2020 Kia Soul Complaint Log

Unknown. Consuming oil at a high rate. Car also randomly loses acceleration power acting as if it’s in neutral.

My 2020 Kia Soul S is not even five years old yet and far under 100k miles and I noticed that the paint in several places has started to lift and this should not happen. I have heard that other Kia models with the same paint, Snow White Pearl, have had the same reported issue over the past few years. The paint started bubbling/lifting on the hood and above the drivers side rear door handle which has now peeled off.

The contact called on behalf of his wife who owns a 2020 Kia SOUL LX. The contact stated that they had began to notice that while driving at various speeds and turning the steering wheel the steering would remain turned and would not return to its original position, no warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was advised that the steering rack and pinion plugs were faulty and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 232,000.

The contact’s wife owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and turning the steering wheel, the steering wheel failed to return to center. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the steering rack, and pinion plugs were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 232,000.

I'd been having issues where the entirety of my oil reservoir would burn off before I was due for an oil change, which would result in my car having issues starting and running while driving on the road. I've had two separate mechanics not associated with Kia that have told me to take it to Kia and have told me about recalls on my vehicle for the same issues I'm having. I took it to Kia multiple times about the issue, and was given a 1000 mile oil consumption test which passed and then was told that there's nothing they could do for me as I passed the consumption test so in their eye's there isn't a problem.

The pearl white paint is pealing. And chipping

Engine using oil at only 45,000 miles. It's been less than 500 miles since last oil change and today had to put 1/2 quart of oil. Had all recalls done. Told the dealership it was using oil, they said it was a faulty gasket and oil drain plug was lose. Changed everything including oil,gasket and tightened the oil drain plug. But today less than 500 miles later had to add half quart of oil. I am the original owner and I know Kia says a quart per 1000 miles is acceptable. I have owned older cars with over 100,000 miles never used oil in between changes, I have owned new cars never had to top off between oil changes. I am afraid my engine should be recalled now, I don't trust my soul anymore. There's absolutely no reason for this car with 50,000 miles should be using oil. If it breaks down I am hearing that Kia probably won't repair or put new motor in as I have read and heard everyone saying. Even doing a compression test they won't pay for it unless it's rod bearing, no rental car during any time. I have lots of doctors appointments that are over 2 hours away and I am scared of being broken down ( disabled 61 years old female). I am scared that this car is going to cause me harm . I don't know if the dealership even looked into the rings when they did the recall. Also I have nobody to borrow car from so if Kia was to do the warranty I would need a loaner car, rental car for the duration of the work.

The car had transmission failure at 44000 miles.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH and attempting to pass another vehicle, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate while the RPMs were significantly high. The contact stated that she intendedly decelerated to 60 MPH; however, the failure recurred while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact pulled to the side of the road and parked the vehicle for 15 minutes. The contact resumed driving; however, the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH. The contact pulled to the side of the road and parked the vehicle for 20 minutes; however, the failure persisted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,306.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was unable to pull to the shoulder of the roadway but was able to restart the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The dealer initiated a 1,000-mile oil consumption test. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine) but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was unknown.

Appropriately April 2024, The engine service light came on at about 115,000 miles, followed by the 2020 Kia Soul X-line engine stopped running. I tried turning off the key and attempting to restart the car however it would start but for only a few seconds. After 5 or 6 tries to restart the car, I finally turned off the car, waited about 3 minutes and then restarted the car in as it continued to run. The check engine light remained on but I noticed that there was a drop in power when I tried to accelerate. Since then I have notice the engine check light go on and off several times. I recently brought my car in to have an oil change only to find out that there was no oil on the dipstick. I signed a form stating this and got the oil change completed. I have had the Software Program installed about 3 months after I heard of the recall, however the Local Kia Dealer will not do the diagnostic unless I pay a diagnostic fee because I have a check engine light on... I am calling KIA at the corporate number tomorrow to ascertain " IF " I will still have to pay for the Recall issues ...

I was driving to work. 12 miles my oil leaked. A state trooper turned around when seeing flames and called the fire department and tow truck. I lost control of the car, nothing was working. I was only ever given one recall notice which I fixed 2 months after buying the car. The car also has issues with security. Only certain insurance companies will cover the car and their prices are higher. We took car to dealership . three months later I contact attorney general. The GM this started attacking us, denying anything happened etc. He should be fired for how he treats people. Reviews of their business show others have had issues. Kia corporate has always told us they r waiting on images yet this GM contacted them, told us to leave, and screamed he would charge us for every day it was on lot. So we had it towed the next day. Insured company will be doing their own I xpection. This isn't about money, its about safety and these cars have slot of issues. It is wrong to blame the consumer for a faulty product. We had to get new car and now upside down in this one. We bought thus Kia be,cause the previous one the engine seized. We expressed our concerns, but got put in another car with issues. Kia corporate has been non talking to us the entire three months, so the only findings can be based on what GM said. They washed the motor. It sat so long the battery died. Someone went through papers in the glove box then left them out. We had medicine in the loaner, which they say is a lie. My daughter drives the car and recently was laid off. So now she can't have her medication..... Although she left it in the car they had no right to do that. There was plenty of other issues along the way.

Seat belt extenders are not made available at Kia Dealership.

Engine burning oil..started knocking

Pistion Rings

Piston oil ring failure resulting in needing a complete new engine. Known recall issues on other years same model/engine(2.0L). Car would lose oil pressure and stall while driving at any speed.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact was driving at approximately 35 MPH when the check engine warning illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and she was able to pull over and restart the vehicle. The check engine warning light would turn off and on. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised a new engine was needed. The contact checked online and discovered that the VIN was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine). The contact drove her vehicle to a local dealer who ran a test on the engine and advised the contact that to determine that the engine needed to be replaced she would need to pay a diagnostic fee. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact then drove her vehicle to another dealer who advised that she would need to pay a diagnostic fee to determine if the piston oil rings had damaged the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The contact owns 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where the camshaft accessory exhaust, the CVT exhaust, the timing belt tensioner, and the three bond were replaced. Additionally, an oil change was performed; however, the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the catalytic converter, the crankshaft sensor, the spark plugs, and the ignition coils were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 68,824.

The engine burns all oil out within 1000 miles of driving. No leaks, but oil disappers.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The following day, while the contact was driving, and in route to take the vehicle to the dealer, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V2590000 (Engine) however, the only part of the recall completed was the noise sensing software. The failure occurred the day after the recall repair was completed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer however, the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

The vehicle started with what felt like the car was going gently slower and faster as if it was almost out of fuel but had a full tank. This happened a couple times and I had the dealership check it out but they were unable to recreated the problem. This progress to a more obvious gear shifting harder or not when it should. There are times where when I try to accelerate, it shutters and doesn't want to go. I just recently had an issue after stopping for gas, where it lost power all together and started to almost redline. I pulled off to the side of the road and made several attempts to get going again and it would rev up but was not giving any power to the wheels. I shut off the vehicle and let it sit for a for moments and turned it back on and tried again and was able to get moving again. It didn't act up again until a few days later when I was heading to work. It would have this gentle feeling of having power and loosing power on the highway. When I got off the highway and started to go after I stopped it shuttered hard and I took my foot off the gas and it stopped and I was able to go. This is all the same characteristics of the vehicles with this transmission that do have a recall. This recall needs to be extended!!

My check engine light is on. I took to mechanic and the diagnostic code that came up as p1327:00. Piston Ring Noise Sensing System". And KIA issued a service bulletin [XXX] (Rev 1, [XXX]). I called the dealership Premier KIA in Kenner, LA. They refuse to even acknowledge or respond to have it checked out. I emailed owner and service manager and explained issue and informed them of everything and added that I did indeed have the software update done when the initial recall came out. Today February the car stalled on me as I was pulling out onto [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

When taken for oil changes, no oil is left on stick and motor will lock and cut off. I have to restart the car to get it to turn on.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal, with the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. Despite the failure, the contact was able to coast the vehicle back to the residence. The contact called several dealers and independent mechanics who were unable to service the vehicle or provided a high estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

I had transmission changed out in May of 23 and then in November the check engine lights starts blinking and now I need a new engine, prior to needing a new engine the car would cut off it was loud and it wasn’t taking off like it should.

The oil plug

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled and coasted to a stop. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to the residence and then towed to a dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was informed by the dealer that the vehicle failed to qualify for the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

My vehicle was stolen this morning from my home. I was not notified of a defect causing it to be stolen easily. Glass left in parking spot where car had been parked.

My vehicle was stolen. . They broke out window. The problem of kia’s being stolen has increased to the point local officials have filed a lawsuit against kia. The problem of these cars being easily stolen has been all over the news recently. People are getting killed because of reckless driving by the persons stealing the vehicles. I had no idea my car was vulnerable to this and was told when my engine was replaced, all updates had been made. I am not rich, i have no car and even though i have insurance doesn't mean they will pay off my vehicle. Stolen vehicle report has been made to the police. I have tried to file a clain on the kia claims website but it says theres no recall for my vehicle. It is a 2020 kia soul and has been a nightmare since i bought it.

Unknown. Im honestly not sure if this complaint would fit in this category. I have contacted Kia multiple times and have gotten no response. I had my Kia updated with the anti theft system and i have gotten denied insurance more than once due to the fact that the update does not include a passive engine immobilizer. Im honestly at a loss as to what to do since insurance companies have been a struggle to talk to due to the fact that my car is a kia soul and doesn’t have the right equipment. I really need this fix as i feel unsafe driving without insurance and it is not my fault or even under my control.

The engine was damage and the Kia Wesley chapel. Does not want to respond and is within the warranty and has less than 100,000 miles . The car broke do2n on the express and it turned off .

Apparently the engine according to the dealership. The engine has been stalling a slow speeds usually in stop and go traffic. No because they told me they will only drive it about a half a mile and not in the same conditions as I explained. I am being told the dealership has inspected this. Absolutely nothing appeared as a warning.

My husband was driving down the street in our 2020 Kia soul when under the hood of the car started to smoke profusely and a fire broke out under the hood of the car the engine was affected the car no longer turns on or turns over there was a recall for the engine overheating however we took it into a Kia location and June and they said nothing was wrong we took it in in May for recalls they said nothing was wrong they deleted all of the codes in the vehicle and one month later this happened in the car is no longer operable. Kia refused to help us at JT's Kia claiming that the car experienced wear and tear however the car was only 3 years old and there was no wear and tear. When we took the vehicle into address the recall we were told on two different occasions that there was nothing wrong with the car even though the overheating light kept coming on to deal with this they deleted all of the codes and denied anything was wrong with the car one month later my husband's life was almost taken by this vehicle catching on fire/overheated

Unresolved Recall. The vehicle was under recall in 2019 and should not have been sold by JTs Kia in Columbia, SC. The piston oil rings were affected in the 2019 recall and also caused an issue for the 2020 Kia Souls. The car was sold under recall. Once the revised recall came out in 2021 JTs Kia did not properly resolved the issue and later the car engine overheated and caught fire. JTs Kia Never took responsibility and told the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs that the Kia Corporation will not honor any repairs. The car was no longer able to turn on and JTs KIA is still selling these dangerous cars that has had piston oil ring issues since 2010

On August 15, 2023 my 2020 Kia Soul's engine over heated causing a fire under the hood. There after the car smoked and would not turn back on or turn over.

The engine when it heats up drives so rough. Then the car completely shuts off. This creates such a dangerous situation when on the freeway. The motor needs to be replaced. I bought car from a used dealership and have only had 2 months and the motor is gone. Recall on certain motors is garbage because this motor is suffering from the same problem as the GDIs. I have an MDI. $15,000 down the drain. Thanks

I purchased this car (Used) on 8/1/2023 and on 8/7/23 I called Kia and stated that the car started shaking while driving and I took the car to the dealership on 8/10 and they stated they could not find any problem, they would have if they had taken it out for a drive. After waiting all day from 9:30 until 4pm they found nothing. I saw my car just sitting there and no one doing any work or anything on my car. My car still shakes so bad while driving that even the steering wheel is shaking and now when I stop at a red light the car takes a few minutes before it will move. I have had this car for a month and 2 weeks and they will not return my calls to setup an appointment. Kia Corporate can't even get them to respond. What can I do to get help with this. I am even afraid to drive this car (2020 Kia Soul). I need some advice on what I need to do. HELP

I had a noise for 2 days when I made right turns. Then my check engine light came on July 30 2023. On July 31 2023 I went to where I received the car from which was century 3 Chevrolet and they told me to go across the street to century 3 kia. I went there told them the problem. I was told they couldn't do nothing for me till September 2023. Mind you the check engine light is on. I asked would I be fine to drive it he says yeah. 30 minutes later my car start to jerk then it cut off. I restarted it it jerked then drove a little before it completely just cuts off and starts drifting backwards I was still in drive it wouldn't restart I put it in park.

The tether buckles appear to be too small to clip into the vehicle tether anchors. When clipped in and an audible click is heard, the tether buckles release with a very light tug. I have tried tethering only one buckle as deep as the buckle allows and until I hear the click, but it still pops loose with a gentle tug.

So the actual oil piston ring problem started with the 2020 Kia soul, I had a recall and I took it to the Kia dealership, over 3 hours away and they performed their noise test and checked it over, I complained about burning quite a bit of oil and they said they would have to do a oil consumption test, so I agreed and they changed my oil and guess who had to pay for that, yes me, so I drive back home 3 hours and I decided to check my oil in the morning, they purposely over filled the oil, was half an inch over the fill level, but needless to say nothing was done about anything just like the 2021-2023 models, now I'm seeing a bunch of transmissions dieing out with the same model and yes my transmission died out a few weeks ago and nothing is being done about it, we're does it end with these car companies, extremely disappointed in the care and service I received from Kia, hopefully the transmission issue can get taken care of soon and hope that future models don't have to go through the same thing

Faulty design of rear right hand passenger seatbelt buckle prevents use while the left side of the split seat is folded down for cargo.

Approximately 30 miles into a trip, with mostly highway driving, the transmission failed completely. Stepping on the gas pedal caused the engine to roar but did not move the car. Unfortunately, this happened while I was driving eastbound on the San Francisco Bay Bridge, causing a very dangerous situation. There was a slight downhill at that point, so I was able to coast, but eventually the car stopped. Once it stopped, I turned off the engine and restarted it and put the car in Drive, but this did not enable me to move the car. I tried this a few times. This put me in great danger of being hit by other cars. Fortunately, the passenger was able to call 911 and a CalTrans tow truck arrived soon and pushed my vehicle, first to the shoulder and then into a bridge parking facility between the eastbound and westbound lanes. Another fortunate thing was that the traffic was moving well below the speed limit.

While driving down the street the car turned completely off. Had aaa Try to jump it…aaa guy said it looks like there might be a problem with the engine…it has been sitting at the car dealership for the last 3 weeks.

The car stalled when coming to a stop and would not start for over 5 mins while on a major road. When the car finally started engine light started to flash and at a fast speed. Got the car home and noticed the oil leaking heavily. I have only had the car for 2 weeks so I took the car into the AutoCare shop for diagnoses and the code came back as code p1327. I was told the car must go to the Kia dealership immediately and be towed.

I have two complaints. One just occurred while driving down the highway. My hood popped open. I do not go under the hood. I have my car serviced. The last time it was serviced was over a month ago. The hood popped open immediately the alarm began to ring and I pulled over. I got out on the side of the highway to close it. I immediately called the dealer and they say they have to keep my car to address this and another issue I previously reported. The other issue is my car revs and sounds like a race car. When I told them this they asked how many miles I have. I did pay for an extended warranty. The last time I serviced the car with them in November they said it was taken care of but it is not. I told them don't wait until the mileage reads high and the warranty has expired. I need my only vehicle to run appropriately. I looked today and it seems that the 2020 kia soul has engine issues which might account for the rev and poor running. I was told they should make the corrections free of charge. I am a woman dealing with this so it has been my experience that the treatment and service provided for a man and a woman is not always equitable. Please help.

I recently purchased this 2020 Kia Soul at the end of April 2023. About 2 weeks ago while I was stopped for a red light in a busy intersection and the "restart" feature was engaged as I had the brake pedal pressed but then as the light turns green and I move my foot from brake to gas (that step is supposed to restart the engine) it did not start immediatley as it should have, Which left me in the lane of traffic vulnerable to possible accidents until it restarted. It finally started after what seemed to be forever and embarassment caused by the restart failure. This event could have had a different outcome if the car wouldn't have restarted. I am taking the car to the dealer tomorrow to have it inspected. I wasn't that there was even a problem until this happened there were no warning lights. I also recieved a "voucher" in the mail to take with me to the dealer stating that my car is a high risk potential pre existing conditions with mechanical or electrical issues. I have only had this car less than 2 months and am already having issues with it. I think I'm regretting this purchase. There is also a sluggish gear shift in the transmission it does'nt seem to be working properly also an engine knock that wasn't there previously. It's not even due for the first oil change since purchase. Kia shoulkd get it together and stop duping unsuspecting naive first time car buyers like myself.

I bought this car in November of 2022 and it didn't make it its 3rd oil change. The car averaged a quart low at each oil change but that didn't seem to outrageous to me. It drove perfectly until June when the check engine light randomly came on and started flashing. I took it to the dealership who told me I needed a new engine, they couldn't tell me why or what was wrong but they assured me KIA wouldn't cover the cost since there was no open recall. Now I have an almost $20k lawn ornament, it won't even start and KIA can't even tell me why.

The auto start-stop function sometimes will not restart. This time it happened in the middle of traffic at an intersection, and I had to put the car in park and restart it before I could move. This could cause a collision in busy traffic times or if people are not paying attention. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer at this time. During the time it shut off, the battery light and oil light came on, but I just had the car serviced three weeks ago and was told it passed their inspection (I only go to my manufacturer's dealership for service). The oil light and battery light shut off and did not reappear again after restarting the car. The vehicle can be available for inspection depending on time and date. This happened once before about a year ago, but the dealership said nothing was wrong with the vehicle.

ON 8/18/22 I HAD 5 RECALLS DONE ONE BEING SC209 THE PISTIONOIL RING, THAT WAS CAUSING IT TO STALL OUT/DIE IN TRAFFIC AFTER THE RECALL IT WORKED FINE FOR A FEW DAYS THEN IT PROGRESSIVE GOTTEN WORSE AND STARTED USING OIL, AND THE OIL LIGHT NO LONGER WORKED . ALSO AFTER A OIL CHANGE THE "ALERT FOR DUE OIL CHANGE " DID NOT RESET I TOOK IT BACK TO KIA OF CHATTANOOGA,(2/22/23) AND THEY PROCEEDED TO TELL ME EVERY OTHER THING THAT WAS WRONG AND DID NOT ADDRESS THE OIL LEAK OR THE STALLING OUT. THEY WERE DISMISSIVE OF MY CONCERNS AND TOLD ME THE ENGINE WAS FULL OF GUNK AND IT WAS FROM IMPROPER UPKEEP WHICH IS UNTRUE I TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT THE OIL CHANGE I HAD DONE WASNT REGISTERING, BUT I WAS IGNORED AND SO I TOOK MY KIA TO GOODYEAR(2/24/23) AND HAD THE $800+ IN REPAIRS DONE. WHICH STILL DID NOT REPAIR THE STALLING OUT. I TOOK IT BACK TO KIA ON 6/1/23 AND THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING TO IT SAYING MY WARRANTY WAS VOID SO I TOOK IT BACK TO GOODYEAR ON 6/2/23 HAD $250+ OF MORE WORK DONE AND IT STILL DID NOT FIX MY CAR . IT IS NOW SITTING IN MY PARKING LOT UNDRIVABLE BECCAUSE IT WILL NOT STAY CRANKED AND THE ENGINE NO LONGER SHIFTS GEARS ON ITS ON . THIS IS A ENGINE ISSUES AND THEY WILL NOT ADDRESS IT BECAUSE THERE ARE NOT ANY RECALLS .

On 5/27/23 I was stopped at a light in the middle of active traffic. When traffic started moving again, I put my foot on the accelerator. Nothing happened: the "check engine" light appeared on the dashboard as well as the "Auto Stop" light, which showed up yellow. The engine was dead. Cars in back started honking. I put on my hazard lights, turned the ignition off, waited a few seconds, then on impulse turned the key on again. Car started without a problem, and the indicator lights disappeared. I called the dealership but could not get a service appointment until Thursday. I am afraid my own car will kill me if this happens again in active traffic.