2015 Kia Soul acceleration & cruise control problems

Related recalls

• Recall 15V123000Mar 2, 2015208,858 vehicles
  VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

  Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Soul and Soul electric vehicles manufactured July 21, 2013, to January 8, 2015. A section of the accelerator pedal may bend and fracture.

  Risk: If the vehicle has a bent or broken accelerator pedal, the driver may have difficulty accelerating the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will add a supporting rubber underneath the pedal stopper, free of charge. The recall began on March 24, 2015. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC116.

What owners say

1. Filed Jul 26, 2025VTEngineAcceleration & Cruise Control

   1- ENGINE It’s been about 3 months that when I depress the gas pedal the car skips or hiccups and I get a check engine light on I have to accelerate slowly this also happening while I am driving it’s worse if I try to pass a car

   NHTSA complaint #11676406 · source
2. Filed Jul 14, 2025PRAcceleration & Cruise Control

   Subject: Possible Design Flaw in Accelerator Pedal – Kia Soul 2015 Dear Kia/NHTSA Representative, I am the owner of a 2015 Kia Soul and would like to report a concern regarding the design of the accelerator pedal. I have observed that when the vehicle is turned on and in “Park” mode, the accelerator pedal can be easily pressed unintentionally simply by moving the foot slightly while seeking a more comfortable position. This appears to be related to the low and forward…

   NHTSA complaint #11673545 · source
3. Filed Mar 31, 2025PAEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionAcceleration & Cruise Control

   High temperatures catalytic converter code went on the car was stalling on the highway as soon as I hit 60 MPH as I was getting on the car will not accelerate like if the engine was going to come out which also caused my car to overheat which was smelling like burnt oil called the dealer regarding this issue and compared to the recalls on the other KIA which is exactly what's happening to my car.

   NHTSA complaint #11651676 · source
4. Filed Jan 6, 2025GAFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionAcceleration & Cruise ControlSteering

   I was driving my 2015 Kia Soul along a 4 lane highway when the Check Engine light came on and begun to flash. The Kia began to lose about 5 mph off and then return to the previous rate of speed a few minutes later. Then it would repeat the cycle. As the vehicle lost the engine power, the steering also became very tight as if the power steering was also malfunctioning. I could also hear a slight tapping sound, as the driver side window was open just a few inches. Since I had…

   NHTSA complaint #11634251 · source
5. Filed Dec 23, 2024144,000 miARFireEngineAcceleration & Cruise ControlTransmission & Drivetrain

   Description of Incident: The engine has experienced a failure that causes oil to blow back from the engine, covering components both under and outside of the engine cover. This has resulted in oil accumulating on the exhaust and other hot components, creating a significant fire hazard. Safety Risks: This malfunction poses a serious risk to my safety and the safety of others, as the oil leakage could lead to a fire while driving. Additionally, the vehicle stalls at various…

   NHTSA complaint #11632078 · source
6. Filed Dec 12, 2024VAElectrical SystemEngineAcceleration & Cruise Control

   I was driving about 50mph when my car suddenly stopped accelerating. I rolled down the hill a little before I hit the brake and put the car in park right in the middle of the street in traffic

   NHTSA complaint #11630433 · source
7. Filed Jun 14, 2024OREngineOther / UnknownAcceleration & Cruise Control

   Having acceleration problems with the Kia and catalytic converter. I had contacted the Kia dealer but can't be seen till August but I need vehicle to go to work plus have dr appointments and can't drive the car feel like it's gonna die on me how can I get this problem recall done sooner as I need my car

   NHTSA complaint #11594446 · source
8. Filed Apr 23, 2024FLFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionOther / UnknownAcceleration & Cruise Control

   My catalytic converter failed just under 4 years after getting the SC176 recall done in July 2020. I believe it's possible there was a step missed in the replacement of my catalytic converter related to the recall, specifically the Catalytic Overheating Protection Engine Control Unit logic that may have caused the converter to fail. I do not detect that on the attached receipt from the repair that was done for the recall. Although there were no safety issues that happened,…

   NHTSA complaint #11584651 · source
9. Filed Oct 21, 2022MOEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionAcceleration & Cruise Control

   My 2015 Kia Soul recently went out of service. One day last month my car randomly started stalling and shaking to the point of barely being drivable. There were no signs or dashboard lights. Thursday, September 15th, 2022, I took my car to a local repair shop and they ran a diagnostic that came back as a bad Catalytic Converter on Friday, September 16th, 2022. According to the mechanic, the converter nearest the engine had broken off and pieces of it had gotten into my…

   NHTSA complaint #11490246 · source
10. Filed Oct 13, 2022TNEngineAcceleration & Cruise ControlSteering

    My car just shut down out of the blue. There was no warning of any sort as far as anything showing that needed repair with my vehicle. It just started jerking one day. I took it to the Kia dealership and they confirmed that it was due to the recall part but will not fix the part.

    NHTSA complaint #11489225 · source
11. Filed Jun 10, 202290,000 miIAAcceleration & Cruise Control

    The contact owns a 2015 Kia Soul. The contact stated his mom was driving the vehicle on the expressway at 55MPH. The contact stated that the vehicle did not accelerate and the speedometer was decreasing. The contact stated no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle resummed to perform as normal and the contact drove home. The vehicle was driven to a dealer and diagnosed but not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

    NHTSA complaint #11468613 · source
12. Filed May 13, 2022HIEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionAcceleration & Cruise Control

    Engine light and ABS light always on, kia hasnt explained this issue or expressed concern about it.. Engine randomly started leaking oil, blowing out white smoke, stalling out upon accelerating causing safety issue in traffic. Kia has had car for 2 weeks now with no answers to resolve. Being told the recall issue is "fine" I use my car for work and this unresolved issue is affecting my livelihood. This all began on 4-29-22 and am now being asked to pay for further testing…

    NHTSA complaint #11464445 · source

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology