10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
37,314 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2016 Kia Soul:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #13

May 192024

Soul

  • 85,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes failed to work as needed. The brake warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to safely pull the vehicle over. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in any recalls. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

- Lake Orion, MI, USA

problem #12

Oct 232023

Soul

  • miles
I put the car in park, and exited the car to do something, and it started to move forward on its own. I jumped back in the car and stepped on brakes, and shut the engine off. I was to the side of the car, so did not get injured. On a different occasion I was parking the car in the carport, and put the car into park. When I released the foot brake, the car started moving forward on its own again. I put on the brake, put the car into reverse to reverse to the parking spot, put the car into park and put the parking brake on. Others were around the car, but not directly in front of the car so no one was injured. The car has not been taken to the dealer yet for this issue, not has anyone inspected it for this problem. I have an appointment soon for an inspection by the dealer. These incidents happened without warning.

- Kailus, HI, USA

problem #11

Aug 192023

Soul

  • miles
i BOUGHT A 2016 kIA sOUL WITH 52.000 MILES ON IT SOME TIMES WHEN I PUT IT IN dRIVE IT BACKS UP.

- Mcminnville, TN, USA

problem #10

Apr 012023

Soul

  • miles
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.

- Maxton , NC, USA

problem #9

Dec 052022

Soul

  • 123,639 miles
Our car was sold to us not knowing about a recall. It was taken to a local Kia. The car dealership says they didn-??t know. It-??s already had a replaced catalytic converter and didn-??t fix the problem. Our engine light, ABS light and a skidding light come on and off. No one will listen to us. We don-??t know what to do next.

- Fairbanks , IN, USA

problem #8

Dec 122020

Soul

  • 50,000 miles
I started complaining to the dealer that the front right side wheel doesn't seem right it seems to be spinning at a different speed as the other tires which wore the tires down and the the brakes to wear. The front end shakes back and forth while driving. They tightened the bolts that secure the body to the frame. But it only feels somewhat fine for a couple of weeks. I took it to 3different Kia dealers and all have said there's nothing wrong and there is no safety issue, but it sure doesn't feel it. It seems like they just want to get it past the warranty. They installed new software for the engine knock to monitor it but it seems worse since they installed it. My car feels like it's falling apart. I even called Kia headquarters and they said they go by what the technicians say, if they say there isn't anything wrong then there must not be. I have all my records.

- Sewell, NJ, USA

problem #7

Jan 082020

Soul

  • 60,000 miles
Four car collision, Kia Soul 2016 was the first car. Slowing down for a red light on a city street, breaks did not work. There were no skid marks on road. No one was cited during the accident, officers on site had belief there were other complications rather than driver negligence.

- Litchfield Park, AZ, USA

problem #6

Jul 312020

Soul

  • 70,357 miles
It's running different makes strange noise and has engine light on.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

problem #5

Apr 152020

Soul

  • 41,277 miles
This is an electric Kia Soul. I drove the car into the garage. Put it in park and turned the car off. I normally put the parking brake on. I opened the charging door but did not plug it in immediately. I took groceries into the house and returned for more. As I walked back into the garage it looked like the car lurched backward. It moved 2 feet back and would have hit the garage door if it was closed. Maybe it rolled and then caught itself and looked like it lurched backward. The garage is a nearly level concrete surface. I got back in the car. It was in park. I turned on the car to move it forward but before I did, I checked to see if the parking brake was on. It was not. I may have forgotten to place it on when I pulled into the garage. I could not recall exactly but I always put the parking brake on every time I park the car. This was scary because it rolled/lurched at least 2 feet backward. I did not see any error/alert lights that there was a problem. I have owned the car almost 2 years and purchased a certified pre-owned car from an authorized Kia dealer with an extended warranty.

- Carnation, WA, USA

problem #4

Nov 072019

Soul

  • 25,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. While driving approximately 30 mph and attempting to slow down by depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle did not stop, even when the emergency brake was applied. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The following day, the traction control warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle was towed to yonkers Kia (1850 central park ave, yonkers, NY 10410); however, they were not able to replicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

- Tuckahoe, NY, USA

problem #3

Aug 062018

Soul

  • 29,200 miles
I have a 2016 Kia Soul, fully loaded model. Six months after buying the car from the dealer (bought new with 8 miles), I began having problems with acceleration, from a stop or slow. The car would hesitate/lag/almost stall for 2-5 seconds, before catching and starting to speed up. I took it to the dealer. They couldn't find anything wrong with the car. I still have the car and I continue to have the same issues. I take the car in for regular oil changes and every time, have mentioned the acceleration problem and each time they say they can't find what's wrong with it. The last time I took it in, about 4 months ago, they said to put gas treatment in the tank and if I the problem persists, then bring it in to have the crankcase filter changed (this is the upsell they've been pushing on me for a year now. I have under 30,000 miles, most of which are cross-country miles. Today, I have the same acceleration problem but this time around, the check engine light comes on and the brake pedal was very spongy and difficult to slow, when breaking to pull over. I pulled over and put the car in park and let it idle to listen for any odd or unfamiliar noises. The car sounded normal. I scheduled an appointment with the dealer. This acceleration issue happens on the city streets, as well as the highway.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #2

Mar 072017

Soul

  • 500 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. While driving on several occasions, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond. On several occasions, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard. The contact stated that the brakes operated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to cavenaugh Kia (located at 3315 stadium blvd, jonesboro, ar 72404, (870) 802-4451) to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code or duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 500.

- Jonesboro, AR, USA

problem #1

Jul 292016

Soul

  • 110 miles
While driving in regenerative brake mode and coming up to a stop light, I let the regenerative brake to slow the car to around 10 km/hr then applied the normal brake to slow down the rest of the way. The brake pedal did not engage whatsoever. I did not feel any resistance and the pedal went all the way to the ground. Because I couldn't stop, I hit the car in front of me - low speed so luckily no one was hurt. There were no warning lights about brake failure either before or after the incident occurred. Pedal was floored and there was no acceleration, only mild deceleration (I.e. still from the regenerative brakes presumably) thus I am quite confident this was not a case of pedal misapplication.

- Nanaimo, WA, USA