I bought my 2013 Kia Soul! in the beginning of May 2018. It only has 55,000 miles on it, bought at 53,000. I’m not a car person in the least bit so to me, this car runs perfectly fine. No engine lights or anything are on. But there are days the car will start and then days where it won’t. I’ve looked into this problem though it seems there aren’t a lot of people who have figured out how to really fix it. And Kia won’t do anything about it. Seems that ever since the temperature has dropped the car not starting is a lot more frequent. I can get it to start if I move the gear shaft around, lock/unlock the car with the key fob, rapidly turn the key on and off but that’s not always a sure thing. Can take up to 15+ minutes doing that. I can jump the car and it’ll start. I can disconnect the battery and it’ll start once I reconnect it. With winter coming, this is all too much to do. I’ve read replacing the antenna censor coil can help fix this problem, thinking it may be a security censor problem. I’ve also heard replacing the battery doesn’t fix it at all. I’m just looking for answers, if anyone has any clue what is going on with this car.
Get your battery checked out. Shouldn’t cost anything.
Does it crank but not start? When you say it will start when jumped sounds like you need a new battery, if it’s the original battery chance are you need a new one, but you can have it tested as kurtwm1 says.
Or your battery terminals may be corroded and need to be cleaned.
What, exactly, did Kia state on their report?
Got my battery and starter tested at Auto Zone. Both are in good condition. Car is still acting up with it getting cold. I have to jump it to get to work in the morning, jump it when I go to leave work. I’m really unsure what to do at this point. I haven’t called Kia myself, I’ve just read other comments from people who have and Kia isn’t helpful. The car doesn’t throw warning lights so it’s not like someone could scan the problems cause it’s seemingly fine.
Jumping on a regular basis is not good for your vehicle. If by accident the cables are hooked up wrong you will really have an expensive repair. As for KIA not helping that is because you are out of warranty. Now if you take it them or another shop this should be able to be fixed.
If jump starting works, I am still inclined to say that your battery is bad. It may show ~12V or thereabouts, but may not have to amps to get the starter and engine going. I’d go back to another store and have it tested one more time. I don’t know how Autozone tested the battery. Simply putting a voltmeter on the terminals does not always give valid results.
You should also take another look at your connection and make sure it is all tight and without kinks or rust at the terminals. Clamping on jumper cables maybe bypass the troublespot.
OP, please address the question above, as it is key to getting you some help here. Fails to Crank means that you don’t hear that rrr rrr rrr sound when the key is in “start”. Fails to Start means it cranks ok, but doesn’t catch and run.