Model line

Kia Forte

Every Kia Forte model year on file, 2015 to 2024. Pick a year for its recalls, investigations, service bulletins and the full text of owner complaints.

Owner complaints, all model years1,240168 involved a crash, fire, injury or death

Model years102015 to 2024

Recall campaigns11Distinct campaigns listing it

Service bulletins889Summed across model years

By model year

The 2017 model year drew the most complaints, 303, 24% of the model's total

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, all years filed, by model year.

Source: NHTSA ODI. Complaints are not verified by NHTSA, and NHTSA publishes no sales volumes, so counts are not rates.

Components

Engine and cooling leads the Kia Forte complaint record

Owner complaints across all model years, by component.

Engine and cooling

555

Electrical system

172

Powertrain

136

Airbags

102

Lighting

Fuel system

Driver assistance

Steering

Speed control

Brakes

Source: NHTSA ODI complaints file.

Model years

The record for each Kia Forte model year

Peer index compares complaints with the median vehicle of the same model year and body class (100 is the median). It corrects for age, not for how many were sold.

Kia Forte by model year
Year	Body	Complaints	Severity index	Peer index	Recalls	Investigations	Bulletins
2024	Sedan	25	24.0	500	0	0	22
2023	Sedan	63	23.8	900	3	0	46
2022	Sedan	27	14.8	386	1	0	39
2021	Sedan	68	16.2	800	2	0	72
2020	Sedan	76	14.5	844	0	0	100
2019	Sedan	147	10.2	1,089	2	0	102
2018	Sedan	136	11.0	1,133	3	0	100
2017	Sedan	303	10.6	1,782	3	0	140
2016	Sedan	135	15.6	964	1	0	122
2015	Sedan	260	14.6	1,625	1	2	146

Source: NHTSA ODI. Body class from NHTSA's VIN decoder where decoded.

Latest recalls

Recent campaigns covering the Kia Forte

24V-244 Apr 1, 2024
Right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded, which can cause it to fail
Suspension · 215 vehicles
23V-649 Sep 22, 2023
Right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded, which can cause it to fail
Suspension · 3,866 vehicles
22V-906 Dec 8, 2022
Due to a manufacturing error, the front left steering knuckle may crack, which can result in a loss of steering control
Steering · 939 vehicles
22V-304 May 5, 2022
Bolt in the steering column may not be secured properly, which can cause the steering column to detach from the steering rack and result in a loss…
Steering · 30 vehicles
22V-031 Jan 25, 2022
Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board and damage the electrical circuit
Airbags · 411k vehicles
21V-622 Aug 9, 2021
Trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside
Latches and locks · 253k vehicles
21V-260 Apr 13, 2021
Foreign particles may stick inside the oil pump, which may cause an oil pump failure and engine damage
Engine and cooling · 4,069 vehicles
21V-164 Mar 11, 2021
Occupant Classification and Detection System (OCS/ODS) unit may not detect the presence of a child restraint system in the front passenger seat
Airbags · 142 vehicles
20V-750 Dec 2, 2020
Engine compartment fire can occur while driving
Engine and cooling · 295k vehicles
20V-459 Aug 5, 2020
Left front axle driveshaft may not have been heat-treated, which can cause it to break
Powertrain · 834 vehicles

Source: NHTSA ODI recalls file.