There are 14 owner-reported fuel system complaints for the 2016 Kia Soulin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I’m reaching out as my Catalytic Converter is needing to be replaced due to being faulty and my vehicle per VIN is not included in this recall for some reason however it is the exact issue all of the others have that are included in it. I have only had my vehicle for a year and it is an extremely expensive repair so I am asking if there is any help for this issue because I need it as well just as everyone else who has a recall for this issue
2 years ago Kia had a recall on the catalytic converter that I found out about after my car displayed the engine light and shut down and would not drive. I had to tow it and they told me it was the catalytic converter but it had a recall. I took it to Kia and They said they replaced it but I'm not sure they did it properly, as I drove to Sarasota and the engine light came on I pulled over and let the engine cool and continued on with no problems until on my way back it did the same. I called the dealership but they told me it was fine. Now I'm driving today to the bank and on the way back the car would not drive faster than 5 mph!!! I drove back the couple miles to the mechanic beside my warehouse and he said it's the catalytic converter as it was extremely hot. I called the dealership and they said there is no warranty
Vehicle was taken to Clovis Kia to address recall NHTSA# 23V218 (SC267). Kia was unable to fix the issue and ordered a battery pack replacement (they replaced the current battery pack 2 years and roughly 20K miles previously). New battery pack was installed and the system still does not function properly. Multiple error codes present and car is undriveable. At the 1 month mark we demanded a loaner vehicle. They swapped the loaner for another one when the car neared 5k miles. After 4 months, our vehicle is still not operational. in 4.5 years of ownership, the car has sat at Kia Clovis for 6+ months to address multiple battery issues, safety recalls and electrical issues. We have requested updates and information but Kia corporate is not responsive. So we have documented for a California Lemon Law buyback and sent a demand message to Kia to buy back the vehicle since they can't return it to us in the same or better condition than when we dropped it off. The last in person conversation was to let us know the new loaner should be brought back when we've put 3K+ miles on it so they can trade it again. (it was obvious they had little faith in our car being repaired)
Catalytic converter failing. First began failing in December 2023. Took to have serviced. Told to put cataclean in my gas tank. Check engine light went off. Check engine light came back on again. Same code for catalytic convertable. Was told that it was a possible O2 sensor, or possibly be the catalytic converter. Then I was notified other 2016 Kia soul have had the exact same issue with a faulty Cadillac converter failing and effecting performance and causing engine damage. This was a Kia dealership that notified me of this. However even though I have a 2016 Kia soul, and there’s already a recall on Catalyatic converters for 2016 Kia soul, I was told I’d need to pay out-of-pocket for a new catalyatic converter because my car wasn’t on the recall list. Other models the 2016 Kia soul have also failed. The recall needs to be extended to all models of the 2016 Kia soul. This is a bigger issue than Kia is admitting. Because the dealerships all know that the 2016, Kia souls have faulty catalytic converters. The dealership sold me the 2019 Kia soul back in 2021 and did not reveal that. There was a major issue with the catalytic converters for all the Kia soul 2016 models. They simply told me there were no recalls, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t gonna pop up with issues for this model because they’ve had issues. Of course this was not revealed by the sales person, but rather the service department manager when I begin having issues with my 2016 Kia soul for other things. Now the catalytic converter in my car is going out, but it should be a part of the recall, because it is causing issues for not only the O2 sensor, but the car in general.
6/26/23 found I had a fuel leak on top of gas tank. Didn't get fixed until the next day. Drove home just to discover a 2nd leak at the hose the following day the 29th. The dealership,that I actually work at, told me to drive it as is until the backorder part comes in approximately 3-5 days. It's now the 5th of July and it is not fixed. I'm asthmatic and have COPD and live in Florida.
Unknown have a strong gas smell from under hood passenger side and fuel leak was detected by mechanic during oil change service
Catalytic Converter overheated causing a fire beneath the car.
RECENTLY, I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH MY PUMPING GAS INTO MY CAR. EVERY TIME I ATTEMPT TO PUT GAS IN, IT OVERFLOWS AS IF IT IS FULL, BUT IT'S NOT. THE GAS CAP NO LONGER CLICKS WHEN ATTEMPTING TO CLOSE. I CAN ONLY PUT IN NO MORE THAN $5 INTO MY TANK.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 KIA SOUL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EMITTED A STRONG FUEL ODOR INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE FOR OVER TWO MONTHS. ALSO, WHILE FUELING THE VEHICLE, FUEL SPILLED ONTO THE GROUND. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 82,000.
THIS IS REGARDING HIGH EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATURES THAT MAY DAMAGE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER AND POTENTIALLY OTHER PARTS, DEALERS ARE SUPPOSED TO UPGRADE SOFTWARE ON ALL KIA SOULS EVEN IF NOT RECALLED. THE KIA DEALERSHIP IN WARRENTON OREGON SAYS MY CAR DOESN'T NEED IT, I STRONGLY DISAGREE AND WANRYTHIS SOFTWARE UPDATED ASAP!
WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A COMPLETE STOP THE VEHICLE WILL NOT ACCELERATE. PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR A LITTLE OR A LOT DOES NOT MATTER. THE ENGINE DOES NOT PRODUCE RPM AND DOES NOT ACCELERATE FOR AROUND 3-5 SECONDS. THERE IS NOT AN ENGINE LIGHT ON. ALL OTHER ASPECTS OF THE VEHICLE WORK PROPERLY WHEN THIS HAPPENS. THE ISSUE IS INTERMITTENT, BUT IS ONGOING EVERY DAY. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN DOING THIS FROM THE TIME IT HAD A LITTLE OVER 40,000 MILES. IT HAS 66,000 MILES NOW. I HAVE TRIED FUEL CLEANERS SEVERAL TIMES BUT THE LACK OF POWER IS STILL PERSISTENT. THIS HAPPENS WHETHER THE VEHICLE IS COLD OR HAS BEEN HOT SOAKED. IT VERY DANGEROUS WHEN PULLING INTO AN INTERSECTION OR CROSSING A ROAD AND THE CAR DOES NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY. SOMETIMES WHEN I START ACCELERATING THE ENGINE STARTS TO BUILD RPM AND SUDDENLY IT WILL LOOSE ALL POWER. ABOUT FIVE SECONDS LATER IT COMES BACK WITH A SURGE IN POWER AND RPM.
MY CAR, WHICH IS UNDER 5000 MILES, HAD ONE OF ITS FUEL LINES DECAY OR CHEWED BY AN ANIMAL. THE LOCATION OF THE DAMAGE WAS ON TOP OF THE ENGINE. BEFORE I DISCOVERED THE DEFECTIVE FUEL LINE, MY CAR HAD BEEN RUNNING JUST FINE, WITH NO WARNING INDICATORS IN THE DASHBOARD. THE FUEL WAS LEAKING OUT DANGEROUSLY CLOSE TO THE HOT ENGINE, AS THE PART THAT WAS DAMAGED WAS NEAR THE TOP OF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS WHEN I DISCOVERED IT. THE SMELL OF GASOLINE WAS VERY STRONG BOTH IN AND OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. I WAS TOLD BY KIA THAT THIS WILL NOT BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. FURTHERMORE, I WAS TOLD BY THEIR OWN CUSTOMER RELATIONS REPRESENTATIVE THAT THEIR FUEL LINES ARE MADE OUT OF A MATERIAL CALLED PARAFFIN, WHICH IS A WAX LIKE SUBSTANCE THAT ANIMALS LIKE TO CHEW. I WAS PERPLEXED AT WHY THEY USE A MATERIAL THAT IS EASILY DESTROYED FOR SUCH A VITAL COMPONENT IN THEIR VEHICLE..
GAS MILEAGE STATED IS NOWHERE EVEN CLOSE TO WHAT'S STATED ON EITHER CITY OR HIGHWAY. I WOULD GUESS 10-15% OFF
I EXPERIENCE INTERMITTENT HESITATION WHEN PRESSING ON THE ACCELERATOR. IT FEELS LIKE THE CAR ISN'T DOWNSHIFTING CORRECTLY OR ISN'T GETTING ENOUGH FUEL IN ORDER TO PICK UP SPEED. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE KIA DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY SAID THEY DIDN'T FIND ANY PROBLEMS AND COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. THE CAR CONTINUES TO INTERMITTENTLY HESITATE WHEN ACCELERATING. THIS HAPPENS IN ALL DRIVING CONDITIONS.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026