The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle had shut off on several occasions while driving in traffic or while stopped at a stoplight. The contact stated that while the air conditioning was activated, the engine made an abnormally loud thumping sound before the vehicle shut off. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after shifting to park; however, the vehicle hesitated after restarting. The contact activated the hazard lights while the vehicle was off in traffic. The contact stated that there were no visible leaks, and no warning lights were illuminated during the failure. The message "Shift to Park and Restart Engine" was displayed and flashing. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that the failure might be related to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 21V259000 (Engine). The contact sought assistance from an independent mechanic, who was unable to assist. The local dealer was called, but the contact received no answer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
2020 Kia Soul transmission complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 91, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Engine Knock and random engine shutoff, dealership filled apparent recalls: Changed piston rings, ECM Update, Update on ECM Logic, and unrelated update to anti-theft ignition protector. Recommends a entire engine replacement due to "internal failure" but failed to provide proof of damage or reasonable explanation of failure. Presumably told would not be covered due to exceeding warranty by 2,975 miles, regardless of prior damage. Recall notice sent VIA mail days after visiting the dealership, visited May 23rd, 2025. KIA Failed to send notice within warranty mileage for damage recalls may have caused.
My car randomly started stalling and turned off while I was in the middle of a busy intersection with both my children in the car. I had to turn on my hazards and turn off my car and turn it back on and press on the gas pedal. The car did that four times in less than 30 minutes. I am not the original owner of the vehicle, but the previous owner did have the cars camshaft repaired when I took it to the mechanic on 4/21 that was when I found out about the previous owner having the same issue as I am. I called Kia of America regarding the recall on 2020 Kia souls. They ignored my request and told me there was nothing they can do as my warranty was expired. I then proceeded to call carmax where I bought the car and was never informed that there was mechanical issues and that the car was safe. I did the research and saw there is a recall on 2020 Kia soul for improperly heat treated piston oil rings and that a damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash and that oil may leak into hot exhaust causing a fire.
Unknown. Consuming oil at a high rate. Car also randomly loses acceleration power acting as if it’s in neutral.
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 80 MPH and attempting to pass another vehicle, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to accelerate while the RPMs were significantly high. The contact stated that she intendedly decelerated to 60 MPH; however, the failure recurred while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact pulled to the side of the road and parked the vehicle for 15 minutes. The contact resumed driving; however, the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH. The contact pulled to the side of the road and parked the vehicle for 20 minutes; however, the failure persisted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 44,306.
The vehicle started with what felt like the car was going gently slower and faster as if it was almost out of fuel but had a full tank. This happened a couple times and I had the dealership check it out but they were unable to recreated the problem. This progress to a more obvious gear shifting harder or not when it should. There are times where when I try to accelerate, it shutters and doesn't want to go. I just recently had an issue after stopping for gas, where it lost power all together and started to almost redline. I pulled off to the side of the road and made several attempts to get going again and it would rev up but was not giving any power to the wheels. I shut off the vehicle and let it sit for a for moments and turned it back on and tried again and was able to get moving again. It didn't act up again until a few days later when I was heading to work. It would have this gentle feeling of having power and loosing power on the highway. When I got off the highway and started to go after I stopped it shuttered hard and I took my foot off the gas and it stopped and I was able to go. This is all the same characteristics of the vehicles with this transmission that do have a recall. This recall needs to be extended!!
Unresolved Recall. The vehicle was under recall in 2019 and should not have been sold by JTs Kia in Columbia, SC. The piston oil rings were affected in the 2019 recall and also caused an issue for the 2020 Kia Souls. The car was sold under recall. Once the revised recall came out in 2021 JTs Kia did not properly resolved the issue and later the car engine overheated and caught fire. JTs Kia Never took responsibility and told the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs that the Kia Corporation will not honor any repairs. The car was no longer able to turn on and JTs KIA is still selling these dangerous cars that has had piston oil ring issues since 2010
Approximately 30 miles into a trip, with mostly highway driving, the transmission failed completely. Stepping on the gas pedal caused the engine to roar but did not move the car. Unfortunately, this happened while I was driving eastbound on the San Francisco Bay Bridge, causing a very dangerous situation. There was a slight downhill at that point, so I was able to coast, but eventually the car stopped. Once it stopped, I turned off the engine and restarted it and put the car in Drive, but this did not enable me to move the car. I tried this a few times. This put me in great danger of being hit by other cars. Fortunately, the passenger was able to call 911 and a CalTrans tow truck arrived soon and pushed my vehicle, first to the shoulder and then into a bridge parking facility between the eastbound and westbound lanes. Another fortunate thing was that the traffic was moving well below the speed limit.
The car stalled when coming to a stop and would not start for over 5 mins while on a major road. When the car finally started engine light started to flash and at a fast speed. Got the car home and noticed the oil leaking heavily. I have only had the car for 2 weeks so I took the car into the AutoCare shop for diagnoses and the code came back as code p1327. I was told the car must go to the Kia dealership immediately and be towed.
I recently purchased this 2020 Kia Soul at the end of April 2023. About 2 weeks ago while I was stopped for a red light in a busy intersection and the "restart" feature was engaged as I had the brake pedal pressed but then as the light turns green and I move my foot from brake to gas (that step is supposed to restart the engine) it did not start immediatley as it should have, Which left me in the lane of traffic vulnerable to possible accidents until it restarted. It finally started after what seemed to be forever and embarassment caused by the restart failure. This event could have had a different outcome if the car wouldn't have restarted. I am taking the car to the dealer tomorrow to have it inspected. I wasn't that there was even a problem until this happened there were no warning lights. I also recieved a "voucher" in the mail to take with me to the dealer stating that my car is a high risk potential pre existing conditions with mechanical or electrical issues. I have only had this car less than 2 months and am already having issues with it. I think I'm regretting this purchase. There is also a sluggish gear shift in the transmission it does'nt seem to be working properly also an engine knock that wasn't there previously. It's not even due for the first oil change since purchase. Kia shoulkd get it together and stop duping unsuspecting naive first time car buyers like myself.
My experience: My transmission failed while driving at full speed on the highway. My car initially started balking, with RPMs jumping between 2000 and 3000 RMPs. Then, it revved high and RPMs suddenly jumped into the red while the car was not propelling forward at any real speed. It was an extremely dangerous, scary situation in the rain, with an 18-wheeler right behind me. I am grateful to have made it to the dealer without having a crash. There were never any warning lamps and this happened out of the blue, without prior warning. Dealer report: "Metal debris on speed sensor; transmission internal failure. Techline authorized transmission replacement." Transmission has been replaced.
Transmission failed when driving 70 on a highway.
Transmission completely cut out. Had to tow to dealership and get an entire new transmission. 30k miles.
Driving vehicle on roadway and started braking to stop at a stop sign when the engine revved higher, had a shudder, and then then car abruptly stopped in traffic. Check engine light illuminated. Put in Park, checked under the hood; no engine issue that I could see. Motor ran smooth with no shudder. When transmission shifted to D, vehicle did not move; would not move in any gear. Towed to KIA of Dothan (AL). Several transmission codes given. Service Dept. advised transmission had a total failure.
While driving along the interstate, going 70 MPH, I noticed the RPM gauge started to fluctuate. Shortly after, I started having issues maintaining the speed. I pressed the gas pedal, but the vehicle wouldn’t speed up - instead started loosing speed. I started to hear grinding noises as I pressed the gas pedal. Eventually, I kept loosing speed and there was nothing I could do to make the vehicle move. I had to pull off and coast into a parking lot to be towed.
For many months car has been randomly stalling. It has never been able to be duplicated at dealership, therefore it hasn't been addressed. In recent weeks the stalling is more often and is now accompanied by a check engine light.
My 2020 Kia Soul Turbo transmission had a complete lost of power failure on September 26, 2022 at highway speed without an warning. I was lucky enough to get to the shoulder of the road and limb into a gas station at 5 mph. And contact Kia service to have my car towed to the nearest Kia dealership because my car as only 19,067 on it. It was there later I was told the will need to be replaced and Kia would not pay for the replacement because it appeared that maybe the transmission plug was tampered with. The car did not display any warning signs or lights prior to this breakdown
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that twelve hours after the vehicle was purchased while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The traction control warning light and the check engine warning light are illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed and lubricant was placed on the wiring however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was offered an appointment scheduled for a diagnostic test and offered a trade for the vehicle, but no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 21,700.
Transmission going into neutral while driving.no help at this time from the dealership
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated during acceleration and would not exceed 40 MPH. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The dealer informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they would escalate it for review. The failure mileage was approximately 21,500.
Driving car on I-10 west. Near Pensacola, FL tachometer started fluctuating wildly. Car seemed to be losing power regardless of whether using accelerator or cruise control. Passed exit with a Kia dealer too late to exit, so drove to next exit 4 miles down. Light at end of exit was on hill. Stopped, but when light turned green, car would not move. NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON AT ANY TIME. Took Kia Roadside Assistance about 2.5 hrs for tow. Towed to Team Gunther, Daphne, AL Kia dealer. Service rep thought was transmission prob as another customer had reported similar situation. Had to wait til Monday, 2/28/22 to get official word that transmission needed to be replaced. Covered by warranty but since wld take about 2 wks to get part and do work, had to find way to get back home to Jacksonville, FL. Kia Travel Interruption assistance covers max of 3 days and $100 a day, so have been reimbursed for some, but not all expenses since total expense over $300. Car ready for pick up on 3/12/22 and picked up 3/15 after getting back to the area from Jax FL. Could have been major safety probs if I had been unable to exit I-10 or if car had lost power on road with no shoulder....
I was driving down the interstate at 70 mph. Noticed the car felt like it was accelerating and then decelerating like I was fighting against a strong wind. Looked at the tachometer and saw it fluctuating between 2000rpm and 3000 rpm. Suddenly it redlined to 7000 rpm and I had very little power to the wheels. It would drop back to 3000 but if I tried to accelerate it would redline. I was in heavy interstate traffic. I barely made it to an exit and into a parking lot. By the time I got off the highway it would go no faster than 5mph. I tried restarting the car to find I couldn't go forward or in reverse and the engine would go to 7000rpm. I have about 24k miles on the odometer. Bought brand new from the dealership. Easily could've been rear-ended or crashed in the heavy traffic with no power to the wheels.
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the transmission failed causing the vehicle to stall. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the transmission needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,175.
I was driving on I-75 in heavy holiday traffic, suddenly no acceleration and car started slowing. Transmission just quit working. My car only has 20,000 miles on it. I was able to get to the side of the road without getting hit. Online there are many reports of this issue with the 2020 Kia Soul, with it occurring in vehicles with as little as 5000 miles. It has been noted by Consumer Reports. There were no warnings and no indications other than the sudden loss of power with 7000+ rpm showing on the tachometer.
Engine burnt oil at 10,000 miles - dealership replaced motor, however now having issues with transmission
Purchased car on 7/16/19 with 13 miles. On 1/26/20 the car had 6,764 miles when the car started to appear as though it was in neutral while driving down the highway at 70 miles per hour. Even when giving it gas the RPM would increase and engine sounded revved up but transmission was not working. Then it would sporadically kick in enough that I put my 4 ways on, got off the interstate (81) and limped that car home because the car would not go more that 20 MPH once it came to a full stop, it couldn't even make it up the very small grade to get onto my driveway. Called KIA roadside and it was towed to the dealer, Fred Beans Mechanicsburg PA. Told it needed a new transmission, got car back a month later 2/25/20. On 4/19/21, car has 14,953 miles and the same exact thing happens, I'm on Interstate 83 and the car starts lunging, going in and out of neutral. Once at a full stop car would limp along till reaching a total MPH of 20. Car was towed to Fred Beans KIA, Mechanicsburg PA and yes the transmission again. Dealer said transmission was replaced , this time it took 2 weeks, got the car back on 5/1/21. I asked why does this keep happening and the dealership refused to provide any information, shrugged their shoulders. The attendant at the service counter just kept saying I just work here and don't know anything about the cars! Very scary situation, I or anyone driving with this problem could cause a terrible accident and even a fatal accident. The first time this happened could have been manufacture defect but the second time creates a question as to the potential harm this vehicle can cause to all drivers. No explanation and no trust in this car's dependability. I am not able to financially unload this car at this time. Worst car I have ever purchased and I have purchased many brand new cars but first and last time for KIA.
We purchased a 2020 kia soul in january 2020, with 11 miles on it. Everything was fine for the first few months, until one day my wife was driving at about 40 miles an hour and was slowing down to take a right turn, the steering wheel locked up and she almost wrecked, thankfully she jerked the wheel hard enough to break it loose, but in doing so the speedo cluster glad shattered. It was fixed but the dealership tried to blame us saying someone had to of punched it. But when looking at the glass cluster it's obvious that not even a baby's hand could fit down into the cluster to hit the glass. Then at 20k miles almost exactly, the transmission went out, again the dealership took care of it, took about 2 weeks for a new transmission. It started revving up and would jerk like it was being down shifted while going down the highway at 70 MPH. Since then we've put about 9k miles on the new transmission and is doing the same thing again. The dealership told me there was 2 recalls on the vehicle for the transmission when it first happened, one was for an electronic update, the other was for the actual transmission, but I haven't seen any recalls posted, this is the worst new car I've ever owned
On march 2nd. We were driving our 2020 kia soul s. We were driving on i95north. The RPM's kept pulsing, we took the car off of cruise and it seemed better for a few minutes. After the few minutes the pulsing returned, giving it the gas the RPM's went up but our speed was slowing. We got in the inside lane planning on getting off the next exit. The engine started racing with no change in our speed. We got off at the next exit state road 527 in south carolina. We had to practically floor it to get off the road. We pull to the side and called roadside assistance. The car at this point had 8006 miles on it. We could not move the car at all at this point. It took a few hours, but the car was towed to the closet dealer, in florence sc. The next day the dealer checked the car and said the transmission had failed. At approximately 4:30 pm, the dealer called to let us know that kia had approved substitute transportation. The following morning the dealer picked us up and drove us to get a vehicle. We unloaded most of our belongings from our car to the rental and continued our delayed journey to massachusetts. I have called the dealer twice, and left messages. After the second call, I did get a call back. I was told that the replacement transmission was on backorder and should be delivered may 11th. After reading many similar problems on this site, this is not an isolated case and is a dangerous situation. I am now seeing that the 2020 soul has an engine recall. Obviously these vehicles have problems.
The transmission failed twice the first time they replaced the transmission and now they have to replace it again they are saying . The vehicle was on the highway and all of the sudden the rpms went through the roof and the vehicle just started to die .
When the automatic start stop start is on when I stop and the engine shuts off as it should, when I release the brake it makes a whining noise for a few seconds. Also happens when going up my driveway. Have read that this is happening in a lot of people's 2020 kia soul's and nobody seems to know or have a fix.
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