I purchased the 2012 Kia Soul on 12-18-20 and I had vehicle less than a week and it was losing power so I parked it until I could get it looked at on approx 02-03-21 the engine was disassembled by mechanic and found catalytic converter stopped up and piston failure after that time I found out about recall we contacted Kia about issue and was told they would not look at it because it is not driveable to take to Kia and they would not honor recall because cop ecu was not updated well engine already failed so we couldn't drive it there and recall said they would inspect vehicle and repair up to changing engine if necessary but they wouldn't even look at this one because engine had already failed and my vin number is under recall. I don't think this is right.
2012 Kia Soul engine complaints
Page 5 of 9: complaints 101 to 130 of 221, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The contact owns a 2012 kia soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the contact noticed that the engine was excessively consuming engine oil. The contact stated that occasionally the vehicle would shudder and stall with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with the catalytic converter needing to be replaced. The contact had the spark plugs replaced however, the failure recurred. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency campaign number: 19v120000 (engine, engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and informed the contact that they would place a request with the local dealer to perform a free oil change. The dealer declined to honor the request. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. The VIN was not available.
I received a recall letter that was dated on april 6,2021 from kia that my car needed to come in for update to the engine to protect from excessive rod bearing damage. Upon getting the car from the college campus and on the way to bring it back into the area to get the work done, it blew the engine. Kia is now stating that they will not take care of the problem since I wasn't able to get the car there to have the work done before the damage happened. The engine blew on may 1,2021 less than a month after their letter was drafted. This is a car that has always been dealer maintained and has always been kept up on its repairs. They told me that they didn't even look into the history of the car and just said that it was my fault for not making it in to the shop, even through that's where I was getting it to. They in their letter state that had I been able to get the car in it would have extended the warranty to 150,000 miles, the car only has 107,000 on it when this happened. Even through they sent a letter stating that they sold me a car with faulty parts now they won't cover the damage. Damage that luckily didn't end in a major accident but did total my car. The car was traveling at 75 miles per hour on the highway when the rod broke off and went thru the side of the engine.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, an abnormal knocking sound was coming from the engine. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that a rattling sound was coming from the vehicle while depressing the accelerator pedal, without warning. Upon investigation, the contact discovered the federal safety agency campaign number: 19v120000 (engine, engine and engine cooling) which she linked to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed her that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
The engine is making a ticking noise and the steering wheel is clicking when I turned the steering wheel also had 3 open recalls. Took it to all star kia in san bernardino for 3 recalls and they refused to work on the vehicle because they said they were not comfortable working on the car, they also stated that the ticking sound was not related to the recall even though I told them I saw on the federal safety agency website that due to catalytic coverter overheating it could cause rod knock. I even told them the recall was sc176.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia soul. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle started to decelerate and lose forward momentum. The contact stated that with the accelerator pedal depressed, the vehicle failed to exceed 40 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the local mechanic who had the vehicle towed to southwest kia - dallas (39650 lyndon b johnson fwy, dallas, tx 75237, (972) 283-9797) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced due to a connecting rod failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 154,000.
Vechicle stalled at a stop light on a busy street without any warning or any indication anything was happening. Was able to make it go by giving it some gas but it was still super scary.
My vehicle's malfunction light came on and it began to lose power off and on going down the turnpike. Since then, it sometimes won't start even though it sounds like it is going to. It continues to have these problems intermittently. When a diagnostic tool was hooked up to it, it brought up the following codes: p0420 (catalyst system efficiency below threshold), p0336 (crankshaft position sensor "a" circuit range/performance. I believe this may be related to recall #19v120000.
Traveling at 55 MPH on level highway engine started knocking started to slow down loud bang followed by sparks coming out from under vehicle became hard to steer and got pulled over bought this car new and I think this is very dangerous as car could have caught on fire due to oil and sparks under engine compartment kia seems to know about issue but refuses to do anything about it
As I was driving on the street, the car cut off in the middle of an intersection. Another motorist helped push car to safety. The car would not start without a jump, and when it was running, the engine was shaking. The check engine light was on and blinking. There was a smell coming from the exhaust.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia soul. The contact stated while driving 15 MPH, the vehicle loss motive power without warning. The vehicle was unable to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer werner kia (2755 w tennessee st, tallahassee, fl 32304, (850) 632-4044) where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with the federal safety agency campaign number: 19v120000 (engine, engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.*dt
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia soul. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, an abnormal knocking noise could be heard from the vehicle as an unknown color smoke began to emit from the engine. As the contact pulled over and opened the hood, flames began to emit from the engine as two fellow motorists assisted her with throwing a blanket over the flames to extinguished the fire. No injuries were reported and the authorities were not called to the scene. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to tom dolan's reno kia(9455 s virginia st, reno, nv 89511) where they discovered that an engine rod had blown threw an engine block. They diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure and the contact had the engine replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The vehicle was repaired by the dealer. The failure mileage was 105,402.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia soul. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at highway speeds, an abnormal knocking noise began to emit from the engine without warning. Despite the noise, his daughter was able to resume normal driving and drove the vehicle home. The next day, the contact started the vehicle and began hearing the knocking noise for himself and immediately turned the vehicle off. The contact called kia of greer (14345 e wade hampton blvd, greer, sc 29651) where he was informed that no repairs could be performed on the vehicle unless the manufacturer approved of the repair. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.
Within ten minutes of driving the car, it stalls when stopped at lights, stop signs, etc., geared in drive and low idle under normal driving conditions. When restarted it proceeds at a slow crawl and will not accelerate or will accelerate normally in 15 to 30 seconds. Had oil, oil filter and engine air filter replaced but did not correct the problem. Engine light comes on when it stalls. After six times of dying and not accelerating, it is now parked in driveway and fear it is too dangerous to drive. These incidents happened within one week with no prior operation issues. I have read countless complaints on this issue from other kia soul owners but no resolves, just astronomical repair bills with no fixes and no help from kia, dealerships or the government.
In 2018 I known my 2012 soul 1.6l consume too much engine oil about 1qt for 1,000 miles. I told it the kia engineer. But the engineer said, it is caused by mileage over 140,000. I had added engine oil pretty often. I visited the kia a couple of months later for engine stalling and and extra oil consuming. I asked for recall 19v120000. But they said it is not for my car. They told other repair about $ 400 instead.
The engine made a popping sound and burst into flames.
Upon my last service at the dealership they told me my oil was low. This was the first time ever having to add oil. I continued to monitor the issue. Last week we drove the car approx 50 miles home. The next morning the car would not start at all. We had it towed to the dealer and they told me the engine is gone. The car has 97,000 miles and has been maintained myself for the last 6 years using synthetic oil.
On nov 30th 2020 my 2012 kia soul broke down at about 8:00 pm on the middle of the highway headed south on 16 towards tacoma. I had to have aaa tow it to my ex husband's house. Im not familiar with cars but had just put oil in it and get regular check ups but to me it sounded like my engine blew. I could barely get off the highway enough so I wasn't hit by passing trucks. I wasn't turning but I was going 60 MPH which was the speed limit. I havr documentation of aaa picking it up but haven't been able to afford to have it looked at. I've been finding rides to work since this happened
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia soul. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine light had illuminated and the speed of the vehicle had suddenly reduced. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer trophy kia of carson located at 22020 recreation rd, carson, ca 90745, who reset the engine software but the failure continued to occur. The engine later experienced a loud knocking noise and excessive oil consumption. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed that the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 19v120000 (engine and engine cooling). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 125,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 2012 kia soul. The contact stated that while her daughter was stopped at an intersection, the vehicle began to make an abnormal ticking sound without warning. As the contact's daughter attempted to accelerate, the vehicle stalled also without warning. Upon restart of the engine, the contact's daughter was alerted by a fellow motorist that her vehicle had caught on fire(fire origin unknown). The contact's daughter immediately exited the vehicle and called for assistance. The fire department arrived at the scene and the fire was extinguished. The contact's mother believed that a fire report was filed but was not certain; no injuries were suffered due to the fire. Due to the fire, the vehicle was destroyed at the scene and towed to an independent tow yard. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 19v120000 (engine, engine and engine cooling). The contact stated that she was never notified of the recall prior to the failure. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure and the contact was given a case number. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
My kia soul 2012 has been having problem a with over the limit oil consumption that started in 2015. In the owners manual and in crown kia where I bought the car said that I can change oil on every 5000 miles. Over time it started burning more and more oil that it was needed to add and change oil every 1000 miles. Reputable mechanic in the area told me kia soul have that defect of burning excessive oil and it was due to defected valve guides and piston rings.
While driving car is randomly stalling . Visited several service include kia service as well nobody knows whats wrong. It's dangerous to drive when during driving the car just stalls all of the sudden.
On or about june 27, 2013, I had about 58,000 miles on my vehicle and while on the freeway I noticed a slight hesitation and then a light knocking in the engine. Engine light came on, so I had the code read and it idicated that the knock sensor was bad. I had it replaced and still had the knocking niose and engine light on. Had the code read again and it idicated that it was the knock sensor, so I replaced it again. Engine light went out but the knocking continued for several months. Then it started stalling at stops, also engine was running odd and not having power. Engine light came back on and this time the code indicated that it was the crank sensor. I replaced it and the odd running stopped. The engine still stalls on occasion it stalls even while driving. I've had both recalls completed on my vehicle, and was told by: arapahoe kia, (9701 e arapahoe rd, centennial, co 80112) after the catalitic converter recall was completed, that I should get the engine flushed and if it still continued, I had to have engine replaced at my cost. To say the least, that after 241,436 miles, it is still knocking, using oil. I think the catalitic converter had something to do with this issue, but you know how dealerships treat customers, like they don't know anything. I'm a mechical engineer inspector, so good luck with your kia souls, I think there should be a recall on all 1.6l engines.
7/22/20 - car driven to firestone store #005738, newport, ky to purchase 2 new tires and an engine courtesy check was performed - firestone id #7046930 - no engine lights, no safety warnings, mileage 77,071 miles on car. 7/27/20 - the car stopped running while being driven - car was towed to firestone, mason, oh. 7/29/20 - they examined the car, mileage 77,398. The engine had a rod blow through the oil pan causing all of the oil to drain from the car. They also ran a diagnositc on the car and the mechanic got a reading of codes: p0300 - random multiple pistons mis fire, p0303 - cylander #3 mis firing. This is similar to a current recall on 2012-2016 kia souls - recall #19v120000. [vehicles equipped with 1.6lgasoline direct injection (gdi) engines. High exhaust gas temperatures may damage calytic converter possibly resutling in abnormal engine combustion and damage to one or more of the engine's pistons and possible piston connecting rod failure.] per kia, consequences of this possible converter failure can cause the rod to puncture the engine and cause the oil to drain out. We checked with the recall site to verify if the vehicle VIN# was listed for the recall. The kia dealership has stated that the vehicle did not qualify becuase the p0420 code did not display. They did not visually inspect the catalytic converter or could not run a heat test on the engine since the vehicle would not run. We are requesting that this vehicle be considered part of the recall becuase what happend to our vehicle is the same as what happens to vehicles involved in the recall.
I discovered this recall (sc176) (19v120) online and was never contacted by the manufacture. The engine through a piston rod just as the recall states that could happen and it did. We regularly changed the oil and kia is not going to honor this recall.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia soul. The contact stated that the vehicle overheated while driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was later towed to the contact's residence. The contact also stated that while driving on a curve and when making turns and going over speed bumps, the steering wheel made an abnormal sound. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 19v120000 (engine, engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
Burning oil, mechanic did another engine flush to clean buildup, after I picked up the car, check engine light came on and now it's the catalytic converter, mechanic stated it needs to be replaced. I continued to have problems with burning oil with this engine and now the cat needs replacing, this is a very expensive repair, I love my soul but this engine has been nothing but trouble
Blue smoke coming out of the exhaust pipe when car is in use.
When you go to turn on the car it stalls as if the starter does not work after 2 tries it turns on only the rpms does not move and the car shakes very violently so I stop turn the car off and then on and no problem only when at a light or stopped in drive-thru the car will turn off no power you turn it on again and everything is good for a little while then it does the same over and over again. The check engine light goes on and off when I took the car to the kia dealership in pueblo they said it was an old code not to worry yet the car gives me trouble still and makes a weird clicking noise when I turn off
Engine failure had tp replace the engine last year . Now again having engine problems. Car stalls when turned on . When sitting at a stop light it sputters when you step on gas it back fires .
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