2020 Kia Soul

The dealership installed the knock sensor in my car in November 2022 due to recall. Yesterday 12/12/22 when I left work, my car knocked so loudly the whole car was shaking. The car slowed and the check engine light came on. The car slowed while I was in process of accelerating to get up to speed on a busy urban street. There were several cars and I was afraid I was going to get hit due to the sudden deceleration. My car was towed to a Kia dealership. I was told it would be one to two week before they could even do a diagnostic on it and they could not give me a rental. I’m paying a car payment for a car that has broken down multiple times. The dealership said they were having a lot of cars being brought in because kids were stealing them after watching a tik tok where they’re shown how easy it is to steal a Kia and taking the cars for joy rides and wrecking them. When I took the car to the dealership in November, they didn’t fix anything, only put the knock sensor on. Now, just a few weeks later, its knocking and and the sensor is going off. I told them it sounded odd, knocking sort of when I found out about the recall. I bought this car because I needed a more dependable car. My other car was getting older and I am getting older and have health issues. I do not feel safe in this car with all the problems I’ve had.

At around 91, 697 miles, our 2020 Kia Soul EX began to have issues with the engine stalling out while downshifting in lower speeds, We took our Kia into the local (still an hour away from our home) dealership, for the recall "fix" which involved uploading a firmware update to the ECM for the knock sensor. We also had the dealership look into the issue of stalling out, but they could not replicate the issue and therefore sent us on our way. About two weeks later, the vehicle started making an extreme knocking sound (I am a mechanic and knew what the issue was immediately), and it brought up a check engine light, however there was no oil light or warning of any kind that came on. Upon further inspection, it was discovered that there was no oil in the vehicle. Upon filling the vehicle back up with oil, everything seemed normal, until the weekend of 11 October, when the motor again had an extreme amount of oil consumption, to the point of the same symptoms, along with a loud rattling sound, as if something had broken due to lack of lubrication, despite having an oil change completed less than a month prior, with approximately 1200 miles due to the next oil change. This almost left us stranded approximately 1.5 hours away from home. Again, we filled the engine with oil, and drove with extreme caution as the check engine light never shut off. Again, no oil light or indication the vehicle was experiencing a no-oil condition was present. After getting an appointment and taking the vehicle into the dealership on 20 October 2022, the technician stated that there were multiple CEL codes, including P0017 Crankshaft Position, multiple cylinder misfire codes, and low compression on cylinders 2,3, and 4, with cylinder 2 being the lowest. It was deemed that the top end of the motor looked good, with no obvious signs of neglect in maintenance, or issues that may cause false codes. The vehicle continues to exhibit stalling, and low acceleration, posing a severe safety issue.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that twelve hours after the vehicle was purchased while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The traction control warning light and the check engine warning light are illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed and lubricant was placed on the wiring however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was offered an appointment scheduled for a diagnostic test and offered a trade for the vehicle, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 21,700.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30-40 MPH, the vehicle started jerking. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop at the traffic light, the vehicle shut off. The vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the vehicle experienced internal engine failure. The dealer informed the contact that the engine needed to be dis-assembled to provide a final diagnostic result. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine) which she associated with the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 37,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30-35 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the fuel injectors were replaced; however, the failure later reoccurred while refueling the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer Gunther Kia (1900 S State Rd 7, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33317) on four different occasions where the spark plugs were replaced and the fuel tank was drained; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 90.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The contact indicated that the vehicle had previously been inspected by the local dealer under an unknown Manufacturer’s Campaign. After performing an oil consumption test, it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The engine replacement was not yet performed. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced engine failure. The failure mileage was 26,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and accelerating to 50 MPH, the vehicle began to make an abnormal sound. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued to drive to her residence. The contact stated she added 3 quarts of oil to the engine. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact took the vehicle to a second local dealer: Kia of Lincolnwood (6750 Lincoln Ave, Lincolnwood, IL 60712:(847) 581-7500) where an oil consumption test was completed however, the mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine). The contact called the local dealer: Kia of Lincolnwood and made them aware of the letter. The dealer declined to service the vehicle. The contact stated she continued to experience the failure and added another less than a quart of oil. The contact called the local dealer: Kia of Lincolnwood and made them aware of the failure. The dealer made an appointment for the next day. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer however, the dealer declined to service the vehicle. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and the contact was referred to Napleton's Kia of Elmhurst (727 W Grand Ave, Elmhurst, IL 60126: (630) 530-6866). The contact took the vehicle to Napleton's Kia of Elmhurst but only had an oil change performed. The contact's husband also took the vehicle to Kia of Port Charlotte (202 Tamiami Trail, Port Charlotte, FL 33953: (941) 249-6171) however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact continued to experience the failure. The contact towed the vehicle to Berwyn Kia and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.

The vehicle was in perfect operating condition than began knocking. Less than two miles down the road the vehicle engine seized and a piston oil ring sheared. Shortened timeline: Jan 15 - engine knock, engine seized during transport (Jan 26) Jan 15 - Call to Lithia Kia in Anchorage, spoke to Brian (Service manager) confirmed on recall. Feb 18 - Kia Consumer Affairs (CA) schedules transport to Lithia Kia in Anchorage Feb 22 - Transport falls through on Kia end, denies all further transport. Feb 27 - Hired private transport ($500) March 1 - Lithia confirms Vehicle March 4 - Lithia demands service records March 10 - Service records are sent March 16 - Jessica Weaver with Kia CA looses contact with dealership March 18 - Brian with Lithia Kia in Anchorage says they do not honor recalls on rebuilt or salvage titles.