2016 Kia Soul: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 802 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 2 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
802
Complaints
2
Recalls
29
Crash reports
34
Fire reports
24
Injuries
63.8
Severity index
Severity index 63.8 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 140 2016 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2016 Kia Soul ranks 71 of 140 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 49% of its model-year peers. See the full 2016 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | 547 | 68.2% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 118 | 14.7% |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 104 | 13.0% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 79 | 9.9% |
| POWER TRAIN | 64 | 8.0% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 57 | 7.1% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 31 | 3.9% |
| STEERING | 30 | 3.7% |
The single most-reported system is ENGINE, cited in 547 of 802 complaints (68.2%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 16 |
| 2018 | 20 |
| 2019 | 84 |
| 2020 | 79 |
| 2021 | 105 |
| 2022 | 134 |
| 2023 | 133 |
| 2024 | 102 |
| 2025 | 86 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 39 |
Complaint volume is broadly steady year over year.
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 19V120000 | 22/02/2019 | ENGINE | Kia 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 |
| 17V608000 | 29/09/2017 | STEERING | Kia 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. |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.