general problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Soul - part 1

I am reporting a safety concern related to NHTSA recall 19v120 involving my kia Soul. The recall identifies a defect related to catalytic converter overheating, which can lead to engine damage, stalling, and increased risk of fire. My vehicle is currently experiencing an illuminated check engine light and unsafe driving conditions. During service evaluation at kia of columbus, I was informed that my vehicle has a catalytic converter blockage contributing to these issues. However, I was also told that my vehicle does not qualify for recall repair because no engine code was detected during diagnostics. This is concerning, as the vehicle is actively exhibiting symptoms consistent with the recall condition, including a confirmed catalytic converter issue and an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp. Despite this, I was denied full recall coverage and instead offered a goodwill repair requiring me to pay 50% of the cost. I believe this situation represents a failure to properly apply recall criteria and raises concerns regarding customer safety, as the vehicle may be at risk for engine failure or fire. I am requesting further review of this matter and investigation into the handling of this recall by the servicing dealership.

Rcall sc176 I have tried multiple times to schedule the required recall repair for my kia, but my local dealer has not responded to phone calls or emails. I cannot travel to another state to complete this recall. Kia has not provided a reasonable option to complete the safety repair. I am requesting assistance to get this recall completed safely and locally, and at no cost.

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. I evacuated three dogs from the car, but the vehicle quickly became engulfed in flames and was a total loss. The fire department responded and extinguished the fire. There were no warning lights or unusual performance issues immediately before the fire started. The vehicle had not been modified and was in regular use. This incident posed a severe risk to my safety, the safety of my pets, and others on the road. My VIN currently shows no active recalls, but kia has issued recalls for engine and electrical fire risks in other Soul models. The fire appears related to engine, electrical, or fuel system malfunction. I strongly believe this defect should be investigated for inclusion in kia’s fire-related recalls.

The vehicle started losing power and then stalled just as we pulled onto our road to our home, no light indicators were on and it started back up, but the traffic behind us causing slowing and potential risk to us and others. When restarted it would not accelerate appropriately and at that time we were able to put it in neutral and push it the remaining way, again causing a very dangerous situation. Upon inspection it was noticed that the oil was barely readable. We added 4 quarts (the vehicle has routine oil changes and is not due for another month or 1,000 miles) and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Upon restarting, the engine started making a loud pinging sound and oil was noticed coming out around the butterfly valve. At that time the cabin air filter and engine air filter was changed, butterfly valve cleaned and another quart of oil with valvoline stop leak added. Engine started and ran decent. Used car next day after rechecking oil, after about 15 minutes of driving it stalled once again, in traffic and pinging was tremendous, black smoke from the exhaust. The vehicle is the only vehicle we have, only transport to work and have now lost out on 4vdays. We need this addressed. This is ridiculous that our VIN isn't included in the recalls that are experiencing the exact issues in the exact year makes and models. Help please!!!.

I’m reaching out as my catalytic converter is needing to be replaced due to being faulty and my vehicle per VIN is not included in this recall for some reason however it is the exact issue all of the others have that are included in it. I have only had my vehicle for a year and it is an extremely expensive repair so I am asking if there is any help for this issue because I need it as well just as everyone else who has a recall for this issue.

We purchased a 2016 kia Soul with the gdi engine in October 2024 from jim shorkey kia in uniontown with 60k miles on it. We just had to have a whole new catalytic converter installed that cost us $1500 because the one on this car was completely messed up. It caused the car to stall, have no power and when my daughter was pulling into her parking space, this caused the brakes to stop working because the car was getting no power. The converter was completely clogged and the whole thing had to be replaced (at our expense)! this was a recall for the same year kia Souls, but somehow this one is not on the recall list for the exact thing that these were being recalled. How does that work? we were left without a vehicle for days and we had to pay to have the car towed to a garage and repaired. Kia would do nothing, so we had to have it repaired at a reputable garage in our area! only having the car of less than 8 months after buying it used from a kia dealership, this is disheartening. How could they sell a car that obviously had issues with the catalytic converter, or they did just not check the vehicle out before they sold it to someone. I get that it was a used car but are we seriously going to sell a car to someone that obviously has an issue! so why exactly was this 2016 kia Soul with the gdi engine, not recalled?? we should be reimbursed for this. This is crazy. My daughter could have been in a horrible accident. Thankfully she was only leaving her apartment and in the parking lot of her home! what do we do about getting this? this car clearly has issues and should have been recalled with the others!.

2 years ago kia had a recall on the catalytic converter that I found out about after my car displayed the engine light and shut down and would not drive. I had to tow it and they told me it was the catalytic converter but it had a recall. I took it to kia and they said they replaced it but I'm not sure they did it properly, as I drove to sarasota and the engine light came on I pulled over and let the engine cool and continued on with no problems until on my way back it did the same. I called the dealership but they told me it was fine. Now I'm driving today to the bank and on the way back the car would not drive faster than 5 mph!!! I drove back the couple miles to the mechanic beside my warehouse and he said it's the catalytic converter as it was extremely hot. I called the dealership and they said there is no warranty.

Vehicle was taken to clovis kia to address recall NHTSA# 23v218 (sc267). Kia was unable to fix the issue and ordered a battery pack replacement (they replaced the current battery pack 2 years and roughly 20k miles previously). New battery pack was installed and the system still does not function properly. Multiple error codes present and car is undriveable. At the 1 month mark we demanded a loaner vehicle. They swapped the loaner for another one when the car neared 5k miles. After 4 months, our vehicle is still not operational. In 4. 5 years of ownership, the car has sat at kia clovis for 6+ months to address multiple battery issues, safety recalls and electrical issues. We have requested updates and information but kia corporate is not responsive. So we have documented for a California lemon law buyback and sent a demand message to kia to buy back the vehicle since they can't return it to us in the same or better condition than when we dropped it off. The last in person conversation was to let us know the new loaner should be brought back when we've put 3k+ miles on it so they can trade it again. (it was obvious they had little faith in our car being repaired).

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 oil consumption—persists. The engine light remains on, and I have had to purchase oil by the case to maintain proper levels since taking the car into the shop on 4/7/2022. No corrections were made during this visit, and there was no mention of the recall despite the vehicle’s ongoing symptoms. Inadequate responses from dealership and corporate: when I inquired at greenway kia north, I was informed that the recall would not be honored because "no goodwill was offered. " this explanation is vague and unsatisfactory, especially given the seriousness of the issue and the safety implications of the recall. Safety incident due to recall issue: on [xxx], my vehicle stalled in the middle of the busy intersection. The car had to be towed to a trusted mechanic and later towed again to greenway kia when I learned of the recall which is not even listed on the car's official report. This dangerous incident underscores of the unresolved recall issue and the risk it poses to my safety and others on the road. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of informatio.

My wife was driving the 2016 kia Soul ev and the car just shut itself off in the middle of the intersection. She was able to turn the car off and turn it back on, but nearly caused an accident. A few months later it did it again. After getting a new software update, I told kia about the vehicle shutting down, and they told me that if it happens again that we will need to bring it it. So we brought it in. We believe we were able to narrow down the cause to be related to regenerative breaking on a full battery. On newer ev models, when the battery is fully recharged, regenerative breaking is disabled to prevent overcharging the battery, I dont know what they do to these kias. When we brought it in they said it needed a new battery, but I am not sure if they are going to fix the vehicle shutdown issue. I think that the bms may be shutting the car down to prevent the vehicle from overcharging the battery when we are going down hills. I've got tired of kia and their lies. I read information about a battery recall, and they wouldn't recall the battery and replace it with the e400 battery. They said the battery was fine. They lied to me and my wife. The battery was proven recently to be defective and they were hoping the vehicle would make it past its warranty date so they wouldn't have to replace it. We took the vehicle to kia to replace the battery, and a couple of weeks later they were able to put a battery in it, then driving it home I was bombarded with warnings, and the vehicle power was reduced by 50%, I was afraid something would happen. The vehicle also would not charge. Kia techs came to our house and drove it back to the dealership, and it's been there ever since. They say the vehicle needs a new bms. I think this issue with the vehicle shutting down like this is highly dangerous and needs to be reported. It even happened once when I was in the vehicle at the middle of an intersection, which could have caused an accident! (29k miles).

With the ac running it will accelerate it stalls out.

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.

I purchased this 2016 kia Soul from a dealership in April, 2024. On Sunday, June 16, 2024, I was driving on a residential street when I heard an explosion. Smoke poured from the back of the car and from under the hood. I tried to stop, but the brakes failed. I put the car in park, but it would not stop. I finally put the emergency brake on and it stopped. By this time, the car was basically a fireball. I had to get out by stepping through fire. I inhaled smoke from the burning and melting elements of the vehicle. The fire department arrived quickly, but it took 10-15 minutes to put the fire out. I have since learned that kia knew of the problem and there was a class action suit against them, which it is too late for me to file a claim on. As a 71-year-old, I am very concerned about the situation. My insurance payout won't be enough to replace the car and I am unable to secure a loan.

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. It forced me to slow unsafely while cars were behind me, I had to react quickly to turn on my hazards and try to get the vehicle to speed up. If I was too slow or another driver was inattentive we would have been hit from behind by a vehicle going much faster.

Vehicle entered limp mode on a dangerous rode in central florida and would not accelerate over 20 mph. We had the vehicle towed 70 miles at the expense of $350 outside of coverage by our auto insurance. The dealership advised this was a failure of the catalytic converter which was just changed in Dec 2021 under a kia recall campaign. They’re now saying it is not under warranty as they only cover 12 months 12,000 miles.

I had recently acquired my 2016 kia Soul from a used dealership, and as I had gotten it, inspected by a mechanic, the back rear brake was locked. The penrod was missing on one of them, and my driver side door lock was broken and I thought that was simple issues that could be repaired. You know that’s a used car whatever as I started driving it not even a month later I start feeling heavy acceleration when barely hitting the gas and trying to shift because it is a manual and loss of power on first and second gear, like it was going to stall out without even rubbing the rpms to get it to move. I did some research found out that there was multiple recalls on the catalytic converter and it’s causing a fire the ecus and also the antitheft system so I am a single mom. I work constantly and my only vehicle with 4kids, so a full month mark my oil light all of a sudden started coming on but flickering I pulled over there’s no smell of burning oil no leaks no high temp I checked my oil stick. It was fine a thick drip on it. I thought everything was fine, but the light still kept coming on and flickering when I would accelerate it would go off when I would decelerator push clutch in it would stay. I called kia dealer had it taken, did the recall orders on it but they told me they wouldnt do an oil check or do a code diagnostics for it unless I paid over $200 for just that diagnostics after they did all the recall orders I picked up the car over a day later. Started having misfires the car was driving worse then when I took it to the dealership, I would drive up hill I’d lose power. Shifting gears from 1-4 it sounds like the whole engine was shaking like it was gonna fall out of the car I called the dealership and told them what was goin on. They were really rude to me and told me an hour later it was throwing codes of misfires an again have to pay for it, they stated the oil an misfires werent their fault doin the recalls. Ecu an antitheft, I am worried for my kids safety!!!!!.

Incident: February 1st 2024 driving from studio to select physical therapy (appt at 9 a. M. ) - 8:45 a. M. : notice a slight gasoline smell in the car. I figured it was traffic smog. Select physical therapy parking lot - 10:24 a. M: I noticed the inside of the car still smelled of gasoline. Looked up on google to see if this was an underlying issue. My quick search led me to believe that it was severe. Firestone complete auto care -10:26 a. M: after a quick lookup on google, I called my local firestone via bluetooth to see if they had an opening today. When I talked to a worker describing my concerns, they told me there were no openings that day and that tomorrow (2/2) they were available. I booked an appt for 2/2 at 10 a. M. When I finished talking to firestone, I was driving through hacienda drive. Driving through south emerald drive to get back home (10:35 - 10:42 am): I stopped at a light that intersects between south emerald drive and west vista way. I noticed that the hood had smoke coming out and saw flames. I quickly grabbed my important belongings and tried to direct traffic behind me to go around me. I called 911, gave my location, and described the incident, and then they called the fire department.

Catalytic converter failing. First began failing in December 2023. Took to have serviced. Told to put cataclean in my gas tank. Check engine light went off. Check engine light came back on again. Same code for catalytic convertable. Was told that it was a possible O2 sensor, or possibly be the catalytic converter. Then I was notified other 2016 kia Soul have had the exact same issue with a faulty Cadillac converter failing and effecting performance and causing engine damage. This was a kia dealership that notified me of this. However even though I have a 2016 kia Soul, and there’s already a recall on catalyatic converters for 2016 kia Soul, I was told I’d need to pay out-of-pocket for a new catalyatic converter because my car wasn’t on the recall list. Other models the 2016 kia Soul have also failed. The recall needs to be extended to all models of the 2016 kia Soul. This is a bigger issue than kia is admitting. Because the dealerships all know that the 2016, kia Souls have faulty catalytic converters. The dealership sold me the 2019 kia Soul back in 2021 and did not reveal that. There was a major issue with the catalytic converters for all the kia Soul 2016 models. They simply told me there were no recalls, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t gonna pop up with issues for this model because they’ve had issues. Of course this was not revealed by the sales person, but rather the service department manager when I begin having issues with my 2016 kia Soul for other things. Now the catalytic converter in my car is going out, but it should be a part of the recall, because it is causing issues for not only the O2 sensor, but the car in general.

Motor burns excessive oil; took vehicle to kia dealership in October 2023. I told to get a full. Synthetic oil change, and to return in 1000 miles to check the oil consumption. After an oil consumption test, if the vehicle is burning excessive oil, I told that my vehicle to my dealership to file a claim under the manufacturer's warranty to replace my motor/ engine needs to have a top engine cleanout at $500. If my vehicle fails this test, I am to return the vehicle to receive a new motor/ engine under the manufacturer's warranty. This is preposterous!.

Reoccurring check engine light for the omissions system. Damage to the catalytic converter, diagnostic codes. Poor gas mileage and abnormal engine combustion. Oil is burning extremely fast in engine, having to get oil changes more frequently. Incident where vehicle was driving, came to a complete stop and would not accelerate in the middle of heavy traffic. Had to replace all 4 fuel injections and spark plugs due to how ineffective the gdi engine runs.

My engine light malfunctioned, never lit up to report a clogged catalytic converter.

While driving the vehicle the car shuts off.

Kia issued a safety recall for battery (thus is an all electric sol) and we dropped it to the dealer for repair. Since then kia has replaced the battery and updated software several times with no results. We continue to receive a battery warning and unable to charge the car. The car has been with the dealer multiple times for the past 6 months. The most recent visit it is with them since Dec 5th. We are left in a situation with no car for our 16 year old as she is not allowed to drive the loaner car or any other rental . Continued follow up with kia consumer affairs has provided no feedback and communication. The dealer has also indicated that there are several such cars at this dealer and others around the country. We need a solution immediately and meed our car.

I have a kia Soul that is under the engine warranty recall. I was able to drive my vehicle while working with kia to document issues with my engine. Today I was informed that my catalytic converters are clogged and that is what is causing my vehicle issues, not my engine. The only way my catalytic converters could be clogged would be from faulty engine, but kia is denying any issue with my engine (that is under warranty) and instructing me to continue driving my vehicle. My vehicle is unable to maintain speed, shakes violently after running 5 minutes, and dies frequently. It is not a safe vehicle to drive on the road.

The vehicle suddenly stalls while in traffic without notice. It has to be put in on park, turned completely off, and then restarted. People behind my car almost rear end my vehicle causing a collision. Highly unsafe. This has happened numerous times usually after being stopped at a traffic light or stop sign.

6/26/23 found I had a fuel leak on top of gas tank. Didn't get fixed until the next day. Drove home just to discover a 2nd leak at the hose the following day the 29th. The dealership,that I actually work at, told me to drive it as is until the backorder part comes in approximately 3-5 days. It's now the 5th of July and it is not fixed. I'm asthmatic and have copd and live in florida.

Engine stalled on me while going 60mph on the freeway to almost 20 mph. Check engine light flashed twice. Engine is now knocking.

While driving my car it started slowing down all at once like it wasn't getting gas, to about 10 mph. I was traveling approximately 55 mph. The vehicle that was behind me almost rear ended me. Had it checked and they told me that it was related to the Cadillac converter (02) system. It needed replaced.

The catalytic converter, which is a known issue for kia Soul models from 2012-2016 has started to show signs of failure- namely code p0420. This is despite having the apparent “fix” as detailed in kia recall sc176, which was a mere software update. Now that the converter has shown signs of failure, kia refuses to honor the replacement as stated in the recall since the vehicle is above 80,000 miles. Clearly, the recall did not fix the issue.

Intermittent problem with acceleration. Very occasionally, 200+ miles between episodes, while accelerating, the car slows down. When this happens the gas pedal fades similar to brake fade when brakes are about to fail. It lasts 2-3 seconds and then returns to normal. There are no error codes. Has occurred while driving on the freeway and when accelerating from a stop. There have been 5-10 incidences of this in the past 12 months, because the problem is so intermittent, mechanics are unable to reproduce it. We have replaced the throttle position sensor the local kia dealer and independent mechanics are unable to shed any light on why this may occur. An internet search found other owners of kia cars with similar complaints.

The vehicle contains a defect related to motor vehicle safety or does not comply with an applicable federal motor vehicle safety standard engine replaced threshold replaced catalitic converter blew ecu completed airbag warning does not clear inaccurately reported/ completed vehical malfunctioning loss of power.

Kia Soul had a malfunction with the catalytic converter and a bad injector which damaged the pinions and the sparks plug of the vehicle causing thousands of dollars in repair.

While driving on a road trip from charleston, south carolina to florida in January of 2023 the factory installed catalytic converter failed (front facing) clogging the exhaust system and damaging the engine (engine now experiences blow by and pistons rings have been damaged). A recall for the overheating of the catalytic converter was marked as repaired before I bought the car. However, I believe that either the update was not done to the on-board computer or that a damaged catalytic converter was not replaced. This directly led to the subsequent failure in question and has since damaged my engine. At the time of the incident, an investigation of both catalytic converters revealed heavy sediment deposits and the core of the filtering component of the front facing unit had become so corroded that a chunck of it had broken loose and become lodged in the connecting hose that linked it to the rest of the exhaust system, leaving the entire system blocked. Because I bought the car used, I wasn't aware of the recall history at the time of purchase. Nor was I given a vehicle history report or receipts for any work that had previously been done. When I pulled a vehicle history report shortly after the incident I was unable to accertain what the actual repairs to the car were previous to my ownership, just that it had been taken to a kia dealership for service with dates listed. The issues still remain and I am unable to afford the lengthy and very expensive repairs suggested by multiple mechanics to correct them. I also still owe money on the note as the result of having to deal with a predatory business to secure financing in the first place. I hate to think I was taken advantage of but I can't help but feel like the catalytic converter should have been changed during that previously marked recall repair and clearly wasn't. Please help me figure out what went wrong here and if possible help me remedy this situation, especially if there was indeed fraud involved. Thank you.

During normal driving operation, the car makes a loud bang and the drive system shuts down. The dash lights remain on indicating that the main drive battery needs to be checked. I've had to coast to the side of the road each time as there is no power at all. When I shut the car down and restart it, it drives normally. This happens at least once a week. I try to drive the car only in low traffic conditions. This has happened in places where I couldn't pull out of the traffic lanes and caused traffic to pile up behind me. I called the dealer the first time it happened and was told they didn't understand what it could be.

Excessive oil burning engine stalled on the highway wont accelerate.