2016 Kia Soul

THE FRONT END CREAKS EVERY TIME I SLOWLY RIDE OVER A SPEED BUMP OR EXPERIENCE DIP IN THE ROAD. I ORIGINALLY REPORTED IT TO THE DEALERSHIP WHEN STILL UNDER WARRANTY. I TOOK THE MECHANIC ON A RIDE WITH ME IN THE VEHICLE SO HE COULD HEAR THE NOISE. HE AGREED SOMETHING WAS WRONG, PROBABLY WITH THE SUSPENSION. AFTER SEVERAL VISITS TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY COULD NOT TARGET THE REASON FOR THE CREAKING NOISE. THEIR ONLY QUICK-FIX-TEMPORARY ANSWER WAS TO SPRAY THE ENTIRE UNDERCARRIAGE WITH LUBRICANT. THAT ELIMINATED THE ISSUE FOR A BRIEF COUPLE MONTHS, BUT THE CREAKING NOISE QUICKLY RETURNED, AND THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY.

I STARTED COMPLAINING TO THE DEALER THAT THE FRONT RIGHT SIDE WHEEL DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT IT SEEMS TO BE SPINNING AT A DIFFERENT SPEED AS THE OTHER TIRES WHICH WORE THE TIRES DOWN AND THE THE BRAKES TO WEAR. THE FRONT END SHAKES BACK AND FORTH WHILE DRIVING. THEY TIGHTENED THE BOLTS THAT SECURE THE BODY TO THE FRAME. BUT IT ONLY FEELS SOMEWHAT FINE FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS. I TOOK IT TO 3DIFFERENT KIA DEALERS AND ALL HAVE SAID THERE'S NOTHING WRONG AND THERE IS NO SAFETY ISSUE, BUT IT SURE DOESN'T FEEL IT. IT SEEMS LIKE THEY JUST WANT TO GET IT PAST THE WARRANTY. THEY INSTALLED NEW SOFTWARE FOR THE ENGINE KNOCK TO MONITOR IT BUT IT SEEMS WORSE SINCE THEY INSTALLED IT. MY CAR FEELS LIKE IT'S FALLING APART. I EVEN CALLED KIA HEADQUARTERS AND THEY SAID THEY GO BY WHAT THE TECHNICIANS SAY, IF THEY SAY THERE ISN'T ANYTHING WRONG THEN THERE MUST NOT BE. I HAVE ALL MY RECORDS.

THE CRASH AT ABOUT 2:30AM EARLY TUESDAY MORNING ON NOV. 24, 2020, ON HER WAY HOME FROM HER NEARBY 2ND SHIFT JOB, MY WIFE'S 2016 KIA SOL WAS HIT HARD ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE BY A CAR BEING PURSUED BY POLICE. LUCKILY, AND POSSIBLY BECAUSE MY WIFE IS SHORT AND SITS HIGH, SHE APPEARS UNINJURED ALTHOUGH VISIBLY SHAKEN AND VERY NERVOUS ABOUT NIGHT DRIVING. MY WIFE HAD PULLED HER CAR OVER TO THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE 4+ LANE ROAD WHEN SHE HEARD SIRENS. WHILE PULLED OVER WITH THE CAR RUNNING AND HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE PERPETRATOR'S VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND PUSHED HER CAR SEVERAL FEET FURTHER TO THE RIGHT, CRUMPLING THE DOORS AND BREAKING OFF THE LEFT REAR WHEEL AND SUSPENSION FROM THE IMPACT. THE POLICE REPORT SHOWED THAT THE PERPETRATOR'S VEHICLE APPROACHED HER CAR FROM THE FRONT LEFT, BUT THE VEHICLE HIT THE VERY SHORT KIA SQUARELY AND ONLY IN THE TWO DRIVER'S SIDE DOORS WITH NO DAMAGE TO THE FRONT OR REAR FENDERS. CLEARLY NOT SIDESWIPED WHERE THE ENTIRE SIDE WOULD HAVE BEEN DAMAGED. ALLSTATE INSURANCE TOTALED THE CAR AND PHOTOS FROM THE ACCIDENT SCENE AND TOWING YARD ARE ATTACHED, AS IS THE POLICE REPORT. NO AIRBAGS DEPLOYED! NONE OF THE KIA'S AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. WE BOUGHT THE CAR NEW IN LATE 2015 AND IT HAS BEEN COMPLETELY SERVICED SINCE THEN AT THE ORIGINAL KIA DEALER. THEY RECENTLY UPDATED THE CAR'S COMPUTER UNDER A KIA RECALL. ON DEC. 4, 2020, I CONTACTED THE KIA CONSUMER ASSISTANCE CENTER (KAYLEE C AT 949-468-4689) AND ASKED WHY THE AIRBAGS FAILED. AFTER LOOKING AT PHOTOS I SENT HER AND FROM THE COPART LOT, SHE QUICKLY SAID THE CAR WAS "SIDESWIPED AND NOT HIT HARD ENOUGH TO DEPLOY THE AIRBAGS". HER RESPONSE WAS PROTECTING KIA LINE AS ANY REVIEW OF THE PHOTOS SHOWS THAT HE CAR WAS HIT FROM THE SIDE VERY HARD AND NOT SIDESWIPED. I ASK THAT NHTSA INVESTIGATE THIS INCIDENT AS IT'S UNLIKELY THAT ONLY MY VEHICLE HAS THIS POTENTIALLY FATAL FLAW.

PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE CPO BACK IN AUGUST 2018 WITH MY WIFE. APPROXIMATELY IN NOVEMBER, COMPUTER TRIPPED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. TOOK IT IN BECAUSE IT HAD TURNED OFF ON ITS OWN AND I FOUND IT ABNORMAL. SERVICE CENTER REPLACED THE CLOGGED CATALYTIC CONVERTER. STARTING IN DECEMBER, A FOUL SMELL BEGAN TO DEVELOP INSIDE THE CAR AND SLOWLY GOT WORSE IN JANUARY. I CLEANED AND PURGED THE ENTIRE CAR MULTIPLE TIMES TRYING TO FIND THE SOURCE SINCE IT HAD GOTTEN TO THE POINT THAT IT SMELLED LIKE ROTTEN EGGS. TOOK IT IN IN FEBRUARY FOR THIS ISSUE AND THE CRUNCHING SOUND THE FRONT BEGAN MAKING WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS AND RAMPS. AT THE SAME TIME, WE ALSO REPORTED TO THE SERVICE CENTER THAT POWER WOULD BE DAMPED WHILE UNDER LOAD AND GOING UP HILLS. AFTER I GOT BACK THE CAR, THEY HAD REPLACED THE SWAY ARM LINKS AND TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NO SMELL. CALLED KIA CORP TO REPORT THE ISSUE AND THEY SENT OUT A TECH. THEY ENDED UP REPLACING THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AGAIN AND THE FRONT STRUTS. CRUNCHING SOUND FROM THE FRONT SUSPENSION REMAINS AS WELL AS THE SMELL. CONTACTED KIA CORP AGAIN AND REQUESTED THEY BUY BACK THE CAR BEFORE WE SEEK LEGAL COUNSEL AND SUE THEM UNDER THE CALIFORNIA LEMON LAW BUT ARE GIVING USTHE RUN ABOUT. THE PERSON I SPOKE WITH DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE THAT HIS OWN COMPANY WAS GOING TO RELEASE A NEW RECALL REGARDING THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER BEING OVERHEATED UNTIL I POINTED IT OUT. DURING HIS WHOLE TIME, MY WIFE AND I WERE TREATED AS IF WE WERE CRAZY AND THEY KEPT SAYING THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE AND HAVE YET TO FIX ANY OF THE ISSUES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 KIA SOUL. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN, THE VEHICLE TURNED TO THE LEFT AND CRASHED INTO A CURB. THE INCIDENT DAMAGED ONE OF THE TIRES. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALER (SUPERIOR KIA, 260 W. MITCHELL AVE, CINCINNATI, OH) AND WAS AWAITING DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,000.

LAST YEAR I FOUND OUT THAT WHEN I ENGAGED REVERSE RIGHT OR LEFT A GRINDING NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN AREA. ALSO WHEN I WAS DRIVING OVER A SPEED BUMP OR IN A DIP A SQUEEKING SOUND WAS COMING FROM THE BACK OF THE CAR. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE [KIA OF ORANGE,210 KATELLA AVE.,ORANGE,CA.92867, (714)453-3800], TWICE 5/6/2017 & 14/9/2017, BUT THEY COULDN'T OR DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO FIX THE PROBLEMS. ON 1/26/2018 I CALLED KIA CORPORATE OFFICE IN IRVINE (800)333-4542 AND EXPLAINED TO "LORRE" THE PROBLEMS THAT MY CAR HAS AND THAT I TOOK IT TO KIA OF ORANGE WHICH THEY COULDN'T FIX IN ADDITION TO THEIR BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE THAT I HAD ANYTIME I TOOK THE CAR FOR SERVICE. HER RESPONSE OVER THE PHONE AND WITH HER EMAILS WAS PATHETIC,IN DENIAL AND SUPPORTIVE FOR THE KIA OF ORANGE. I WILL NEVER BUY A KIA/JUNK AGAIN.