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Also read: The Expected Mileage Of A Kia Soul
Interior Issues
Dashboard Cracks
The interior of the Kia Soul EV (made in Korea) is made up of a lot of plasticky bits, and like most other interiors, the dashboard is the part that has to bear the most wear and tear. Apart from the depreciation caused by the owners, the effects of direct sunlight also become visible after some time.
The heat from the sun causes the plastic in the dashboard to harden up, and cracks eventually appear. But as these are not leather interiors, the good news is that these cracks can be easily fixed. You can fill up the cracks and then repaint the dashboard to give it a new look.
Fixing the dashboard is a better choice than a complete dashboard replacement, as it will cost a fortune. The cost for the material to apply this dashboard cracks fix will be around $60, and you can DIY the process to save the labor cost.
Sunroof Stops Working
The sunroof not only increases the car’s aesthetic appeal, but it’s also very good for enjoying the weather from the confines of your car. A small motor ensures that the sunroof opens and closes smoothly.
But this motor can stop working as there is no proper way of reaching it to service it. Even if you service it properly, car owners have complained that their sunroof suddenly stopped working. Dust and debris can also accumulate in the motor and prevent it from working.
If the motor has stopped working because of the accumulated dust and debris, you can have it fixed for a minor service fee of $80. But if the motor is faulty and needs to be replaced, you can get it from the KIA factory parts for $228. The installation cost will vary from location to location, or you can try and replace it yourself if you’re enough of a car geek. Replacing your sunroof motor will take about an hour.
Sunroof Glass Breaks
Even though a very small percentage of owners reported this issue, it is still something that has to be kept in mind. The sunroof glass used in Kia Soul EV is not laminated like the windscreen glass. That means continuous variations in temperature can weaken the bonds, and the glass can shatter over your head.
If you face this unfortunate and improbable scenario, the panorama roof glass will cost you $200 + on replacement. It is unlikely that you can replace the glass yourself, so it is always a better idea to find out about the labor costs in your area. If you have to replace the whole assembly because of an issue, it will cost you $870 for the entire sunroof assembly.
Tailgate Lock Malfunctions
Some owners have also reported problems with the tailgate. KIA Soul EV has a manual tailgate which is not operated by a motor. But even then, it is prone to issues related to its lock. Owners reported that the tailgate’s lock was not working correctly. And sometimes, making sure that the tailgate is locked became too much of a hassle.
Repairing a faulty tailgate lock will cost you almost $200 + plus the cost of the labor. You can try and install the repair yourself to save the labor cost.
Transmission Problems
Gear Box Failure
Kia Soul EV 2016 came with a problem discovered after it had already affected several owners. Because of a programming error, some models would allow shifting from ‘D’ to ‘P’ when the car rolls, which can damage the whole gearbox. Typically, the parking claw receives a signal from the ABS that the wheels are still rolling and prevent shifting to P, but this did not happen in some cases.
If a gearbox is blown, you may be able to get it fixed for approximately $400-500, but if the box is damaged because the car was at a great speed, replacing the transmission could cost up to $3500.
Powertrain Issues
Some of the Kia Soul EV owners faced problems relating to the powertrain, leading to high replacement costs. Kia Soul EV was facing at least ten lawsuits from owners that stated that their powertrain started having problems, and they had to park their cars at the dealership for repairs.
It has been established that Kia did not use a state-of-the-art powertrain for the Soul EV, and many owners had to pay for it. Frequently, it was the drive shaft that would give up while driving. Depending on which component of the powertrain stops functioning, the repairs could cost you between $4000-$5000.
Suspension Problems
Suspension Squeaking On Turns
After completing some miles on the road, many of the Kia Soul EV suspension systems started having problems related to reliability. If your suspension system is having issues after you’ve covered at least 50k miles, it can be considered normal, as standard suspension systems will last between 50-100k miles.
But if you have not covered that much distance and your car produces clanky noises every time you turn left or right, it is a sign of a faulty suspension system. The suspension system comprises many components such as shock absorbers, springs, CV joints and axles, struts, bushings, chassis, wheel hub bearings, etc., and your repair cost will depend upon which component needs to be repaired/replaced.
Shocks Breaking
Although many owners did not report this issue, there is no reliable way of determining whether a car’s shocks broke because of poor assembly or because of the wear and tear of bumpy rides. Some Kia Soul EV were reported to have broken shocks even when the car was new.
But since this could be the drivers’ fault and very few owners reported this issue, the real reason behind broken shocks can not be determined.
The repair cost of broken shocks or struts will not be easy. You can expect to spend something between $1500-$2000. Plus, there will be heavy labor costs as replacing these components requires a certain skill level.
Electronics Issues
Cruise Control
Cruise control is a great option available in modern cars. It is like the auto-pilot system in planes, but since the car is on the road where there are other cars around, many fail-safes must be set in place to avoid accidents. And sometimes, these fail-safes become the reason for a feature not responding appropriately.
The cruise control system is designed to disable if the brake is applied. So a faulty brake system may signal the car that the brake pedal has been pressed, even though you didn’t do it, and the car dis-engages cruise control.
Another persistent issue in cruise control was that the car needed to be at an optimum speed for cruise control to take over. If your car’s speed sensor has stopped working correctly, it will not signal the cruise control that optimum speed has been achieved, and the car will never go into cruise control.
Unlike other issues, finding the real problem behind a faulty cruise control is not a walk in the park. So the recommended procedure is to take the car to an authentic and reliable dealership and have it checked. On average, the inspection cost is $90. The repair cost will depend on the real issue behind the faulty cruise control.
Charging Port Locks Connector
Some owners reported that if they locked the doors while the car was connected to a charger, the charging port would lock with the connector. There is nothing about the charging port locking mechanism in the manual, so you can imagine what the owners had to go through when faced with this issue.
If the port is locking the connector when the doors are locked, then unlocking the doors should also lead to the port unlocking the connector. But this does not happen. If you face this issue, try locking and unlocking your doors multiple times until the charging port releases the connector. No solution to this particular problem was found at any Kia forum.
The issue is a feature Kia should have advertised properly to let owners know about it. It ensures that when the owner goes away after locking the car when it is being charged, no one else can come and disconnect the charger as the owner is not in the car to prevent it from happening.
Hi! My name is Stefan; I’m the owner and lead writer at TheDriverAdviser.com.
I’m an active writer on this blog myself, as well as a novice car mechanic. For the really technical stuff, I find writers with experience as a mechanic or who have studied mechanical engineering.
Read more about our fantastic team on our about page!