There are 7 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2012 Kia Soulin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I bought the car 2 yrs ago come April and it's had nothing but issues. I've had one recall did which was the knock sensor however now the check engine is on and it's smelling like rubber my brakes are wearing like an eraser and my engine just feels sluggish. The code is p0420 which from what I understand is a catlic converter and I read online there is a recall for that with kia . I've spent a lot more than what I paid for the car not even 2 yrs ago and every place i take it has a new opinion and none of those have any connections with the code so I need help
Was stalling, would loose power, now will not start. Found a recall ( engine and engine cooling: exhaust system: emission control: catalytic converter # 19v120000.) same problems. Towed to local kia, they say not under recall list. This recall is only for engine size 1.6. My engine is a 2.0. But they said catalytic converter needs replaced. Although car is aged only has about 55,000 miles. Catalytic converter should not be an issue. I believe the 2.0 engine needs to be added to the recall list.
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact attempted to accelerate; however, the vehicle failed to exceed 40 MPH before inadvertently decelerating to 20 MPH. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.
So I purchased a 2012 Kia Soul A few months ago and since I got it the car has been having issues with accelerating the car delays to respond and I have had many closed calls specifically when entering a freeway the car losses power and I have to really press on the pedal for the vehicle to respond then the check engine light started to come on showing Code P0420 Catalyst operating below minimum threshold. I looked up online and all Kia souls starting from 2012 have a recall regarding the Catalyst converter and because of the issue my vehicle is having a weird rattling or knocking sound on the engine I looked up online and this is what I found Kia Motors America (Kia) is voluntarily recalling 2012–2016 Kia Soul vehicles with 1.6L Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines due to high exhaust gas temperatures that may damage the catalytic converter. This could cause abnormal engine combustion, damage to pistons, and possibly failed piston connecting rod. Recall consequence Piston damage may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash. A broken connecting rod may puncture the engine block allowing engine oil to escape. The leaking oil may contact the exhaust, increasing the risk of a fire. So at this point I’m not felling safe driving this vehicle anymore and I need my vehicle because I need it for work and to move my family around and the worst thing is that all this is cutting back on my income because I purchased this car for Uber & Lyft rides but I can’t do it I wouldn’t want to put other peoples life in danger knowing that the vehicle isn’t responding like it’s supposed to so please I need assistance or guidance on what to do to get this situation resolved as soon as possible because I wasted all muy funds purchasing this vehicle and at this point I can’t afford to pay someone to make any repairs my own vehicle pls don’t disregard my situation I’m out of options at this point thank you and have a great day Date 04-11-24 Sincerely [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I had my Kia in the shop for 2 months from August 22, 2022 until about the middle of October because it went into limp mode and they were waiting on Kia consumer to ok a new engine because the dealership heard a knock. I was originally told my Kia had a lifetime warranty on the motor but when it went into limp mode with 156.044 miles on it they then said 150,000 mile warranty so I had to pay out of pocket to have the part fixed. I’ve have my car back less than a month haven’t even put a 1,000 miles on it and it’s went right back into limp mode in the middle of a four lane. Almost got rear ended because the speed bogged down to below 45mph. It’s throwing the same code as it didn’t previously.
ABOUT 2 WEEKS AGO MY CAR DIED AT A STOPLIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME. ALL ALONG THERE IS NO INDICATOR LIGHTS. THEN DIED WHILE DRIVING 3 DAYS LATER AT 35 MPH. I WENT TO AN AUTO ZONE TO GET A CHECK ON ITS COMPUTER BUT THEY WOULDN'T DO ANYTHING DUE TO THE CORONA VIRUS. DROVE IT A FEW DAYS , IT DIED AGAIN AT THE STOPLIGHT. IT BEGAN TO DO THIS EVERY FEW DAYS .NO INDICATION WHEN IT WOULD SHUT OFF AND NO INDICATOR LIGHTS. I CALLED TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL AND THERE WASN'T, I ALSO CHECKED ONLINE.WHEN IT DIED I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT JUST OFF THE ROAD OR AT BUSY INTERSECTIONS FOR A FEW MINUTES AND KEEP TRYING. THEN AFTER A FEW TIMES I STARTED NOTICING IT WOULD DIE AT THE INTERSECTION AND THEN MY RPM INDICATOR WOULD NOT WORK THEN THE CAR WOULD SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING ,I WOULD FIGHT WITH IT TO START OR IT WOULD START NORMALLY AND EVERYTHING WORKED FOR A WHILE AGAIN. I CALLED THE DEALER MADE AN APPOINTMENT, THEY SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG BUT ONE MECHANIC ASKED WHAT YEAR THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON OTHER VEHICLES..TODAY JUNE 5TH WHEN I WAS STUCK AT AN INTERSECTION I USED MY PHONE TO RECORD THAT IT STARTED AFTER A FEW MINUTES AND THEN WHEN I DROVE IT I HAD TO FLOOR THE GAS AND THE RPM INDICATOR WASN'T WORKING AT ALL. THEN I WAS DRIVING FINALLY GOT IT TO SPEED AND IT DIED IN THE ROAD AT 55 WHILE DRIVING LUCKILY I COASTED OFF THE ROAD .AFTER A MINUTE I TAPED WHERE I WAS, HOW THE CAR WAS PULLED OFF CROOKED AND THEN IT STARTED NORMALLY, NO INDICATOR LIGHTS ,RPM WORKED AND I GOT HOME. THE CAR DEALER SAID HE PROBABLY KNEW WHAT IT WAS DUE TO THE OTHER RECALLS BUT IT WOULD BE EXPENSIVE. I CANNOT AFFORD A REPAIR DON'T WANT TO DIE EITHER. IF OTHER CARS WERE RECALLED MINE NEEDS TO BE. IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE I AM IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE MY CAR JUST DIES WHENEVER IT WANTS TO. I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO UPLOAD OFF MY PHONE BUT WILL GLADLY HAVE SOMEONE DO IT SOON TO REPORT IT AGAIN. *TR
HAD TO REPLACE ENGINE
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026