2016 Kia Soul: raw data

Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.

vehicle	2016 / kia / soul
known issues	7 clusters (reviewed 2026-08-07)
complaints	818 on file (2016-01-30 → 2026-09-16)
recalls	2
investigations	1
fars	150 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
indexed	yes
license	CC BY 4.0 (derived)

Known Issues clusters all years →

Engine oil consumption between oil changesENGINE26 complaints2024-05 → 2026-05soul-2016-oil-consumption

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
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
11597272 The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that upon servicing the vehicle, he became aware that the vehicle was abnormally low on oil, considering that he had previously performed an oil change within 4,000 miles

Factory paint peeling and delaminationSTRUCTURE9 complaints2024-08 → 2026-06soul-2016-paint-delamination

11681711 The paint of my white Kia Soul 2016 has been peeling on the cars hood, roof, doors. It gets worst every day. I checked for paint recalls but there is no recall at this time
11616849 Paint started peeling on the side mirrors, door handles within the last year and seems to have progressed really quickly. They are bubbling, cracking and then just chipping off to reveal the unfinished layer underneath

EV battery pack capacity loss and reduced power modePOWER TRAIN, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM6 complaints2024-04 → 2025-05soul-2016-ev-battery-capacity-loss

11588274 i have a 2016 Kia Soul EV+. The Hghi Voltage Battery Pack Assembly is malfunctioning and it only charges to 30 percent or a 30-mile range. It should charge to a 90-mile range
11585566 The propulsion battery has so much degradation that when I drive on the freeway the "turtle" mode activated not allowing me to do freeway speeds with cars around me

Sunroof and glass spontaneous shatteringUNKNOWN OR OTHER3 complaints2024-06 → 2025-12soul-2016-sunroof-glass-shattering

11696189 I was driving on Interstate I-40 when the closed sunroof spontaneously shattered. Nothing external or internal hit the sunroof. Due to the explosive noise, I was distracted and almost wrecked
11593169 I was driving my 2016 Kia Soul down the road at about 20 mph when I heard a very loud bang that startled me. I looked behind and to the sides and nothing but when I looked up, the fixed panel in the sunroof had shattered but not yet fallen in

Catalytic converter clogging with loss of powerENGINE54 complaints2024-03 → 2026-07soul-2016-catalytic-converter-clogging

11733058 The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled
11716953 I have put my 3rd Catalytic Convertor on this car. It looses power going uphill. Which is not safe. Just had 3rd on replaced yesterday Feb. 9, 2026. The mechanic said there is too much oil going to the engine. Mechanic said next thing would be replacing the engine
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

Engine seizure and rod bearing failure with limp modeENGINE59 complaints2024-04 → 2026-07soul-2016-engine-seizure-rod-bearing

11724827 Safety defect P1326 code is a known indicator of rod bearing wear. When it triggered, the vehicle immediately went into Limp Mode, creating a significant safety hazard
11675422 The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving in a parking lot at approximately 10 MPH, the engine seized. The contact was able to coast to a nearby parking space, where the vehicle lost power and shut off
11581034 Catastrophic engine failure. 2016 Kia soul 2.0, (120000 miles) traveling 35 mph when the check engine light started blinking and the engine started making a rattling sound. Engine lost power and had trouble accelerating

Engine compartment fire while drivingENGINE5 complaints2024-06 → 2026-04soul-2016-engine-fire

11682398 While driving my 2016 Kia Soul Plus on the highway, smoke began coming from the rear of the vehicle. Within seconds, flames were visible. Other drivers flagged me down, and I was able to pull over
11732012 I proceeded to pull over and got out of the car and saw small flames and smoke coming from under my car. A couple had pulled over with me and had a fire extinguisher which they used to put the fire out

NHTSA complaints (summary) all years →

count	earliest_date	latest_date	crash_flagged	fire_flagged	top_components
818	2016-01-30	2026-09-16	29	35	ENGINE:556; UNKNOWN OR OTHER:123; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:106; FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM:83; POWER TRAIN:64

Recalls all years →

campaign_number	report_received_date	component	summary	consequence	remedy
19V120000	22/02/2019	ENGINE	Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Kia Soul vehicles equipped with 1.6L Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines. High exhaust gas temperatures may damage the catalytic converter, possibly resulting in abnormal engine combustion and damage to one or more of the engine's pistons and possible piston connecting rod failure.	Piston damage may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash. A broken connecting rod may puncture the engine block allowing engine oil to escape. The leaking oil may contact the exhaust, increasing the risk of a fire.	Kia will notify owners, and dealers will upgrade the Catalytic Overheating Protection Engine Control Unit logic to prevent overheating of the catalytic converter. In addition, the catalytic converter will also be replaced if it has been damaged. Depending on the extent of any damage, the engine may also be replaced, free of charge. The recall began April 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC176.
17V608000	29/09/2017	STEERING	Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Soul and Soul EV vehicles. The pinion plug may allow the pinion gear to separate from the steering gear assembly.	If the pinion gear separates, steering will be lost, increasing the risk of a crash.	Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and secure the pinion plug or replace the steering gear assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 16, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC155. Note: This recall supersedes campaigns 14V-332 and 15V-736. Vehicles previously remedied under those numbers are being recalled again under this campaign.

Investigations all years →

action_number	status	subject	components	opened	closed	recall_campaign	summary
EA21003	closed	Engine Fires	ENGINE	2021-12-22	2024-02-05	23V877	On March 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened two Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles. During the PE investigations, Hyundai and Kia issued several recalls to address vehicle fires, including those due to engine failures involving various engine types. The remedies for the engine failure recalls typically involve engine inspection (to detect existing damage), and if necessary, engine

FARS occupant deaths all years →

crash_years	occupant_deaths	match_type	vpic_recovered
2010-2024	150	legacy-code	0

FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.

Cite this

Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.

Wrench.Pro (2026). 2016 Kia Soul vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2016/kia/soul

@misc{wrenchpro_2016_kia_soul_2026,
  author = {Wrench.Pro},
  title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2016 Kia Soul},
  year = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2016/kia/soul}},
  note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}

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