Major Problems with Kia Forte Derived from Complaints & Recalls

Learn about the common problems with a used Kia Forte to avoid purchasing a bad year of the model.

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Best and Worst Years for Kia Forte

Explore the chart showing how many complaints have been filed for each year of Kia Forte.

Model Year	Complaints
2019 Forte	29
2018 Forte	23
2017 Forte	66
2016 Forte	50
2015 Forte	63
2014 Forte	165
2013 Forte	84
2012 Forte	118
2011 Forte	92
2010 Forte	143

Worst 3 Kia Forte complaints

2013 Kia Forte AIR BAGS Victims: 4 Mileage: 100000 miles

2011 Kia Forte AIR BAGS Victims: 4

2011 Kia Forte UNKNOWN OR OTHER Victims: 4 Mileage: 88000 miles

Browse Kia Forte complaints by category

Problems with ENGINE, AIR BAGS and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM are the most frequent issues recorded by the NHTSA from Kia Forte owners.

Problem Category	Number of Problems
ENGINE i have a 2014 kia forte since september 2013 acquired several days the unit is started having a vibration in...	246 ~ 73435 miles
AIR BAGS i was involved in a car accident in which a man ran a red light as i was going through...	153 ~ 49084 miles
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM scratches under the driver side door on car purchased as new may indicate prior use and odometer tamper. *tr...	100 ~ 44739 miles
POWER TRAIN tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia forte. while reversing out of a driveway with a steep incline the vehicle...	81 ~ 40183 miles
UNKNOWN OR OTHER i was pulling away from a red light when i heard what sounded like a gunshot right next to me....	76 ~ 39820 miles
SERVICE BRAKES on two occasions i have smelled gas when starting the vehicle. the date above is the second time. the first...	69 ~ 46179 miles
EXTERIOR LIGHTING the front headlight covers have long cracks in them. it has been sitting in front of my house? *js...	63 ~ 48069 miles
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL tire pressure light constantly goes on and off car continually gets stuck in park and while driving dash doesn't show...	62 ~ 35162 miles
STEERING this is our 2nd 2014 kia forte ex with navigation everything top of the line... well the first one had...	56 ~ 44168 miles
WHEELS while driving the vehicle i inadvertently hit a pothole. it was the coldest night of the year -20 degrees. hitting...	41 ~ 39086 miles
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM this is our 2nd 2014 kia forte ex with navigation everything top of the line... well the first one had...	38 ~ 39539 miles
TIRES tire blowout front driverside. *tr...	34 ~ 32433 miles
SEAT BELTS both driver and passenger seat belts fraying and ripping drivers side seatbelt has opened 2x during vehicle operation tail lights	33 ~ 45888 miles
BODY > STRUCTURE i was in a three vehicle accident as the third car. i hit the car in front of me and...	32 ~ 49688 miles
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL on two occasions i have smelled gas when starting the vehicle. the date above is the second time. the first...	22 ~ 41861 miles
SEATS this is our 2nd 2014 kia forte ex with navigation everything top of the line... well the first one had...	13 ~ 31958 miles
VISIBILITY/WIPER our kia forte will not defog the windows on the inside until it is above 0 weather or the sun...	12 ~ 23729 miles
SUSPENSION i have been driving my 2014 kia forte ex for almost 2 years now. leased it brand new the day...	9 ~ 61720 miles
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING this is our 2nd 2014 kia forte ex with navigation everything top of the line... well the first one had...	7 ~ 19166 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE on two occasions i have smelled gas when starting the vehicle. the date above is the second time. the first...	6 ~ 22713 miles
SIDEWALL > TIRES three of the four oem tires that came on my vehicle have needed replacement due to damaged sidewalls. the oem...	5 ~ 15882 miles
PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS > TIRES tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia forte. after the vehicle was started the tire pressure monitor system warning light...	5 ~ 27660 miles
STRUCTURE kia forte 2013 purchased new and had problems with car when driving 55-70 miles at highway speed. the car shakes...	5 ~ 1578 miles
TREAD/BELT > TIRES while driving a 2012 kia forte ex with 21000 miles and nexen 195/65/15 cp671 tires a front tire separation occurred	4 ~ 18633 miles
GLASS, SIDE/REAR > VISIBILITY at approximately 11:30 a.m. traveling on a two lane paved road at approximately 45 mph heard a load "pop." noticed...	4 ~ 158687 miles
TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia forte. while reversing out of a driveway with a steep incline the vehicle...	3 ~ 68833 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC i was in a three vehicle accident as the third car. i hit the car in front of me and...	3 ~ 24400 miles
BRAKE LIGHTS > EXTERIOR LIGHTING tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia forte. the contact stated that while driving approximately 75 mph the cruise control...	3 ~ 47200 miles
VALVE > TIRES tire pressure monitoring system problems ln tr...	3 ~ 20133 miles
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia motor forte. the contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph the check...	3 ~ 13277 miles
ACCELERATOR PEDAL > VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL tl* the contact owns a 2017 kia forte. while stationary the vehicle accelerated rapidly without warning when the accelerator pedal...	2 ~ 4831 miles
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY their condition hold on a 2012 kia forte broke have talked to other owners and they have had the same...	2 ~ 96000 miles
VISIBILITY 2014 kia forte koup sx brand new. the side windows are frameless on the koup and must drop 1/4 of...	2 ~ 10250 miles
RIM > WHEELS tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia forte. the contact stated that the rims on all four wheels were completely...	2 ~ 4125 miles
SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY > VISIBILITY i was entering the freeway and there was a loud bang/explosion. i pulled off and started closing the sunroof when...	2 ~ 32900 miles
FRONTAL > AIR BAGS tl* tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia forte. the contact stated that while driving 45 mph she veered into...	2 ~ 16500 miles
ENGINE > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING second incident of stalling while operating a 2010 kia forte ex w/ auto tran and the "fuel economy" package. in...	2 ~ 7850 miles
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING > FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE while driving the crash response systems turns on & shows error codes which has caused vehicle to stop by it...	1 ~ 10000 miles
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE tl* the contact owns a 2019 kia forte. the contact stated that the forward collision avoidance system engaged independently and...	1
IGNITION > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM tl* the contact owns a 2015 kia forte. while driving various speeds the vehicle stalled intermittently. the vehicle was taken...	1 ~ 44600 miles
LUGS/NUTS/BOLTS > WHEELS tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia forte. while driving 40 mph both rear wheel bolts fractured in half. the...	1 ~ 150000 miles
SWITCH > HEADLIGHTS > EXTERIOR LIGHTING tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia forte. while driving approximately 50 mph a burning odor was perceived without warning....	1 ~ 80000 miles
FAN/MOTOR > DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM > VISIBILITY tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia forte. while driving approximately 50 mph a burning odor was perceived without warning....	1 ~ 80000 miles
COLUMN SHIFT > LEVER AND LINKAGE > AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION tl* the contact owns a 2012 kia forte. whether the vehicle was stationary or driving various speeds the traction control...	1 ~ 90000 miles
HEADLIGHTS > EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2014 kia forte. consumer writes in regards to vehicle and headlights not starting up. *ld the consumer stated the vehicle...	1
BEAD > TIRES tl* the contact owns a 2015 kia forte equipped with nexen cp671 tires size: p195/65r15 (na). while driving approximately 25...	1
REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES > VISIBILITY 2014 kia forte. consumer writes in regards to defective rear view mirror. ld tr...	1
RADIATOR ASSEMBLY > COOLING SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia forte. while driving approximately 20 mph the contact noticed transmission fluid leaking from...	1 ~ 80600 miles
LABELS > OTHER > EQUIPMENT the warning information is not correct on the spare tire on my 2011 kia forte. it's listed in kilometers per...	1 ~ 90000 miles
HORN > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM horn did not work when i tried honking to the other driver. we got backed into because the horn would...	1
DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM > VISIBILITY the air conditioning system (a/c) is creating mold in the vehicle. kia will not repair and has refused to address...	1 ~ 20000 miles
SIDE/WINDOW > AIR BAGS i was involved in a car accident in which a man ran a red light as i was going through...	1 ~ 13800 miles
ROOF AND PILLARS > BODY > STRUCTURE tl* the contact owns a 2014 kia forte. the contact stated that the sun roof leaked water into the vehicle....	1 ~ 18 miles
WINDSHIELD > VISIBILITY martin glass company (agrss registered) replaced a factory installed windshield on 04/18/2012. our technician was able to push most of...	1 ~ 4496 miles
EQUIPMENT purchased a 2010 kia forte koupe in february 2011. after numerous complaints to the dealership and to kia motors it...	1 ~ 100 miles
TRUNK LID > BODY > STRUCTURE my mother purchased a new kia forte a few days ago. came home from food shopping opened the trunk to...	1
HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS > HOOD > BODY tl* the contact owns a 2011 kia forte. the contact was driving 60 mph as the front hood flew open....	1 ~ 2800 miles
FRONT > SUSPENSION front tires on 2010 kia forte koup was worn so severely on the inside edge the cords was showing. took...	1 ~ 28000 miles

FAQ

What year Kia Forte is the most reliable?

Speaking of the models produced in the last 10 years, Kia Forte models of 2018, 2019, 2016 year of manufacture have had the least number of complaints.

What year was a bad year for Kia Forte?

Kia Forte models of 2014 and 2010 are probably the years to be avoided like the plague due to a higher than an average number of issues reported.

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