2016 KIA SOUL Engine Problems

531 NHTSA complaints on file

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All Engine Complaints — Page 2

#11654231 |
engine rod bearing issues, check engine light is on due to engine knocking from rod bearing and i can't pass state inspection due to check engine light. when the check enging light is on the vehicle can only be driven at speed of 30m/h. took the vehicle to kia dealer at roosvelt ave, york pa 17404 and repaires denied under warranty
#11652350 |
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while her husband was driving 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle failed to accelerate until the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with internal failure in an exhaust manifold. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that after the vehicle was repaired, approximately every 2,000 miles the oil warning light would illuminate. The contact stated that recently the check engine warning light illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
#11650938 |
I have been having to put catalytic converter cleaner in my car to keep it running. The catalytic converter is bad more than one of them actually. I have also been having to add oil every week almost because it burns through oil so fast. I was on the highway today and my car went down to 30 miles an hour because of the catalytic converter problem.
#11649999 |
I haven't had an incident happen yet but my 2016 KIA Soul with the GDI engine is excessively using oil to the point this time I had to put seven and a half quarts in between oil changes. I only have 79,412 miles on it, I mainly just drive it to work and back. The oil is not visible in the driveway, I don't see smoke coming out, I had some emergency oil light that I have never seen light up before come on two different times. I ended up taking it to KIA for an oil change and diagnostic test and they told me it had an oil leak at the oil pan, I had that fixed by someone else but that hasn't helped on the oil consumption. I took it for an oil change 2 days ago and had them make sure I didn't have a leak before...
#11646097 |
This was recalled on many kia souls except my VIN is not showing this recall yet I received a letter stating that the Catalytic converter were being recalled. I now have to replace my converter and reached out to kia as to why my veichle which is a 2016 kia soul is not included
#11645785 |
The vehicle stalled on the Interstate. The engine seized and the oil came came out a hole in the crankcase. Fortunately the driver was able to coast the vehicle into the emergency lane. A Kia dealer diagnosed the failure as throwing a rod due to rod bearing failure. Per a class action settlement [XXX] ), the vehicle's warranty was extended to 15 years/150,000 miles to cover failure due to the connecting rod bearing. The warranty claim was denied because the vehicle had not received the KSDS update. However: 1) The vehicle was bought and sold by a Kia dealer at the end of 2023. As the KSDS update was available in 2020 [XXX] ), the update should have been installed by the Kia dealer before offering the vehicle for sale. The current owner purchased the vehicle in January 2024. 2) The current owner registered with Kia and pursued the anti-theft...
#11644308 |
On 2/16/2025 I was on the Freeway when my check engine light came on and my car slowed down to 40 mph. I tired to get it to go faster and it did start to go faster but went right back to 40 mph. I got off the freeway as soon as possible. The car was towed to Kia dealer and was looked at the 2nd day after. I was told that it would probably need a new engine. They checked to see if the warranty was still good and I was told it was. When I came to pick up the car I was told it was fixed but that it would most likely brake down again and that Kia warranty would not fix it. I said to the service manager (so I am supposed to drive this car that is a safety issue because they won’t fix it...
#11644141 |
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was overheating, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the catalytic converter. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 111,000.
#11643272 |
I have had my cat. Replaced and in 6 months it's clogged again. My car has no dash lights alerting for a problem but my cat. Keeps getting ruined and oil turns really black after having oil change done in a week. I'm unable to drive car it stalls out now that the cat. Is not working correctly. When it stalled out the first time was on freeway.
#11642399 |
Cruise control doesn't maintain speed, speed decreases. Car shakes under 10 mph and after 40 mph. Engine light starts blinking.
#11640725 |
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was adding seven quarts of oil every 3,000 miles driven. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine was leaking engine oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
#11639584 |
Engine seized up but everything is correct in the engine all the fluids and everything so it just seized up for no reason
#11638735 |
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine was smoking. There was smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the catalytic converter message was displayed. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the check engine warning light was illuminated due to the catalytic converter. There was an issue with the engine. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
#11637316 |
Engine issues, black oil, loud knocking noise. Engine locked up in 2023 130000 covered and replaced with a replacement engine 135000. Not quite over a year engine is doing same thing dealer told me it’s not covered by my warranty. Kia soul has a history of engine problems I don’t know what to do
#11637148 |
Re: NHTSA Recall 19V120 / KIA Safety Recall SC176. On 1/15/2024, I took my KIA to Premier KIA of Carlsbad. They said the engine needed to be replaced under the above safety recall campaign. I have attached the final invoice, showing the safety recall work was completed on 5/31/2024. I provided multiple copies of that invoice (and my rental car receipts) to KIA Customer Care since 6/4/24. The primary KIA Customer Care agent has been Casey M. Casey directed me to contact "the KIA team" handling my repair costs, a class-action law firm in Oregon. Counsel there was displeased at the attempted hand-off as my car clearly did not qualify. It took over two months to get the case out of that loop. It went back to Casey. Over one year later and tenacious follow up, two unresolved matters remain stuck. Everything is documented. 1. My VIN shows up as...
#11637162 |
Re: NHTSA Recall No. 19V120 / KIA Recall No. SC176 I just filed a report a few minutes ago and neglected to add the attachment referenced therein.
#11636376 |
The check engine light came on and started flashing, as soon as that happened, the car went into limp mode. It will not go over 2,400 rpms and the speed is limited to 60mph max. I had taken the car to a licensed mechanic shop, they have drained the oil and taken the oil filter apart and found little pieces of metal in the oil and oil filter itself. They have checked codes as well and what they found is that there is a throttle position sensor code and a knock sensor code. I had a Kia dealer ship do a crank bearing test and some how passed and they replaced the knock sensor as well. I have an appointment with Kia in a few days to have them inspect the engine as well as I will show them the bag the contains the taken apart oil filter to show...
#11634414 |
I am writing to formally express my concerns and dissatisfaction regarding the handling of Recall SC176 on my 2016 Kia Soul. The vehicle is currently at the Kia, yet there are significant discrepancies and unresolved issues related to the recall service history and the persistent problem described in the recall notice. Issues and Concerns: Lack of Recall Service Documentation: According to Kia Motors’ service line (800-333-4542), recall service for SC176 was reportedly performed on 12/13/2019 at 60,160 miles. However, I recently pulled the Carfax report, and there is no mention of any recall-related maintenance being performed on this date. Instead, the report lists unrelated services such as tire balancing, detailing, etc. Why is the recall repair not documented on Carfax, and why is there no proof of this critical work being completed? Persistence of Recall Issue: Despite the alleged completion of the recall work, the issue described in Recall SC176—excessive...
#11631412 |
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the catalytic converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the part free of charge but charged a fee for the labor. The contact stated while driving 45-50 MPH two weeks later, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the road where the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to another dealer, Raceway KIA of Conshohocken (402 Ridge Pike, Conshohocken, PA 19428), where it was diagnosed. The dealer informed the contact that the crankshaft was damaged due to a faulty recalled catalytic converter being installed on...
#11628301 |
Was driving my 2016 Kia Sol on [XXX] just past Nevada. Was accelerating to go around another vehicle and suddenly lost power, engine light came on and the car was making a loud rattling noise. Pulled off to the side of the highway. Turned the car off and checked engine oil and there was none registered. Car would not start at first. Had to tow the vehicle from Mesquite to Pahrump(149 miles home), which cost me $1500.00 . No warning lights ever came on. I had our mechanic inspected my vehicle and he said the engine is blown. I never got any recall notices but noticed there has been a recall on the engine. The Kia Sol is now sitting in my garage. I am going to contact my insurance company. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
#11627730 |
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 140,000.
#11626902 |
This complaint was originally sent to the State of NJ Dept. of Consumer Affairs. They forwarded this complaint to NHTSA with Complaint #1574092; Referral Packet for 24366900.OCP CRM:0446121. While I was driving, the vehicle’s engine ceased working, causing me to lose control of my vehicle’s power steering. I was on a busy State Highway but I managed to pull the vehicle into a parking lot. I then called my father, he arranged for AAA to have the vehicle towed to my auto repair shop. The next day, I was informed by my auto machanic that the engine had failed but that the vehicle had a Safety Recall from the manufacturer. I was surprised that it was a Total Engine Failure since I did not have any warning that something was wrong with the vehicle nor did I ever receive a Safety Recall Notice from Kia. I called Kia’s Customer Service...
#11625079 |
October 21st 2024 how was driving on freeway going 6 miles an hour and my check engine light was flashing. Pulled over and got towed to a Pep Boys where they replace catalytic converter and knock sensor. I was informed by their service Personnel to check engine light was sending a code p1326 which is a knock sensor range /performance issue. I made appointment to Kia dealership to have knock sensor software updated. On November 13th 2024 I sent my vehicle to have this issue resolved. I was informed by Kia service Personnel that was no recall for issue even though I was informed by KIA by mail to have this recall issue resolved.
#11623378 |
We’ve had our 2016 Kia Soul for the last 8 years, purchasing it brand new in 2016. We’ve kept the car maintained and last year it started to burn oil. We bought it into a dealership and they ran an oil consumption test and then did a clean out of the combustion chamber, after that, it stalled out pulling out of the dealership. They fixed it up and now recently, on October 27th, the car stalled out and it was towed into the dealership. They had it for a week and said there was no compression on cylinders 2 and 4 and it wasn’t covered under their extended warranty of 150,000miles under the recall that happened. We’ve been needing to top off a quart of oil weekly and this is a manufacturing defect that they are saying is not covered.
#11623496 |
Catalytic converter is clogged due to fast oil burning like other 2016 Kia soils involved in the recall. However my VIN isn’t accepted in the recall due to it being the + model but has the exact same issue. Make it unsafe to drive due to sudden power loss when going uphill. Yes an independent mechanic has recreated the issue and said it’s due to the fast oil burning. Problems began 6 months ago and have worsened. At first it was a very slight lack of power when accelerating. Now it completely jerks back when it’s trying to accelerate. Mechanic pulled a handful of dust out of the exhaust pipe. Over time this can cause total engine failure or fire according to mechanic due to excessive heat.
#11621695 |
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle failed to accelerate to highway speeds. The vehicle continuously went into LIMP Mode. The message for rod bearing failure was displayed on the display screen. The contact used a code reader and reset the system. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The knock sensor message was displayed. The contact called the local dealer and was informed that the vehicle had a salvage title and declined to perform the service. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.
#11621027 |
My kia has always used a lot of oil to the point I need to top it off regularly despite getting recommended oil changes and doing recommended maintenance. Recently My engine started misfiring so I replaced all spark plugs and ignition coils, but was still having issues. Found out today that catalytic converter is main issue and needs to be replaced. Dealer is requiring I bring in to determine if a warranty will cover. Never had a check engine light but very slow acceleration that created several dangerous situations for me on the road. My professional mechanic repaired other issues/diagnosed this problem.
#11619129 |
Engine coils needing replacing and knock system sensors were replaced, car continues to burn oil from engine until there is none left. The engine is reported as failed by mechanic. I constantly put oil in between the frequent oil changes.
#11618704 |
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The contact was referred to the manufacturer who later referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
#11617941 |
The contact called on behalf of a consumer who owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine compartment and the vehicle lost automotive power. The contact pulled over and allowed the vehicle to cool down for several minutes for the vehicle to return to normal operation. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an auto repair shop to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The contact researched and became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.
#11617975 |
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that the check oil warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was diagnosed. The dealer advised the contact to have a service treatment performed to the engine because of a possible oil consumption issue. The vehicle was serviced; however, the vehicle was consuming engine oil. The vehicle was returned to the dealer for service; however, the dealer declined to service the vehicle. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,507.
#11617438 |
I've never had an issue with my car since I got it about 5 years ago. Then all of a sudden on Sunday the engine just went out and I lost power . Now it won't start unless it's charged and my mechanic says I need a whole new engine.
#11616872 |
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that there was oil leaking from the front end of the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 29,980. The VIN was not available.
#11615966 |
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was it was diagnosed and determined that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.
#11615758 |
Catalytic converter is not working properly. Car lost power. Coral Springs Kia diagnosed but they say it is not warranted by factory. I have the contract where it says engine warranty until 100k miles or 10yr. This car has less than 90k miles in this moment. They are billing me 5,880 if I want they repair
#11615677 | Fire
On July 8th at 12:15 am my 2016 Kia Soul Engine suddenly caught on fire while I was driving alone on the I-5 by the grapevine. I am a 25 year old woman and was stranded alone on the side of the highway in a very flammable remote area known for fires at 1am. I heard a strange knocking sound while driving and pulled over as it started smoking and it immediately caught fire under the hood while I was still in the vehicle. Cars were flying by and I was stranded alone in flip flops and pajamas as the glass windows were exploding and I threw my heavy luggage to the side of the road. I was 4 hours into a 6 hour drive away from anyone I know in the middle of the night in a dangerous situation. I texted my boss I wouldn’t be able to make...
#11614910 |
The catalytic converter is damaged. The check engine light will come on but will reset when checked with a code reader. At the time of the initial incident, all but .5 quart of oil had been consumed by the engine and would not hold speed above 30mph. I did have a non Kia mechanic look at the car and was told that it fit under the recall and to have it serviced by Kia. I took it to Kia. They have told me that since it wasn't giving any codes, they would not replace the catalytic converter and denied the recall repair. The letter from Kia Corp. stated the catalytic converter would be replaced if there was damage. All of this took place from 7/29/2024 to 9/16/2024. On 9/16/2024, the dealership basically told me to drive an unsafe car until the check engine light came back on and then bring...
#11614298 |
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power, and the contact became aware that there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
#11613501 |
My 2016 Kia soul 1.6 L engine has been serviced more than once within a month for the past year due to low oil. If not serviced then it could result in an engine lock up. The worker was concerned my engine might be on recall due to other Kia souls having the same problem.
#11613303 |
I believe my vehicle is apart of a recall that affects the same vehicle Yr./Mk./Mdl. as mine. When my VIN was searched by the service department at the dealer (same manufacture) it said no recall. I was told that the recall was for the vehicles from a different assembly plant. My vehicle seams to be having the same affect/issues as described in the recall. Recall in reference: Recall Date: April 17, 2019 Recall Number: SC176 Issue: 1) Car ran bad 2) Replaced Spark plugs and coil packs and the car ran good 3) Car ran bad 4) Replaced downstream 02 and the car ran good 5) Car ran bad 6) Replaced upstream O2 sensor and the car ran good 7) Car ran bad 8) Car spits oil out the exhaust pipe 9) Car no longer operable
#11611214 |
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH and attempting to accelerate, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle and the vehicle lost motive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road to restart the vehicle; however, the engine failed to turn over. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed, and the dealer related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the contact was informed that the vehicle could not be repaired due to the Knock Sensor repair not being performed. The contact stated that the notice was sent to the incorrect address and the repair was not performed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 107,000.
#11608995 |
I have a 2016 Kia soul. Second owner. 144,000+ miles. For nearly a year my car has been consuming oil at an alarming rate. But I have no oil leaks anywhere. My dealership did an oil consumption test about 5-6 months ago and within 1000 miles, I was already below the half way line on my dipstick but the dealership told me I was still in range and sent me on my way. Fast forward a few months and I brought up my concerns again with my dealership and the oil consumption. I was told to drive it until the engine seizes and they would tow me. At which point, I told them that sounded dangerous but apparently Kia will not do anything for my vehicle if all it is doing is consuming oil. July 26, I’m out of town about two hours + from home and out of nowhere...
#11608628 |
The vehicle stalled due to lack of oil.(Before the 6 month oil change was due.)Yes it is available for inspection upon request. No one’s safety was put at risk. When the problem was brought up to the Kia dealership We were told that they had called in November 2023 And since we did not respond we voided our opportunity to have the engine Covered under the recall warranty. We did not receive a call. The vehicle has only been inspected by mechanic no work has been done on it. No lights came on to indicate there was a problem, it happened suddenly.
#11607647 |
On June 9th my husband was driving on the interstate when the check engine light came on and then the car stopped accelerating. Thankfully he was not hurt but we had to get the vehicle towed to the mechanic who said that this is a known problem with Kia where the engines consume oil and seize without warning. We maintained properly as recommended through a service center (not Kia dealer) and because we didn’t receive any notification from Kia that there is a software update required to prevent this, we don’t qualify for a replacement engine. A lawyer said that there is nothing we can do because we were not hurt. I think it’s insane that this was not a listed recall on my vehicle and that I was not notified that we needed an update. That we were allowed to have a car that could shut down going 70mph...
#11606595 |
I am reporting my 2016 Kia Soul that started dying while driving or idling at red lights in late May 2023. I immediately brought it to a Kia Dealership and they had me replace the catalytic converter. I had done the SC176 recall and my car was right over warranty at around 84000. They are not covering this repair with the engine class action settlement even though the SC176 recall mentions if the catalytic converter is damaged, particles can enter the engine combustion chamber and cause abnormal engine combustion which can damage the pistons and therefore the engine. I am bewildered how this has not been covered in the recalls and class action settlements. They replaced my catalytic converter and the car continued to not start randomly and die randomly while driving so I traded it in out of safety concerns. There were no warning lights that ever occurred.
#11606227 |
Turning off a highway onto a rural road & without warning my car would not accelerate. Turn off , let it cool, start up and only get about quarter mile until i lost power again. Had it towed to local garage & told its a blocked catalytic converter & very expensive. Kia says its not covered under warranty or recall so now its just been sitting at the garage for over a month while I pay storage fee until i save enough to repair it
#11606185 |
With the ac running it will accelerate it stalls out
#11605171 |
Vehicle had a sudden loss of power. This was following a catalytic convertor repair last year. Took vehicle to Kia dealership and was informed that the total for repairs would be 4600 dollars. They informed me that they felt we should just replace the engine at my cost and that me vehicle did not fall under the class action lawsuit, though it was demonstrating very similar issues that they've seen. When I asked if this was caused by the constant oil consumption, they felt that it was a factor and that it was simply normal in that engine to consume oil the way it does. I feel like I'm being taken advantage of, and that Kia is not being honest with us.
#11604784 |
Catalytic converter issue- confirmed by Kia Service
#11604460 |
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal amount of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was towed to an independent where the contact was informed that oil was burning inside the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

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