2020 Kia Soul

IN MAY 2020, FOUR MONTHS AFTER LEASING NEW CAR, CAR STALLED WHILE DRIVING IT (WHEEL LOCKED AND ENGINE SHUT DOWN). LUCKILY ONLY ON A RESIDENTIAL ROAD AND NOT HIGHWAY. CAR MADE SLIGHT ENGINE SOUNDS, BUT NO DASHBOARD LIGHTS INDICATORS AT ALL AT ANY POINT.. MANAGED TO DRIVE CAR 10 MINUTES HOME (IT STALLED AGAIN). TOWED CAR TO DEALERSHIP. ENGINE (ONE CYLINDER) HAD TO BE REPLACED WAS TOLD PUT TOGETHER INCORRECTLY AT FACTORY, AND THAT OIL WAS ALMOST COMPLETELY USED UP, ENGINE COULD HAVE EXPLODED. CONFIRMED COULD HAVE STALLED ON HIGHWAY. REPLACED AT NO CHARGE. ASSURED TRANSMISSION FINE AND SAFE TO DRIVE. REPORTED TO KIA CORPORATE RIGHT AWAY AND ASKED THAT CONVERSATION BE RECORDED.. IN APRIL 2021 LEARN OF RECALL FOR SOUL THAT SEEMS TO DESCRIBE THE SAME ISSUE. WENT IN FOR ROUTINE MAINTANENCE, TOLD THAT IT WAS A DIFFERENT PROBLEM AND A DIFFERENT MODEL.

THE CAR STALLED IN TRAFFIC WHILE I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT. I PUT THE CAR IN PARK, AND THE ENGINE RE-STARTED. THE CAR HAD 6,595 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, AND THE FIRST SERVICE WAS DUE AT 7,500 MILES. AFTER THIS STALLING INCIDENT, IN ORDER TO PREVENT THIS HAPPENING AGAIN, EVERY TIME I HAD TO STOP AFTER THAT, AT A LIGHT OR INTERSECTION, I PUT THE CAR IN PARK. THE NEXT DAY, DRIVING AT 25 MPH ON A CITY STREET, LOUD RATTLING AND METALLIC SOUNDS CAME FROM THE ENGINE. I CHECKED THE OIL. THERE WAS NO TRACE OF OIL ON THE DIPSTICK. I PUT IN 2 QUARTS OF OIL, AND THE DIPSTICK SHOWED THE SUMP WAS NOW FULL. I CHECKED THE TAILPIPE AND FOUND A CARBON DEPOSIT ON THE INSIDE, INDICATING THE BURNING OF OIL. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I BOUGHT IT - KIRBY KIA IN VENTURA CA - AND THEY DIAGNOSED A SEVERE ENGINE MALFUNCTION WITH EVIDENCE OF METAL SHAVINGS AFTER REMOVING THE VALVE COVER, AND IN THE OIL FILTER. THEY SAID THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE THE ENGINE. THEY PROVIDED ME WITH A COMPLIMENTARY RENTAL CAR FOR 10 DAYS, THEN A LOANER, AND RETURNED MY VEHICLE TO ME AFTER 21 DAYS. IN THE PAPERWORK THEY GAVE ME ON RETURNING MY VEHICLE IT STATES THEY INSTALLED A REMANUFACTURED LONG BLOCK ENGINE AND INTAKE MANIFOLD. AT NO POINT IN THIS WHOLE PROCEDURE WAS I ASKED TO CONSENT TO THE ENGINE BEING REPLACED, AND I SIGNED NO DOCUMENT AUTHORIZING THIS TO BE DONE. AT THE END, I WROTE THAT MY SIGNATURE ONLY INDICATED MY CAR HAD BEEN RETURNED TO ME. NO APOLOGY WAS EXPRESSED TO ME BY KIA FOR THE MAJOR INCONVENIENCE THE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE IN THIS NEW CAR HAD CAUSED ME, EXCEPT WHEN I INFORMED THE MANAGEMENT OF THE DEALERSHIP OF THIS FACT, THEY CALLED ME TO EXPRESS REGRET.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 KIA SOUL. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DRIVING PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DANBURY KIA (100A FEDERAL RD, DANBURY, CT 06810, (203) 730-5737) AND WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ENGINE DAMAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE HOWEVER, PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 13,706.

BOUGHT THE CAR IN AUGUST OF 2019 WHEN THE 2020 MODEL WAS FIRST RELEASED. AROUND 20,000 MILES STARTED TO EXPERIENCE A HEAVY STUTTER IN THE ENGINE AT LOW RPMS. EVENTUALLY IT PROGRESSED OVER ABOUT A WEEK, AND THE CAR WOULD DIE AT A STOP LIGHT/SIGN. WHEN PARKED IT DIES AT RANDOM, YOU CAN HEAR AND FEEL THE ENGINE STRUGGLE. IF YOU WATCH THE RPMS YOU CAN SEE IT VISIBLY FLUCTUATING, BETWEEN ABOUT 500 AND 800 RPM'S THEN AT RANDOM IT WILL BOG HARD AND DIE. IF YOU KICK ON THE A/C WHILE STOPPED, YOU CAN WATCH IT BOG, WHICH ABOUT 100-200 RPMS IS NORMAL THEN IT SHOULD IDLE UP AGAIN. HOWEVER IT BOGS ABOUT 500 RPMS AND WILL SOMETIMES DIE. I WANTED THE ALTERNATOR, AND COMPRESSOR CHECKED. TOOK IT TO KALIDY KIA IN EDMOND OKLAHOMA AND THEY TOLD ME MULTIPLE TIMES THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT OR THAT THE INTAKE VALVE WAS DIRTY, WHICH AT 20,000 MILES IS RIDICULOUS. TOLD ME I WAS USING BAD GAS, AND STILL TO THIS DAY WON'T LOOK INTO THE PROBLEM EVEN UNDER WARRANTY. NO TELLING WHEN IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN.

THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW FROM A KIA DEALER IN JUNE OF 2020. IN MARCH OF 2021, WITH ABOUT 12,300 MILES THE FOLLOWING HAPPENED. WAS DRIVING THE CAR NOT ON THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET. BEFORE THE CAR STOPPED, NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE EVER DISPLAYED. ONCE THE CAR STOPPED, I WAS ABLE TO GET IT RESTARTED AND MOVED IT A VERY SHORT DISTANCE WHERE I PARKED IT. AFTER THE RESTART, THE ENGINE LIGHT AND OIL LIGHT WERE ILLUMINATED. THE CAR STOPPED AGAIN, WHEN RESTARTED, JUST THE OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. I PARKED THE CAR AND CALLED KIA ROAD ASSISTANCE AND IT WAS TOWED TO A KIA DEALER. I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER TODAY THAT THE CAR NEEDED A NEW ENGINE WHICH WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. EXPECTED REPAIR TIME IS AT LEAST THREE WEEKS AS THE ENGINE HAS TO BE SPECIAL ORDERED. I REITERATE THAT NOT ONLY DID NO WARNING LIGHTS EVER CAME ON UNTIL THE INCIDENT I DESCRIBED. KIA'S UVO ALSO SENT ME REGULAR EMAILS TELLING THE THE CARS HEALTH WAS PERFECT! THE WAY THAT THE CAR JUST STOPPED AND DIED WHILE DRIVING COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS IF I WAS NOT ON A STREET WITH A LOW SPEED LIMIT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2020 KIA SOUL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER (LIFETIME KIA 4170 US-64, MURPHY, NC 28906;(828) 835-9200) WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT HAD FAILED HOWEVER NO REPAIR WAS COMPLETED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHORTLY AFTER THAT WHILE THEIR SON WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, WHEN THEY HEARD A POP NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE THEN LOSS ALL POWER AND A NEARBY DRIVER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. THE DRIVER COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND EXITED THE VEHICLE. THE FIRE THEN BEGAN TO GROW FAIRLY QUICKLY. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT THE FIRE AND A REPORT WAS MADE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND DEEMED TOTALED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND NO MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NEEDED. THE CONTACT HAD SPOKEN TO THE DEALER REGARDING THE FIRE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,000. *DT

1-ON THREE DIFFERENT TIMES I PULLED OUT ONTO THE HIGHWAY TO GO AND MY CAR GOES INTO LIMP MODE NO POWER HOW MUCH YOU PUSH THE GAS PETAL THEM EVENTUALLY IT TAKES OFF AND GOES. CALLED THE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED MY CAR AND THEY TOLD ME TO JUST DRIVE MY CAR IN SPORT MODE. I DON'T LIKE HAVING TO DRIVE MY CAR IN SPORT MODE THE RPM'S RUN HIGH AND IT USES MORE GAS. 2- MY FORWARD COLLISION ASSIST SYSTEM CAUSES MY DASH LIGHTS (COLLISION LIGHT, ABS LIGHT, TRACTION CONTROL LIGHTS COME ON AND AGAIN WENT BACK TO KIA AND THEY BASICALLY TOLD ME UNTIL THEY CAN DUPLICATE IT THEY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO CALL KIA ABOUT. 3- MY GAS HAND LIES AT TIMES I CAN FILL MY CAR UP AND THE HAND GOES TO HALF A TANK AND TAKES HRS TO A DAY OR TWO FOR THE HAND TO MOVE TO FULL. 4-JUST RECENTLY IN A WALMART PARKING LOT MY CAR JUST SHUT OF AS IF I TURNED THE KEY OFF AGAIN MY DEALER SAID IF THE CAN'T DUPLICATE IT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY CAR SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE I WONDER IF ANYONE ELSE IS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEMS. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING OVER 5 MONTHS WITH THE LAST EPISODE ON JAN.6,2021