2016 Kia Soul problems and recalls

68% of owner complaints on the 2016 Kia Soul related to the Engine (552 of 810).

810
Complaints
2
Recalls
29
Crash reports
34
Fire reports
25
Injuries
63.8
Severity index

Severity index 63.8 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 63.8p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 69 of 141 by severity index among 2016 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 51% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2016 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

EngineEngine: 552 complaints (68.1%)552 68%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 120 complaints (14.8%)120 15%Engine And Engine Cooli…Engine And Engine Cooling: 105 complaints (13.0%)105 13%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 80 complaints (9.9%)80 10%Power TrainPower Train: 64 complaints (7.9%)64 8%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 57 complaints (7.0%)57 7%Vehicle Speed ControlVehicle Speed Control: 32 complaints (4.0%)32 4%SteeringSteering: 30 complaints (3.7%)30 4%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE55268.1%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER12014.8%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING10513.0%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM809.9%
POWER TRAIN647.9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM577.0%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL324.0%
STEERING303.7%

Complaints filed per year

0701402016: 42017: 162018: 202019: 842020: 792021: 1052022: 1342023: 1332024: 1022025: 862026: 47 (partial year)1617181920212213423242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20164
201716
201820
201984
202079
2021105
2022134
2023133
2024102
202586
2026 (year to date)47
Filings in 2023 to 2025 were close to 2020 to 2022 (321 against 318).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
19V12000022/02/2019ENGINEKia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2012-2016 Kia Soul vehicles equipped with 1.6L Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engines. High exhaust gas temperatures may damage the catalytic converter, possibly resulting in abnormal engine combustion and damage to one or more of t
17V60800029/09/2017STEERINGKia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Soul and Soul EV vehicles. The pinion plug may allow the pinion gear to separate from the steering gear assembly.

Other Kia Soul model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 14 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-09-03. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.