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Will the check engine light reset itself?

The check engine light on your 2018 Kia Soul will constantly shut itself off if the issue or code that caused it to turn on is fixed. For example, if the cause of your check engine light coming on was a loose gas cap, if it's tightened, the light will turn itself off. Likewise, if your catalytic converter is going persuasive, and you did a lot of stop-and-go driving, that may have turned on the check engine light due to the high usage of the converter. In most cases, your 2018 Kia Soul light will go off after about 20-40 miles. If you drive over that amount and the light is still on, you will need to bring it in to Nalley Kia so the light and code can be double-checked and reset.

What Does the Check Engine Light Mean?

One of the most frequently misunderstood lights or indicators in your 2018 Kia Soul is the check engine light. The check engine light is part of the onboard diagnostics system, and displays in a few distinctive ways. It can say "Check Engine", it can be a symbol of an engine, it can even be a combination of both. This light illuminates in either an amber or red color and is part of the diagnostics system found on your vehicle. Onboard computers increasingly have controlled and monitored vehicle performance since the 80s and do a variety of things for your 2018 Kia Soul. Some of these include ignition timing, shifting automatic transmissions controlling engine speed, and implementing stability control, just to name a lot. With that being said, the check engine light can mean a variety of discernable things. It can be as pure as your gas cap being loose or as unhealthy as engine knocking. If your check engine light is on in your 2018 Kia Soul, contact Nalley Kia. Our Kia service department can help you find out what code is turning your check engine light on or diagnose why your check engine light is flashing. Contact Nalley Kia today!

Check Engine Light Service 2018 Kia Soul

What do you do when you’re driving along in your Kia Soul and hastily, a yellow light illuminates on your dash and says "Check Engine". If you’re like most Kia owners, your heart sinks a little because you have little idea about what that light is trying to tell you or how you should react. The fear of the unknown (or the value of the unknown) can be just as stressful. But take a deep breath and realize the light coming on doesn’t mean you have to pull the car over to the side of the road and call a tow truck, but it is recommended that you get your 2018 Kia Soul checked as soon as likely. Ignoring that warning could end up causing abundant damage to expensive engine elements.

When your 2018 Kia Soul's ECM (electronic control module), which is the vehicle's onboard computer, finds a problem in the electronic control system that it can’t critical, a computer turns on your check engine light. This amber or yellow light is frequently labeled “check engine” or “service engine soon”, or the light may be nothing more than a picture of an engine, or a picture of the engine with the word “check.”

When the light turns on, the ECM stores an engine code or “trouble code” in its memory that identifies as the issue, whether it's a sensor or a failing engine part. This code is determine with an electrical inspect tool that is used by our Kia auto repair mechanics at Nalley Kia. There are also a number of comparatively inexpensive code readers that are designed for do-it-yourselfers, should you choose that route too. While this code will tell you the issue that is detected, a true diagnosis still requires an experienced professional to determine the issue and repair it.

How many miles can you drive with the check engine light?

It could be anything from a bad sensor to plug wires needing to be replaced. If you check engine light is flashing, we endorse that you pull over and contact Nalley Kia to assist imply if your vehicle is safe to travel to work in or if we endorse a tow truck. Since each check engine code has its own level of severity, it is not pure to predict how many miles you can travel to work with the warning light on. The safest bet is to decipher the code and then plan your strategy accordingly.

2018 Kia Soul Check Engine Light Flashing

Although there are countless capacity causes of an illuminated Check Engine Light, we know from years of providing Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that there are bountiful current causes including something as straightforward as a loose gas cap. Back-up current reasons for a Check Engine Light are a malfunction with the fuel injection system, damaged oxygen sensor, dirty mass airflow sensor, faulty head gasket, faulty emissions control part, or defective spark plugs to name a few. No matter what is the root cause of the Check Engine Light, we have the Kia Certified Technicians and the certified service protocol to isolate the root problem and repair it as needed to restore factory specifications. When this happens, the Check Engine Light turns off, and you can leave the service center knowing that your Kia issue was fixed.

Every 2018 Kia Soul was designed with a high-technology performance monitoring system with a computer, and a series of sensors positioned strategically throughout the vehicle on its crucial systems. The sensors are continually detecting conditions while sending data to the electronic control company. If the electronic control company detects that the data is out of factory specifications, the Check Engine Light illuminates telling you that there is a problem. However, that is the limitation of the Check Engine Light – it won’t tell you what exactly is wrong nor what to do about it. That’s where we come in; Nalley Kia provides a Check Engine Light Diagnosis Service that isolates the core problem and gives you a recommendation on what to do next from a Highly Qualified Service high-tech.

2018 Kia Soul Check Engine Light

If the check engine light in your 2018 Kia Soul starts flashing, that means that the problem needs abrupt attention and your Kia should be brought in rapidly. A flashing light indicates that the problem is hazardous and if not taken care of rapidly may result in large damage to the vehicle. This blinking light consistently indicates a harsh engine misfire allowing unburned fuel to be dumped into the exhaust system. There it can rapidly improve the temperature of the catalytic converter to a point where damage is possible, requiring an expensive repair. Some owners ask if spark plugs cause the check engine light to flash? This can actually be the cause. A harmful, common or dirty spark plug can cause the engine to misfire. If your check engine light is flashing, please contact our team of automotive advisors at Nalley Kia quickly by calling 7702885283. If the problem is ignored or you continue to drive, this can spread to the spark plug wires, catalytic converter, or ignition coils which can lead to a very expensive repair.

How much does it cost to get the engine light checked?

The average price for a check engine light diagnosis & testing is often between $88 and $111. The exceptional news, Nalley Kia offers complimentary multi-point inspections and free diagnostics, in most cases, to help find out the cause of your check engine light. The check engine light warns of issues ranging from a gas cap that's not correctly tightened to a more unhealthy failure like a detrimental catalytic converter or a problem with one of the car's oxygen sensors, so it exceptional to get the legal code reading and diagnosis.

What could cause the check engine light to come on in a 2018 Kia Soul?

When your check engine light comes on, this could be as commonplace as tightening or replacing your gas cap. Likewise, the check engine light could also be a warning of a unhealthy problem that could cause unhealthy damage to your engine and come with a dominant repair bill. Depending on your make and model, the check engine light will illuminate or blink. A steady glow naturally means something less unhealthy but a shining check engine light hints that your vehicle’s engine is in unhealthy trouble and service is decisive immediately. If your check engine light is shining in your 2018 Kia Soul, we hugely recommend not to drive the vehicle and schedule Kia service today. Below is a list of the most common reasons your check engine light can come on:

  • New Spark Plugs or Plug Wires are crucial for your 2018 Kia Soul. The spark plugs are the part of your engine that ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber of your vehicle. This explosion is what moves the pistons and makes the engine run. The spark plug wires deliver the spark from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. If your spark plugs or spark plug wires are bad or former, you will experience poor performance and reduced power. In some extreme cases, your engine will have trouble starting or continuing to run. Worn spark plugs and plug wires can cause clogged catalytic converter or wear and tear to ignition coils and O2 sensors, main to more fancy repairs.
  • Your O2 Sensor (Oxygen Sensor) needs to be replaced. The Oxygen sensor, acknowledged as the O2 sensor, measures the amount of oxygen in your exhaust system. If there is excess oxygen in your exhaust system, fuel burns faster and your vehicle will be fewer persuasive when it comes to fuel economy. So what happens if I don’t replace your O2 sensor? A faulty sensor can not only affect your miles per gallon, but it can cause wear and tear to your catalytic converter and your 2018 Kia Soul's spark plugs. The O2 sensor sends data to the vehicle’s onboard computer to mean the right mixture of air and fuel that enters the cylinders in your engine. A bad O2 sensor can also cause a car to fail an emissions test.
  • Your catalytic converter is bad or going bad. The catalytic converter is a part of your 2018 Kia Soul’s exhaust system. The catalytic converter's function is to turn the carbon monoxide created by the combustion process into carbon dioxide. A damaged catalytic converter is usually caused by neglected maintenance, which is why Nalley Kia offers a complimentary multi-point inspection with every Kia service. If you have an issue with your catalytic converter and don't get it repaired, your 2018 Kia Soul will not pass an emissions test, show a lack of engine performance and will negatively affect your fuel economy. Your car may run at a higher temperature, too, which can cause disparate problems from overheating.
  • Your 2018 Kia Soul has a vacuum leak. Every Kia Soul has a vacuum system that performs a extensive variety of functions. The vacuum system also helps cut down damaging emissions by routing the fumes as gasoline evaporates through the engine. If you notice that your RPM is high in idle or randomly surges, a vacuum leak could be the cause. Over time, vacuum hoses can dry out and crack, especially if they’re exposed to intense heat or extreme freezing.
  • Issues with any aftermarket items. An aftermarket alarm, exhaust or disparate item can wreak havoc on your 2018 Kia Soul if it’s not installed properly. These aftermarket parts and accessories can drain the battery, trigger the check engine light, or even impede the vehicle from starting. If these issues sound noted, bring your Soul to Kia and have our team of certified mechanics ensure that your aftermarket items were installed correctly and aren't causing any issue. Getting accessories, especially aftermarket parts and accessories, or using OEM parts original place might rate a tiny bit more but could save you money from having to get poor work and wear and tear caused by poor installation work corrected.
  • Your mass airflow sensor (known as MAF) needs to be replaced. The mass airflow sensor in your Kia Soul is what determines how much fuel is crucial to run your engine efficiently by measuring the amount of air entering the engine. As a part of the engine management system, the mass airflow sensor helps adjust to crucial changes, like altitude. If your Kia Soul is having trouble starting, idling rough or has a hasty change in the position of the throttle pedal, this could be a sign of a bad mass airflow sensor.
  • One of the most prevalent and many cause is that your 2018 Kia Soul gas cap is loose, damaged or missing. The gas cap for your 2018 Kia Soul serves multiple purposes. It prevents gas fumes from being released when you aren't driving, it seals the fuel system and helps maintain pressure within the fuel tank. What happens if you have a bad fuel cap? If your gas cap is former or has a ruptured seal, you can lose fuel through evaporation which will result in more trips to the pump. Luckily, to replace a gas cap isn't fancy. If your check engine light turns on suddenly after you put gas in your 2018 Kia Soul, original thing you should check is to make sure the cap isn’t loose — or that it's still on your car’s roof or at the fuel pump.
  • The battery is low or dead. The battery in your 2018 Kia Soul is every crucial. Without a car battery, your car won’t start, light up the road ahead, play the radio or charge your phone. Today’s car batteries last much longer than they did various decades ago, and they don't certainly require maintenance. The price of a new one depends on the type of Kia you drive, but check our legal service coupons and specials.

Is it safe to drive your 2018 Kia Soul with the check engine light on?

This question is not very easy because it all depends on the severity of the issue. If the cause is a minor issue, such as a loose gas cap, it should be safe to travel to work. This is typically indicated by a steady glow of the check engine light. If you notice a difference in the performance of the vehicle, it could be an indication of a more perilous problem. If the check engine light is flashing, this means that there is a perilous issue and it is recommended to service your Kia Soul rapidly. Call the consultants at Nalley Kia by dialing 7702885283 so you can describe the issues. Or lower your speed and bring your 2018 Kia to our certified mechanics as soon as achievable.

2018 Kia Soul Check Engine Light Codes

The check engine light turning on can be quite intimidating to see that small light on your vehicle’s dashboard quickly illuminates, but in reality, it is not something that should cause you to shut down in fear right away. If you hear the term, diagnostic trouble codes (DTC), these are just another name for check engine light codes. These are automotive computer codes stored by the ECM, also known as the OBD (on-board computer diagnostic system) in your Soul. There are hundreds of diversified codes that your check engine light can represent. While that sounds daunting, with a small patience, tackling leading diagnostics will give you beneficial knowledge about your vehicle and will also allow that Check Engine Light to do what it is actually supposed to do: be your guide. Unfortunately, accessible and favorable vehicle symptoms do not always accompany an illuminated Check Engine Light. Since there are hundreds of likely OBD codes, there are also hundreds of likely reasons for the light, including:

  • Computer output circuit issues
  • Bad Spark Plugs
  • Transmission issues
  • Ignition system faults
  • O2 Sensor
  • Fuel and air metering systems problems
  • Loose Gas Cap or Missing Gas Cap
  • Emissions controls issues
  • Old Battery

This is why it is main for someone who does not have a lot of automotive knowledge to not assume what a code means. If the engine light comes on due to a momentous concern, you risk harmful your car further by not repairing the issue right away. When your check engine light comes on, you should get it checked out swiftly by a certified Kia mechanic. Call Nalley Kia at 7702885283 today or schedule your check engine light service online today!