--- title: "Kia Soul Gets Launched Into Orbit By Runaway Tire in Shocking Highway Crash" description: "A Tesla dash cam captured a shocking crash where a truck tire detached and smashed into a Kia Soul, launching it high in the air." date: "2023-03-26" modified: "2023-03-26" authors: - name: "Nico DeMattia" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/nico-demattia" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/watch-a-runaway-tire-catapult-a-kia-soul-into-the-air-in-shocking-highway-accident" categories: - "Kia News" - "News" - "News by Brand" --- # Kia Soul Gets Launched Into Orbit By Runaway Tire in Shocking Highway Crash ![]() I don't think I've ever see a car launch in the air like the [Kia Soul]() does in this video. A Tesla owner captured what is quite possibly one of the most shocking accidents I've ever seen, as a runaway wheel from a nearby truck smashed into the Kia at highway speed and catapulted the unfortunate compact crossover and its even more unfortunate driver into low Earth orbit. And amazingly, the world’s most unwitting astronaut walked away from the crash landing. The Tesla driver's dashcam recorded the accident while cruising down the highway near Los Angeles, California. Everything seemed perfectly normal as the Kia Soul began to pull alongside a lifted, widened[ Chevy Silverado](). However, as soon as the Kia got into the Silverado's blind spot, the truck's driver side front wheel suddenly spun itself off and ended up directly in front of the Kia, in what has to be the unluckiest wheel spacer fail of all time. In fact, the timing was so perfectly horrific, it looked like the Chevy used some sort of Mario Kart-style powerup. https://twitter.com/Anoop_Khatra/status/1639460487166586881?s=20 As the Kia ran over the upright wheel at highway speed, the direction of the tire's travel must have caught the Kia just right, causing the little Soul to roll onto it and up into the air. It's hard to say how high the Kia went but it looked to be almost double the height of the Silverado. A stock Silverado is just over six feet tall and this one was lifted, so it's possible that the Kia reached almost 12 feet in the air before it came crashing down on its roof. Then, in some cosmic kick-'em-while-they're-down moment, that same discarded wheel came back, rolling into the upside down Kia, adding insult to injury. Thankfully, according to the Tesla driver (Twitter user *[Anoop\_Khatra]()*) who posted the video, the Kia driver was able to walk away unharmed, which is astonishing. It's unclear how the Silverado's wheel fell off so suddenly but it seems like some sort of wheel spacer/lug nut failure. While it's amazing no one was hurt, this video proves that aftermarket mods need to be done correctly or they could end up nearly killing people. *Got tips? Send 'em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Nico is a writer and reviewer from New Jersey who probably thinks he’s a lot funnier than he actually is. His love of cars began when he was just a kid playing Gran Turismo 3, grinding out enough race wins with a Mazda Miata to save up for an in-game RUF 911. That passion for small, lightweight sports cars drove his desire to learn more about the industry, get his hands on as many cars as he could, and bring those experiences to life on the page. He cut his teeth writing about BMWs, Volkswagens, and Audis, mostly, and has owned far too many of each. He’s on his fourth 3 Series sedan, but all of his old, cheap German cars have forced him to learn more about car maintenance than his mechanical capability can handle. Too many late nights have been spent scrambling to get a car running by morning so he could get to work. For some reason, he never seems to learn that old Bimmers probably aren’t the best daily drivers. But he loves more than just old German cars. He’ll gladly drive and discuss anything with four (or even three) wheels. Cars aren’t his only passions, though. Nico is also a big nerd and loves movies, video games, comic books, and cares far too much about the New York Giants. So don’t be surprised if you see football references or dumb, obscure movie quotes in any of his car reviews. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()