10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
11 / 1
Average Mileage:
1,159 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2023 Kia Soul engine problems

engine problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2023 Kia Soul:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2023 Kia Soul Owner Comments

problem #8

May 222023

Soul

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Brand new car 5800 miles engine failure after first oil change at dealership

- Davenport , FL, USA

problem #7

Apr 302024

Soul

  • 8,872 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the dealer found no cause for the failure. The vehicle was not repaired, and the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,872.

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #6

Sep 092023

Soul

  • miles
Air bag new

- Redding, CA, USA

problem #5

Aug 152023

Soul

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On 8/15/23 I received my car back from the dealership after almost a month of repairs, trying to fix the issue where it would turn itself on and where it shut down while driving 45 miles an hour; at various points I was told it was the crankshaft, camshaft, spark plugs, fuel injectors, the pcm and a connector that was overheating. Yesterday, 8/15/23 the car was stuck in a long crank cycle. I notified the dealership. They told me to call kia. I drove the car to pick my husband up from the airport. While driving home the car suddenly accelerated, cars lights shut off, and the steering wheel made a hard turn to the left, the steering wheel then locked, sending us towards a ditch, and the car shut off, and the brakes locked. Right as we hit the edge of the irrigation ditch the car turned back on, the brakes went soft, and the steering wheel unlocked. While trying to correct the car the lane assist turned on (I never use it) causing us to further fishtail and almost drive into a telephone pole and another ditch. The back and forth motion caused me to pull a muscle in my neck, and I have had a migraine since the incident. I have been unable to seek medical care. When the car was stopped, the oil cap started sucking and blowing hot air, and the engine had a light knocking noise, somewhere between a lifter tick and a rod knock. When trying to use the Kia assist in the car it could not locate where we were, resulting in Kia trying to charge us for a tow. I have had the car a month, but ive only had it in my possession 5 days because of it returning to the shop for the same issues. The kia dealership says they have never seen this and don't know what is wrong. They have encouraged me to reach out to kia to see about a buy back, but kia is 3 weeks out on even reviewing my case.

- Blackfoot, ID, USA

problem #4

Aug 052023

Soul

  • miles
On 8/22/23, I purchased a 2023 Kia Soul Sport trim from Kia Atlanta South. Just two days later, the 12V system stopped working, and yesterday, on 8/6, I discovered the car, which I had owned for only two weeks and driven 950 miles, was low on oil. Some of those miles were already on the vehicle when I bought it. I suspect both the electrical system and the engine may be faulty. Despite my concerns, the dealership claimed they had no knowledge of any recalls, despite there being an issued one.

- Stockbridge , GA, USA

problem #3

Jul 192023

Soul

  • miles
On wednesday July 19th, at approximately 1745 (5:45 pm) I got into my car and started it. I attempted to back out of the driveway and noticed my steering wheel was locked. I pulled forward, and put the car in park. I tried to turn the car off. It then restarted itself, revved the engine, turned the heater on, rolled down the windows and engaged the back up camera. The check engine light came on, the low oil light, and the battery light were all on. The car would not turn off, every time I pressed the off button it would idle strangely and turn itself back on. I had to remove the key fobs, and my phone from the vehicle (i have a remote start app) to get it to turn off. I had it towed to the dealership, who returned the car the next day and told me nothing was wrong and that it was in auxiliary mode. They showed me auxiliary mode and it did not do what had happened. I told them I would film it if the vehicle did it again. Yesterday July 21, 2023 the vehicle did it again, at approximately 2110 (9:10 pm). The dealership advised me to bring it back up today. While driving it up there the engine shut off while driving I was doing approximately 43mph with the keys located in the storage space near the gear shift. The entire car shut down, instrument cluster and all, my steering wheel locked, and i had to coast to the side of a road. The car then restarted itself and picked up where the cruise control had previously been set. It did this twice and I was almost hit by a large pick up truck the second time. Had the truck not braked in time I could have been killed, and had my daughter been with me she could have been seriously wounded. The dealership told me to limp it to them as a tow truck would not be avalible for hours. During the short drive the instrument cluster continued to fade in and out. The dealers only solution was to let them hold the car and drive it for the weekend while trying to replicate the problem. I have filmed it restarting, but not dying on the road

- Blackfoot, ID, USA

problem #2

Jan 072023

Soul

  • miles
I was parked at the curb in front of a house, the engine running. I tried to go in reverse, nothing happened but my car kept getting closer to the car in front of me til I was touching the car. The person came and moved his car. With difficulty, I turned the steering wheel left and rolled out into the street but couldn't turn left when I tried. I was sitting in the middle of a four way intersection and people had to go around me. I sat there for about 20 min with the engine running, unable to move. Finally the car started to move and I was able to drive and control the car again. It was very frightening. Nobody has inspected the car yet. I'm trying to get in contact with the dealer to have it looked at.

- Norcross, GA, USA

problem #1

Oct 142022

Soul

  • 400 miles
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Soul. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle went into LIMP mode and stalled. On another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to vibrate after the accelerator pedal was depressed and the front driver-??s and passenger-??s side headlights failed to operate. Additionally, the contact stated that she took the vehicle to the car wash and noticed that fuel had leaked onto the tires. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that tire shine was on the tires not fuel. The contact also stated that the vehicle had lost power steering functionality. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 400.

- Kansas City, MO, USA

Not what you are looking for?