2016 Kia Soul problems & reliability
796 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Kia Soul, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
16 complaints report injuries (24 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2016 Kia Soul vehicles were involved in 117 fatal crashes with 78 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 548 | 69% |
| Unknown OR Other | 116 | 15% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 104 | 13% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 79 | 10% |
| Power Train | 61 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 56 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 31 | 4% |
| Steering | 30 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 18 | 2% |
| Structure | 18 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 85,000 miles (middle 50% between 60,000 and 110,000 miles), based on 349 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My 2016 Kia Soul is a 2.0L Gasoline Direct Injection engine. 1 prior recall for Kia Souls have occurred, which is seemingly identical to my issue. Recall SC176 addresses Kia Souls with the 1.6L engine, and it just so happens my issue is the same. Kia also issued a response to knock issues with the Soul 2.0L MPI…”
Engine · filed Aug 5, 2026
“Check engine light came on and car was out of oil even though an oil change was done about a month ago. Catalytic converter was replaced once already. Per mechanic excess heat caused out to leak catalytic converter needs replacing again and now engine is damaged as all engine oil leaks out where it cannot be detected…”
Engine · filed Jul 19, 2026
“The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, it was started, and there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was turned off to stop the smoking. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and…”
Engine · filed Jul 15, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Engine Fires
Engineering Analysis EA21003 · opened Dec 22, 2021 · closed Feb 5, 2024 · led to recall 23V877
Technical service bulletins
131 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Kia Soul. The 10 most recent:
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: CUSTOMER SATISFACTION: THEFT DETERRENT IGNITION: CYLINDER PROTECTOR & DECAL INSTALLATION (CS2311) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of…
CS2311_TSB_R4 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 9, 2026
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACEMENT AND ENGINE INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (SC176Y) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections…
SC176Y_TSB_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 24, 2026
PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (PI2002B FL701) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting a Product Improvement Campaign to perform a software update on 2014-2016 MY…
PI2002B_OWNR_701 · Other · issued Feb 24, 2026
CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN: POSTCARD OWNER RENOTIFICATION (CS2311) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting Customer Satisfaction Campaign. Kia has developed a new zinc-reinforced…
CS2311_OWNR_PC201 · Other · issued Dec 19, 2025
PITSTOP: TECHNICAL OPERATIONS: EXTERNAL DAMAGE TO ULTRASONIC SENSOR: This Pitstop provides information related to Parking Distance Warning (PDW) alerts and repairs involving ultrasonic sensors. The PDW system alerts the…
PS797 · Other · issued Dec 9, 2025
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN UNDERBODY INSPECTION & ANTI-CORROSION MATERIAL APPLICATION (SC334) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this…
TSB_SC334_R1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2025
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: UNDERBODY INSPECTION & ANTI-CORROSION MATERIAL APPLICATION (SC334) - This bulletin provides information to apply additional anti-corrosion material to underbody components, including…
SC334_TSB · Service Campaign · issued Jun 26, 2025
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER NOTIFICATION (SC334) - This document is the owner notification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to inspect and, if necessary, replace the brake line(s) in…
SC334_OWNR · Service Campaign · issued Jun 23, 2025
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: DEALER PRINCIPAL MEMO (SC334) - This document is the announcement to the dealer principals advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to inspect and, if necessary, replace…
SC334_DP · Service Campaign · issued Jun 21, 2025
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: QUESTION AND ANSWER (SC334) - This document is the Question and Answer Guide containing the most frequently asked questions regarding the Voluntary Service Campaign SC334.
SC334_QA · Service Campaign · issued Jun 20, 2025
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2016 Kia Soul has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2016 Kia Soul?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 85,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.