This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
We received a recall letter. The pinion in the steering is faulty and could come loose causing an accident which may result is serious injury or death. I brought it in immediately. They could not fix it. I asked them to keep it as we do not feel safe driving it. We asked for a replacement car while we waited. They said no. We left the car anyway and I called the number on the recall notice. It said they would reimburse us for any inconvenience or expenses incurred. The woman said they would not reimburse me until the car was looked at. She asked me to continue driving around a vehicle with a known issue risking my family's lives because they won't give me a replacement vehicle. As money is very tight we are making due but it has been a severe inconvenience to say the least. This problem has nothing to do with us and leaving the car with them is a safety issue. Not work I wanted done or upgrades I chose to wait for. It is their mistake and I don't believe a customer should be forced to pay for it. I would like companies with recalls to be held responsible and service people fairly. I'm great full that we have not been injured due to this issue and to drive knowing it is there is foolish. The companies response asking me to drive around in a potentially hazardous vehicle is absurd.
I was driving my 2014 Kia Soul on high way 45 South when all of a sudden the power steering started failing, and so I pulled over and then I saw the power steering stopped working completely and when tried steering the wheel made noices
At 37,000 miles the rack and pinion broke. This disabled the clock spring which disabled the air bags. Was traveling about 25 mph and steering failed. Thank god I was not on expressway going 55mph or when the rack and pinion broke my steering ability would have been lost and no air bags deployed in the event of a crash. Vehicle towed to Kia and rack and pinion replaced. I have another 2014 Kia Soul and I worry the same thing may happen to it. Kia told me that this is not a common problem and was a part failure.
Since I've owned my 2014 Kia Soul, I've had to deal with a recall for the a pin (so my steering wheel won't stop working) and my a problem with my axel nut 2/01/2017, which began shaking my vehicle on hwy 16, almost causing an accident. I had that fixed and just had a recall service and realized this was something I already paid for, which I've requested a refund. In between those instances, I had both headlights stop working, in the dark, while I was driving on a poorly lit hwy 302. I had those replaced and the driver side went out again, at night, while I was driving. I was told that the headlight connections were melted. I did some research and this seems to be a common occurrence. With that said...this car had a potential issue with rolling, steering and visibility...probably wouldn't happen all at once but you never know. Regardless, I'm starting to wonder how safe this vehicle really is and would hope that Kia would be a responsible company and assist with helping the customer remedy these concerns. I really am concerned for my safety and will be driving another vehicle more regularly. Kia told me that since there is no open recall on the headlights than there is nothing they could do. I hope they understand that all 3 of the aforementioned issues are significant but fear my concerns fell on deaf ears. Maybe an official review with NHTSA will keep Kia accountable to their actions or lack there of. Thanks for your time. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'
The contact owned a 2014 Kia Soul. While the contact's son was driving and attempting to make a right turn, the steering wheel suddenly locked. The driver crashed into the curb and the vehicle rolled over. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The driver sustained cuts and bruises all over his body, which required medical attention. The contact informed the dealer who stated that the vehicle was included in a manufacturer recall (SC144). Prior to the crash, the drive shaft hub nut was replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 26,000.
- Dacula, GA, USA
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I have right at 60,000 miles on my Kia Soul. Was driving and pinion broke was totally unaware of recall until I took car to mechanic he advised me to get with Kia because it was a safety recalled issue. First dealer I called told me it was recalled but they will only replace pin not the damage that the pin failure caused. Then told me that they were going to see if they could get it covered asked if they could call me back. Now I am currently working with another dealer can't use original dealer I moved and they were bought out. Guess we will see if I am able to get safety recall fixed and how much it cost me if it did any other damage that was caused by known manufacture default. Steering wheel popped air bag lights, steering wheel light, and could barely turn the car. I am also going to have to pay out of pocket it get car towed to Kia dealership.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. While driving approximately 15 mph and attempting to make a left turn, the vehicle failed to turn and continued to go straight down a hill. The power steering was inoperable. The vehicle went off road and finally stopped. The vehicle was towed. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. In addition, the contact stated that the headlamps would flicker suddenly and the vehicle would stall briefly, and then accelerate or decelerate without warning. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer, but the cause of the failures was undetermined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 41,000.
2014 Kia Soul steering failure 16 months after recall repair was done to prevent it (NHTSA campaign id number 15V736000). The steering made a clunking sound while making a left turn at a stop sign on a city street and the car continued straight across the intersection. Steering ability was completely disconnected. 29,000 miles on the odometer. Dealer inspection found the rack and pinion plug repair procedure was not involved, and instead the cause was the spline separating from the shaft. No cause was identified. Manufacturer was notified.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. While driving approximately 25 mph, the power steering failed without warning. The contact pulled over and placed the vehicle in park. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 51,000. The VIN was not available.
As I was parking in a gas station parking lot, I heard a clicking noise while the wheels were turning to the left to park. When leaving the parking lot, my wheels would not turn when I turn the steering wheel. I could turn the steering wheel 360 degrees, and I would hear a clicking noise, but the wheels would not move. I had to have the car towed.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. While driving approximately 20 mph and making a left turn with the turn signal activated, the steering gear assembly separated without warning. The steering wheel turned, but the wheels remained straight. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The VIN was included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V332000 (steering) and 15V123000 (vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Steering started making a clunking noisewhen turned slightly left or right. The dealer says that the steering rack needs to be replaced. The part needed to ordered. The dealer would not release the car to me because it is not save to drive. This is a 2014 Kia Soul+ that has 36000 miles. I see that other Souls have had a similar problem.
There are 6 recalls on this GEM of a car, never received any from Kia, pinion steering is 1 of them, driving on a Saturday morning veering right and car jumped on it's own loss control of steering car it curb and tire and rim I am guessing other damage, had car towed to Kia dealer ON8-8-16 still there because they are waiting someone from the head of Kia damage control to come, they told they would be there last week still nobody has come out, I need my car to work how can there be 6 recalls on a car that is less than 2 years old bad enough they passed it thru inspection with a steering issue, please help,
Front drive axle nut was loose and causing the left front wheel to shake violently. No work was ever done on the vehicle in that area so the nut loosened on its own, nearly causing the entire wheel assembly to come off the vehicle. Torque was checked on the nut after discovery and was found to be way less that the factory spec. Of ~170 to 198ft. Lbs. Nut has no "locking" mechanism to prevent back out!
Steering wheel began doing clunky noises, took to dealer, they fixed it, 4 days later steering wheel snapped off leaving me without control during a turn, no accident thankfully for going less than 20 mi at the time, took back to dealer to be fixed. Not sure I trust it anymore.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle independently veered out of the lane. The steering wheel required excessive force in order to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to three different dealers for diagnostic testing. A four wheel alignment was performed at one dealer and the other two dealers stated that the vehicle was operating as designed. The failure became progressively worse. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000. Updated 08/17/16 updated 10/26/16.
The contact owned a 2014 Kia Soul. While driving 75 mph, the vehicle shook violently, veered to the right, and the power steering malfunctioned. The contact lost control of the vehicle, crashed into a wall, and the vehicle rolled over. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Driving on hwy 10- April 14 and 17, 2016, power steering went off. Jerking the wheel right or left brought power steering back. Took to dealer on April 26, but problem was not duplicated.
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 15V736000 (steering); however, the parts to do the repair were not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The steering was making a popping and grinding noise when turning. We took it in for the steering recall. The vehicle was repaired ( January). The steering went out on the vehicle last night. The vehicle hit the curb. We got the vehicle home and called for towing today to take the vehicle to the dealer. No one was injured. My parents are not safe driving back and forth to their doctors visits in this vehicle.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Rocky Point, NY, USA