2020 Kia Soul

I PURCHASED THIS CAR NEW WITH APPROXIMATELY 50 MILES ON IT. ON DAY 34, WHILE DRIVING ON A TWO LANE RURAL ROAD THE RPMS BEGAN GOING UP AND DOWN WILDLY, A STRONG SMELL (WHICH I NOW KNOW IS TRANSMISSION) AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD OR BACKWARD. BEING IN AN S CURVE WITH FLASHERS ON, I WAS ALMOST HIT BY A CAR COMING AROUND THE CURVE. TWO MORE VEHICLES WERE BEHIND THE FIRST ONE AND STOPPED, HELPING ME PUSH THE CAR OFF THE ROAD. AS THE NIGHT THIS OCCURRED WAS CHRISTMAS EVE, IT TOOK 3 HOURS TO GET THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER IT WAS PURCHASED FROM. I AM TOLD THE TRANSMISSION WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER STATES KIA CORPORATE WILL SEND A NEW TRANSMISSION AND HAVING THAT PERFORMED IS MY ONLY OPTION.

THE CHILD SAFETY SEAT LATCHES ARE INACCESSIBLE AS THEY ARE BURIED IN TIGHT UPHOLSTERY. I CAN'T ALWAYS SUCCESSFULLY LATCH THE CAR SEATS INTO THE CAR AND WHEN I SUCCEED IT IS ONLY WITH THE HELP OF SOMEONE VERY EXPERIENCED AND TAKES UPWARDS OF HALF AN HOUR. I HAVE REPORTED THIS TO KIA AND WAS ADVISED THEY WILL TAKE NO ACTION UNTIL THERE IS AN ACCIDENT. SIMILAR INCIDENTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED BY PROFESSIONAL REVIEWERS: HTTPS://WWW.CARS.COM/ARTICLES/HOW-DO-CAR-SEATS-FIT-IN-A-2020-KIA-SOUL-GT-403604. "SOME MUSCLE" IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO US FOUR TIMES AND THE VEHICLE WAS ALWAYS STATIONARY.

VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH AUTO STOP/START. WHEN AT A STOP LIGHT THE AUTO STOP/START ENGAGED, AND BEFORE THE BRAKE WAS RELEASED THE AUTO STOP/START DISPLAYED AN ERROR IN THE DISPLAY INDICATING THAT THE CAR NEEDED TO BE SHIFTED TO P OR N AND RESTARTED AS THE STOP/START FUNCTION ENDED AND ENGINE WAS COMPLETELY OFF. REPLACEMENT OF THE ECM SEEMED TO FIX THIS. NOW THE SAME VEHICLE DISPLAYS THE SAME ERROR (ENGINE STOP/START IS OFF) AS THE VEHICLE IS BEING PARKED IN A PARKING SPACE AND BEFORE THE ENGINE IS PHYSICALLY TURNED OFF (THE BRAKE IS BEING ENGAGED, AND THE VEHICLE SHIFTED TO PARK AT THE SAME TIME. THIS HAPPENED IN BOTH MY VEHICLE AN EX MODEL, AND A 2020 S MODEL (RENTAL CAR). MY VEHICLE HAS PUSH BUTTON START/STOP, AND THE S MODEL IS A KEY START MODEL. THIS BEGAN ON 082919 WITH THE EX, AND LASTLY ON 120619 WITH THE S MODEL.

WITH JUST UNDER 1800 MILES ON THE VEHICLE, WHILE TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 75 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION ABRUPTLY SHIFTED INTO 5TH GEAR AND THE RPMS JUMPED UP. AS WE SLOWED AND PULLED OVER THE TRANSMISSION DID NOT DOWN SHIFT AND REMAINED IN 5TH GEAR AS WE CAME TO A STOP. PUT IT INTO PARK AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. THEN STARTED THE CAR, PUT IT INTO DRIVE AND IT WAS STILL IN 5TH GEAR. TURNED IT OFF AND WAITED 5 MINUTES, WHEN WE TURNED IT BACK ON AGAIN A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON, THE CODE DESCRIPTION WAS "SPEED INPUT SENSOR DOES NOT MATCH THE SPEED OUTPUT SENSOR". TOOK IT TO A KIA DEALERSHIP, AND THEY HAVE HAD IT EVER SINCE. THEY ARE AWAITING AN ARRIVAL OF A TRANSMISSION TO REPLACE IT.

WHEN USING THE AUTO START AND STOP FEATURE WHEN RELEASING THE BRAKE AND THE ENGINE CRANKS BACK I HEAR A STRANGE NOISE THAT SOUNDS LIKE A CAT SQUALLING WHEN THE ENGINE STARTS. THIS DOESN'T HAPPEN WHEN YOUR NOT USING AUTO START. PLUS WHEN YOU SHIFT INTO PARK WHILE STOPED IT DOESN'T MAKE THIS NOISE. MY WIFE ALSO HAS THE SAME ISSUE WITH HER CAR SAME YEAR MODLE AND MAKE. NO CLUE I FEAR THIS MAYBE RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION. AS WHEN PLACING IN PARK IT DOESN'T MAKE THE NOISE WHEN YOU RELEASE THE BRAKES. MY WIFE'S CAR HAS LESS THAN 12000 MILES AND MINE HAS 6000 MILES AND IT'S STARTING TO MAKE THE NOISE. SEEMS TO HAPPEN MORE WHEN HARD BRAKING OCCURS . SOUND IS COMMING FROM THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE CAR.

MY CAR WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW OFF THE LOT WITH 28 MILES ON IT. I NOW HAVE APPROXIMATELY 15614 MILES ON MY 2020 KIA SOUL. I JUST WANTED TO REPORT THAT THE HORN, A MAJOR SAFETY FEATURE, INTERMITTENTLY STOPS WORKING. WHEN THE HORN STOPS WORKING IT INCLUDES THE STEERING WHEEL DEPRESS AND THE KEY FOB 'LOCKED' SIGNAL. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS AS A HORN CAN BE THE LAST RESORT NOTIFICATION SOMEONE NEEDS BETWEEN LIFE OR DEATH.

AT 11,200 MILES THE TRANSMISSION ABRUPTLY MALFUNCTIONED IN HEAVY HIGHWAY TRAFFIC. RPM WOULD SHIFT WILDLY FROM IDLE TO REDLINE, AND THE TRANSMISSION SHUDDERED HARD AND LOST ALL POWER. I HAD TO MERGE FROM THE INSIDE LANE OF A 65MPH HIGHWAY TO THE OUTSIDE, NEARLY GETTING INTO A COLLISION IN THE PROCESS. THE VEHICLE WAS RENDERED IMMOBILE AND NEEDED TO BE TOWED. IT IS NOW AT THE DEALERSHIP WAITING ON A NEW TRANSMISSION TO BE INSTALLED. FROM WHAT I CAN TELL, THIS VEHICLE SHARES A POWER TRAIN WITH THE 2019 KIA FORTE. THAT MODEL HAS NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT FAILED TRANSMISSIONS, AND I SUSPECT MY MODEL WILL AS WELL.