2016 KIA SOUL Complaints

The car was recalled in 4/2019 for a repair. I purchased the car 8/2020. The repair indicated catalytic converter assessment to ensure that the engine did not need to be replaced. It was not checked or verified. The recall was insufficient done and the car should had never been sold. And the recall was not completed prior. I took the vehicle in to complete a recall on a hazardous vehicle. Kia had my car for a month and half replacing the engine and within hours of picking up my car the engine light came back on. The car is still doing the exact same thing it was doing leading up to original repair. That Kia was suppose to had fixed. The car is also a theft safety issue as targeted I already paid 2700 for theft vandalism. The car is targeted and unsafe.

My car engine blew and I contacted kia to get the engine replaced under the recall and the refused to do it.

While traveling down 20E around MM83 in South Carolina, the car suddenly lost power and throttled down to around 10-15 miles per hour. Upon having in towed to a garage for a diagnostic, I was told that the catalytic converter had overheated and stalled the vehicle. This appears to be an issue that would be covered under NHTSA Recall 19V120, dated April 12 2019, which reads in part "Under certain conditions, the catalytic converter may become damaged due to overheating caused by an excessive increase of exhaust gas temperatures." The heat scoring on the catalytic converter and the stall are consistent with this kind of behavior. When I contacted the dealer, they denied any such recall existed. I am currently waiting for a response from Kia America, Inc.

I was driving to Bend, Oregon on the highway when suddenly my car started making clunking noises and the oil light and check engine lights came on. I started to lose power and the car was slowing. I immediately managed to pull over, but it gets very dangerous since it was a busy highway. I had the car towed to a mechanic who said the engine blew and needed to be replaced. Kia has denied my warranty claims.

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.

No warning lights/codes. Veh lost power. Was catalytic converter. Veh VIN did not fall under recall. Had to replace converter at our cost. Safety concern? Car had potential fire from overheated converter and could have killed my 19 y/o daughter who drove the car as primary veh. The car is barely 6 years old and just paid it off. Got the high end adult version w/ sunroof, leather seats, lights, all bells & whistles. Paid 29k & engine failed due to driving car without knowing converter was bad. Never rec'd notice because our VIN was not included. Dealer wants to charge us 9000$ to replace engine at OUR cost. DO NOT BUY THIS VEHICLE EVER. THEY REFUSE TO FIX IT UNLESS WE PAY FOR IT. Filed a case w/ Kia Consumer Center, but since engine failure is not covered under warranty, they will not replace engine. We now have a car that is useless. We can't afford another car. This was our mid life car that we thought would last a long time that we passed down to our daughter. She drove it about 6 months before this happened. Literally, as soon as it was paid off, it broke. Horrible car and horrible manufacturer. NEVER EVER NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BUY A KIA!!!!

Engine and brake lights have come on. Engine knocks bad. Vehicles stall when pressing gas. Dangerous driving soecialy going through stop sign. Low power while pressing gas.

The contact's girlfriend owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while his girlfriend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond and would not exceed 55 MPH. Additionally, the vehicle began to decelerate unintendedly. The vehicle was taken to the contact's location. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter was clogged, which created back pressure in the engine and loss of power. The mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 154,000.

This vehicle, Kia Soul 2016, uses excessive oil, no matter what the manufacturer or dealers say. There is no reason to put 1 to 1/2 quarts of synthetic oil in this vehicle every week to make sure the engine doesn't seize. Severe manufacturer flaw and/or design with this engine.

Previous NHTSA 11498487 for the same issue reported on 12/22. After 8 months of changing the catalytic converter the Kia Soul 2016 de-accelerated in the highway from 60mph to barely 30Mph with a burning smell the check engine light come up and the code once again for the catalytic converter. The catalytic converter was replaced under the warranty from the repair shop on 1/23. Now on 4/23 the check engine light is on again for the catalytic converter again. The repair shop won't change it again. Instead they suggested to bring it to the dealership. Kia dealership stated that my VIN is not included in the recall and they only did theE PI2002A ECU update the rest is not covered by the manufacturer warranty. I've changed 3 times the catalytic converter and the light is code is asking for another one. It's not normal. Major safety hazard for the vehicle to stall in the highway suddenly. Proper maintenance and oil changes are done on time as suggested by Kia. However it burns oil after a new change before hitting the 3,000 miles driven short distances and engine is less than a quart with no leeks at all. Another safety hazard because there's no warning light of low engine oil that could possibly cause the engine to stop and hazard to driver and others.