2016 Kia Soul

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The vehicle is a 2016 Kia Soul 1.6L GDI with approximately 83,000 miles. The vehicle experienced engine performance issues, loss of power, and stalling. A Kia dealership diagnosed a failed/melted catalytic converter and reported metal shavings in the engine oil. The vehicle has not been repaired and is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle stalls and loses power, creating a safety hazard while driving in traffic. A sudden loss of power increases the risk of being struck by another vehicle and makes it difficult to safely maintain speed, merge, or cross intersections. Because the vehicle is unreliable and may stall unexpectedly, I do not consider it safe to operate. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. The condition was confirmed by an authorized Kia dealership. The dealership diagnosed a clogged/melted catalytic converter and reported metal shavings in the engine oil. The dealership advised that the catalytic converter must be replaced before they would perform further engine diagnosis. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? The vehicle was inspected by an authorized Kia dealership. Kia Customer Care was notified of the issue and reviewed the claim but declined assistance. To my knowledge, the vehicle has not been inspected by a Kia field engineer, police agency, or insurance investigator. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Yes. The vehicle experienced drivability issues, loss of power, and check engine light illumination. Diagnostic trouble codes reported included P0420, P2191, and P2196. The symptoms progressively worsened and eventually resulted in severe performance issues and stalling.

Safety defect P1326 code is a known indicator of rod bearing wear. When it triggered, the vehicle immediately went into Limp Mode, creating a significant safety hazard. The behavior aligns with the documented defect affecting NU GDI Engines and is not consistent with normal Engine wear. I have confirmed the KSDS software update was performed. I have taken the vehicle to Clay Cooley Kia of Plano and my service advisor has confirmed that the engine is defected per the NU GDI Engine Settlement and related federal safety actions.

SUBJECT: Engine → Stall → Loss of power while driving: While driving normally, the vehicle began losing power and could not accelerate properly. The engine warning light illuminated and the vehicle repeatedly entered a reduced-power condition where it could barely maintain speed. The vehicle would stall while driving and then restart after sitting. This occurred multiple times over a period of time and progressively worsened. The engine also began consuming large amounts of oil between oil changes. Eventually the engine suffered catastrophic failure and would no longer run. A dealership later stated internal engine damage was present, including a failed valve and spark plug damage. The vehicle is currently at a dealership and available for inspection. The loss of power and stalling created a safety hazard because the vehicle could not maintain normal traffic speed and could have been struck by other vehicles. The problem was confirmed by a dealership service department. Warning lights were present prior to final failure and appeared during the loss of power events.

I paid almost 3,500 dollars and Kia kept my car two months and I’m still having transmission issues and now they are asking for service receipts. After I picked up my vehicle from the original transmission repair I was back in less than 7 days because transmission was roughly jumping in gear and shifting horribly with burning smell. The technician noticed the problem and immediately took my car to the back but they kept my car another 30 days saying that they did an update and now I’m stuck suffering with a struggling transmission. My mpg has drastically dropped on this vehicle to a 9.6 and that is not normal. I paid cash and Kia need to help me in any way. They are trying to wait until the 12,000 mile warranty runs out and leave me stuck and that’s not fair when I’ve been complaining since I picked up the car the second time but they won’t assist me now. My Vehicle experiences delayed transmission engagement, RPM increases without acceleration, hesitation, and loss of fuel economy. Dealer refuses diagnosis unless complete failure occurs. This creates unpredictable vehicle response and loss of power concerns. Transmission hard shifts and jerks violently during gear changes and acceleration, causing loss of smooth power delivery and unsafe vehicle behavior.

Transmission failed when mileage was at 88,000 miles and is not opererational to drive. After taking car to a pirate auto shop the mechanic informed me it showed codes P0753 and P073, and informed me the transmission fluid had metal debris inside it. This is a known defect from this specific Kia model. Then took it to the Kia Dealership in Chula Vist, for diagnostic, they informed me P073 code shown up and recommended to replace the transmission. This is known defect that is associated with the Kia Soul manufacturer, and is related to the recall. My safety was put at risk when I was driving and after I stopped at a red light the car was in drive and would not accelerate when I pressed the gas, this problem was confirmed by the dealership with diagnosis paperwork. Their was no warning when this issue occurred, additionally Kia corporate refuses to accept responsibility for their manufacturer defect.

Component/system failed: Engine and Power Train. Available for inspection: Yes, the vehicle is currently at the dealership. After a loud ticking/knocking noise from the engine began, the car lost power while driving. It matches symptoms associated with Kia’s known connecting rod bearing failure issue (covered under Recall SC176 and Campaign PI2002A). There were no warning lamps at first, but later the oil pressure warning light began to flash intermittently. A Kia dealership confirmed the issue and completed the PI2002A ECU update. However, they denied the extended engine warranty coverage under the campaign, saying that the vehicle was purchased at an auction, even though this issue stems from a known manufacturing defect and recall that should apply to the vehicle, regardless of ownership history. This creates a serious safety concern, as the engine could seize while driving. This issue has been reproduced and confirmed by the dealership and documented under Kia Case #25414628 and #25331856. This denial contradicts the campaign terms and puts drivers and others at risk.

We purchased a 2016 Kia Soul with the GDI engine in October 2024 from Jim Shorkey Kia in Uniontown with 60K miles on it. We just had to have a whole new Catalytic Converter installed that cost us $1500 because the one on this car was completely messed up. It caused the car to stall, have no power and when my daughter was pulling into her parking space, this caused the brakes to stop working because the car was getting NO power. The converter was completely clogged and the whole thing had to be replaced (AT OUR EXPENSE)! This was a recall for the same year Kia Souls, but somehow this one is NOT on the recall list for the exact thing that these were being recalled. How does that work? We were left without a vehicle for days and we had to pay to have the car towed to a garage and repaired. Kia would do nothing, so we had to have it repaired at a reputable garage in our area! Only having the car of less than 8 months after buying it used from a KIA dealership, this is disheartening. How could they sell a car that obviously had issues with the catalytic converter, or they did just NOT check the vehicle out before they sold it to someone. I get that it was a used car but are we seriously going to sell a car to someone that obviously has an issue! So why exactly was this 2016 KIA Soul with the GDI engine, NOT recalled?? We should be reimbursed for this. This is crazy. My daughter could have been in a horrible accident. THANKFULLY she was only leaving her apartment and in the parking lot of her home! What do we do about getting this? This car clearly has issues and should have been recalled with the others!