What 802 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Kia Soul EV

WHEN OIL CHANGED, BEEN TOLD THAT THERE IS NO OIL IN CAR. NO WARNING LIGHTS COME ON. OIL HAS TO BE ADDED BEFORE NEXT OIL CHANGE DUE. NOT ON RECALL LIST BUT HAVING SAME PROBLEMS AS OTHER 2016 KIA SOULS WITH IT BURNING OIL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON FOR CATALYTIC CONVERTER - BUT DOES NOT STAY ON.

NHTSA ODI 11476960

I just bought the car. Test drive went fine. I was driving the car when the engine rpms stopped working. I could not get the car to increase speed. I was going up a small hill at 35mph when the car just stopped dead in the road. Luckily I was not in traffic. I repeatedly tried to start the car . Finally it started but the driving was the same. I limped home with my flashers on and have not driven it since. I have an app on 8/5 with a kia dealer. They told me I had to drive the car there. I couldn't have it towed. Hopefully I will make it. This problem doesn't happen all the time. I have driven it when it starts up and no check engine light comes on and the rpms are normal and it drives fine. I feel if the engine heats up that's when the problem occurs. It car only stopped that one time. That was enough for me.

NHTSA ODI 11476757

2016 KIA SOUL. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO ENGINE FAILURE. THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED ACCELERATION ISSUE AND THE OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. UPON INSPECTION THE METALIC PARTICLES WERE MIXED IN WITH THE FUEL/ENGINE OIL.

NHTSA ODI 11476275

Unknown

NHTSA ODI 11476217

The engine has an oil consumption issue. It cause the vehicle to run out of oil about 4000 miles after an oil change. This caused the a lose of power while I driving down the interstate. After speaking with the dealership and opening a case with Kia motors, they stated that consumption of 1 qt of oil ever 1000 miles is NORMAL. This most definitely is not normal and can cause premature wear and tear on the engine and the catalytic converter system.

NHTSA ODI 11475629

Cylinder 3 went out in the engine and car seized. Prior to this the car burned through oil very quickly and the entire car would shake. Kia of El Cajon said it was not an engine issue, my car was totaled and I sold it for scraps. Very disappointed with the service during this time.

NHTSA ODI 11475793

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle was shaking and hesitating. The contact also had to top off the oil every two weeks. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic with a faulty catalytic converter. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11475335

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 35-40 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would not exceed 60 MPH. The contact also stated that the vehicle would hesitate while driving from a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys where it was diagnosed that the knock sensor had failed. The contact also added two quarts of engine oil; however, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The dealer diagnosed that the knock sensor needed to be replaced under warranty. The dealer also informed the contact that an oil consumption test needed to be performed on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 114,300.

NHTSA ODI 11475242

I am loosing coolant but no signs of coolant under or around the car. This has been going on for a few months. I dont drive my 2016 kia soul often because I don't trust it. Today I drove it and while sitting at a red light, the car started to overheat. So I pulled over at a gas station. As long as the car is moving it wont overheat but as soon as I stop for more than 5 minutes it begins to overheat. I let the car cool completely at a gas station and then took the radiator cap off and checked the water level and it wasn't visable. The overflow was full to the top. So i filled the radiator back up and cranked the car to top it off. I then noticed that bubbkes were forming in the radiator fill hole accessively. Before i got back home i had to make a stop at the bank and while sitting still i observed my temperature gauge start climbing. I immediately turned the car off. I was 5 miles from home so as soon as my transactions were made i cranked the car and the gauge was back to normal so i drove it home and parked it.

NHTSA ODI 11475048

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle was stalling. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over safely to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and diagnosed with catalytic converter failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,000.

NHTSA ODI 11474878

I want you preface I had no indications via lights or sensors prior to incident. Nor was I informed of the recall that involved my vehicle. August 15th 2020 I was on my way to chehalis WA, driving up the back of Stevens pass as I-90 over snoqualmie was detoured that day. As I was driving about 55-60 up the mountain I noticed my car was losing acceleration I attempted to give it more gas and noticed a noise. Like a revving but no speed was happening. Then all the lights lit up on my dash. Engine and temp and oil. My temp gauge needle shot up to overheat and my car abruptly shut off as I was driving on a 3-4 lane highway up the mountain. I was able to pull over to a “shoulder” where I turned to the key to shut off my car. I was kind of in shock and was not sure what to do. I had 2 passengers in my car at the time. I waited a few minutes to turn it over. It started but I had to punch the gas to keep it from stalling and it was choking and barley staying on but I had to move because my shoulder wasn’t wide enough for a small car and we were at risk of being hit by passing cars. I was able to limp the car a little ways up and saw a pull off to a gate that led to one of the summits. There I rolled it and it shut off no longer turning over and it was smoking. There we sat 3 or 4 hrs til my sisters fiancé was able to locate us and take us to our planned destination. I left my car there til a tow truck picked it up later around 9pm.

NHTSA ODI 11473891

Vehicle is constantly burning oil. I have zero engine leaks, no oil spots on engine. Where is the oil going. I took it to Kia. They said it was a catalytic converter. Oil loss and p040 code are incorrect. Misdiagnosed. Possible pcv problem. Bought from widrick in Watertown NY.

NHTSA ODI 11473643

my car starting making knocking noises and as im on the interstate my speed was 70 but I was not going 70 and I never had any trouble out of my car

NHTSA ODI 11473719

I bought vehicle in January 2022 Engine failed. Kia admits engine failed but denying coverage of replacement, due to previous owner not having a computer update done. Currently at dealership for 2 months. No warning lights came on. Driving on interstate at interstate speeds, car began losing acceleration. Eventually unable to move at all. Engine then began to knock. Also had an oil leak upon inspection.

NHTSA ODI 11473625

Piston rod loose, broke rod bearings and is now making horrible noise and leaking oil

NHTSA ODI 11473233

Check engine on. Code of catalytic converter. It was changed at Velazquez auto repair in Milwaukee WI, but now the engine is burning oil fast it lasts less than 2000 miles after each oil and filter change. I can't afford another car and Im disabled. My VIN is not included in the recall but my car was impacted, I've spent $1,780 on the catalytic converter already.Please help!

NHTSA ODI 11473117

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently shifted into limp mode. The contact stated that the engine was knocking. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the catalytic convertor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact's son noticed metal shavings in the engine oil. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that she had failed to complete the product campaign program. No additional assistance was provided. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

NHTSA ODI 11472487

While I was driving the vehicle shut off and stopped, leaving me in the middle of the road in heavy traffic. I then received a recall from kia that the engine would do just that. I had the vehicle towed to the dealership and both them and the manufacturer have told me they refuse to fix the recall. The check engine light came on and was blinking the day the car broke down.

NHTSA ODI 11472376

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle would shake and then loose power and slow down. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled of the roadway and turned the vehicle off and waited 20 minutes to restart the vehicle. The failure was recurring and the vehicle would hesitate while getting up to normal speeds. The contact stated while depressing the accelerator pedal the vehicle failed to respond as needed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the catalytic convertor was damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V608000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

NHTSA ODI 11472441

Coming home from town our 2016 Kia Soul lost power. The engine light came on flashing then we could not accelerate the gas pedal. It would not go over 55 mph even if I had the pedal to the floor. I checked recall and it says none. I was reading the other complaints from Kia owners. They are having the same issue. It should be a recall. This needs investigated. We’ve only had ours since May 2022. Kia needs to make this right. I know I probably won’t buy another Kia.

NHTSA ODI 11472030

Oil is leaking somewhere as none left in engine at normal mileage oil change.

NHTSA ODI 11471600

A couple months ago had an oil sensor go bad and leaked oil everywhere. Engine after that kept burning oil and was seen by multiple mechanics. Then the other day my engine light came on the fault was the ocv. Changed that out and when it was taken out metal shaving came out with it. So now I have a car that has a blown engine due to underlying mechanical issues.

NHTSA ODI 11471073

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the engine seized without warning. The contact initially had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact then discovered that his vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where he was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. The contact contested that the vehicle should be repaired under the recall; the dealer then referred him to the manufacturer. The contact filed a claim with the manufacturer who later also informed him that the vehicle would not be covered under warranty. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

NHTSA ODI 11470885

Catalytic converter needed to be replaced at 98,914 miles in my 2016 2.0 L ( Cost me $3,144.78 since out of warranty). Oil consumption seems to be a big problem too. I usually change oil every 3 months, regardless of mileage, but this car needs it every 2 months. Dealer recommended using synthetic oil. No warning lights, car wouldn't go over 35 mph on highway. I have another Soul (2010) I bought new, it has 280,000 miles and it runs better and only uses regular oil.

NHTSA ODI 11469412

I was heading home on the highway when I noticed the car was having trouble accelerating.  I was taking the exit to my house when I heard the knocking in the engine start.  I was half a mile from my house so I continued slowly as the acceleration issues continued. As I was getting closer to my house the oil light came on.  I parked the car in the driveway and turned it off immediately. A cursory inspection indicates that the engine has suffered catastrophic damage. There is high end a “tapping” sound coming from the top side, even while briefly idling the engine, indicating damage in the area of lifter/s and/or camshaft lobe/s. Inspection of the engine oil presents metallic particles. Finally, we observed that an uncharacteristic and excessive pressure is coming from the crankcase when the oil filler cap is removed while the engine is idling. This is consistent with the GDI engine failure mode - lack of lubrication between piston rings and cylinder walls due to fuel thinned oil caused by high-pressure fuel pump Fortunately, since I exited the highway and the failure occurred close to home, the dangerous stall condition that is a typical failure mode of the GDI engine did not occur in this particular instance.  Nevertheless, severe damage to the motor has been observed.  The fact that the engine began “knocking” prior to the low oil indicator lamp illuminating would indicate that the engine was damaged due to the thin oil/fuel mixture rather than the engine being completely deficient in lubricating engine oil. Internet research has brought to our attention the issues and the precedent-setting class action lawsuits, that Kia Inc. has been forced to contend with due to the inherent design problems of the Theta II, GDI 1.6L, and 2.0L engines - direct injection (DI) system and high-pressure fuel pump issues causing the engine failure through piston ring “blowby” and subsequent thinning of the engine oil. I contacted KIA and I still have the Soul in my possession.

NHTSA ODI 11468888