Kia bulletin SC176Y
What it saysSubsequent repair action: catalytic converter replacement and engine inspection/replacement (SC176Y) - this bulletin has been revised to include additional information. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
Kia filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Mar 24, 2026, received Oct 23, 2024, about the engine — 2 documents under this number: SC176Y_TSB_R1, SC176Y_TSB. It names 1 model year (2016). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationWhat it applies to, as the document itself states it — the build window in the manufacturer’s own words, read by machine from the PDF NHTSA serves. The build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb; the dealer settles a borderline vehicle by its VIN.
TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACEMENT AND ENGINE INSPECTION/REPLACEMENT (SC176Y) - This bulletin has been revised to include additional information. New/revised sections of this bulletin are indicated by a black bar in the margin area. This bulletin provides catalytic converter and engine sub-assembly diagnosis and repair information on certain 2012-2016MY Soul (AM, PS) vehicles produced from July 8, 2011 through August 11, 2016, that previously had the recall campaign SC176 completed. The affected vehicles may exhibit catalyst system efficiency deterioration or a malfunction indicator lamp illumination with an active, history or pending P0420 with or without a P030X misfire DTC.
Trouble codes it names: P0420 P0300 1 of 2 read from the document itself
Documents filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SC176Y_TSB_R1 | Service bulletin | Mar 24, 2026 | 11030346 | PDF, 462 KB |
| SC176Y_TSB | Service bulletin | Oct 18, 2024 | 11009076 | PDF, 406 KB |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themA vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 1 model year this bulletin names have filed 826 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 671 of them name Engine — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
On the 2016 Kia Soul, the 327 owners who gave an odometer reading for Engine reported it at a median of 91,283 miles. That figure is one model year’s, not the whole range this bulletin covers — medians from different model years are not averaged.
Transmission started slipping while driving. Then transmission slipped while going 45 and engine red lined then died. Would not restart
2016 Kia Soul · Engine · filed with NHTSA May 13, 2018 · ODI 11093561
In depth: 2016 Kia Soul engine problems →
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the engine
Source: same model, same component group10 other manufacturer communications filed against the Kia Soul under the same component group (engine), newest first. The eight newest are listed; the rest are on the Kia list.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| TSB_ENG263 | Service bulletin | Aug 5, 2026 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: MISFIRE CONCERN DUE TO OVERRUNNING ALTERNATOR DECOUPLER - This bulletin provides information to address unresolv… |
| PI2107 | Service bulletin | Apr 8, 2026 | PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: NU 2.0L GDI - KNOCK SENSOR DETECTION SYSTEM (KSDS) ECU LOGIC IMPROVEMENT (PI2107) - This bulletin has been rev… |
| PI2002B | Service bulletin | Feb 24, 2026 | TSB - PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN (PI2002B) - NU 2.0L GDI - KNOCK SENSOR DETECTION SYSTEM (KSDS) LOGIC IMPROVEMENT - This bulletin provides… |
| SC336YZ | Service bulletin | Sep 4, 2025 | This bulletin provides information related to the Technical Service Bulletin previously published under SC336 titled “Engine Inspection/Repl… |
| TSB_ENG222_R8 | Service bulletin | Apr 3, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional in… |
| TSB_ENG222_R7 | Service bulletin | Feb 28, 2025 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION NU/GAMMA/THETA/KAPPA ENGINES - This bulletin has been revised to include additional in… |
| PI2107Y/Z | Service bulletin | Nov 8, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: PRODUCT IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR DTC P1326… |
| SC209A | Service bulletin | Jun 17, 2024 | TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN: SUBSEQUENT REPAIR ACTION: ENGINE REPLACEMENT INSTRUCTIONS FOR PISTON RING NOISE DTC 1327 (SC209Y) - This bulleti… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Kia, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is Kia SC176Y a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the SC176Y repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way. Every Kia warranty extension on file lists the ones Kia has filed.
Which vehicles does SC176Y cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 1 model year: 2016 Kia Soul. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone. The document itself sets the build window: 2012 -2016MY Soul (AM, PS): built 8 Jul 2011 – 11 Aug 2016; Soul (AM, PS): built 8 Jul 2011 – 11 Aug 2016 — the build date is on the certification label in the driver’s door jamb.