"How reliable is the 2016 Kia Soul?"

"Based on 1103 NHTSA complaints, the 2016 Kia Soul has a median complaint mileage of 80500 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 2016 Kia Soul?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2016 Kia Soul is ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 1103 total complaints filed."

2016 Kia Soul: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1103 complaints

1103

Total Complaints

80,500mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

57,568 25th Percentile

80,500 Median Mileage

107,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE

533

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

113

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

POWER TRAIN

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

STEERING

AIR BAGS

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE PANIC BUTTON ON THE KEY FOB IS NOT RECESSED SO IT ACTIVATES WHEN YOU DON'T WANT IT TO. I HAVE CONTACTED BOTH THE KIA DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT IT AND ALSO KIA CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND BOTH COULD NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. IT IS A DESIGN FLAW. ANYTIME I HAVE THE KEY FOB IN MY POCKET IT IS LIKELY TO ENGAGE TH..."

"DRIVING THIS CAR HIGH SPEEDS (FREEWAY) FOR LONGER PERIODS OF TIME (30 MINUTES OR MORE PER DAY) FOR MORE THAN 3 CONSECUTIVE DAYS AFFECTS MY OVERALL HEALTH AND ABILITY TO DRIVE THE CAR. IT GET CHRONIC HEADACHES, TROUBLE CONCENTRATING, SLEEPING PROBLEMS, DIZZINESS, FORGETFULNESS, EXHAUSTION, AND ANXIET..."

"WHILE DRIVING IN REGENERATIVE BRAKE MODE AND COMING UP TO A STOP LIGHT, I LET THE REGENERATIVE BRAKE TO SLOW THE CAR TO AROUND 10 KM/HR THEN APPLIED THE NORMAL BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN THE REST OF THE WAY. THE BRAKE PEDAL DID NOT ENGAGE WHATSOEVER. I DID NOT FEEL ANY RESISTANCE AND THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE ..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28