11 complaints reported

2011 Kia Soul Engine

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
11
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Oct 2024

Engine is going excessive through oil .

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 KIA SOUL, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Oct 2024
Sep 2024

Failure to fix the engine repair causing fires

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 KIA SOUL, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2024
May 2024

The contact owns a 2011 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and making a right turn, the contact veered to the side of the road, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there was smoke coming from the hood. The contact opened the hood and noticed smoke and coolant in the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the failure was due to the engine. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V652000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 KIA SOUL, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Apr 2024
Nov 2023

The engine can’t be fixed

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 KIA SOUL, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2022
Sep 2019

ON FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2019, I WAS DRIVING FROM KATY, TX TO NEW ORLEANS, LA TRAVELING WITH MY 2-YEAR-OLD SON ON I-10. APPROXIMATELY 51 MILES OUTSIDE OF LAFAYETTE, 2011 KIA SOUL LOSES ENGINE POWER WHILE DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEED IN THE PASSING LANE. RPM AND MPH GOES TO 0 AND ALL LIGHTS APPEAR ON DASHBOARD. UNABLE TO ACCELERATE IN CAR. THANKFULLY NO ACCIDENT. COASTS ONTO SHOULD AND TURNS CAR OFF. RESTARTS CAR AND IT STARTS FINE. CAR CONTINUES WITH THIS ISSUE PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE AND HAPPENING MORE OFTEN WITH AT ONE POINT STATE TROOPERS WERE CALLED OUT. AFTER SEEING A TOTAL OF 3 DEALERSHIPS, ONE OF WHICH I WENT TO FOR A SECOND TIME, AND ONE FIRESTONE (MIKE AT FIRESTONE ACTUALLY SAW SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD) IT'S DETERMINED TO BE BOTH CATALYTIC CONVERTERS ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2019...NO WORD ON WHAT ELSE IS AT ISSUE AS IT'S A LETS SEE IF THE PROBLEM IS FIXED GAME WITH KIA...IT'S NOW WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9 AND AFTER REPLACING ONE CATALYTIC CONVERTER ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 7...I AM TOLD THAT THE SECOND IS BAD TWO DAYS LATER. PLEASE HELP!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 KIA SOUL, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2019
Dec 2018

WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING A NOISE , I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AS I WAS PULLING OFF THE HIWAY AND THE MOTOR QUIT RUNNING. HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED BACK TO MY HOUSE.I FOUND OUT THE NEXT DAY THAT THE MOTOR HAD LOCKED UP. THE MOTOR HAD OIL IN IT AND THE WATER WAS NOT LOW. THE MECHANIC SAID THE OIL PUMP WAS PROBLEY BAD. I CALLED KIA AND THEY SAID THEY HAD NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE.SO NOW THE CAR IS SITTING IN MY DRIVEWAY WITH A BLOWN MOTOR AND I AM STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON THE CAR FOR ANOTHER 18 MONTHS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 KIA SOUL, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Aug 2016
Nov 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SOUL. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE RPMS INCREASED RAPIDLY WITHOUT ANY PRESSURE BEING APPLIED TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. ALSO, WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS GEARED INTO THE PARK POSITION, THE RPMS INCREASED TO OVER 2,000 RPMS. THE CONTACT TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF AND RESTARTED IT TO RESET THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MENTOR KIA IN MENTOR, OHIO, BUT THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO NHTSA. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 2,500.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 KIA SOUL, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jan 2016
Jul 2014

I BOUGHT MY CAR FROM MAZDA IN HILO, HAWAII. AFTER THREE MONTHS THE A/C WHEN IT IS TURNED ON, WOULD WORK FOR 5 MINUTES OR SO, THEN IT WILL BLOW WARM AIR. THE MAZDA DEALERSHIP IN HILO, HAWAII TRIED TO REPAIR THE A/C PROBLEM ONCE, THE PROBLEM PERSISTED, THEN MAZDA SENT ME TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP WHICH TRIED TO FIX THE A/C PROBLEM TWICE, WITH NO SUCCESS. I SINCE MOVED TO OAHU IN APRIL 9TH, 2014. THE A/C PROBLEM IS STILL ON GOING. MY NIECE BOUGHT KIA SOUL 2011 HERE ON OAHU AND HER CAR HAS THE SAME A/C PROBLEM, I HAVE. IS THERE OTHER KIA SOUL 2011 OWNERS WITH THE SAME A/C PROBLEM? *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 KIA SOUL, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Feb 2013
Sep 2012 Fire

THE WHOLE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS ON FIRE AND THE WIND SHIELD EXPLODED. EVERYTHING MELTED DOWN AND CAR IS TOTALED. THIS INCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY AN INTERIOR MALFUNCTION WITH THE CAR. WOULD LIKE KIA TO REPLACE THIS CAR WITH A NEW CAR BECAUSE THIS WAS A NEW CAR THAT I PURCHASED THROUGH KIA. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 KIA SOUL, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Sep 2012
May 2012

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 KIA SOUL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LIFTER IN THE ENGINE CAUSED A LOUD NOISE WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER BUT THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO FIND A DEFECT WITHIN THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE DROVE POORLY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 KIA SOUL, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Mar 2012
Jan 2012

AIR CONDITIONER I ACTUALLY FOUND THIS OUT BY ACCIDENT. I BOUGHT A PORTABLE EXPLOSIVE GAS DETECTOR FROM MENARDS (MODEL NUMBER: 240PGD) MAINLY FOR MY SISTER WHO LIVES IN A TRAILER PARK AND HAS BECOME SEVERELY ILL FROM A SEWER GAS SMELL IN THE COURT. JUST BEFORE I LEFT FOR MY SISTER'S PLACE, I THOUGHT I WOULD TRY OUT THIS GAS DETECTOR IN THE CABIN OF MY CAR NEAR THE A/C VENT. I LOOKED AT THE SPECS FOR THIS EXPLOSIVE GAS DETECTOR AND THE TEMPERATURES WERE WITHIN TESTING RANGE. THE EXPLOSIVE GAS DETECTOR SHOWED HIGH CONCENTRATIONS OF EXPLOSIVE GAS BY BEEPING AND SHOWING A RED LED. I TESTED SEVERAL TIMES AT DIFFERENT TEMPS WITH THE A/C ON AND RECEIVED RED LED LIGHTS AND WARNING BEEPS. WHILE IT DID NOT SPECIFY WHICH EXPLOSIVE GAS,THIS DETECTOR DETECTS ACETYLENE, BUTANE, METHANE (NATURAL GAS) AND PROPANE. I DID LOOK UP AIR CONDITIONER REFRIGERANT AND FOUND THAT CARS IN THE US MAY USE A BUTANE/PROPANE MIXTURE. MY WIFE AND I HAVE BEEN GETTING HEADACHES WITH INCREASING INTENSITY AND WONDER IF THIS IS WHY. I'M GLAD THAT WE ARE NOT SMOKERS OR WE WOULD HAVE BLOWN UP OR BEEN BLOW TORCHED BY THE A/C. THE DETECTOR DID NOT DETECT EXPLOSIVE GAS WHEN I TOOK IT BACK INTO MY HOUSE AS A REFERENCE. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2011 KIA SOUL, Manufacturer: Kia America, Inc.
Incident: Jul 2012

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2011 Kia Soul has 11 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.