2016 KIA SOUL Complaints

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 to inquire about the Safety Recall on this vehicle but I was told this vehicle did not qualify under Kia’s Safety Recall because the recommended repairs required for the Safety Recall to be valid, we’re never performed. I explained that I had never received a Safety Recall Notice; therefore, I was not aware of required repairs. The Customer Service Representative said a Safety Recall Notice was sent to every vehicle owner. When I asked, How was this Notice sent? What address was this notice sent to? The Customer Service Representive told me that Kia did not send the Safety Recall Notice; therefore, there was no record of how the Notice was sent or where it was sent. How can I be responsible for a Safety related repair if I never received the Notice informing me the repair was necessary to ensure the Safety of the vehicle occupants which include my infant great granddaughter! This vehicle has only been inspected my mechanic, not by any other party; the vehicle is currently at my auto repair shop & can be inspected during normal business hours. Thank you for your help in this matter. I can reached via phone, text or email.

On Saturday, [XXX], I was driving from Daytona Beach to our home in Melbourne, Florida. The time was about [XXX]. The weather was characterized by strong and constant rain for the first 25 minutes of our trip home. The next day I noticed many areas on the roof and the rear driver's side quarter-panel where the paint had de-laminated. Our insurer denied a claim of weather related paint failure. Since then, I have examined scores of claims regarding premature paint failure on Kia vehicles. The descriptions of the paint de-lamination, as well as the proffered photos are/were identical to the paint failure on my Kia Soul. The passenger's side of the vehicle was repaired .and repainted following a 2022 deer strike in South Carolina. That whole repainted area was totally unaffected by the strong rain storm experienced on [XXX]. Only the original Kia factory applied paint exhibited multiple de-lamination failures. The paint designation is '1D'. Kia needs to steps up and take appropriate responsibility for the failures of their paint finishes. This vehicle is mostly garage kept. My wife and I are retired and this vehicle is always at home unless we are on an errand or Doctor's appointment. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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.

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.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the engine warning light illuminated and was flashing. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the ECU update was not enough to repair the vehicle. The dealer recommended that the fuel injector be replaced. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who confirmed that the fuel injector needed to be replaced. After further diagnostic testing, it was determined that there was no compression in cylinder #3 and the piston ring was blown. The vehicle was towed back to the local dealer to check the electrical connections. The dealer offered to attach a used ECU. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000. The VIN was not available.

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.

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)

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.

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, failed to accelerate, and stalled. The check engine warning light was flashing. The contact pulled over and checked the oil level. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the pistons were not operating correctly. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was previously taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the engine. The manufacturer was contacted, opened a case, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.