2016 Kia Soul problems & reliability
811 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Kia Soul, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 22, 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 components.
17 complaints report injuries (25 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 → | 556 | 69% |
| Unknown / Other | 121 | 15% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 106 | 13% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 83 | 10% |
| Power Train → | 61 | 8% |
| Electrical System → | 56 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 33 | 4% |
| Steering → | 30 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting → | 18 | 2% |
| Service Brakes → | 18 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 24 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 351 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 85,000 miles (middle 50% between 60,000 and 110,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My car is under 130000 miles and about two years ago I already had to replace one catalytic converter. The past six months the oil usage of my car, which has always been high and requires frequent topping off and more frequent oil changes at my mechanic, has gotten even worse. A check engine light came on a few weeks…”
Engine · filed Sep 16, 2026
“The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start immediately and lost motive power while driving. The contact was able to continue driving at reduced power. Additionally, there were abnormal sounds coming from under the hood, excessive engine oil consumption, and a plastic burning…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Sep 16, 2026
“Component or system: Catalytic converter (exhaust emissions system). The converter is physically restricted due to substrate damage consistent with the defect identified in NHTSA Campaign 19V120 / Kia Recall SC176. The restriction limits engine RPM to approximately 3,000 under all conditions. The vehicle is available…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Sep 16, 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
132 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Kia Soul. The 10 most recent:
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN: OWNER RENOTIFICATION (SC334 Flight 201) - This document is the owner renotification advising that Kia is conducting a Voluntary Service Campaign to inspect and, if necessary, replace the…
SC334_OWNR_201 · Service Campaign · issued Aug 25, 2026
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
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.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 85,000 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.