Problem. Engine control unit, ECU allowed catalytic converter overheat. Engine knocking and stalling. Engine monitor light came on while driving the car when it began to knock and stall while driving it. Can cause piston to break and.puncture the engine block, leaking oil into the hot exhaust and start a fire
2013 Kia Soul engine complaints
Page 2 of 11: complaints 11 to 40 of 307, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle spontaneously caught fire while parked unattended at 3 am. All the warning lights were illuminated prior to the failure, and the vehicle was undrivable. The contact had received the recall notification letter for the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). There were no reported injuries, police report, or crash. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to the scrap yard. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 265,000.
I was on vacation driving the vehicle when the engine caught fire..There was kids in the car there was nothing wrong with the vehicle all of a sudden it just went boom and caught fire We were slowing down to get off the exit. I have no idea what all was effected I don't know much about cars to know what did or did not catch fire..
Rod went through the the back of the engine causing smoke and vehicle locked up.
On Feb. 11, 2026, while driving, the vehicle displayed a flashing check engine light and entered limp mode with major loss of power. A code reader recorded P1326. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Kia dealership for diagnosis and repair. After the dealership returned the vehicle to me, the same problem happened again within about 30 miles. The last repair order listed 142,352 miles, and the vehicle re-entered limp mode by 142,382 miles. I captured video of the flashing check engine light and a code-reader screenshot showing P1326 as the last trouble code. The malfunction appears related to the engine/engine management system and the vehicle is available for inspection. The safety risk is sudden reduced power and limp-mode operation while driving, which can make it difficult to maintain normal traffic speed or safely continue in traffic. This creates a safety concern if the event happens in traffic, during a turn, or while crossing an intersection. The problem has been reproduced more than once. A Kia dealership previously inspected the vehicle and returned it to me, but the problem recurred almost immediately after pickup. Kia corporate was notified in writing. The warning symptom was a flashing check engine light with limp mode. I am not continuing to drive the vehicle in this condition.
I bought a Kia Soul at 130k miles and by 140k or so it was dead. the engine started knocking and will no longer turn over. I did regular oil changes and usual maintenance. Within 2 days after knocking the engine refused to turn over. I was driving when it stopped working so at any time someone could have rear ended me and caused a traffic jam. The car was toed to a mechanic who said it was done for and if they needed the specifics they would have to tear down the engine. not going to pay 600 to find out my engine is gone when i already know the engine is gone. no warnings light or messages prior to failure. My vehicle experienced catastrophic engine failure consistent with well-documented defects in Kia GDI engines. Kia has acknowledged these defects through recalls, settlements, and extended warranties covering later model years. However, Kia has refused repair or good-faith assistance for my vehicle solely because my VIN is excluded, despite the engine design being materially identical to covered models. I contacted Kia Corporate directly, provided my VIN, and was assigned a case number. Kia informed me that: - My VIN is not eligible for recall or settlement relief - No good-faith repair would be offered - Denial was based on model year/VIN classification, not engine design or failure mode - I am not the original owner, which Kia cited as an additional reason for denial Why This Is Concerning: - The 2013 Kia Soul was equipped with the same GDI engine architecture later acknowledged as defective - Consumers are being denied relief based on administrative cutoffs rather than engineering reality - Kia continues to avoid responsibility for early-year vehicles that suffer identical failures - The cost of engine replacement far exceeds the vehicle’s value, leaving consumers with unrecoverable losses I am requesting - Review Kia’s handling of known GDI engine defects - Assess whether Kia’s exclusion of certain VINs constitutes an unfair
Put gas in it and out the blue would go pass 30 rpm we never had any issues with it I work on cars for a living I have spend over 3000 in new parts now I got it tow to Firestone they telling me it’s something wrong with my engine cylinder two and four not getting any power they told me it was bad bargin or piston I don’t know how it happens because we kept the car up to maintenance
Engine knocking
I was driving home from work and got about 5 miles and I see smoke and pulled over. I had it towed to repair shop and they said they found a hole in my engine block and a broken connecting rod. They told me I should take it to KIA as I only have 132,179 miles and that repair should be under warranty. I took it to Kia and they denied the repair due to a class action lawsuit and I did not qualify for that as a recall was missed KSDS update. I bought the car used in late 2019 and the last ower has since died. I was never notified of these updates.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled and experienced a loss of automotive power, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was advised that the catalytic converter and the engine were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.
Recall for catalic converter under manufactor warranty , they continue not to honor the recall on my vechile and the recall was on the catalic converter
The contact owned a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notifications of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) and the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V652000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The contact stated that while her son was driving at 60 MPH, an abnormal sound was heard coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact's son was able to pull over to the side of the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated her son exited the vehicle and noticed flames were emitting from underneath the vehicle. A passerby pulled over and helped the contact's son move the vehicle. The vehicle extinguished itself. No injuries were reported. The air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that her son called her, and she and the contact's brother went to the site of the accident. The contact's brother checked underneath the vehicle and picked off the pieces that were on the ground. The contact's brother noticed that a rod had detached and gone through the motor, which created a hole in the motor. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer confirmed that the bearing rod detached and damaged the engine. The dealer contacted the manufacturer and tried to order a new engine. However, KIA declined and advised the dealer not to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle remained at the residence unrepaired. Two months later, the contact sold the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The insurance company was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.
On [XXX] Jim Ellis Kia of Kennesaw performed Recall SC284 on my 2013 Kia Soul (VIN: [XXX] ), replacing the HECU fuse. The next day, [XXX], the vehicle lost acceleration while driving, produced a muffled engine sound, and became barely able to move forward, creating an unsafe driving condition. At no point did the check engine light illuminate, even though the vehicle was experiencing severe drivability issues. Prior to the recall, Kia’s own diagnostic (July 19, 2025) showed no catalytic converter or battery issues. An independent AAA diagnostic performed after the failure (July 21, 2025) ruled out pre-existing converter damage and linked the problem to the recall work. Despite this, the dealership denied responsibility and issued an unsupported estimate of $4,951.41 for catalytic converter replacement. The absence of a check engine light raises concerns that the recall work may have compromised the vehicle’s OBD-II diagnostic system, preventing detection of a safety defect. Furthermore, the evidence suggests that damage occurred to the catalytic converter while the vehicle was in Kia’s possession or as a direct result of the faulty installation of the recall fuse. This incident involves a safety risk, improper recall repair, and potential violation of federal recall law. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate the adequacy of Recall SC284 installation procedures and Kia’s handling of this case. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from under the hood before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was previously taken to a local independent mechanic, and it was determined that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel injector needed to be replaced due to a misfire in cylinder #2. The vehicle was repaired out of pocket. The vehicle was also taken to a local AutoZone, where it was determined that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
First, my engine and oil light went on. Second, there began a loud prominent engine knock. I had it serviced for an oil change and after the oil change, the knock persisted and my car began to stall. Third, I took it to Midas for a diagnostic and they told me my engine is about to fail, that this is typical of Kia Soul engines, they said there are metal pieces of broken pistons in my engine and that my car will soon break down and to "pray" it doesn't happen on the road. I then drove my Kia Soul to secure a rental vehicle, but on the way my engine died in the middle of a busy intersection and I had just enough time to pull it to the bike path on the side of the road, passenger side still in the road. I then had it towed to a repair shop and paid for a second diagnostic, which aligned with the first diagnostic from Midas. I then received a recall letter from Kia Manufacturer that my specific vehicle had a safety recall from the NHSTA and to bring my car to the nearest Kia dealership for immediate repair, free of cost to me, upto engine replacement. I had my Kia Soul towed to Kia of New Port Richey, Florida and explained the recall letter. They have since done nothing in a week and said that I needed to have the first recall addressed to have this recall repair complete. Then, they said I needed to have my car registered to complete the repair. Then, they said I need to provide a maintenance record to complete this recall repair, and failure to do so will result in Kia refusing to complete my engine repair, in accordance with their recall letter I received. Therefore, I contacted the NHSTA.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that there was a knocking sound coming from the engine while driving at various speeds and while the vehicle was idling. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer refused to replace the engine because the previous owner had not received an undisclosed service related to the KSDS completed. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that if the catalytic converter was damaged, the engine should be replaced. The manufacturer opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Problems with our 2013 Kia Soul! started [XXX] @ 78,388 miles. We took the car to Kia Country in Manteca for an oil change, when leaving the dealership white plumes of smoke where coming out of the exhaust. Took the car back to the dealership who told us not to worry about it, drive it on the freeway to burn it off. Returned to the dealership 4-7-21 @ 80,414 miles smoke is still coming out of the exhaust, Kia performed an oil consumption test, we were told to come back in a couple of months or 3,500 miles to check on the vehicle. 6-4-21 @ 81,737 miles took the car back for inspection, engine oil checked out ok, they couldn't find any issues. [XXX] @ 91,239 miles took the car to Kia Dublin, blue smoke was coming out of exhaust and car won't start. Tech performed tests they recommended to drive the car and wait for a check engine light to be active. They can't open a tech line if there is nothing wrong with the car and they can't duplicate the concern. [XXX] @ 124,770 miles took the car back to Kia Dublin, the car is shutting off at stop lights or at idle, won't go over 40 miles an hour. After being at the dealership for 4 days, spoke to Will on 4-16-25 states the engine needs to be replaced due to the connecting rods and pistons creating an engine failure, there is also an oil leak. There is a recall for the smaller 1.6L engine but not for our 2.0L engine, even though the issues are exactly the same. Will recommended calling Kia Customer Care for help. I called Kia Customer Care 4-17-25 and was given a case number. I have been dealing with both Kia Customer Care and Kia Dublin for over 5 weeks and no one wants to own up to selling us a defective engine or give us a replacement. I have called almost everyday and I am given a different story, meanwhile the car sits on the lot at the dealership. My daughter is without a car and we are struggling to get her to work, we have not been offered a loaner car, as the car has not been approved for an engine replacement. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORM
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel was making an abnormal clicking sound. Additionally, while driving 65 MPH, the steering wheel tuned left and right with a loud clicking sound. The contact also stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the flex coupling was defective. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V652000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). The contact stated that while her daughter was driving 50 MPH, the vehicle hesitated and lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact's daughter was able to coast to the side of the road. The contact stated that there was a fuel burning odor coming from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was no longer being driven. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer made the contact aware of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to Advance Auto, where it was diagnosed with EVAP system and gas cap failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that there could be an oil leak, but no oil leak was found. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost drive power and failed to drive uphill. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the catalytic converter was clogged up and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired; however, the mechanic performed an internal cleaning of the catalytic convertor. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced an increased oil consumption. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
honor catalytic converter failure under manufacturer warranty which they refuse to honor after 90 days at the kia service center , and fail to replace the defective part
My 2013 Kia Soul 1.6L is currently displaying a check engine light. My vehicle has very strong smelling exhaust, engine knocking, sluggish acceleration, and reduced fuel mileage. This has been going on for about a year. I have a diagnostic code reader and it returns the error code P0420, which indicates a faulty catalytic converter, which could cause engine damage. There is a recall for the catalytic converter for my year and engine type. I received a letter in the mail regarding this recall. The link to the letter: [XXX] However, when I enter my VIN at the KIA owners portal this recall does not come up. I have contacted my local Kia Dealership (Johnson City KIA) and they act like they have no idea what I am talking about. I have called Kia customer care center and they refused to help, saying that the recalls are "VIN specific". That's ridiculous. If the recall covers my year make and model then the VIN shouldn't mean [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact received notifications of the federal safety agency Campaign Numbers: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the dealer declined to repair the vehicle. The contact stated that the dealer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle vibrated and then stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The local dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 188,028. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while accelerating between 2,000 and 3,000 RPM, there was a rattling sound coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle on the driver’s side of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact used an ODB scanner and retrieved DTC code: P020; indicating the catalytic converter failure. The vehicle was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine, and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to the dealer who had upgraded the catalytic overheating protection engine control unit logic as stated in the remedy but had not replaced the catalytic converter despite DTC code. The dealer stated that the catalytic converter would not be replaced under the recall. The vehicle had not received additional repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started making abnormally loud sounds and lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact resumed driving; however, the failure persisted. The contact was able to drive to the residence and noticed that the oil level was low. The contact added oil to the vehicle and started the vehicle. The contact stated upon checking the oil level again, there was no oil left in the vehicle. The contact then inspected the ground, but there was no oil on the ground. The contact researched the failure online. The contact then inspected the exhaust pipe and noticed that the oil had leaked into the exhaust pipe. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the repair was not covered under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) because the failure was not related to the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact's daughter owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and the low oil pressure warning lights illuminated. The contact's daughter was able to drive to the contact's residence. Additionally, the contact stated that while his daughter was driving 40-50 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering, and there was smoke coming out from underneath the hood. The vehicle stalled. The driver was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized and needed to be rebuilt or replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Soul. The contact stated that after driving the vehicle, thirty minutes later, the vehicle was parked in the driveway unattended and caught fire. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was burned from the engine to the door panel. There were no reported injuries, air bag deployment, or police report. The fire department extinguished the fire. The contact stated that the failure was due to the federal safety agency Campaign Number:Â 23V652000Â (Service Brakes, Hydraulic,). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
I cranked car letting it warm up, pulled out of my park onto main road, got approximately 300 yards to the red light, while sitting at the red light the cars idling went aradic, I opened the driver's side door and looked under the car, the catalytic converter was glowing red, solid red, I tried to pull into the store next to the red light, the check engine light came in and the car had no power when I mashed the gas, people behind me helped me push it into the store, after getting home that evening I checked and seen they had a catalytic converter recall on my car stating that the catalytic converter can catch on fire and harm the engine, I took the car to Kia south in Union city they gave us the run around stating that I had to have a new engine I told them the catalytic converter recall states that the catalytic converter will cause fire and engine damage, before even inspecting the car their tech had already made up his mind that's not what killed the engine, then started stating that my car wasn't under the recall I ask him how us that possible when it did the same thing 749.000 kia cars did, then was called a week later tech saying he couldn't do the recall cause he couldn't get the car to crank, but the tech said he did a diagnostics on I asked how if he couldn't get the car to crank, we took a mechanic to Kia with us, to look at the car ,after looking at the car, the mechanic told us this is the exact same damage that he has work on because of the catalytic converter, the tech showed us a picture on his phone stating the were metal pieces in the oil , that the car was ran out of oil, upon further inspection of his pictures the tech was caught in a lie, the picture wasn't even a picture of my car , our mechanic told the tech that this falls under the recall and Kia knows it.. Kia and the tech acknowledge my car falls under the recall but said I have more than 150.000 miles on it, so if i want it fixed it would cost $8000 dollar for new engine
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