2016 Kia Soul Engine

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal ticking sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure due to a failure of the catalytic converter. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed of an undisclosed recall repair; however, the recall repair had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

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

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 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.

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

My vehicle has stranded me twice due to the same issue—error code P1326, which I am regrettably too familiar with. It is apparently associated with the Knock Sensor Detection System and the possibility of defective piston oil rings

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 30 MPH, there was an abnormal smoke odor entering the cabin of the vehicle with an unknown warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power, and the contact proceeded to pull over onto the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence, and an independent mechanic arrived to diagnose the vehicle. The contact was informed that the thermostat, catalytic converter, muffler, exhaust manifold, and sensors were burned, and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

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

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.

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.

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. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine was leaking engine oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware 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.

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. I only have 79,412 miles on it, I mainly just drive it to work and back. The oil is not visible in the driveway, I don't see smoke coming out, I had some emergency oil light that I have never seen light up before come on two different times. I ended up taking it to KIA for an oil change and diagnostic test and they told me it had an oil leak at the oil pan, I had that fixed by someone else but that hasn't helped on the oil consumption. I took it for an oil change 2 days ago and had them make sure I didn't have a leak before they changed my oil and they said it was good. I have a friend whose 2015 KIA Soul caught on fire and blew up right on the interstate, she barely made it out of her car in time. I'm very uncomfortable driving my car now, it seems like I put oil in it just about every time I put gas in it now. I was wondering if my car would be added to the recall soon? Thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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

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!

The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle shut off after the engine became hot. The engine and oil lights were illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V120000 (Engine, Engine and Engine Cooling). The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the Oxygen sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that the catalytic converters needed to be replaced. Additionally, there was oil leaking from the vehicle. The DTC displayed was P0240. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 11,322.

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.

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)

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.

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)

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

Engine issues, black oil, loud knocking noise. Engine locked up in 2023 130000 covered and replaced with a replacement engine 135000. Not quite over a year engine is doing same thing dealer told me it’s not covered by my warranty. Kia soul has a history of engine problems I don’t know what to do

Re: NHTSA Recall 19V120 / KIA Safety Recall SC176. On 1/15/2024, I took my KIA to Premier KIA of Carlsbad. They said the engine needed to be replaced under the above safety recall campaign. I have attached the final invoice, showing the safety recall work was completed on 5/31/2024. I provided multiple copies of that invoice (and my rental car receipts) to KIA Customer Care since 6/4/24. The primary KIA Customer Care agent has been Casey M. Casey directed me to contact "the KIA team" handling my repair costs, a class-action law firm in Oregon. Counsel there was displeased at the attempted hand-off as my car clearly did not qualify. It took over two months to get the case out of that loop. It went back to Casey. Over one year later and tenacious follow up, two unresolved matters remain stuck. Everything is documented. 1. My VIN shows up as "Safety Recall Work Incomplete," which will be on my DMV registration, CarFax, etc. I still get notices of incomplete work from KIA. I have asked how to correct this. Casey says the dealership "knows the channels" and to ask them. I've reached out to Premier, been shuffled around, and left VMs as recently as today. Q: Can the NHSTA use the attached invoice as proof to remove the incomplete status from my VIN? What is needed and from whom? 2. Can the NHSTA help here? Premier said to rent a car (no loaners) as KIA covers recall-work rental costs. Premier had my car for 138 days. I rented a car for 127 of the days at a total cost of $7065. I had no option but use my credit card with compound daily interest that accrued for almost a year. Casey and I previously reviewed rental receipts correcting his 123 day count to 127. Enterprise overlapped days due to in/out times; we subtracted those. I sent email confirmation of our call and 127 day total. Finally, on 1/9/25, KIA issued payment of $5166 for 123 days at $42/day. I emailed and called Casey. He replied $5166 is the max and provided the same incorrect breakdown of 123 days.

Re: 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.