no problems here on a 2012 and now a 2016 Soul. Isolated problem, that should be a easy fix.

 

Let us know what you find out. I've never had any water leaks in mine, but I don't use car washes.

The extreme pressures from car washes, in just the right spot, can defeat the seals. In this case I would suspect the LED third brake light.

I'll be curious if Kia will address it or just tell you to stop using that car wash?

 

Both of mine do. I have to bring them in to have it checked. It's not from the brake light, it's from across the top of the back window in different places. I think I have had mine at a car wash maybe twice. I try to wash by hand as often as possible. I checked to see if it was coming in from the hatch seal and it's not, that's dry. It's definitely from the window seal.

 

Mine is across the top in multiple places as well,and I rarely ever run mine through a car wash.

I usually hand wash,and was wondering why the inside of the rear glass was always water spotted,actually saw it leaking the first time I ran it through a car wash,causing me to discover why the rear glas was water spotted...

Oh Well,it’s 2 weeks old so we shall see what the dealer says when I get a chance to get with them.

I will post the results.

Thanks!

 

It went to the dealer yesterday,and is back.

Apparently it is a thing,as mine was the 5th one they have done so far.That’s kind of a big deal here in Phx where it doesn’t rain often enough to really be noticed by most..

Kia actually had them make a video to show the extent of it all as it may infact cause a recall.

They never did pull the glass,just had a glass guy run a bead of urethane around the inside edge of the window frame.Hopefully this doesn’t allow water to puddle or stay trapped in the frame causing corrosion issues,but time will tell and since it’s doccumented,so be it.

Back home and cleaned up,and new rear spoiler attached,will get pictures later since I did it last night in the garage.Nothing like drilling holes in fresh sheet metal!

 

Glad you got it fixed y2. Did they say the other 5 Souls were 2018s?

It might end up being a specific batch of cars produced with bad seals. They could issue a TSB for them.

On my 2014, there was the infamous bad glue that was used on the steering pinion gear. Just certain VIN specific vehicles. The fix didn't work & so another one was ordered. That dog & pony show went on for 3 years.

Hopefully that bead of urethane solved your leak

 

He did say they were 18’s,as to whether it’s a portion of a production run,who knows.

I’m sure it will get looked into by KIA since they requested a video of the condition.

As long as the water stays outside the vehicle I’m good lol

 

Yours is the first post anywhere I have seen of water leaking at the back hatch. So it would indicate it is indeed something in the 2018 models that are just showing up if the dealer is correct and there are others he has seen.

 

Happens on my 2016 as well

 

We had our rear hatch replaced after I was rear ended last September. I noticed the leak you're describing and took it back to the body shop. They brushed me off and said it was likely pooled water from washing it after the repairs. Well, I noticed it happening again when it rained earlier this week. How I'm trying to decide whether it should go to the body shop or just to the dealer.

 

My 15 and my 16 both leak. I just haven't setup am appointment yet.

 

I didn’t want to take too long to get it handled that way if there were any corrosion issues down the road,it would be documented as an issue on the manufactures end.

 

I noticed a small streak in the dead center of my rear glass a few months back, but this was right after my spoiler fell off (glue failed) and I figured it had something to do with that. I just washed the Soul today and nope! Sure enough dead center has a pinhole leak.

Looks like it takes a good bit of water/pressure in the right spot to do the trick, but still not very reassuring considering its Florida out there.

Good to know Im not alone with this. Anyone else have any experience with the dealership fixing this issue? I just have a feeling mine wont be as happy to help as I should like them to be.

 

I think you may be surprised,my dealer experience was far better than I thought it would be based on prior dealings i had with other brands in the past.
Kia seems to at least put some care into service,and mine was leaking in the middle as well.So as I stated,it seems to be a bit of a thing that they may be aware of(Kia that is)maybe not each individual dealer.

 

I have the same issue with an 18. Haven't taken it in yet. No car washes simply from rain. But not a lot. It took me a while to even realize it was happening.

 

We just bought a 2020 Soul and took it through the car wash today - crazy leak at the top of hatch. Appears to be coming in through the outer plastic (part of the 3rd brake light?).

Waiting on the dealer’s call back.

 

The dealer eventually handled it. Took the truck away for repair brought it back, fixed. Don’t know what happened.

 

I just started having this issue on my 2018 Plus. noticed after a rain storm there were drops of water in a line down the inside of the window and i could see water beads at the top of the glass just to the driver side of the center.. I have never used an automatic car wash. It appears water is pooling outside in the space at the top where the glass is not flush against the hatch door. Inside, I can actually see a slight gap where the window doesn't quite meet the inside trim. if you run your fingertip gently across the top of the inside glass you can feel where there is proper seal and where this gap is located is exactly where the water was beading.
Right now the dealership is closed due to covid19 so I hope it doesn't rain too much until they reopen. I've sent emails to them. I will be sure to follow up here on what happened.

 

I take mine in Monday to the dealer, they think it may be the rer brake light seal---will let ya know what happens

 

I took Soul to the dealer, they advised they replaced the seal from the upper brake lite, will see if it stop leaking..It was under warranty

 

Hopefully!

 

I looks as though the problem is fixed and no longer leaking..It was the rear brake lite seal..

 

Glad it was handled,and hopefully the new seal is either a better design/material,or installed properly to prevent future failures.

 

I've had this same issue since about 6 months into purchasing a NEW 2018. Had it into Dealer twice already to have fixed. Leaking continues do show up during heavy downpours and recently I've noticed that if I make a right turn, the water simply pours in and soaks the interior. I am giving the dealership one more chance to fix the issue, once and for all. I'm seriously concerned that the water is going to wreck the electronics in the rear hatchback (wiper motor) and/or cause corrosion within the rear hatch and spare tire area. I'm sure Mold will be forming soon as well.

 

Dealership stated that it was the 3rd Brake Light assembly leaking, AGAIN. They've already changed that entire assembly once. They stated that they were just putting sealant around it. My question is this, what happens when that bulb blows and I have to remove the assembly to replace the bulb? What a bunch of idiots!!! I'm seriously considering trading it in now.

 

Depends on what type of sealer they used. Worst case scenario you could use fishing line to cut the sealer. But then you would need to clean all the old sealer off and reseal it. If your leak is fixed, don't worry about it.