2020 KIA Soul problems
Owners have filed 498 complaints about the 2020 KIA Soul with NHTSA. Engine accounts for 46.2% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of power train at 17.7%.
Complaints498
Crashes12
Fires9
Injuries7
Deaths16
What owners report breaking
Engine 46.2% · 230
Power train 17.7% · 88
Unknown or other 10.0% · 50
Electrical system 5.8% · 29
Steering 3.2% · 16
Fuel/propulsion system 3.0% · 15
Vehicle speed control 2.6% · 13
Engine and engine cooling 2.2% · 11
Severity
Of those complaints, 12 describe a crash, 9 describe a fire, 7 report an injury and 16 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 13 model years of the KIA Soul in this data, 2020 sits 6th by complaint volume. 2014 draws the most.
Filing volume has held steady, 205 in the last three years against 190 in the three before.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 12,650 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2020 Kia SOUL. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road and restart the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer to be inspected. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. Engine · reported at 30,000 miles
The engine when it heats up drives so rough. Then the car completely shuts off. This creates such a dangerous situation when on the freeway. The motor needs to be replaced. I bought car from a used dealership and have only had 2 months and the motor is gone. Recall on certain motors is garbage because this motor is suffering from the same problem as the GDIs. I have an MDI. $15,000 down the drain. Thanks Engine
So my car (despite being regularly maintained) had complete engine failure. At 100,300 miles. I was told the bottom half of the engine had complete shut down due to excessive oil burning. The car would start but then when put in gear would die immediately. When originally noticed the engine would shut down when going from a stopped position into moving, usually through an intersection. Not safe at all. Engine
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…