What 800 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Kia Soul

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 KIA SOUL. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE MADE A STRANGE NOISE. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE, ADDED TWO QUARTS OF OIL, AND CONTINUED TO DRIVE. SUDDENLY, A LOUD POP SOUND WAS HEARD. THE CONTACT AND THREE PASSENGERS EXITED THE VEHICLE AND SAW FLAMES COMING FROM THE ENGINE AREA. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO THE SCENE AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. BOTH POLICE AND FIRE REPORTS WERE FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED AND TOWED TO A TOW YARD. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000.

NHTSA ODI 11269261

I WAS DRIVING MY VEHICLE ON THE INTERSTATE (I-90 WB) ON 10/11/2019 AT APPROX 70 MPH. MY ENGINE STARTED TO LOSE POWER THEN I SAW SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER MY HOOD. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF THE INTERSTATE AND CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD. MY ENGINE WAS ON FIRE AND EVENTUALLY, THE VEHICLE WENT INTO FLAMES. THE CAR WAS DESTROYED BY THE FIRE.

NHTSA ODI 11268112

DRIVING HOME NORMALLY, ENGINE KNOCK LOUDLY, LOST OF POWER, BARLEY MADE IT HOME. OIL LIGHT CAME ON IN WHEN I WAS CHECKING ENGINE. NO OIL, JUST HAD A OIL CHANGE MONTH AGO. NO LEAKAGE, NO SMOKE FROM TAIL PIKE. OIL PRESSURE LIGHT NEVER CAME ON UNTIL IT'S OUT. I READ 10 POST THAT IS THE SAME AS WHAT HAPPEN TO ME.

NHTSA ODI 11230019

ON SUNDAY, MAY 26TH, 2019, OUR KIA SOUL CAUGHT FIRE AS WE WERE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. MY FAMILY WAS IN THE CAR WHEN MY HUSBAND FELT THE CAR LOSE POWER. WE HEARD A KNOCKING SOUND BETWEEN US AND UNDER US, FORWARD BETWEEN OUR SEATS AND THE ENGINE. MY HUSBAND SAW SMOKE AS HE PULLED OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. A FEW SECONDS AFTER WE PULLED OVER, WE SAW FLAMES ERUPT FROM THE HOOD OF THE CAR. WE GOT OUR THREE KIDS OUT OF THE CAR AS FAST AS WE COULD AND RAN FROM THE CAR. WE CALLED 911 AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE CAME TO PUT OUT THE FIRE AND DIRECT TRAFFIC, AS AT LEAST ONE LANE WAS CLOSED. IN THE TIME IT TOOK FOR THE FIRST RESPONDERS TO ARRIVE, OUR CAR EXPLODED INTO A FIRE BALL.

NHTSA ODI 11217487

AFTER A SHORT DRIVE, I PARKED MY 2016 KIA SOUL IN THE GARAGE AND 15 MINUTES LATER I HEARD A NOISE IN THE GARAGE. MY HUSBAND OPENED THE DOOR TO THE GARAGE AND FOUND FLAMES COMING FROM THE STATIONARY KIA. THE ENTIRE GARAGE CAUGHT FIRE AND INCLUDED MY OTHER CAR WHICH WAS AN INFINITI G35. THE PRIMARY FLAMES WERE COMING OUT OF THE HOOD/FRONT RIGHT FENDER SEAM WITH MINOR FLAMES UNDERNEATH THE KIA. WE KNOW THAT THE FIRE STARTED IN THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF THE KIA SOUL. THE VEHICLE WAS LESS THAN ONE YEAR OLD, HAD APPROXIMATELY 6000 MILES, AND HAD ONLY BEEN SERVICED ONCE AT THE HENDERSON KIA DEALERSHIP FOR AN OIL CHANGE. WE BELIEVE THAT THE CAUSE OF THE SAFETY RISK WAS THE FUEL VAPOR LEAK BECAUSE MY SON'S 2016 KIA FORTE, ALSO PURCHASED FROM HENDERSON KIA, HAD A SEVERE FUEL VAPOR LEAK THAT HE HAD REPAIRED AT THE DEALERSHIP ABOUT THREE MONTHS AFTER MY KIA SOUL FIRE. THE SPEED OF MY GARAGE FIRE IS CONSISTENT WITH A FUEL VAPOR LEAK THAT WAS DOCUMENTED BY THE HENDERSON KIA SERVICE DEPARTMENT ON MY SON'S KIA FORTE. WE HAD TO MOVE OUT OF OUR HOME FOR FIVE MONTHS WHILE THE HOUSE WAS BEING REPAIRED. THERE WAS OVER $142,000 DAMAGE TO OUR HOME AND PERSONAL PROPERTY.

NHTSA ODI 11180538

I WAS GETTING READY TO MERGE ONTO THE INTERSTATE WHEN I HEARD NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. WHEN I GOT ONTO THE INTERSTATE THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE, SO I PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER, AND THE ENGINE DIED. SMOKE WAS COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD, AND TWO MEN IN TWO VEHICLES STOPPED AND OPENED THE HOOD AND FLAMES WERE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. THEY HAD WATER AND A FIRE EXTINGUISHER AND ALSO THREW SOME DIRT ON THE FIRE TO PUT IT OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE KIA DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS BOUGHT. THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAD THE KIA SOUL TOWED TO DENVER COLORADO TO HAVE THEIR AGENT LOOK IT THE KIA. IT WAS DECLARED A TOTAL LOSS AND WAS NOT AN ARSON FIRE. THE KIA DEALERSHIP FROM WHICH THE KIA SOUL WAS BOUGHT NEVER INSPECTED THE SOUL. ALL ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WAS DONE ON SCHEDULE BY THE KIA DEALERSHIP FOR THE 9 MONTHS I OWNED THE KIA. IT WAS BOUGHT NEW IN DECEMBER OF 2016 AND CAUGHT FIRE IN SEPTEMBER OF 2017. THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE WAS NEVER DETERMINED AND KIA NEVER TOOK ANY RESPONSIBLE.

NHTSA ODI 11153156

CAR WAS IN GOOD CONDITION AND WELL MAINTAINED ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER'S SERVICE SCHEDULE. IT WAS LAST SERVICED ON 7/31/18 WHEN IT PASSED NYS INSPECTION. THE OWNER WAS INFORMED ON 9/18/18 @ 7:03 PM BY DAUGHTER THAT CAR STARTED MAKING A STRANGE SOUND ON 9/17/18. PLANNED TO HAVE DEALER CHECK OUT CAR ON 9/19/18. ON 9/18/18 @ APPROXIMATELY 8:35 PM, WHILE BEING DRIVEN ON THE LOCAL PORTION OF AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, THE CAR'S OIL LIGHT BLINKED ON AND OFF. A FEW MINUTES LATER THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON. A FEW MINUTES LATER THE CAR ENGINE BEGAN TO SMOKE AND SMOKE CAME INTO THE CAR THROUGH THE AIR VENTS. THE DRIVER, MY DAUGHTER'S BOYFRIEND, PULLED OVER INTO THE BREAKDOWN LANE, TURNED OFF THE CAR, GOT OUT, STEPPED AWAY FROM IT AND THE ENGINE ERUPTED IN FLAMES. BY APPROXIMATELY 8:50 PM THE CAR WAS TOTALLY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE CAR LOOKS LIKE IT WAS FIRE BOMBED.

NHTSA ODI 11133366