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2016 Kia Soul

ElectricGas
Small Station Wagons
5 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
F
Safety Signal
51 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
Recalls2 critical5
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA812
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
EV rangebest configuration, EPA93 mi
Fuel economybest combined, EPA27 mpg
2025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2016 Kia Soul is sold in the U.S. as a electric and gas wagon with 5 EPA-rated configurations. Its longest-range version, the Soul Electric, is EPA-rated at 93 miles with 105 MPGe combined efficiency. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, 2 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 812 complaints, most often about the engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombRangekWh/100miCharge (240V)Annual fuel*
Soul ElectricElectricFWD81 kW AC PMSM12092105 MPGe93 mi32.04 h$700
SoulGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl243127———$2,300
SoulGasFWD1.6L 4-cyl243026———$2,400
SoulGasFWD1.6L 4-cyl243026———$2,400
Soul ECO dynamicsGasFWD2.0L 4-cyl243026———$2,400

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36553, 36233, 36234, 36235, 36232.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2016 Kia Soul is in the years where high-voltage electronics and module repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (5)

Source: NHTSA recall database
○minor

Electrical System

SC287
6,262 vehiclesElectric only
ProblemKia America, Inc. (KIA) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Soul EV vehicles. The parking mechanism may be damaged, which can result in unintended vehicle movement when the gear shift lever is in the Park 'P' position and the parking brake is not applied while the vehicle is powered on.RiskUnintended vehicle movement can increase the risk of a crash.FixDealers will update the electronic control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 21, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC287. This recall expands and replaces recall number 20V-389. Vehicles previously repaired under 20V-389 will need to have the new remedy completed.
NHTSA campaign 23V724000reported Oct 26, 2023Kia America, Inc.
!critical

Electrical System

SC267
2,689 vehiclesElectric only
ProblemKia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Soul EV vehicles equipped with an E400 battery. The high-voltage battery pack may experience an electrical short-circuit while driving.RiskA battery electrical short-circuit increases the risk of a fire.FixDealers will update and/or replace the battery management system and software, as necessary, free of charge. The new software will illuminate the EV warning light, limit charging capacity, and reduce vehicle power if abnormal voltage is detected. If this occurs, the battery will be replaced, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 18, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC267.
NHTSA campaign 23V218000reported Mar 29, 2023Kia America, Inc.
▲high

Power Train

SC191
3,714 vehiclesElectric only
ProblemKia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Kia Soul Electric Vehicle (EV) vehicles. The parking mechanism may become damaged if the driver moves the gear shift lever into Park 'P' before the vehicle comes to a complete stop. If the parking mechanism is damaged, unintended vehicle movement may occur when the gear shift lever is in the Park 'P' position and the parking brake is not applied.RiskUnintended vehicle movement can increase the risk of a crash.FixKia will notify owners, and dealers will update the electronic control unit software, free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2020. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC191.
NHTSA campaign 20V389000reported Jul 2, 2020Kia Motors America
!critical

Engine And Engine Cooling

SC176
378,967 vehicles
ProblemKia 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 the engine's pistons and possible piston connecting rod failure.RiskPiston damage may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash. A broken connecting rod may puncture the engine block allowing engine oil to escape. The leaking oil may contact the exhaust, increasing the risk of a fire.FixKia will notify owners, and dealers will upgrade the Catalytic Overheating Protection Engine Control Unit logic to prevent overheating of the catalytic converter. In addition, the catalytic converter will also be replaced if it has been damaged. Depending on the extent of any damage, the engine may also be replaced, free of charge. The recall began April 17, 2019. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC176.
NHTSA campaign 19V120000reported Feb 22, 2019Kia Motors America
▲high

Steering

SC155
342,381 vehicles
ProblemKia 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.RiskIf the pinion gear separates, steering will be lost, increasing the risk of a crash.FixKia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and secure the pinion plug or replace the steering gear assembly, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 16, 2017. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC155. Note: This recall supersedes campaigns 14V-332 and 15V-736. Vehicles previously remedied under those numbers are being recalled again under this campaign.
NHTSA campaign 17V608000reported Sep 29, 2017Kia Motors America

NHTSA defect investigations

Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Internal:Park Pawl — Vehicle Rollaway closed

On July 2, 2020, Kia America Inc. (Kia) filed safety recall 20V-389 for model year (MY) 2015-2016 Kia Soul EV vehicles. This recall was in response to allegations of unintended vehicle movement while in Park and provided updated electronic control unit software for the electronic parking brake logic as the remedy. The updated logic, which was included during production for MY 2017-2019 Kia Soul EV vehicles, automatically activates the electronic parking brake when the vehicle is powered off while the gear shift lever is in the Park position. On September 10, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Recall Query (RQ23-005) to investigate allegations of unintended vehicle movem

Opened Sep 10, 2023 · closed Jan 16, 2024 · action RQ23005

Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds closed

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005

Engine — Engine Fires closed

On March 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened two Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles.  During the PE investigations, Hyundai and Kia issued several recalls to address vehicle fires, including those due to engine failures involving various engine types.  The remedies for the engine failure recalls typically involve engine inspection (to detect existing damage), and if necessary, engine replacement.  Additionally, both manufacturers have been installing an engine control software mo

Opened Dec 22, 2021 · closed Feb 5, 2024 · action EA21003

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
812complaints filed

29 involved a crash · 34 a fire · 25 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2016: 4 · 2017: 16 · 2018: 20 · 2019: 84 · 2020: 79 · 2021: 105 · 2022: 134 · 2023: 133 · 2024: 102 · 2025: 86 · 2026: 49

Most-cited components

Engine552
Unspecified122
Engine And Engine Cooling107
Fuel/Propulsion System80
Power Train64
Electrical System58

What owners describe

“The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul EV. The contact stated that on several occasions while the vehicle was on the charging port, the vehicle failed to hold the charge and only displayed an 83 percent charge. Additionally, the contact stated that when the vehicle was fully charged, the energy percentage display rejected an…”Sep 18, 2023 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report
“My vehicle has a check engine light on. In an attempt to repair the code was identified as a catalytic converter failure. My engine is burning oil excessively now. The costs are far beyond my means to repair despite meticulous maintenance.”Aug 16, 2021 · Engine And Engine Cooling · NHTSA owner report
“My husband was exiting the highway when the engine began to sputter and then "explode" into a cloud of smoke from the engine and tail pipe. There was a oil smell. The car was towed to the local Firestone where my husband was told the engine now has a hole in it. Just a few months ago the engine was worked on because on…”Aug 11, 2021 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV FWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆15%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other Soul model years

A

2025 Kia Soul

0 recalls · 12 complaints

A

2024 Kia Soul

0 recalls · 29 complaints

F

2023 Kia Soul

4 recalls · 50 complaints

B

2022 Kia Soul

1 recalls · 88 complaints

C

2021 Kia Soul

2 recalls · 231 complaints

B

2020 Kia Soul

1 recalls · 375 complaints

C

2019 Kia Soul

3 recalls · 138 complaints

C

2018 Kia Soul

3 recalls · 216 complaints

C

2017 Kia Soul

3 recalls · 288 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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