2016 KIA SOUL — Complaint #2153364
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR filed December 2, 2025
NHTSA complaint #2153364 (ODI reference 11702476) concerns a 2016 KIA SOUL and was filed on December 2, 2025. The owner reports the failure occurred on September 2, 2021. The vehicle had 177,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to Alabama based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control:catalytic convertor, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: no, fire: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. No crash, fire, or fatality was associated with this report, which places it in the early-warning stream rather than the priority-review stream. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same KIA SOUL cohort independently describe similar engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control:catalytic convertor failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2016 KIA SOUL shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact became aware that there was oil leaking from the engine near the spark plugs while checking prior to the warning light being illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the vehicle was still leaking oil, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was constantly adding oil to the engine. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the same dealer and was advised that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced, and a tune-up was needed. The catalytic converter was not replaced, and the contact stated that the engine was still leaking oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact had taken the vehicle to several independent mechanics and was advised that the engine needed to replace, howev
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 2153364 |
| ODI Number | 11702476 |
| Date Filed | December 2, 2025 |
| Failure Date | September 2, 2021 |
| VIN | KNDJN2A25G7 |
Similar ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR Complaints for 2016 KIA SOUL
Catalytic converter may become damaged due to overheating caused by and excessive increase of exhaust gas temperatures.
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The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard an abnormal ticking sound. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was
The contact owns a 2016 Kia Soul. The contact stated while her husband was driving 45 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle failed to respond. The check engine warning light was il
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.