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What 800 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Kia Soul

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (800)Crash / fire / injury (64)Engine (545)Engine & cooling (104)Fuel system (79)Transmission & drivetrain (64)Electrical system (57)Speed control (31)Steering (30)Brakes (20)Body & structure (18)Lights (18)

104 of 800 complaints match · Engine & cooling · clear filters · page 5 of 5

Aug 3, 2021Engine & coolingCrash

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, the contact slowed down then merged into another lane when the vehicle decelerated inadvertently and would not accelerate above 2 mph. Another vehicle crashed into the middle of the front and rear passenger’s side door frames of the vehicle, which caused the doors to not be able to open. No medical attention was received. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed that the catalytic converter was clogged. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to another dealer Spradley Kia (2145 HWY 50 West, Pueblo, CO 81008) and a product improvement campaign and ECU software update was performed however, the failure recurred. The contact was made aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA campaign number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the dealer Spradley Kia did not perform the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that previous vehicle owner had not taken the vehicle in for the recall repair. The manufacturer offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was 122,698.

NHTSA ODI 11427621

Aug 2, 2021Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 55 mph and attempting to accelerate to pass a semi-truck in the left lane, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The contact stated that the overheating warning light was illuminated. The contact exited the highway and parked on the side of the roadway. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the catalytic convertor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired however, the repair was pending. The contact towed the vehicle to her residence. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling) however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 112,187.

NHTSA ODI 11427451

Jun 4, 2021Engine & cooling

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the contact noticed that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where the vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine, and Engine Cooling). Upon retrieving the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with the catalytic converter needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact back to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 128,500.

NHTSA ODI 11419623

Nov 7, 2019Engine & cooling

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 KIA SOUL. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, A KNOCKING SOUND WAS HEARD FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO GERALD KIA OF NAPERVILLE (1661 AURORA AVE, NAPERVILLE, IL 60540) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000.

NHTSA ODI 11278696

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Working with the data? Download all 800 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 10, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2016 Kia Soul verdict →