Electrical System Problems of Kia Motor Soul - part 2

On 12/30/2024 my wife was returning home when all of the instrument lights went out. She stopped to make attemps to get the lights to come on but nothing worked. She had to drive home with no instruments for speed, directions, service, etc. When she got home ( very upset ) she only wanted to know why e new car with only 1400 miles would have this problem. I checked all the obvious cause for this condition but I could not find anything obviuos such as blown fuse, etc. Searching on line I found this was a common problem and people said a temporary fix was to disconnect the battery and retighten. This did work for the time but soon it did the same thing on new years eve and after supper we had to drive home with no dash lights. On 01/04/2025 the lights were out and error messages kept appearing. On 01/06/2025 I called the dealer service because of the safety problem and asked to speak to the manager and I have still not heard from him. My wife now refuses to drive the car and I understand why.

See all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Soul 🔎.

Headlamp multi-function switch service campaign hazwewdiouse may cause colition or vision impairment. From ongoing traffic and or insufficient illumination while driving lights will flicker, causing drivers to high beam you, it does not matter if the high beams are on or not, the light will randomly flicker and turn off, very dangerous in southern and eastern areas, there is limited to no street/road lights it has been noted that for some 2014 kia Soul models, kia issued a warranty extension and a service bulletin (sc330) to address intermittent flickering of the low/high beams. This is caused by wear on the contact points inside the multi-function switch, which controls the headlights and turn signals. Kia has extended the warranty on this specific component from 5 years/60,000 miles to 15 years/unlimited mileage from the date of the vehicle's first service. If your headlights are flickering, you can have a kia dealer diagnose and replace the switch at no cost to you under this warranty extension. This malfunction is not just happening to the specific year, component: headlamp multi-function switch problem description: the vehicle's headlights and/or high beams intermittently flicker and turn off while driving. This is a severe safety hazard, as it causes momentary vision impairment and can lead to a collision. Hazardous condition: the flickering and sudden deactivation of the headlights cause temporary blindness for the driver and can lead to a loss of control or a collision. The erratic light behavior causes a "high-beam" effect on oncoming traffic, causing other drivers to react by flashing their high beams in an unprovoked manner. This issue is extremely dangerous in areas with limited or no streetlights, where visibility is already compromised. History: I have experienced this issue on multiple occasions. I am aware that kia has issued a service campaign (sc330) for certain kia Soul models regarding this issue, but my vehicle is not included in.

See all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Soul 🔎.

Hello, I would like to report that someone attempted to steal my 2010 kia Soul. The incident occurred on [xxx], in san jose, CA 95111. As a result of the attempted theft, there is damage to the car’s steering wheel and ignition. Please let me know if additional information or documentation is needed to assist with this report. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2010 Kia Motor Soul 🔎.

My 2017 kia Soul failed while going 70 on the highway, almost completely lost power. Pull over to the side of the road to check the issue. Checked the oil, and it was down to less than a quart. There was no indicator light to bring attention to this issue. Brought it into the dealership after returning home. The Soul was completely unsafe to drive due to engine knocks. Despite letting the dealership know of the oil lamp issue, they are still refusing to do anything about this issue, even charging me six thousand to only fix the symptoms. I wasn’t the only person to experience this issue, moving me to make this complaint. In summary: oil was low due to oil burning, the Soul never indicated as such, no oil pressure, completely lost power at accelerated speeds, and now the bearings in the motor are destroyed with no help from kia company. Contact the kia dealership in boardman for more information in regards to a detailed list of part failures in regards to the Soul.

See all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Soul 🔎.

The battery on this vehicle is absolutely worthless. If tales 8 hours to charge and on a full charge it will get 37 miles. The dealership refuses to replace it and the I owe over 10k on the vehicle.

See all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Soul 🔎.

I was driving about 50mph when my car suddenly stopped accelerating. I rolled down the hill a little before I hit the brake and put the car in park right in the middle of the street in traffic.

2022 kia Soul, engine failed on the highway interstate. Was traveling on 528 in FL at 70mph and I slowed down due to an accident infant of me and went to accelerate again and my car shut down. And thats is when my engine failed. This is not safe at all. Took three weeks to get fixed car was only t 61,000 miles also head gasket was leaking at the time they found. But plenty of oil and jut had an oil change the week prior. Then a week after my engine replacement my starter went out. Kia corporate did not help with any warranty and the dealership are responsible for any types of warranty and they won’t grant a good will warranty. So kia is an awful car manufacturer. Something needs to be done. And kia is not inspecting why my engine failed or why m starter went bad at only 61,000 miles.

See all problems of the 2022 Kia Motor Soul 🔎.

The contact owns a 2013 kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in a carport and suddenly caught fire. The fire had expanded and caused damage to their garage near the carport and other vehicles within the garage. The fire department had arrived and put out the fire. A fire report stated that the failure was caused by an electrical issue. The vehicle was towed and identified as totaled. There were no injuries and no medical attention was needed. The contact learned that the vehicle was included in the NHTSA campaign number: 23v652000 (service brakes, hydraulics), which states the failure could cause a fire. The deaelr had not been contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.

See all problems of the 2013 Kia Motor Soul 🔎.

Upon releasing the break, all warning lights appear (like when initially starting the vehicle). Then they usually all turn off again. From time to time, specific lights come on but disappear upon turning the engine off and then on again. In effect, it's hard to tell if there really is a maintenance issue or not.

See all problems of the 2020 Kia Motor Soul 🔎.

While driving vehicle; stalling, sputtering, failure to shift gears, engine knocking/shaking car. Altinator was replaced and stopped sputtering. Following day I was going 55 mph and car completely stalled out on a busy road and almost got rear ended and car lost power car was towed to kia dealership for further diagnostics test. Failures of systems have been on going but always started back up after leaving dealership where purchased. After altinator was replaced batter light and oil light came on dash along with check engine light stalled for about a minute I turned car off and back on and it was able to drive off lot. Place of purchase would do a temporary fair and also changed transmission fluid. One hour later was when vehicle stalled out and lost power.

The brake lights do not work even after they change all of them at the dealership.

See all problems of the 2018 Kia Motor Soul 🔎.

Multiple stations failed emission inspection in texas for fuel not completed and evap not completed. Tried multiple things to fix. Took it to shop that kept for days and diagnosed with logic lock with the ecm/ecu. Basically bad ecm which is common problem with kia Soul and there are recall for models older than 2016. Moritz kia kept for 17 days and said they could not figure out issue but ordered new ecm. I contacted dps and got steps to get waiver because it could take weeks to get part. Asked kia to inspect again since two failed inspections required for waiver. Some how it passed inspection with the same two not completed emissions. In texas vehicles newer than 2001 are allowed only one not ready. Kia said they would not replace ecm since it passed inspection. Appears they are trying to not fix known issue. Concern is if a real issue with car happens the ecm will not update with error since it has logic lock. There are lots of reports of issues with the ecm and kia not honoring warranty. The ecm is covered for 8 years 80k and the car has 7 years 70k now. It appears they are just trying to delay fixing issue. If battery is pulled, obd code reset, or ecm pulled out none of the codes reset like they should.

See all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Soul 🔎.

The contact owns a 2017 kia Soul. While the contact was asleep, they were awoken by an abnormal, burning smell. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the rear end of the vehicle had caught fire. A neighbor called the authorities and the fire department extinguished the fire. The fire department informed the contact that the fire was caused by an electrical wiring failure in the rear taillights. No injuries were reported. A police report was filed. The vehicle remained in the contact's possession. The vehicle had yet to be inspected or diagnosed for the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

Went out to my car one morning and my entire instrument cluster was black. I could not see my speedometer, gas gauge, mileage, nothing. Had to drive it for 2 days while using waze to keep track of my speed until I could get my car into the dealership. I have been waiting for 3 months now for the part.

We were going south on [xxx] about 25 mph intending to make a left turn onto [xxx] my wife said “slow down or you won’t make the turn” to which I replied “I am trying but it won’t slow down” as I applied the brakes to slow down to turn, instead the car started to speed up and I could not make the left turn. I continued down the road trying to slow down enough to attempt a left turn on to [xxx] but the car continued to go even faster, so I pumped the brakes trying to slow down and get the car to stop. Instead, the car kept speeding up faster. In seeing I was close to the end of the dead-end road I swerved to the right to avoid the parked train cars at the end of the road only to crash into the corner of a building which stopped us. At which time I was rendered unconscious. Something caused the car to speed up excessively and the brakes were unresponsive and should be available for further inspections. Not being able to physically get the car under control put the safety of my wife, myself, and others at risk. In researching I have found that this problem has been reproduced in real time and experienced by multiple others in recent years. Our insurance company has had the cars edr data inspected although further inspection is warranted. There were no prior warnings or symptoms of this problem until the above incident. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Soul 🔎.

The contact owned a 2018 kia Soul. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 65 mph, another driver advised her to pull over. The contact stated that the vehicle started jerking and the driver noticed that there was smoke coming from underneath the front end of the vehicle. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact's daughter was able to veer to the side of the road and exited the vehicle. The driver then noticed fire underneath the front end of the vehicle. The contact stated that the entire vehicle caught on fire. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact was unsure whether a fire department report and a police report were filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed and totaled. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.

I have a 2016 kia Soul. Second owner. 144,000+ miles. For nearly a year my car has been consuming oil at an alarming rate. But I have no oil leaks anywhere. My dealership did an oil consumption test about 5-6 months ago and within 1000 miles, I was already below the half way line on my dipstick but the dealership told me I was still in range and sent me on my way. Fast forward a few months and I brought up my concerns again with my dealership and the oil consumption. I was told to drive it until the engine seizes and they would tow me. At which point, I told them that sounded dangerous but apparently kia will not do anything for my vehicle if all it is doing is consuming oil. July 26, I’m out of town about two hours + from home and out of nowhere my car starts idling high. Failing to shift gears. If I go to speed up past 60mph, the car forcibly bogs down to 45mph and struggles to get back up to speed. The vehicle was shaking, knocking, and struggling with performance. I drove the car to a small town and checked my oil. Bone dry. So I top it off with a couple quarts. I drove the car to a non kia dealership where a mechanic told me my car was misfiring. He popped the hood and for the first time, my engine was knocking back and forth. It’s never done that. He said that he felt confident there was rod damage and drove it around the block. When he returned he said it was not safe to drive and I had it towed to the closest dealership over an hour away. The dealership felt extremely confident that my car was going to qualify for the motor swap warranty that kia offers up to 150,000 miles or 15 years. Keep in mind, my car never once threw a check engine light during any of these occurrences, nor did a low oil light ever come on in the 4 years I owned the vehicle. My vehicle has been down 3 weeks and still has not been fixed from kia.

Unknown.

On [xxx], I was driving home from tampa bay International airport and noticed that I get less acceleration and my car shut off while driving and caused me to crash into a guardrail. Before accident, told kia about my car shutting off and right when warrant ran out, parts would fail. Had to buy a sensor, alternator (70,000 miles). Also catalytic converter (81,000). Six months later after I bought alternator, alternator and battery (1 year old) died at the same time. I am lucky that this accident did not heart me or others. It could of happened in front of a truck. There were no warning lights on dash board. Seatbelt light was on even though I was wearing seatbelt. Brought car to kia dealership and did least amount of checking. Had two independent mechanics look at it with one saying to be careful of kias because they are the most in his shop. My insurance look at the vehicle. Vehicle is in geico site in sarasota, told me anyone can go and look at the car. Will attach geico claim; if past maintenance records are needed let me know. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The entire instrument cluster above the steering wheel is blacked out, and the car is constantly saying “wrong driving direction detected. ” I cannot see my speed, fuel gauge, odometer or whether there are safety alerts.

Car burning oil every 1,000 miles or less causing catalytic converter to over heat, which could cause fire. Wiring harness on driver side shorting lights out which could cause a fire. Vehicle can be ready for inspection at anytime. Have been calling dealer about it since 2019 said recall was fixed but wasn’t done properly. Electrical issues started around 01/15/2024.

I had my vehicle in park in my driveway. I was standing outside the vehicle & after I pulled the keys out of the ignition, the vehicle started rolling backward. My feet were on the ground the whole time, the vehicle was in park. I pulled the emergency brake as it was rolling with my legs stuck between the car and the door. I was finally able to push myself into the car to hit the brake with my foot & the car stopped right as it hit the curb of the other side of the street. My legs are extremely bruised from this and if anyone had been behind the vehicle, they would have been ran over as I could not stop it even though it was in park. This just happened so it has not yet been inspected by a mechanic or the dealership. There were no warnings, messages, or symptoms before this happened. It was clearly sitting in park perfectly fine before the engine was turned off. This is extremely dangerous. I have a video from my security camera that shows the entire incident. I'm unable to upload.

See all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Soul 🔎.

The engine caught on fire. The car cut off while I was driving. It began to smoke and then I saw the flames. My safety was put at risk because I was driving the car. The car is burned from the front bumper to the backseat. The car has not been inspected because of how bad it is burned. There were not any warnings of the failure before it happened.

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 . . .

Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel replacement.

The car stared to lose all power and sputtering. Then the check engine light started coming on then it would go off. This has been going on for about 4 months. One day it would run on then next day not good at all. I changed the plugs and coils and it ran a lil better for about 2 days. Not every time I put it in reverse I started cutting out and now I don't the it can idle at all. It's a 4 cylinder feeling like a beefed up v8 trying to ideal. I looked at my coils and it looked like it had been on fire I have put every bit of money I could to try to fix it. I just had tires put on too. I pay for full coverage and a car payment. I pay aot for this car every month yet I can't drive it. I take care of my father that is terminal and on hospice, plus I'm disabled myself on a fixed income. This car is all I have and it my only car for my father as well. Help pleas.

The contact owns a 2014 kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 mph and slowing for a traffic signal, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle made an abnormal clunking noise and failed to slow as needed. The contact started tapping the brake pedal and eventually the vehicle slowed down and stopped. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing electrical failures. The contact stated that the turn signals and unknown warning lights failed to function properly. The contact stated that when the electrical failures occurred, the area of the dashboard surrounding the instrument cluster would be very hot to the touch. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.

See all problems of the 2014 Kia Motor Soul 🔎.

Kia is refusing to repair a 2016 Soul subject to NHTSA recall no. 23v-218.

On April 11,2024, I attempted to drive my Soul ev out of the parking lot of my place of employment going less than one block only to have the power severely limited (from a speed of 40mph to 15mph on a busy road at rush hour). I was able to safely get myself to a parking lot and placed the car in park. I noticed both the triangle with the exclamation mark and ev in the center plus the turtle lights illuminated on the dashboard. I searched those lights and discovered there was an immediate warning about the ev battery and a failure within the battery plus a problem with the temperature of the battery cooling system. I turned the car off, placed it in park and attempted to drive again within the parking lot only to have the same scenario repeated. I was informed by the kia service center that "kia engineers are aware of this problem but there's no solutions. This is the third time I have received a notice that the ev battery may malfunction or ignite and cause a fire. This car just had a battery recalled due to a malfunction as I had the car stop suddenly on a 3 lane highway. I waited months to get a replaced battery, then I got a recall notice but my battery had been replaced but I had to have some "wiring harness" repaired with the computer upgrade. Now suddenly the car stopped and showed a warning light about the temperature of the motor is too high. The service advisor acknowledged the car is unsafe to drive and has been unsafe.

Car stalled in the middle of the road while driving. Took it in to dealer ship for a recall to get this repaired or flashed. Engine burning excessive oil. Car has always been kept up with maintenance. While operating the vehicle the car stalled due to low oil compression. Vehicle has aprox 155k miles. Check engine light has came on. Due to the issue that car engine is burning oil there is a new permanent code p0420 which is a bad catalyc converter since the cars emission system is failing. Car has been sitting at home for about 1 month or longer as we don’t drive it and are still financing the vehicle.

Despite being assured for years by kia that my vehicle was not affected by this recall, I received a recall notice in December 2023 for the hecu. Now it is April, and my vehicle still is not repaired because kia still has not supplied the part required to fix this safety issue. Because of the high theft issue of my vehicle, I cannot park it outside and kia is now telling me I cannot park the vehicle inside because of fire hazard. I have had to pay a higher insurance premium just to keep my car insured and have even been denied insurance by farmers and progressive. I am afraid to drive my car and how am I supposed to afford another car? some dealers will not even consider the car as a trade in.

See all problems of the 2012 Kia Motor Soul 🔎.

Car is not starting.

Car stalling on highway and blowing smoke out of the exhaust. No warning lamps or messages. Mechanic thinks it’s the catalytic converter.

I've received two things in the mail about recalls one is about the car being able to catch on fire due to some fuse that they don't even have a part for this. . . This is unacceptable. I mean, how long am I gonna be waiting on a part and have to worry about my car catching on fire. Second I got something in the mail about kia being sued about people being able to steal the car from the ignition just seems like kia needs to take this car back because it seems like there's way too many issues it very unacceptable when I have kids that this car could catch on fire driving or just sitting in my yard unacceptable.

My complaint has to do with the current recall on my vehicle. It's not driveable as it's safety hazard - engine quits at stops no rpm's panel lights (abs, battery (brand new as mechanic I went to put on diagnostic machine and that's only thing that showed) oil light and malfunction indicator illuminate and then everything goes off including my headlights (I was driving early evening). Called local dealer (I never received notice but by chance looked up to see if any recalls and saw it on your website. They rudely said "you know as much as we do about when we'll get parts to repair recall". Clearly it's shorting out and I'm not going to endanger myself or others but what do I do? I've have a number of medical issues and am missing necessary appointments. How much longer is it expected before recall repairs can be made? I do thank you for all you do. I am grateful an entity exists that look out for us. Least I don't feel totally lost.