general problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Soul - part 2

My 2016 kia Soul plus (VIN: [xxx] ) showed a blinking check engine light and entered limp mode while driving. I had the code read and received p1326, which is a known issue in kia vehicles related to the knock sensor detection system (ksds). This code indicates possible engine bearing wear or impending engine failure, which could result in engine stall or fire, creating a serious safety risk while driving. My car has under 115,000 miles, but I purchased it used from a non-kia dealer and was told by kia that it's not covered under warranty or recall. However, many vehicles with this issue received engine replacements or software updates under TSB pi2002 and other campaigns. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this issue for the 2016 kia Soul, as it appears to be part of the larger engine defect trend affecting many kia models. This vehicle should be included in any safety recall or extended warranty coverage related to this defect. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was unable to start the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was inspected by a certified mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The mechanic suggested that the engine be replaced. The contact became aware of a software update program with an extension for an engine replacement. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and confirmed the diagnostic result. The dealer informed the contact that the engine would not be covered by kia because the software update program update was not being completed. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed the decision made by the dealer. The manufacturer stated that the NHTSA was responsible for issuing and informing vehicle owners of a recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.

The vehicle when coming to a stop to park I press the engine off button and a car with a key symbol stays on and won’t go off and there is a beeping with screen not turning off. Have to turn car on and off numerous times to get it to turn off.

On our way to florida, our car broke down on the highway. When we were able to get our car towed to a mechanic, the mechanic stated that the issue was a rod bearing went out which matches the kia recall reasons for the same vehicle as ours. We took the car to kia and they tested it and the rod bearing was the issue. We had no warning lights prior to our car breaking down and it was taken for an oil change just 5 days before. See below for more info on the recall: the 2016 kia Soul, specifically models with the 1. 6l gdi engine, was included in a kia product improvement campaign related to connecting rod bearing wear. This campaign involved a software update for the engine control unit (ecu) to implement a knock sensor detection system (ksds). The ksds is designed to detect early signs of bearing wear and alert the driver via a blinking malfunction indicator lamp (mil) and limp home mode. This prevents severe engine damage, including potential engine failure. Some 2016 kia Souls with the 1. 6l gdi engine experienced excessive connecting rod bearing wear, potentially leading to engine damage.

Catalyic converter is damage.

I own a 2016 kia Soul, VIN kndjp3a57g7373159. The vehicle suffered engine failure and is currently at kia of bradley in illinois. My vehicle is covered under recall sc176 (NHTSA #19v120) for a known defect that can cause engine damage and fire risk. Kia has denied my recall claim, stating that I did not receive the ecu update and that there is “sludge” under the oil cap. I was never properly notified that failure to receive the update would void my recall protection. Sludge presence is not proven to be the cause of the failure, and no oil analysis or inspection has been performed. The recall mandates free repair or replacement of the engine if damage is present, and this has not been honored. Kia is attempting to charge $600 just for diagnostics and has refused to repair the safety issue despite the engine failing. I am asking NHTSA to investigate kia’s denial and ensure that the recall obligations are enforced. This is a serious safety concern and financial burden on the consumer. *I purchased the car from a kia dealership after the recall, the ecu update should have been done prior to anyone purchasing the vehicle.

2016 kia Soul engine burns excessive amounts of oil leading to constantly needing to top off oil and/or oil changes. When car accelerate white smoke comes from engines; mechanic has pictures of white ash on engine components. We have taken it to the dealership after it was purchased by carmax in June 2024 the check engine light was displayed, but were told no codes came up. We have taken the car to multiple private mechanics and were told this is a common problem and there is a recall on these engines. Finally 2 weeks ago auto repair shop confirmed engine faulty took pictures of white ash on engine components and advised to tow car to dealership extended recall on these engines. Dealership states the car now needs a catalytic converter; however this is a direct result of oil deposits in the exhaust that damage the catalytic converter. We have been getting the runaround from the dealership that says no engine codes come up but when the car is driven the white smoke and rattling of the engine is apparent.

I had my crankshaft sensor replaced and it is still stalling on me. Engine has stalled while I was driving and this has put my life at risk and my job at risk.

I was never informed about the issues with my 1. 6 gi engine years ago. And now my engine went bad in my 2016 kia Soul and kia screwed me and won’t cover fixing my car. I’m so disgusted with kia and their customer service for not helping me or ever informing me.

On may 17, 2025, the engine in our 2016 kia Soul seized up and was destroyed. It is within kia’s 10 year/100,000 mile drivetrain warranty. They are refusing to honor the warrant stating there was a recall on the vehicle that we never got fixed. The only unrepaired recall on this vehicle involves the steering, nothing to do with the motor. They are trying to escape the responsibility that they have promised to the american consumer.

About a year ago I got my car serviced for the recall that was due to a potential issue with the catalytic converter overheating. High exhaust gas temperatures could damage the catalytic converter, potentially leading to abnormal engine combustion, piston damage, and even a fire. As of today 4/22/2025 I was told my catalytic converter needs to be replaced. I first noticed a check engine light 12/20/2024 and I got the code read from my local autozone. The code came back my catalytic converter. After doing some research I seen an active recall which I described as above. I scheduled an appointment at my local kia dealership which is also where I go the car. They got me in 01/2025 to service the recall. Here I am just a year past the recall and I've been told I need a whole new catalytic converter which is going to run me just over $1300.

Cadillac converter melted.

My engine failed in a2016 kia Soul. It is available upon inspection. My safety was at risk because the engine went bad all of a sudden. The vehicle has been inspected by a repair facility. Yes I went to a dealership and ask about knocking noise they didn’t say anything about ksds and made me an appointment a week later.

The contact owns a 2016 kia Soul. The contact stated that after a recent oil change, the vehicle began to hesitate while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, white smoke was coming from the exhaust pipes with the check engine warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road before being able to drive the vehicle to the residence in limp mode. The vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic where the oil change was performed, and the mechanic discovered a leak in the engine and advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer for assistance. The contact made an appointment with the dealer. The contact then stated that an abnormal odor started coming from the vehicle and chose to stop driving the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

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.

In order to complete the recall sc176 on my vehicle, I am required to submit comprehensive maintenance records. Since purchasing the car used in 2019, all routine maintenance—excluding tires and brakes—has been performed by the original selling dealership. However, that dealership is unable to provide the necessary documentation. As a result, the kia dealership handling the recall is refusing to perform the required repairs, citing court-ordered terms that mandate maintenance record verification. Despite extensive discussions with kia, there appears to be no alternative path forward without these records. This situation leaves me with two unacceptable options: continue driving a vehicle with a potentially hazardous, unrepaired engine, or reduce my household to a single vehicle—an outcome that would create significant hardship for my family. Additionally, because we are currently enrolled in a debt consolidation program, taking out any form of loan to replace this vehicle is not permitted. The lack of access to critical maintenance records, through no fault of my own, is now preventing the fulfillment of a safety recall and placing my family at risk. I am requesting immediate assistance in resolving this issue so that the recall repairs can proceed without further delay.

Car started rapidly slowing while on the highway and would not accelerate. After taking it to the dealership they said the catalytic converter is clogged and will need replaced. Seems to be a common issue with this vehicle that is not always covered by recall for whatever reason.

My 2016 kia Soul had the engine white come on. I took it to have the computer read what the problem was. It came back engine knock sensor. I was told there was a recall on this and I needed to take it to an authorized kia dealer. I took this to an authorized kia dealer who told me that that was a faulty check engine light there was nothing wrong with the sensor, but my pistons were bad and I needed a new engine. Well, when I read further into the recall, it specifically said that this check engine sensor issue could affect the engine. My car just hit 100,000 miles. I had regular service. I now have a kia who is sitting in front of my house not being able to be run. I truly feel that there is an issue that was not addressed when it was checked the check engine light indicated faulty knock sensor. This recall connected that there may be issues with the motor if this were the problem. I feel like I’m being taken advantage of. I am currently without any transportation and cannot get any help. Is there anything you can do to help me?.

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.

Unknown.

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 and he said yes. ). I still can’t believe that I was told to go ahead and drive my car!.

Cruise control doesn't maintain speed, speed decreases. Car shakes under 10 mph and after 40 mph. Engine light starts blinking.

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 fix (kia sent her a club). Kia did not notify her there were other updates that needed to be performed on the vehicle. Kia did not do due diligence to have the ksds update installed, either when kia was in possession of the car at a dealer or by notifying the new owner when she registered the car and sought updates. It appears kia is intentionally not performing the update or notifying owners so they do not have to cover the repair under warranty. Functionality of the ksds update would have lit the check engine light and entered the vehicle into limp mode before catastrophic engine failure occurred, thus avoiding the dangerous situation of a vehicle stalling on the interstate. By withholding this update, kia is endangering lives. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

They have a recall on the catalytic converters for the 1. 6 engines but not the 2. 0. I have had to have mine replaced two times in a year. There is definitely a problem. The second time it almost caught fire due to glowing red cause it got so hot. The same problem is happening to the 2. 0 engines just like the 1. 6 engines, but nothing is being done.

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.

Car is making a knocking sound. Car is going thru more oil than normal. Causing the motor to get hot.

Engine seized up but everything is correct in the engine all the fluids and everything so it just seized up for no reason.

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 convertor 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 convertor. 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.

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.

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.

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 them the metal particle inside of it. A code p1326.

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).

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 the vehicle during the previous repair. The dealer informed the contact that the previous dealer should have repaired the vehicle under NHTSA campaign number: 19v120000 (engine, engine and engine cooling), free of charge. The dealer determined that the catalytic converter and the crankshaft needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,500.

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.

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.