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Kia soul 2012 topping out at 3000 rpm issue.

39K views 41 replies 29 participants last post by  Dudecampbell69 
#1 ·
I just received my soul today from the dealer and when I reached 40 miles on the odm, my soul would not exceed 3 rpms. When I am going up a hill the power cuts dramatically. I have to shift down to 2nd gear to make it up a steep hill after fighting with any higher gear, its a manual. (I have driven manual for over 3 years so I know what I am doing as well.) I am going the dealer today to tell them about the issue. When I am driving and push all the way down on the accelerator it will still accelerate slow (slower than usual) and top out at 3 rpms in all gears. If anyone with a 2012 manual soul has experienced the same problems please say so so I know its not my soul alone.
If you know what the problem could be that would be great.

I will let you what the dealer tells.
 
#4 ·
i wonder if the "problem" you experienced occur while engine was cold [have not reached normal operating temperature]. computer may be programmed to prevent exceeding 3000/RPM while engine is still "cold". My Lexus doesn't shift to 6th when engine has not reached the normal operating temperature. I was told by my dealer that vehicle is programmed to prevent excessive emission during cold operation. all returns to normal as soon as it "hit" the normal operating temperature "mark".
 
#42 ·
You may try waiting it out for awhile as the engine has a break-in period.

It's like a horse. You try to make it run really fast after its been doing nothing and the performance isn't that great. It has to build up slowly. :) Not sure if that analogy will quite work but I tried!
At my friend is absolutely not true
I just received my soul today from the dealer and when I reached 40 miles on the odm, my soul would not exceed 3 rpms. When I am going up a hill the power cuts dramatically. I have to shift down to 2nd gear to make it up a steep hill after fighting with any higher gear, its a manual. (I have driven manual for over 3 years so I know what I am doing as well.) I am going the dealer today to tell them about the issue. When I am driving and push all the way down on the accelerator it will still accelerate slow (slower than usual) and top out at 3 rpms in all gears. If anyone with a 2012 manual soul has experienced the same problems please say so so I know its not my soul alone.
If you know what the problem could be that would be great.

I will let you what the dealer tells.
I just started experiencing the same thing. I was getting a bucking and kicking and stalling problem and when's trying to start was getting no fuel. I replaced the fuel pump which is fairly easy to do it's under the back seat. The car ran exceptionally better and did not stall or buck and kick but it does not exceed 70 mph and will not go over 3000 RPM. Do not go by your check engine lights they are not exact fixes for your car. With 40 years experience as a mechanic I have found that check engine lights have to be analyzed and Common Sense has to be used they do not come out and tell you exactly what is wrong. You have to look at the codes and use your brain to figure out where the equal medium is between the codes that you are receiving. After replacing the fuel pump I did receive two codes one for the high pressure fuel pump on top of the motor 1.6 L base model Kia Soul on the driver side I also got a code for the fuel rail having low pressure to the injectors. If the Kia Soul had a mass air flow sensor I would probably change that but it does not it has a manifold air pressure sensor which I which is unrelated as far as I'm concerned. The car runs fine as long as I don't go over 45 miles an hour or try and go over 70 on the highway. The dealership is going to try and sell you a new car and have the time the service writers don't know their ass from a hole on the ground so don't trust them. As soon as I figure it out I will put something on the Forum because a lot of people are having this problem and trust me I will figure it out
 
#5 ·
OK -- I have never seen this issue with a gasoline-powered vehicle, but...

On the diesel Dodge (Mercedes) Sprinter, if certain things occur, like the front and rear wheels going different speeds (different diameter tires), the transmission slipping, turbo hose blown, intake air temperature too high, etc... it puts the computer in "Limp Home" mode which limits boost / power / RPM so you hopefully can't blow up the motor if you keep going. Not saying this is your issue, but as cars get more complicated, more manufacturers are building in these safeguards to avoid warranty claims.
 
#7 ·
Not a Soul but my 09 Malibu had this issue. It was an automatic v6 but it basically wouldn't leave first gear and you couldn't get the rpms up. When you stop/restart the vehicle it would be fine again. It had something to do with the computer messing up. They ended up replacing that and it was fixes.

So maybe a similar situation?
 
#9 ·
Dealer... or most any of the chain auto parts stores... can pull the OBDII codes.

If it was an ECU (computer) issue; and it sounds like one it will be recorded.

There are multiple fixes. Everything from simply clearing the codes to re-flashing the ECU to replacing the ECU.

On a car this new, I would go dealer.

And insist on seeing the report and getting an explanation for every code and how it was fixed / cleared.

FWIW, have had similar "Limp Mode" issues in a Mercedes-powered Dodge/Sprinter Ambulance, an F350 SuperDuty with the 5.4L Triton gas V8 and a 4.0L Jeep Granbd Cherokee.

The automakers build a default in to the programming to help the vehicle "save itself".

Good luck.

-cmc-
 
#10 · (Edited)
We had a similar issue with our 2012 Soul today, engine would not rev above 2000-2500 rpm, car would not accelerate, very sluggish, this is the small GDI engine with automatic, had vehicle towed to dealership today! Vehicle has maybe 300 miles on it maximum.
Waiting to hear from dealer.....
I hope this is not a serious problem, but might be an issue with the new 2012???
 
#11 ·
havent seen this issue with my 2012 yet.This sounds like one of 4 things.

1)Engine Timing got fubared. In all modern cars this is handled by the computer.
2)bad fuel
3) material built up on the spark plugs and not all cylinders were firing (can be caused by bad fuel).
4) Computer mis-calibrated the 02 sensor. The computer will normally recalibrate after the car has been off for while.

Either way I would report this to your dealer and have them investigate. The most likely candidates are 3 and 4
 
#13 ·
I am glad to know there are others who are having a similar problem. I purchased my 2012 Soul in August. It has never really had much pick-up when accelerating, and I've had to floor-it to get out into highway traffic. This past weekend, I had driven my Soul for about 100 miles on the highway and after it had been sitting for about 6-7 hours, I had the very frightening experience of my Soul barely accelerating at all! I had to travel on the interstate and up hills and the car just wouldn't pick up, although it did accelerate very, very , very gradually. Nevertheless, it was unsafe.

I called emergency road assistance to tow the car to the nearest dealership. At first the service dept. said there was nothing wrong with it. Then, they said they had found greater than 10% ethanol in the tank and the tank would have to be removed, drained, and the engine flushed and checked for damage, all to the tune of $450.00, which was not covered by warranty! I had been told by my dealer (in another city) to put regular gas in the car, which I had been doing. I even went back to the last place I got gas to check out the pumps for postings of greater than 10% ethanol and found no evidence.

Something is very wrong here! If the car is, indeed so sensitive to ethanol (if that is, indeed the case) that it is rendered unsafe to drive, I would think it a design flaw and that I should have some recourse. As it is, everyone is presently playing the "not my problem" game. I still don't have my car and I'm really frustrated!
 
#14 ·
I think your being lied to. Most dealers DO NOT have any means to test the ethanol content of fuel. I would tell them to re-flash the fuel pressure sensor first and see if that fixes it. What they suggest will likely fix the issue because they would recalibrate the sensor as part of the flush.
 
#15 ·
I definitely think they are lying to me! It has been 2 1/2 weeks and they still have my car! They've done the flush and are now saying that the "bad gas" must have damaged something in the engine, and that they're having to send checks back and forth to Kia to pinpoint the problem. My husband is contacting an attorney today.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Couple things...

1) You cannot REFLASH a fuel pressure sensor. It is a mechanical device that is not computer controlled, but rather pressure sensitive. As you press the throttle harder, you reduce the vacuum pressure against the diaphragm allowing more fuel pressure and fuel to reach the engine. I have no doubt that is what the guy said, but only because telling you they replaced something on a new car sounds worse. I know...I've done his job (see one of my other posts for work experience with cars LOL).

2) I have NEVER seen a car that was hyper-sensitive to < 10% ethanol fuel that wasn't a pure out race car with a custom tuned computer. All cars sold in the USA MUST be designed to run on our fuels, which are almost all 10-15% ethanol these days, the exception normally being premium grade (91 octane +) fuels. Unless you used E85 by accident, that dealership was BSing you and you should report them to the BBB and Kia North America ASAP.

3) As a part of the OBD2 system, any issue that causes a malfunction code to trigger, or a limp home mode to activate, MUST also trigger the computer to snapshot the sensor information to allow for better diagnosis.
 
#19 ·
2) All cars sold in the USA MUST be designed to run on our fuels, which are almost all 10-15% ethanol these days
had a question here for you yesterday that i canceled about kia warning against ethanol but after posting wasn't sure whether it was ethanol or methanol, but either way, using no more than 10% ethanol raised some concerns for me b/c don't really know or trust gas station labels... also believe epa testing is done with straight gas and after significant drop in mpg soon after purchase along with not having a pure gas station around my parts, i set out to try and locate something that might counter the effects of the ethanol.... went through all my bookmarks and just finally located a product that some folks have been using to counter ethanol in other (new) cars so do you know anything about star tron? Star Tron Enzyme Fuel Treatment - Star Tron Story
 
#20 · (Edited)
All manufactures warn against using fuels with high levels of ethanol, unless they are designated as FLEXFUEL vehicles, for a few reasons....

1) Ethanol (E85) is hygroscopic (absorbs water like crazy, think brake fluid).

2) Ethanol (E85) contains large amounts of alcohol, which makes it a great solvent. It especially loves normal rubber fuel lines.

3) Ethanol fuel (E85) DOES NOT contain as much energy as petroleum gasoline (E10). Your MPG on E85 will average 15% lower, although the EPA admits some cars are up to 25% lower on E85 vs. E10.

And just because I feel like mentioning it....
4) Ethanol is mostly made from corn right now, raising the price of corn for everyone.


EPA fuel mileage testing is done on a COMPUTER CONTROLLED DRIVE CYCLE DYNAMOMETER (you can't accelerate or decelerate like it does) using either 100% petroleum fuel (E0) or 10% ethanol fuel (E10) depending on the manufacturer, with most choosing E0. It is also done with other non-factory conditions, like DRLs turned off in GMs case after getting a special exemption. It truly is a best case scenario test.
 
#22 ·
if the dealer says something is wrong and installs something,, and that does not fix the problem don't pay for that part, dealers do a lot of fishing,,,,,this part caused that part to fail,, that's usually BS.... I used to be a mechanic and when mechanics became parts changers i went into another trade,,,
 
#23 ·
if the dealer says something is wrong and installs something,, and that does not fix the problem don't pay for that part, dealers do a lot of fishing,,,,,this part caused that part to fail,, that's usually BS.... I used to be a mechanic and when mechanics became parts changers i went into another trade,,,
Unfortunately, a very common problem nowadays. As motors/electricals become more and more elaborate, I'm afraid the problem will only grow larger.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Sounds like maybe ground or fuel delivery problem

Being the car is brand new it should be something very simple. Make sure positive and negative are tight on battery. Make sure oil level is not over filled my dealer fubar this. If this does not solve a problem I would look at connection harness and maybe maf connection but those should toss a code if problem is found. I would seriously doubt a mechanical issue! Forums like this offer most important info for cars. Wealth of information for certain models I am pretty much master on old BMWs,Jeeps
 
#27 ·
Hello all. I have had this same issue twice now. I have a 2012 base Soul (1.6l) with a manual transmission. After leaving work(at midnight no less), The car started running very poorly and would not rev above 3000 rpm with the gas pedal floored. It barely did 55mph in 6th gear on the 4-lane. Unfortunately, there was no sign of a "check engine" light as this would have indicated an issue that the computer was aware of that could be scanned for by my dealership. I stopped for gas and it continued to run poorly after refueling. It ran fine for the next week or so. It did it again a few nights ago after work. Same thing happened. I took it to the dealer and left it for a few days to see if they could duplicate the situation. They had no luck and I was prepared for this answer when I took it in. Intermittent problems are the worst to diagnose... I hope someone else is getting to the bottom of this.
 
#30 ·
I still havent had it happen since I took it to the dealer. The only thing that my car seems to do in ECO mode(it's a manual trans) is activate a "shift" indicator that tells me what gear to be in on the odometer display. It doesnt seem to affect the RPMs at all since I always leave it in this mode. I've noticed "ECO" buttons on the dashes of some Souls but the only thing that mine does is allow me turn this on and off within the odometer display. I'm not sure what the difference is. It really does act like a "limp-home" mode though. I was certain that this would somehow register with the computer but it didn't. Still waiting for it to happen again....hopefully near the dealer.
 
#31 ·
My 2014 Soul got the same problem last night. Only 3 weeks old and 950 miles on it. Son drove it out of gas and I put gas in, after that the car would not drive over 15-20 mph or 3000 rpm, no engine light, towed to dealer. It was 100 miles away from home on a Sunday night, Kia roadside service could not find my VIN # in the system and I had to pay with my credit card and get reimbursement and they would not tell me if they would pay my rental car since they cannot look up my coverage. I don't think out of gas should put the car in limp mode and have no way getting out of it. Not a big deal when close to home, but on a road trip it is a huge headache. Anyone knows how to reset to get out of limp mode?
 
#33 ·
I've almost run out of gas several times with the Soul, mostly because I don't pay attention and because the warning light doesn't also give off an annoying chime like other cars I've owned. I found out on the 2014 with the NAV that when the gas light comes on, you also get a message on the huge NAV screen that you are low on fuel and asks if you would like it to find the nearest gas station. It saved me this morning, just in time to make a stop at one of the few gas stations to be found along the country roads I drive.
 
#35 ·
Get the car back from dealership. The service guy said they tried a few key on and drove a few miles and had no problem. He think it is the low fuel pressure after running out of gas caused the problem and vehicle sitting overnight may help to cure the problem.
 
#36 ·
Hate to resurrect a dead thread but it seems there's no more mention of this issue or a resolution?

I have a 2010 Kia Soul Base in manual that just started exhibiting this "limp home" behavior as well. 90,000 on the ODO. Acceleration (engine) cuts out in every gear around 3,500 rpm. I did not run the vehicle out of gas or use any special gas.

One thing of note - is that just prior to this I tried to start the engine and the starter turned an unusual amount of times, perhaps 7 full turns before I let off the ignition. I let the car sit for a few moments and then started the car again but it ran ever so rough briefly and then immediately when I started driving is when I noticed the power cutting at 3500 rpm.

I'm going to unhook the battery in an attempt to reset the ECU, and then do some more testing. Not sure if my starter is going out and that caused me to stop cranking too soon and trip something in the computer or what. If that does not resolve it I'm taking the car to the dearler, where I don't expect them to do anything other than try and find ways to charge me.

The last time I took the car in for a warranty issue (one of my back seats won't go down because the lift-lever broke off inside the seat) they turned their back on me and said it would be a whole new seat at $500. So far Kia seems to still be a company that can make a mediocre car, with piss poor customer support on the back-end. Perhaps little has changed.

Too bad, I had high hopes for Kia / Hyundai to have their manufacturing close to on par with Japanese at this point but maybe that isn't the case.
 
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