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.
Coming home from town our 2016 Kia Soul lost power. The engine light came on flashing then we could not accelerate the gas pedal. It would not go over 55 mph even if I had the pedal to the floor. I checked recall and it says none. I was reading the other complaints from Kia owners. They are having the same issue. It should be a recall. This needs investigated. We-??ve only had ours since May 2022. Kia needs to make this right. I know I probably won-??t buy another Kia.
A couple months ago had an oil sensor go bad and leaked oil everywhere. Engine after that kept burning oil and was seen by multiple mechanics. Then the other day my engine light came on the fault was the ocv. Changed that out and when it was taken out metal shaving came out with it. So now I have a car that has a blown engine due to underlying mechanical issues.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the engine seized without warning. The contact initially had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact then discovered that his vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where he was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. The contact contested that the vehicle should be repaired under the recall; the dealer then referred him to the manufacturer. The contact filed a claim with the manufacturer who later also informed him that the vehicle would not be covered under warranty. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
Catalytic converter needed to be replaced at 98,914 miles in my 2016 2.0 L ( Cost me $3,144.78 since out of warranty). Oil consumption seems to be a big problem too. I usually change oil every 3 months, regardless of mileage, but this car needs it every 2 months. Dealer recommended using synthetic oil. No warning lights, car wouldn't go over 35 mph on highway. I have another Soul (2010) I bought new, it has 280,000 miles and it runs better and only uses regular oil.
- W Bloomfield, MI, USA
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I was heading home on the highway when I noticed the car was having trouble accelerating. ?I was taking the exit to my house when I heard the knocking in the engine start. ?I was half a mile from my house so I continued slowly as the acceleration issues continued. As I was getting closer to my house the oil light came on. ?I parked the car in the driveway and turned it off immediately. A cursory inspection indicates that the engine has suffered catastrophic damage. There is high end a -??tapping-?? sound coming from the top side, even while briefly idling the engine, indicating damage in the area of lifter/s and/or camshaft lobe/s. Inspection of the engine oil presents metallic particles. Finally, we observed that an uncharacteristic and excessive pressure is coming from the crankcase when the oil filler cap is removed while the engine is idling. This is consistent with the GDI engine failure mode - lack of lubrication between piston rings and cylinder walls due to fuel thinned oil caused by high-pressure fuel pump Fortunately, since I exited the highway and the failure occurred close to home, the dangerous stall condition that is a typical failure mode of the GDI engine did not occur in this particular instance.? Nevertheless, severe damage to the motor?has?been observed.? The fact that the engine began -??knocking-?? prior to the low oil indicator lamp illuminating would indicate that the engine was damaged due to the thin oil/fuel mixture rather than the engine being completely deficient in lubricating engine oil. Internet research has brought to our attention the issues and the precedent-setting class action lawsuits, that Kia Inc. has been forced to contend with due to the inherent design problems of the Theta II, GDI 1.6L, and 2.0L engines - direct injection (DI) system and high-pressure fuel pump issues causing the engine failure through piston ring -??blowby-?? and subsequent thinning of the engine oil. I contacted KIA and I still have the Soul in my possession.
The contact's girlfriend owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle began to hesitate upon the depression of the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a defective catalytic converter. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) which he linked to the failure. The dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was overheating. Additionally, the contact stated he smelled a burning odor and gasoline odor while driving and upon starting the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer was notified of the failure. The dealer upgraded the Catalytic Overheating Protection Engine Control Unit logic to prevent overheating of the catalytic converter. However, the catalytic converter was not inspected nor replaced per the recall remedy notes that stated that the catalytic converter would also be replaced if the catalytic converter was damaged. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred increasingly on highland roads. The check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised the contact that they could not assist as the recall repair had already been completed. The contact stated that he later diagnosed that the catalytic converter had failed using an OBD reader. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact they could not assist because the recall repair had been completed. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
I received a notice from Kia that my car was part of a recall affecting the engine. I brought my car into the nearest Kia dealership to me and they confirmed that my car had a recall in which they were to run a program and check the catalytic converter and engine. I confirmed before and after this visit that they checked everything and was told that yes they checked the catalytic converter and everything was fine and they updated the engine program that was called for by the recall. I have brought my car in atleast 3 times and never having any issue previously was insured that my car would be covered under the recall but that we had to essentially wait for the engine to fail before that could be done. My car has lost power suddenly on the highway twice since this program has been run. Every visit i was told that my car was safe to drive. The most recent visit - which happened less than 30 days from the previous one where I was told my vehicle was safe to drive - has resulted in me being told that my catalytic converter has suddenly become clogged and that -??my vehicle is not effected by this recall-??. The visit before no such issue was mentioned in fact I was only informed my engine had -??some codes and a few misfires-?? - again this was less than 30 days before my catalytic converter suddenly clogged. It is important to mention that this all happened with 6 months from the time the program was ran until today. I have the receipts of all of my visits to Kia. This most recent visit on May 19, 2022 in which I was told about the catalytic converter was the result of the second loss of power on the highway dropping from 70mph to 40mph suddenly and then continuing to decrease as I tried to navigate to the side of the road while traffic continued at normal speed around me; putting me, my child and others on the road at great risk of accident and injury. This is unacceptable.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The approximate failure mileage was 113,613.
I have reported this to the Kia Dealer and it has done this several times now. They have not helped me at all. The problem is that when I go faster to pass a car or switch lanes on a 2 lane highway my car almost stops and then blue smoke comes out of my excaust alot of blue smoke. This happened again yesterday and it is very scary and very dangerous to me and my grandchildren. I noticed there was a recall f0r engine emissions and excaust system for catalytic converter in 2019. I did not receive any information on this recall. I looked the capaign number up for this recall it is 19V120000. Please check to see if I should have received a notice. My car is doing all of those things in the recall. I am 2nd owner of this car, Is it possible they sent it to the first owner. Please help me I do not feel safe in this car. The incident happened on May 21 2022, April 10,2022 Oct 11,2021 Aug 7,2021. Please help me and tell me how I can get this fixed to be safe.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 45 MPH, she heard abnormal knocking sounds coming from the engine and the vehicle started shuddering. The vehicle then stalled. The contact-??s daughter was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact met his daughter at the scene and drove the vehicle back to his residence. However, the vehicle would not exceed 22 MPH. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine, and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they would not assist as the contact failed to complete the repair for Technical Service Bulletin: PI2002B. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
My car suddenly caught fire. I am assuming it was the engine because the fire started under the hood of the car. I never received any information regarding a recall or a safety issue but when the Vin was checked by my insurance inspector the recall came up.
I keep my car very well maintained I get oil changes n filters every 3 to 5000- miles and supposedly this recall was done I have this problem now out of no where.. ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR Recall Created: Feb 26, 2019 Owners Notified: Apr 17, 2019 Component: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR Recall Summary: Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Kia Soul vehicles equipped with 1.6L Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines. High exhaust gas temperatures may damage the catalytic converter, possibly resulting in abnormal engine combustion and damage to one or more of the engine's pistons and possible piston connecting rod failure. Consequence: Piston damage may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash. A broken connecting rod may puncture the engine block allowing engine oil to escape. The leaking oil may contact the exhaust, increasing the risk of a fire. Corrective Action: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will upgrade the Catalytic Overheating Protection Engine Control Unit logic to prevent overheating of the catalytic converter. In addition, the catalytic converter will also be replaced if it has been damaged. Depending on the extent of any damage, the engine may also be replaced, free of charge. The recall began April 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC176. Other Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov
Catalytic converter stopped up. Unknown for the other. Took it to Kia place to get the recalls fixed and they denied fixing either problems and charged me 245$ to put my car back together.
Vehicle looses power. Sounds muffled and noisy. Engine knocking. Does not shift as it should. Engine gets hot, dash board got hot yesterday. Where is the oil going? No check engine lights. Started approx a month after I had the kia dealer do the computer update. Seems to occur with hills, Excelleration, when it has to work. I had a tune up, fluids changed, mechanic gave up. Kia said I had to take it to a kia dealer.
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to her residence. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number 19V120000 (Engine, Engine, and Engine Cooling) for which the VIN was included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Without any warning, while driving at night on interstate, MIL started blinking and engine lost power and was experiencing vibration. This is exactly as described would happen in KIA PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN letter I received regarding engine malfunction. KIA knew about this and abnormal engine oil consumption. We did regular maintenance and oil changes, even adding oil between oil changes.
as i was heading home from work, about 12 miles into road, vehicle started loosing power, and at it would turn engine off at stop lights, and it would turn back on, and started shaking and running under 40 miles an hour, the next day, warranty was able to tow it to the manufacture dealership service, the service adviser called and said it was the engine, its been three weeks and the issues has not been resolved due to warranty not wanting to pay for repairs.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Fairbanks, IN, USA