2014 Kia Soul

Driving and sudden brake to avoid someone coming out of there drive way to come on the road we were driving on. The rake pedal went down. We carefully Drove home and when got home my husband saw a long leak on our drive way. . Brake line gave out . . Leaking brake fluid. We have many vehicles and we never experienced this .was scary at the time.

Calipers were froze from the salt

Oil warning dash light illuminated red. Engine oil dipstick showed empty. Oil had been changed within 4 months. Added approximately 3.5 quarts of oil.

COMPONENT FAILURE: The engine, power train, and speed control systems failed due to the known Nu 2.0L GDI connecting rod bearing defect. SAFETY RISK: My [XXX] daughter was driving in heavy rush-hour traffic when the vehicle suddenly lost motive power and entered a 20 MPH "limp mode." This sudden deceleration created an immediate and severe risk of a rear-end collision, endangering my daughter and surrounding motorists. DEALER CONFIRMATION: The failure was officially confirmed by Flow Kia of Charlottesville (RO #XXX). On Dec 3, 2025, the dealer confirmed active DTC P1326 (KSDS) and documented failed cylinder compression (as low as 150 PSI; min spec is 178 PSI). The dealer issued a written diagnosis stating: "engine replacement is required." MANUFACTURER CONDUCT: Despite their own dealer's written diagnosis and the active P1326 safety code, Kia Corporate issued a bad-faith warranty denial. The dealer also unlawfully charged me $165 for the mandatory KSDS warranty diagnostics. SUMMARY: This is a textbook safety failure under NHTSA Investigation EA 21-003. Kia's refusal to replace the engine under the court-supervised Engine Litigation II settlement represents a systemic failure by the manufacturer to remedy a known safety hazard. 51-page evidence packet attached. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Car had recall and new engine was put in April 2024. I’ve had the new engine for 25 months. It started doing the exact same thing as before when engine went out. No power, limp mode, engine violently shaking, rods knocking. Engine light came on. I parked it immediately and called dealership. They said it’s a refurbished engine not new so it does not have the full warranty. This new engine wasn’t new I just found that out this morning. Upon further research in Kia forums, these replacements blew up too. Like we all got the same engines that blew up. Can anything be done about this? This would be the 3rd engine in this Kia. It only had 30k miles on the new motor. Engines last longer than that. I’m now stuck as a travel nurse with finding another vehicle. This is just wrong. I missed work trying to find a car. Has there been any complaints about the replacement motors seizing up and blowing? Online searches show it happening to a lot of people with these Kia souls. Idk what your company does but everyone said to let you know. Idk how that helps but here it is. Can anything be done? My mechanic came by to look at it and said the motor is blown. It has an appointment at dealership for official diagnosis of blown motor.

There is a rod knocking in the engine now. Car has always been properly maintained. There are no oil leaks or anything. The car now will not shift, loses power while going up hill, and is burning oil like crazy. Had the car looked at and was told the engine now needs to be replaced.

My car burns oil very fast. I am putting in more than 5 quarts of oil in between oil changes. I have replaced the flex pipe, the catalytic converter two times, and both the upstream and downstream oxygen sensors. The catalytic converter now needs to be replaced again after only 7 months after being installed. The car keeps getting P0420 codes. I found out this last converter was bad while on the highway going 70 mph up a hill. The speed suddenly decreased all the way down to 50 mph which put me in great danger of getting hit from behind at high speeds. It would not go any faster..

I was driving down a major highway (I65, northbound, indiana) and my vehicle suddenly slowed down and wouldn't accelerate in the middle of traffic. The check engine light came on and was flashing, as well as many other lights on the dash. Thankfully I was able to pull over. I had to wait on the interstate for a tow truck with cars and semis flying past me. It was absolutely dangerous and Kia states they won't cover it because it wasn't dangerous. This is a known issue with this vehicle, and I did get the updated knock sensor when that recall came out. My engine completely stalled on a highway.

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V096000 (AIR BAGS). The vehicle was taken for the oil change, and the contact was informed that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The oil level was extremely low. The contact was informed that the manifold was cleaned; however, the cause of the excessive oil consumption was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). However, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact observed a leak underneath the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was determined that the master seal was leaking and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The repairs were denied due to the failure not being covered under the recall. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that the master seal needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 90,140.

Excessive Oil Consumption/Burning Catalytic Converter Clogging Check Engine Light/Misfires My engine has all of these issues. It has been determined as known KIA issues not driver/owner related. My car has 94,000 miles but none of what's going on is any cause other than KIA issues/problems. I work a full time job and have missed work due to car not being able to be driven at random times.

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH on the Interstate, the vehicle started shaking and there was a knocking sound coming from the engine with smoke and a burning oil odor. The engine, ABS, and traction control warning lights simultaneously illuminated. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road to cool down. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a fractured engine pin, which caused the knocking sound. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine); however, the VIN was not included. The approximate failure mileage was 138,929.

The contact’s wife owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that on several occasions after refueling the vehicle, there was an abnormally strong gasoline odor inside the cabin of the vehicle and outside around the vehicle. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked on several occasions, there was condensation under the gas tank. The vehicle was inspected, and there was corrosion underneath the vehicle on the gas tank, and the rear of the gas tank was separating. The replacement gas tank was purchased but the refurbished gas tank had the same corrosion on the gas tank. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

My car was not accelerating all the time I was pressing the pedal. a mechanic said it was the engine.

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH uphill with her daughter and her small dog inside the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle stalled and shut off unexpectedly. The contact stated that several minutes later, the vehicle started working as intended; however, a fuel smell remained inside the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Neither an independent mechanic nor the dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. There was a fuel odor while attempting to start the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not associated with the recall. The failure mileage was 228,041.

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine light illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road. When the vehicle was turned off, oil leaked from the vehicle. The contact drove slowly to a business parking lot. The vehicle was towed to the residence and was then towed to the dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired, and the dealer refused to complete the recall repairs. The contact was informed that the manufacturer refused to do the recall repairs and stated that the warranty had expired. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The contact was informed that the vehicle needed to be removed from the premises. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and filed a claim. Afterwards, the contact was informed that NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 22V096000 (AIR BAGS), 17V608000 (STEERING), 19V120000 (ENGINE, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING), and 15V123000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) were associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while accelerating, the accelerator pedal was depressed to the floorboard, and the vehicle was sluggish and slow to accelerate before responding as needed. There was an abnormal, rotten odor coming from the vehicle. The ABS, engine, and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The local dealer was contacted and suggested a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000.

Summary of Safety Defect: While my 16 year old daughter was driving our 2014 Kia Soul in December 2025, the car suddenly lost power in traffic and would not go over 20 mph; the check engine light came on and the vehicle entered limp mode. The sudden drop in power created a high anxiety, hazardous situation for my daughter, who had only had her license for a week, during rush hour traffic. The vehicle was unsafe to operate and had to be towed. Details of the Incident: Diagnostic trouble code P1326 (Knock Sensor Detection System) was confirmed by the Kia dealership. P1326 is part of Kia’s known engine defect population and is tied to safety related engine failures. The dealership documented oil consumption, oil fouled spark plugs, and compression readings below Kia’s minimum specification on all cylinders. The dealership concluded in writing that engine replacement is required. Despite this, Kia denied warranty coverage based solely on a bearing clearance test, without completing the full diagnostic process required under the KSDS settlement. The vehicle remains unsafe and inoperable. Why This Is a Safety Issue: The sudden loss of power and inability to accelerate above ~20 mph created a dangerous situation for my daughter and surrounding traffic. This is a known defect pattern in Kia vehicles covered under the KSDS program. The failure occurred without warning and could have resulted in a collision. Requested Action: I am reporting this because Kia has not responded to my two complaints nor properly addressed a safety related engine defect that is already part of a national settlement. The incomplete diagnostic process and denial of coverage leave the vehicle unsafe and unusable. I request that NHTSA review this incident as part of the ongoing safety concerns involving Kia GDI engines and P1326 related failures.

I was driving my 2014 Kia Soul on Friday 12/12 when without any warning the brakes went out. Thankfully I was able to get it to a parking lot without incident and requested a tow. After having it repaired, the mechanics stated the brake lines completely popped due to brake line corrosion. After researching this issue, I found that my Kia Soul had a Voluntary Service Campaign recall regarding the exact corrosion on the brake lines that would likely be responsible for this catastrophic failure. I was never notified of this possibility despite having my car routinely serviced in NJ and VA. This is a huge oversight on Kia’s behalf – other people with this make and model need to be notified that there could be unseen corrosion happening. Fortunately, I wasn’t on the highway when the brakes went out and thanks to my careful navigation I was able to avoid getting into an accident with others on the road at the time my brakes suddenly failed. Afterwards, I called Kia and requested reimbursement as this was a recall that I was never notified for but they refused as my VIN was not listed under the VSC. Due to the catastrophic nature of the failure and the potential for damage to property, severe injury, or loss of life, I am notifying NHTSA in hopes of escalating this issue and to raise awareness for other Kia Soul drivers. Prior to this incident, NO lights, NO audible warning, OR other signs of impending failure occurred. Had I been notified of this issue through the inclusion in the VSC, I would have been able to take steps to preemptively address this issue and avoid the associated risk of operating such a potentially compromised vehicle.

Brakes failed my husband (primary driver of the KIA vehicle) came home from work on 8/19/2024. He pulled off at the local mechanic. Brakes were rusty and there was rust in the brake line so we had to replace. Rusty brakeline became a voluntary recall because it was not just our car that had this problem. We have been going back and forth with Kia since June notice (their case #XXX) and they are blaming the criteria of their voluntary recall with the NHTSA that says that you can only get reimbursed if you can return the parts and document that they were the original manufacturer's parts that were replaced. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)