2016 Kia Soul

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 KIA SOUL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO CRANK UPON TURNING THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. DURING THE SECOND ATTEMPT, AN ABNORMAL NOISE WAS HEARD. THE VEHICLE PARTIALLY STARTED AND AN UNKNOWN INDICATOR ON THE STEERING WHEEL FLASHED FOR LESS THAN TEN SECONDS BEFORE THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN DUE TO THE INTERMITTENT FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED BY A DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 17V608000 (STEERING), BUT THE CONTACT DID NOT RECEIVE A NOTIFICATION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EXHIBITING FAILURES RELATED TO THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. THE RECALL WAS ISSUED ON NOVEMBER 16, 2017. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED ABOUT DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT A FEW MONTHS AGO THAT INVOLVED ME LEAVING THE ROAD AND THAT I WAS COMPLETELY AIRBORNE LANDING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE EMBANKMENT MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY UNDER THE FORCE OF MY CAR GOING AIRBORNE AND LANDING SO HARD THAT MY UNDERSIDE OF MY CAR WAS TORN UP NEEDING ALMOST 6,000 DOLLARS IN REPAIRS. INCLUDING BREAKING MY OIL FILTER OFF OF THE CAR. I WAS TOLD THAT MY AIRBAGS SHOULD HAVE COMPLETELY DEPLOYED. BUT THEY DID NOT. I REALLY AM SCARED THAT IF I WAS IN ANOTHER ACCIDENT THEY WILL NOT DEPLOY WHEN NEEDED TO SAVE MY OR MY FAMILIES LIFE.

ON A TRIP, I WAS DRIVING ON A COLD, RAINY NIGHT AND THE WINDOWS BEGAN TO FOG UP SO I TURNED ON THE HEAT/DEFROSTER WHICH CAUSED ALL THE WINDOWS TO QUICKLY AND TOTALLY FOG OVER. THE RIGHT SIDE WAS SPITTING WATER ON TO THE WINDSHIELD THIS WAS SO BAD THAT I HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. IT TOOK OVER FIVE MINUTES FOR THE WINDOWS TO CLEAR EVEN AFTER I TURNED ON THE A/C AND WAS WIPING THEM WITH A TOWEL. I DID A TEST THE NEXT MORNING WHEN IT WAS NOT RAINING BUT COLD AND DAMP. I STARTED THE CAR AND TURNED ON THE HEAT/DEFROSTER. ALL THE WINDOWS AND EVEN MY GLASSES FOGGED OVER. IT WAS OVER TEN MINUTES BEFORE THE WINDOWS CLEARED EVEN WITH THE A/C ON AND USING A TOWEL. I CHECKED ON LINE AND FOUND MULTIPLE EXAMPLES OF SIMILAR SITUATIONS OVER SEVERAL YEARS. E.G. THIS VIDEO SHOWS EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=SBOJEHJMCYI&SNS=EMISL HERE ARE OTHER EXAMPLES: HTTPS://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/KIA/SOUL/2015/AC_HEATER/EXTREME_HUMIDITY_ON_WINDOWS.SHTML HTTPS://WWW.KIASOULFORUMS.COM/2-SOUL-GENERAL-DISCUSSION-GEN-1/73641-INSIDE-WINDOWS-FOG-UP-REAL-BAD.HTML I LIVE IN THE DESERT SO RARELY RUN INTO THESE CONDITIONS BUT THAT DOESN'T LESSEN THE DANGER. KIA DEALERS SEEM TO AVOID SAYING IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR'S DESIGN BUT IT SEEMS MOST LIKELY CAUSED BY POOR DRAINAGE AND/OR POORLY DESIGNED AIR FLOW.

OIL LIGHT CAME ON, PULLED OVER TO CHECK OIL. AS CAR SLOWED DOWN THE OIL LIGHT STARTED TO BLINK, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE ENGINE STARTED TO KNOCK AND MISFIRE. WHEN THE CAR GOT TO ABOUT 15-20 MPH IT STALLED / CUT OFF AND I HAD TO COAST TO A PARKING LOT TO STOP. CAR TURNED BACK ON, BUT IMMEDIATELY BEGAN SQUEAKING AND KNOCKING BADLY. CAR WAS TOWED TO A SHOP WHERE WE WERE TOLD THE MOTOR IS "BLOWN". SINCE ALL SERVICE RECORDS COULD NOT BE PROVIDED KIA WILL NOT HONOR THE WARRANTY (UNDER 60K MILES), EVEN THOUGH THE OWNERS MANUAL SPECIFICALLY STATES THAT A LACK OF MAINTENANCE RECORDS CANNOT BE THE SOLE REASON WARRANTY CLAIMS ARE DENIED. THE PREVIOUS VERSION OF THIS MOTOR IS ALREADY RECALLED, AND THIS VERSION IS ALREADY SUSPECTED TO BE DEFECTIVE AS WELL. QUOTED ROUGHLY $6,000 TO REPAIR THE MOTOR, HAS A REPLACEMENT IS NOT AVAILABLE, AND ALL MOTORS ARE BACKORDERED FROM THE MANUFACTURER.

VEHICLE IS USING OIL. BOUGHT EXTENDED WARRANTY AND AROUND 60,000 MILES, TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP. WAS TOLD IT'S NORMAL FOR IT TO USE OIL. I'M HAVING TO ADD 1-2 QUARTS OF OIL EVERY 800-1000 MILES. IT ALSO RUNS VERY ROUGH AND WAS TOLD SINCE IT'S NOT THROWING A CODE, THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THAT. I'VE HAD ALL ROUTINE MAINTENANCE DONE AND HAVE THE OIL CHANGED REGULARLY. THERE IS SIGNIFICANT BLOW-BY WHEN ENGINE IS RUNNING AND THE OIL CAP IS OFF. AGAIN, I WAS TOLD THIS IS NORMAL. I KNOW THIS ISN'T RIGHT. I'M APPROACHING MY 100,000 MILE WARRANTY AND I THINK THEY JUST KEEP TELLING ME EVERYTHING IS NORMAL, WAITING FOR ME TO PASS THE WARRANTY MILEAGE. NOT IMPRESSED AT ALL WITH KIA CUSTOMER SERVICE. THEY DO NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCT.

I WAS GETTING READY TO MERGE ONTO THE INTERSTATE WHEN I HEARD NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. WHEN I GOT ONTO THE INTERSTATE THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, SO I PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER, AND THE ENGINE DIED. SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD, AND TWO MEN IN TWO VEHICLES STOPPED AND OPENED THE HOOD AND FLAMES WERE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THEY HAD WATER AND A FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND ALSO THREW SOME DIRT ON THE FIRE TO PUT IT OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS BOUGHT. THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAD THE KIA SOUL TOWED TO DENVER COLORADO TO HAVE THEIR AGENT LOOK IT THE KIA. IT WAS DECLARED A TOTAL LOSS AND WAS NOT AN ARSON FIRE. THE KIA DEALERSHIP FROM WHICH THE KIA SOUL WAS BOUGHT NEVER INSPECTED THE SOUL. ALL ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WAS DONE ON SCHEDULE BY THE KIA DEALERSHIP FOR THE 9 MONTHS I OWNED THE KIA. IT WAS BOUGHT NEW IN DECEMBER OF 2016 AND CAUGHT FIRE IN SEPTEMBER OF 2017. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS NEVER DETERMINED AND KIA NEVER TOOK ANY RESPONSIBLE.