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2017 Kia Soul complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2017 record →

Engine
Filed May 14, 2023OH

Engine light flashes every 6 weeks. I have to have my oil checked weekly as it is constantly low despite not apparent leaks.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Filed May 9, 202374,000 milesVA

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that there was a continual clicking sound coming from the front of the vehicle while making a left or right turn. Additionally, while the brake pedal was depressed, there was a clicking sound coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, when the brake pedal was depressed, the oil light illuminated. The contact stated that after the brake pedal was released, the warning light disappeared. The contact stated that on another occasion, while driving approximately 5 MPH, the vehicle lunged forward and stalled. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.

EngineFire
Filed Apr 26, 2023130,000 milesIA

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while her friend was driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal sound inside the vehicle then the vehicle started to decelerate without warning. The contact then stated that other drivers on the road alerted the contact’s friend that a fire had ignited underneath the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact’s friend was able to pull the vehicle off the road and exit the vehicle. The local authorities were notified and extinguished the fire. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision lot where the technician diagnosed the vehicle that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V031000 (Air Bags). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

Engine
Filed Apr 16, 2023SC

First, on January 13, 2023, my 2017 Kia Soul leaked all but 1/4qt. oil while parked in a lot for about 30 minutes. There was no indication of an issue prior to the event. I just happened to see the puddle while walking to my car. On this date I had 64,100miles on the car. I was stranded in a parking lot 3 hours from home for over 9 hours. Mobile mechanic stated it looked like a loose oil filter and did a complete oil change (to include the filter). He said had I tried to drive my car, I would have blown my engine within a few miles. He also stated that the oil pressure sensor was not in good shape and needed replaced as soon as I could do so; within a week,the sensor was replaced. No items available for I inspection but mechanic bills available. Aside from two mechanics, no one else has inspected the vehicle. Now, today, April 16, 2023, I was parked outside a store for about 15 minutes and came out to a puddle of oil under my car. Checked my oil and realized it was just touching the Low indicator on the dipstick. Had to have a friend tow my car home so that my car and I could both be safe this evening. I am not sure what the cause of today's issue is yet as I have not made it to the mechanic; so this is UNKNOWN. However, a full tank of oil leaking out twice in a 3 month slan is not a coincidence. Clearly, there is some sort of issue with the vehicle.

Engine
Filed Apr 14, 202385,000 milesOR

I am writing this letter to inform you of what I feel is an unacceptable situation. On November 17, 2022, my friend and I were heading to a veterinary specialist about 3 hours from where we live. On the way there the engine in her 2017 KIA Soul with about 85,000 miles on it started knocking. I said this isn’t right, so we called for a tow. We had it towed back to our local mechanic, and they said it was a low-end engine knock. The mechanic called the local KIA dealership’s service department to see if it was covered by the warranty. The KIA rep asked for the VIN after which they informed the mechanic since Julie did not respond to a letter (not a recall) sent out about a software upgrade that needed to be done to detect the problem early, it was not covered. She never saw said letter and has been at that same address for over 30 years. Our local shop quoted her $6,985.25 and about 2 weeks to replace the engine. She called the local KIA service department and they said they could make an appointment to diagnose it January 21st (but if she brought it in, they would fit it in before then, if possible, she had no idea that it was going to be over 4 months.) She also called KIA corporation (which took multiple calls and was on hold forever) to inquire about the warranty and was told KIA would not cover it. KIA corporation said her problem is with the U.S. Postal Service if she never received the update letter. The local dealership finally diagnosed it days after her scheduled appo

Engine
Filed Mar 31, 202384,435 milesAL

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated her daughter parked the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer the next day, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,435.

Steering
Filed Mar 18, 2023FL

The power steering fails while driving. Steering suddenly and without notice becomes very difficult when the power steering stops working. STEERING FAILURE must be a serious safty issue.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Mar 16, 2023CA

My kia soul 2017 had a catalytic burnout in 2021. Looks like the recall till 2016 should have been extended to 2017. This still pose a danger to consumers with model 2017 and newer models for overheating catalytic .

Engine
Filed Mar 2, 202372,859 milesNC

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the oil warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the oil filter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, and an oil change service was performed; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the oil warning light was intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was then taken to two independent mechanics, who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced; however, the contact was advised to take the vehicle to a local dealer for further diagnostic test and repair. The contact made various local dealers aware of the failure; however, the vehicle had not yet been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,859.

Engine
Filed Feb 18, 2023137,000 milesMD

The car has been back for two for oil consumptions test at 1000 miles and is burning about 5 quarts every thousand miles.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Feb 17, 2023HI

While sitting in line with brake applied the idle speed suddenly jumped up and car accelerated forward despite application of brakes. Without any change from me the RPMs suddenly dropped and car stopped again. The car moved a total of a quarter car length, which had I not been angled away from car in front of me would have caused a collision, and had I been at an intersection could have caused an accident or struck a pedestrian.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Feb 2, 2023GA

My kia has been having a issue with the check engine light on blinking after driving it over 30 miles... The car then slows down to 2rpm and I'm really concerned about this after 2other people I know are having that same problem.

Engine
Filed Jan 29, 2023TN

On January 16, 2023, my engine suddenly died while driving in moderate traffic, with a loud banging noise. I could have been in a serious accident, or killed, due to manufacturer and dealer negligence. When I was able to restart the car, it knocked terribly, but I was (barely) able to get it the short distance back to my home, where I discovered that there was very little oil in the car, though I have it changed more frequently than recommended and check it, as well. NO WARNING LIGHT came on. On January 17, I called a local dealer, who informed me of a recall that addressed that issue, though I NEVER received a recall notice. The dealer where I bought the car confirmed that this was a safety recall issue, and therefore, since I hadn't done the recall, because I was not notified, my unsafe, barely drivable car would not be repaired by the dealer. As I received this information from 2 dealers and from the manufacturer's customer (lack of) service representative, I have not taken it to a dealer to be inspected. I since learned that the dealer had not given my correct email or address to the car company, so recall notices must have been sent to an address I haven't lived at for 6+ years. They corrected this during my call on January 17. My current car was not even in their data base until my call to the manufacturer. They had a previous car I owned listed. I am seeking restitution and assistance on this matter. These recalls do not show up on this website, either.

EngineFire
Filed Jan 29, 2023VA

On 11/07/22 my car started to sputter & lose power while going up a hill, the incident only lasted a few seconds with no warning lights. Later that same day my car wouldn't start and when it finally did start it started sputtering, had no power with no warning lights, plus there was a strong smell of gas from inside the car. I had the car towed to a local shop. The shop cleaned the injectors, put a fuel treatment in the tank and replaced a bad O2 censor. 8 Days later on another hill it happened again. A hard sputtering followed by loss of power, still no warning lights but also no smell of gas. I drove it back to the same shop and after just one day the shop could not get my car to reproduce the same incident but was having difficulty starting it so they installed a new battery. 5 Days later on Thanksgiving my car sputtered hard while driving with no warning lights or smell of gas. I was barely able to get my car across 2 lanes of oncoming traffic in order to pull into a store's parking lot. I had it towed to a new shop. At this new shop it was diagnosed that the car needed new Spark Plugs, a new High Pressure Fuel Pump and new Injectors but the shop took 3 weeks to give me an estimate and so I went and retrieved my car and towed it KIA of Lynchburg, having only had the Spark Plugs replaced. Once at KIA, I was told I had a Catalytic Converter failure and it needed replacing. KIA said that it would be covered under Emissions Warranty. I had the part installed and 3 days later

Engine
Filed Jan 18, 2023OH

We had a computer flash done and it has not ran right since. Engine started knocking and almost caused and accident engine felt like it was locking up causing the car to lose control

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Jan 18, 2023CT

Sudden Acceleration (SUA--3 times same day); almost went through storefront, almost hit by truck @ stop sign, almost hit fence in parking lot twice, had difficulty in highway traffic jam. Vehicle currently at dealership. Car and brakes became uncontrollable at slow attempt to park and in traffic jam; had to turn off ignition. Dealer and independent service shop have not been able to recreate condition, the manufacturer was advised but only test driven by the independent shop and the dealership. No warnings; independent service shop advised that the problem appeared to be in the electronic throttle control. Dealership will not investigate same until they actually experience the problem. There are many articles about this problem on line. This car was sold as "certified" by the dealer

Engine
Filed Jan 14, 2023MI

The car died, found out it was the engine. We didn’t own the car for the 2019 recall and was never told. We owed 7,000 on a dead car.

Engine
Filed Jan 13, 2023TN

On the day after Thanksgiving 11/26/22, I was driving this vehicle home via the interstate when it began to decelerate without any warning. I pressed to accelerator and the car began moving slower and slower. I pulled off at the nearest exit and as I was exiting the interstate, the car almost completely stalled on me, idling very rough at the red light. While waiting for the light to turn, the engine light illuminated and began flashing. I live a mile from the interstate but I was able to make it home. I was very nervous because the car jerked and shuddered like it was about to die on me in the middle of the road. The next morning, I took the car next door to my residence and has some diagnostics ran on it. I was told that the car needed new spark plugs and coils. After paying for this service, the car still ran poorly as describe above so I took the car back. I ended up having the car towed to the nearest dealership and it was determined that I needed a completely new engine. I thought to myself "well at least the powertrain is still under warranty since I am the original owner and have kept up with timely maintenance. My warranty was denied due to lack of one missing oil change invoice that was done at the dealership back in 2018 at 18,000 miles. Somehow this missing oil change was missing from the dealership's records as well. I am good at keeping up with the maintenance on my vehicle, especially one that i bought brand new back in 2017 that's still under warranty but some

Engine
Filed Jan 11, 202383,000 milesMI

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle started to hesitate then stalled. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact restarted the vehicle but was only able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact towed the vehicle to her residence and then towed the vehicle to the local dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

Engine
Filed Jan 10, 2023120,000 milesNC

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started jerking abnormally. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and had the vehicle towed to the residence. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but offered no additional assistance. The failure mileage was 120,000.

Engine
Filed Dec 30, 2022AL

The oil light flickers at idle.... weak oil pressure. Blowby issues. Oil consumption an usage excessive...only has 130.000 miles. taken consistent care of it on oil changes. Motor louder than normal. Ticking sounds an loud tacking. I think the engine going south. The date shows it to be 12/16 model.but the serial numbers show it to be 17/17 what's up with that.... I believe the engine was left over 16 year. The one with problems. I need this thing fixed, it's my daughter's work car!!! She's been having to drive my truck to get to work....

Engine
Filed Dec 6, 2022112,000 milesTX

NO CODES KICKED BUT WHEN I SWERVED TO MISS SOMETHING IN ROAD OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND WENT RIGHT BACK OFF GOT HOME CHECKED OIL IT WAS 2 QT L0W I HAD JUST HAD THE OIL CHANGED I ADDED OIL AND SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN SHORTLY AFTER THE NEXT OIL CHANGE. THEN ON IMY WAY HOME ONE NIGHT THE ENGINE BLEW!!! ALL THIS STARTED AT BETWEEN 60 AND 70 THOUSAND MILES ENGINE BLOWN AT 112,000 MILES. I HAD THE ENGINE REPLACED AND HAD TO GET A NEW CATALITIC CONVERTER. WHEN THIS ENGINE REACH 70,OOO MILES IT STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN I HAVE HAD TO ADD 2 QTS OF OIL OFTEN TO KEEP IT GOING. AFTER CHECKING THIS SAME ENGINE IN THE 2011-2016 WAS RECALLED. KIA WAS ALLOWED TO KEEP PUTTING SAME DEFECTIVE ENGINE IN THE 2017 AND UP CARS WITHOUT FIXING THE PROBLEM. WHY IS THE 2017 ENGINE NOT RECALLED? 2nd ENGINE HAS NOW FAILED COMPLETELY AND CAR IS PARKED PLEASE HELP BY MAKING KIA PUT THESE CARS WITH FAULTY ENGINES ON RECALL LIST. {sorry about the all caps I did not know that this meant I was yelling not meant to be yelling Thanks for your help

EngineFire
Filed Nov 27, 2022AZ

I was driving down the interstate and my car made a loud noise, so I pulled over. Smoke started pouring out then it was immediately in flames. No prior issues. No injuries as I was able to get out. If fire recalls were till 2015, clearly my vehicle had issues too. What do I do?

Electrical System › Adas › Blindspot › Sensors
Filed Nov 22, 202211,600 milesSC

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the "Blind Spot Detection" failure message was displayed, and the feature became inoperable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,600.

Engine
Filed Nov 11, 2022TN

The car will burn through almost a full 4 quarts of oil within 1000 miles. From reading online oil consumption issues are a common problem for 2014 through 2017 Kia Souls, but even some later models are having similar issues. Beyond the issue of the car burning that much oil that quick, the check oil light does not fully turn on even when the car was as the dealership put it, "Bone Dry" meaning that I as the driver had no idea that my engine could have seized up or stalled out at any moment. Also due to the fact that Kia Souls have an oil pressure driven timing chain the low oil issue extends down another level making engine stalling that much more likely. Though the most recent incendent occurred at around 94000 miles ot has been an ongoing problem for around 20000 miles.

Air BagsCrash1 injured
Filed Nov 8, 2022120,000 milesTN

The contact owned a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while in stop-and-go traffic, an 18-wheeler crashed into her vehicle and sent the vehicle into a guardrail. The air bags failed to deploy upon impact and the contact hit her head on the driver-side window. She was taken to the hospital where she was treated for a fractured skull and a concussion. The whereabouts of the other driver were unknown. A police report was filed which noted that the guardrail was damaged and in need of repair. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard and was deemed a total loss. After the accident, the contact received a recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V031000(Air Bags) which she linked to the failure. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Oct 21, 202280,000 milesWA

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the "low oil level" message displayed even though the engine oil had recently been changed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who serviced the engine for an oil consumption test. No additional information was available. The vehicle was retrieved but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who had replaced the engine. On another occasion while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to shake and vibrate with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer who diagnosed that the catalytic converter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 80,000.

Engine
Filed Oct 16, 2022118,729 milesTX

May 2021 catalytic converter failed on vehicle. It was on back order and could not be replaced until July 2021 at 106,612 miles. At that time, I had dealership and national check for any recalls or recommended repairs. There were none. November 18, 2021, while siting at a stop light, engine suddenly began to knock loudly, I pulled over immediately and had it towed to dealership, at 118,729. Engine failure due to rod bearing failure. Engine had to be replaced. National claims there was a recall repair that was not performed before November 2021. As of oil change in October 2021, there was none. Recall repair was issued first week of November 2021. I received the mailed flyer after November 21, 2021.

Engine
Filed Oct 6, 2022KS

Bought 2017 Kia Soul from Carmax Jan 2021 w/MaxCare extended warranty. All maintenance had been done as scheduled and no problems no warning lights. At approx 79K miles, on 9-14-22 , noticed a slight knocking sound. had already sched an oil change so i asked them to check out the knocking. Tech said there was metal in my oil but it was not a big deal, just get the oil changed more often. 9-15 picked it up, the knocking seemed to go away a little drove approx 10 miles home. 9-16, started it up and the knocking and rattling were terrible engine light came on and car died. luckily i was in my driveway and not on the highway or driving in traffic, i count myself lucky that my car did not catch on fire like many others. 9-19 paid to tow to a repair shop on my warranty plan, they said it is engine rod bearing failure and engine needs to be replaced since it was covered by kia's warranty it had to go to a Kia dealership, i paid to tow again on 9-23. Kia dealership said it is a known issue with these engines that they fail all the time but kia will not cover it. they claim there is a "product improvement campaign" which is different from a recall. since i did not get a notice to install software that would tell me WHEN the engine fails they refuse to cover repairs. asked dealership for repair estimate: $8000. Local repair shop told me Kia Soul engines are on back order, even with a refurbished engine that had 70K miles on it their estimate is $13,000 I've had it less than 2 years and

Air BagsCrash2 injured
Filed Sep 29, 2022MD

On August 20, 2022, I was driving my 2017 KIA Soul and was slammed into in the front of my car, at full speed, by a KIA sedan which had sped across my path in an attempt to make an illegal U-turn across a highway. NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED in my KIA OR in the other errant KIA's car! I suffered physical injuries upon impact to the chest and sternum and was removed from the scene by ambulance. Since that awful crash, I have read a number of articles that KIA is in the process of issuing recalls for airbag malfunctions in their cars, beginning with the year 2017. This must be made known and corrected!

Suspension
Filed Sep 21, 2022TX

My struts we’re going through my dash board and I had it repaired and my engine light is just constantly on.

Engine
Filed Sep 21, 2022120,000 milesAL

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 50-60 MPH, the vehicle emitted an abnormal sound and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the roadway. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the residence. The local dealer and an unknown dealer were notified of the failure but had not called the contact back. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. There was no additional assistance provided. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Engine
Filed Sep 6, 2022OR

On or about June 20, 2022, I began an approximate 700 mile roundtrip from my home to the Oregon Sunstone Mines in SE Oregon. Approximately half way into the trip (and in the mountainous area where cell service is spotty at best and non-existant at most) my KIA Soul lost all propulsion beyond a top speed of 30MPH. With highway traffic, which consisted mostly of semi trucks and campers, trying to pass me on this two lane highway I was forced to impede the flow of traffic until I could find a place to pull to the side of the road. Once I pulled over I called my dealership to explain the problem. When I returned home I took the vehicle in to the dealership immediately. The problem was diagnosed as the Turbo which apparently got so hot it welded itself to the manifold. Since the vehicle was still under warranty the dealership kept the vehicle for repairs. It took 7 weeks to get my vehicle repaired and returned to me (at least 4 of those were without a loaner,) I embarked on another planned trip on August 15, 2022, of approximately 800 miles roundtrip. I only traveled 65 miles when the vehicle repeated its previous issue. I returned to the dealership and left the vehicle for repairs once more. As of September 6, 2022, I have been told the part is back order and the dealership is uncertain when or if it will be available. I believe this issue fits within a safety recall as it leaves drivers stranded in areas where services of any kind could be limited or unavailable and where the en

EngineFire
Filed Aug 24, 202261,000 milesIL

The contact owned a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, a cloud of black-colored smoke began to emit from the vehicle without warning. The contact attempted to stop the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal; however, the brakes failed to operate as needed. The contact used his emergency brake to stop and immediately exited the vehicle. Upon exiting the vehicle, the vehicle quickly caught fire; by the time the fire department arrived, the vehicle was incinerated. A fire report and police report were both filed, and no injuries were reported. The vehicle's remains were towed to an independent tow yard. The contact went to the unknown dealer where he was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

Engine
Filed Aug 23, 2022113,000 milesIA

The contact owns a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard where an independent mechanic diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.

Suspension
Filed Aug 23, 2022IL

When I bought my car in 2018, I didn’t like the way it drives. I had to take it back the next day to return it, but the dealer in North Aurora Gerald Kia said they wouldn’t take it back & I paid cash. I’ve been taking it back and forth from Gerald North Aurora to Bob Rohrman in Schaumburg Il. They have been been telling me every time, there’s nothing wrong. I’m hearing several noises in the Suspenion. So finally I told Bob Rohrman dealer to check everything before my warranty runs out. So far nothing didn’t happen until after my warranty. So I paid for 4 tires, front brakes, rotors. They finally said that I needed an Arm Control & a Strut, with low mileage, but Im steady hearing noises. I know know what to do. After I paid cash & had start going to find out what’s wrong with my car, the service dept was never friendly or professional. I always was told there’s nothing wrong with my car and that I know better. I’ve been driving since 17 yrs old and I’m 68.

Structure › Body
Filed Aug 15, 2022MD

The paint on my 2017 Kia Soul is peeling (delaminating) on the hood of the vehicle. The paint color is Pearl White, mileage is 81k, photos taken August 13, 2022.

Engine
Filed Jul 14, 2022MI

Purchased used Kia Soul 2017 and extended warranty in October 2020, in Niles, Michigan. Engine failed at 44,000 miles (approx. May 2022) in San Diego, CA. Towed to Kia Dealer, El Cajon, CA. Waited four weeks for new engine to be installed (Purchase of extended warranty covered cost of replaced engine). Drove vehicle for one week and then total engine failure on second engine. Towed to Kia, El Cajon, CA. Dealer provided no explanation other than "engines come wrapped to us, and we don't know if it is good or bad before we put it in the car." Totally unacceptable. Luckily, engine failure happened as it was exiting the freeway (San Diego) and was able to safely get to the curb on both occasions. Because vehicle was needed to drive from San Diego to Michigan (moving), and Dealer has had vehicle since second engine failure, Dealer agreed to buy vehicle, which we agreed on. Purchase 7-14-22. We are no longer the owners of this vehicle, but hope the situation is noted with NHSA. Thank you.

Engine
Filed Jul 6, 2022UT

On the freeway the engine began knocking and died very shortly afterwards. Vehicle had been well maintained and there were no warning lights.

Engine
Filed Jul 6, 2022IL

Kia was supposed to send me recall notifications. However I am the second owner of the car and kia told me on the phone that they sent my recall notifications to the original owner. I currently have unprepared recalls on my car. I made an appointment with a dealership and they had a 2 month waiting list to get my car serviced. While waiting for that 2 months to go by, while driving on the highway at 65 mph, my engine seized due to one of their recalls. I almost crashed because of that. Now I'm trying to get my engine repaired due to a manufacturers defect and kia is refusing to fix it. I have exhausted all other options and don't know what to do. But this is definitely a safety issue.

EngineFire2 injured
Filed Jun 23, 202280,000 milesIL

The contact owned a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal, knocking noise would emit from the engine without warning. The contact notified the dealer and they informed him that the knocking noise was normal vehicle operation. The contact then stated that while driving at 60 MPH as the knocking noise persisted, the noise grew increasing louder without warning. The contact looked out of his rearview mirror and saw a cloud of white smoke coming from underneath the vehicle. As he pulled over, he inspected the hood and saw flames encroaching towards the front driver's seat. The contact instructed his girlfriend to exit the vehicle, as he went back to retrieve a cell phone, he burned the hairs off both arms, and his right leg, as well as some hair on his head and face. The contact called the authorities while the vehicle became engulfed in flames as his children's safety seat and strollers were inside the vehicle. The children were not in the vehicle at the time of the failure. The contact also stated that part of a highway sign was burned due to the fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department and a police report was filed. The contact sought medical treatment at the scene where paramedics checked his vital signs and the burns to his body. The contact stated that both he and his girlfriend have suffered severe mental anguish as a result of the fire. The contact has suffered from traumatic dreams and hallucinations since the f

Engine
Filed Jun 22, 2022CA

My cars check engine light has come on at 87,659 miles with a p0420 code. My dealer has determined that this is a defective catalytic converter and because of the mileage it is not warrantied. In doing research the 2012-2016 Kia Soul with the 1.6 gdi engine. My car is a 2017 experiencing the same symptoms as the cars a year older. The recall campaign is 19v120000 with the NHTSA and SC 176 with KIA dating back to 04/17/2019. My cars model year being a 2017 had not been determined at that time to be effected as the mileage had not yet accumulated to the mileage of the previous years. Now that my 2017 car had reached the mileage in which previous cars where effected , it too is experiencing this defect. The safety issue lies in that when the car is driven it could overheat without any warning lights indicating that and overheating a cylinder, piston damage will occur leading to catastrophic failure that could launch a connecting rod out the side of the engine block and allow oil to spray onto hot exhaust manifold leading to a fire.I would like to see that the recall to cover added years (2017-2019) to this recall as this is a continuing safety issue. The dealership is not wanting to acknowledge and help in this matter so I am filing this complaint to document continuing failures to aid in extending model years covered.

Engine
Filed Jun 21, 2022TX

We were driving down the highway and the engine started making sounds like something was breaking. I pulled over and then couldn’t start it again. We had to have it towed to the dealership where we were told we needed a new engine without them explaining what happened or why. There were no symptoms of failure prior to the failure itself. Engine failure while driving down the interstate is dangerous and we are lucky nothing bad happened to us.

Engine
Filed Jun 12, 2022OH

Had my engine blow in my 2017 Kia Soul with 61,000 miles. There was no warning or issues prior

Service BrakesCrash
Filed Jun 10, 2022KS

I was in the right lane, of two lanes, proceeding north. I had waited at a red light, the second car back from the cross street. The light turned green and I was slowly proceeding, maybe going about 15-20 mph. Suddenly, the car engine raced and the front of the car veered left. There were cars in front of me, in the lane to the left of me, and behind me. I had both of my hands on the steering wheel the entire time. I, of course, took my foot off the gas pedal and applied the brakes. The brakes were not stopping the car. The car took off and was uncontrollable. I hit the car in the lane to my left, traveled across the same lane, then luckily ran up a curb and onto a median that had grass on it. The car was out of control and moving swiftly. I steered it to the right and off the median (which avoided hitting oncoming traffic head-on). The brakes were not stopping the car. I heard and felt that the car was hitting things: the car to my left, the median, etc.) I think the car may have spun 360 degrees, one complete revolution, and then jumped the curb and went up onto the median again. Again, I steered to the right to avoid crossing the median. The car then spun 180 degrees, and stopped perfectly facing south in the left northbound lane. (I thought I had gone up the median two times; however, maybe it was only once, as my passenger thought. I don't know if it was once or two times up the curb and onto the median. It all happened so fast.) Car was towed away. What failed: the car

Engine
Filed Jun 6, 2022CA

Engine seized and the piston rod put a hole in the engine block, spilling out all the oil. There was no warning light illuminated before the incident. There were no knocking before the incident. Kia is refusing to replace the engine. Stating I did not take it in to get the safety recall campaign. However, I never received a notice about this.

Engine1 injured
Filed May 31, 2022109,000 milesAR

The contact owned a 2017 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH said she heard a clicking sound coming from the engine as she depressed the accelerator. The contact heard a loud bang coming from the engine, smoke began to emit from under the hood. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled off to the left side of the highway and jumped over the highway divider and twisted her left ankle. The police and fire department was not called. The contact did not seek medical attention. The contact had the vehicle towed to her residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer. The contact's insurance provider declared the vehicle a total loss. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.

Engine
Filed Apr 27, 2022CA

Engine failed with no warning it just stalled and started to make a loud knocking noise, loss of power. I've keep up with may car getting oil changes and the engine light never turned on.

Service Brakes
Filed Apr 26, 2022TX

My air bag, ABS and Brake Lights all gave warnings at about the same time, as well as my speedometer going "haywire" on a cold start. I got a recall notice about my airbag (electrical problems) and took it in to Parkway Kia, and was told that the airbag was not part of the recall, and that it would cost $1000 to repair the lights, as several different sensors had gone out at the same time. Included was 5 or 6 repairs that had already been verified that I didn't need. If the dealership is using recall opportunities to push $1000s of unnecessary "maintenance" repairs on their vehicles, no one is going to trust those recalls and this is creating an unsafe driving environment for everyone. I contacted Kia corporate and they stated each shop is "independently owned and operated" and "repairs can be declined." Kia is making a farce of this process and using your agency to perpetuate fraud.

Engine
Filed Apr 24, 2022AR

My Kia stalled it had thrown a rod there wasn’t any warning the oil had been changed routinely and there wasn’t any check engine lights on

Reading these

NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Full record for the 2017 Kia Soul → · Every Soul year → · How the figures are calculated →