2020 Kia Soul

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 BRAND NEW. AT 32K MILES (4MONTHS AFTER 30KTUNE UP) ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TOOK TO EARNHARDT KIA IN PHX. WHO INITIALLY STATED THERE WAS 'SOMETHING BROKEN IN THE TRANSMISSION' AFTER A FEW HOURS THEY THEN STATED THE CAR HAD 'INTERNALLY OVERHEATED AND THERE WAS COMBUSTIBLE GASES IN THE RADIATOR. THE THERMOSTAT NEVER INDICATED OVERHEATING. COOLANT RESERVOIR WAS BONE DRY (AFTER FILLING IT THE DAY BEFORE). AFTER 31 DAYS AT KIA A NEW HEAD GASKET WAS PUT ON.. THOUGH I WAS TOLD THE CAR WAS GETTING A NEW ENGINE. I ASKED THE DEALER ON EACH CALL... WHAT ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION WHEREAS I WAS TOLD KOA WOULD MAKE SURE EVERYTHING WOULD BE FIXED BEFORE RETURNED. CAR WAS RETURNED TO ME ON 2/21. ON 4/1 AFTER DRIVING 380(+/-) MILES FROM PHX TO SAN DIEGO TO SEE MY MARINE DEPLOY, THE CAR BEGAN TO SURGE, RPMS SKYROCKETED AND CAR BARELY MADE IT UP HILL. SURGING CONTINUED, UNTIL IT BEGAN TO SLIP AND I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND INTO A SHOPPING CENTER. CAR TOWED TO ESCONDIDO KIA WHO KINDLY GAVE ME A LOANER. NOW BACK IN AZ, I AM TOLD THAT WHEN IT'S FIXED, TRANSPORT TO ME IS UNLIKELY AND IF APPROVED KIA DOES NOT GUARANTEE AGAINST ANY DAMAGE DURING TRANSPORT. ITS A NEW CAR! DUE TO MEDICAL NEEDS HERE, DRIVING 6.5 HOURS THERE AND THEN BACK JUST ISN'T FEASIBLE. KIA DOESNT CARE. I WILL BE OUT OF THIS CAR ASAP AND YOU CAN BET MY NEXT WILL NOT BE A KILLER KIA!

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.

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO 'SURGE,' THE RPM VARYING ERRATICALLY BETWEEN 2000-3000 RPM. WE GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY AND STOPPED AT A LIGHT'WHEN THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN, I PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR AND THE ENGINE ACCELERATED BUT THE CAR REMAINED STATIONARY. FINALLY, WITH THE RPM AT ABOUT 4000, WE WERE ABLE TO SLOWLY DRIVE INTO A PARKING LOT. NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. WE GOT A TOW TO THE NEAREST DEALER. THE SERVICE DEPT ANALYZED THE PROBLEM, AND SAID WE NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE NEW 'SOFT' DATE TO RECEIVE THE TRANSMISSION IS 13 APR, ALMOST SIX WEEKS AFTER THE ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON 2 MAR. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 3000 MILES ON IT.

I OWN A 2020 KIA SOUL, IT HAS ~2300 MILES AND I HAD IT FOR ABOUT A YEAR. THE TRANSMISSION IS SHOT, I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, I HAD IT FLOORED AND GOT UP TO MAYBE 50 MPH, LUCKILY IT WAS RUSH HOUR AND TRAFFIC WAS CRAWLING OTHERWISE I WOULD'VE BEEN RUN OVER. L WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF THE HIGHWAY. I RAN ERROR CODES AND THERE WERE TWO RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION. KIA'S HAD THE CAR SINCE MARCH 3RD, THEY PROVIDED A RENTAL WHICH IS NICE. I'M TOLD THERE ARE 4 - 5 OTHER KIA'S THERE THAT NEED NEW TRANSMISSIONS. I WISH I COULD JUST GET OUT OF THE CAR NOW.