure. Broken rod through the block. 2.0 engine, like others on here, not the engine that is part of the recall, which describes the event exactly. Kia needs to be forced to pay for this, it's obviously the exact same issue as they have already spent millions paying for. Customers who bought the HIGHER level vehicle are stuck with massive bills. Not happy.

2014 Soul Plus Owner. Driving in Houston traffic when car made a terrible noise and died. Had it towed and mechanic said engine was blown with oil shavings in the oil. Had just had an oil change 6 weeks earlier. No oil lights came on or anything. Have always had regular maintenance so engine shouldn't just die. Will cost over $6000 for repairs. The recall and class action suit against Kia/Hyundai should include the 2.0 Soul. The number of complaints with the same issue is outrageous. Kia Soul 2.0 owners need to unite and get something done

I was driving down I-5 South when smoke filled the inside of the car and coming out of the hood, while sounding like the engine was coming apart, clanking around to a sudden dead stop. I was in the middle lane of i5 trying to get over to the 405 exchange. Almost caused a pile up. But some awesome people helped push it out of the road. I was able to get it towed to Kia. There was no running rough, no engine light, absolutely no reason for this to happen. I maintained and serviced it regularly. The temp gauge never said it ran hot.