general problems of the 2011 Kia Motor Soul

Steering wheel making clunking noise ("clack"), as if getting loose, when the vehicle is on and the steering is turned to the right or to the left, while standing still or driving regardless of road or pavement. This noise also appears when going over bumps, ruts and raised reflective pavement markers, although in this instance is more of a combination of multiple 'clack' sounds as the wheels go over more than one road disturbance (I. E. Consecutive reflective markers). Manufacturer kia already has a recall for certain years of their kia optima model.

I was driving to work, making a left turn into the parking lot when the front passenger tire blew. The steering wheel pulled sharply to the right and I was pulled into a curb. This caused over $1600 worth of damage to the car. There was a huge hole in the side wall of the tire and no evidence of any metal or anything in the tire. Also, the tire pressure indicator light has never come on, so I know they were at the proper psi. I contacted the dealer when the accident happened, and was told they have no responsibility for the tires. They actually looked at the car and all they said was "this is just bad driving. " I then called the kia company and talked to three different people. Their conclusion was they are not responsible for the tires. One person even asked how much I weighed! this vehicle is a 2011 and only has 8,200 miles on it. I had to go through my insurance to get it fixed. I believe that kia should stand by these tires, because nexxen come standard on their vehicles. Since this has happened, I have researched online and have found people have had similar problems with the tires on kia vehicles.

When driving at any speed & need to suddenly stop, the vehicle brakes lock up & do not stop the vehicle in time. Basically, the tires lock up & the car continues to skid & screech. This is especially aggravated when the vehicle drives over a pothole or other defect in the roadway while braking or in constant stop-&-go traffic. The vehicle has narrowly missed crashing into other vehicles or structures numerous times. I noticed the problems within a couple of weeks of purchasing the new 2011 car. It feels very dangerous & scary & I'm very uneasy about driving in certain situations because I'm not sure if the car will respond properly in an emergency.