In the timeframe of 1 oil change had to add 3-4 qts of oil to my car and still have 1000 miles left before i have to have an oil change. It is a 2020 2L kia soul. The car has no leaks and has been properly maintained. I have taken it to a shop that told me that it is probably going to blow a motor in the next few thousand miles.…
Read full complaint
In the timeframe of 1 oil change had to add 3-4 qts of oil to my car and still have 1000 miles left before i have to have an oil change. It is a 2020 2L kia soul. The car has no leaks and has been properly maintained. I have taken it to a shop that told me that it is probably going to blow a motor in the next few thousand miles. The car only has 78,414 miles on it. They explained that if it blows to get ready to hopefully not crash as the power steering will go away.
NHTSA ODI #11608823
Mileage unknown · Aug 13, 2024
Engine
Car is making a knocking sound
NHTSA ODI #11608345
Mileage unknown · Aug 5, 2024
Engine
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 …
Read full complaint
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.
NHTSA ODI #11606648
114,502 miles · Aug 5, 2024
EngineService BrakesVehicle Speed ControlFire
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 ins…
Read full complaint
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.
NHTSA ODI #11606634
Mileage unknown · Aug 2, 2024
EnginePower Train
Unknown. Consuming oil at a high rate. Car also randomly loses acceleration power acting as if it’s in neutral.
NHTSA ODI #11606075
44,306 miles · Jun 26, 2024
EnginePower Train
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 depr…
Read full complaint
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.
NHTSA ODI #11597017
Mileage unknown · Jun 17, 2024
Engine
The car had transmission failure at 44000 miles.
NHTSA ODI #11594910
Mileage unknown · Jun 14, 2024
Engine
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 …
Read full complaint
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.
NHTSA ODI #11594426
117,517 miles · May 16, 2024
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System
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, wa…
Read full complaint
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 ...
NHTSA ODI #11589014
26,000 miles · May 13, 2024
Electrical SystemEngine
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shaking, vibrating and a loss of motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced but the failure persisted. The contact stated th…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was shaking, vibrating and a loss of motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The engine was replaced but the failure persisted. The contact stated that later while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine) however, the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who informed the contact that the DC-to-DC converter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,000.
Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Soul, and 2021 Seltos vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which may result in engine damage.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, oil may leak onto hot exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Kia will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. The recall began June 11, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC209.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1
DP22003 · Loss Of Motive Power
Opened Sep 12, 2022 · Closed Dec 12, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are susceptible to cracking. The petition itself can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11481745. On September 12, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Defect Petition (DP22-003) to evaluate the Petitioners’ request. The Petitioners have provided additional complaints within four supplemental letters dated January 31, 2023, March 21, 2023, May 23, 2023, and August 4, 2023. ODI’s evaluation included the review and analysis of the complaints and supporting information submitted by the Petitioners, as well as additional complaints submitted directly to NHTSA which referenced either the oil drain plug or a crack in the oil pan. After reviewing the available data, ODI has not identified evidence that would support opening a defect investigation into the oil drain pan assemblies of the subject vehicles. Based on a review of the available information, a loss of motive power resulting from an oil drain plug back out has not occurred between the initial sale of a vehicle and the completion of its first oil change. If during an oil change service, a technician fails to remove the existing drain plug gasket before installing a new gasket, it is likely that a proper seal between the drain plug and the oil pan will not be made. An improper seal between the drain plug and oil pan could lead to the backing out on the drain plug, resulting in the sudden loss of oil while driving. Additionally, the provided examples of oil pan cracks were localized to the immediate vicinity of the oil drain plug and/or appeared to be the result of direct-contact with a tool during servicing. There is no information to support that a vehicle-based defect exists relating to the oil pan assembly, and instead the documented incidents are related to the failure to follow the proper maintenance procedures during oil change service. In October 2023, Hyundai published a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that provided detailed instructions for oil change service on its gasoline powered vehicles, specifically highlighting the need to remove and replace the existing drain plug gasket prior to reinstalling the drain plug. After a thorough review of the material submitted by the petitioner, the information already in NHTSA's possession, and the potential risks to motor vehicle safety implicated by the petitioners' allegations, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. Therefore, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA’s reasons for denial of the petition will be published. The reference numbers for the complaints to NHTSA cited by the petitioner can be found in the petition submission documents in the public file for DP22-003. To review those complaints and the additional complaints ODI added to its evaluation which are cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.
2020 Kia Soul Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year