Kia Motor Forte owners have reported 853 problems related to engine and engine cooling (under the engine and engine cooling category). The most recently reported issues are listed below. Also please check out the statistics and reliability analysis of Kia Motor Forte based on all problems reported for the Forte.
While driving, the engine suddenly shut off without warning. The vehicle lost power in traffic, creating a safety risk. There were no warning signs before the failure. The oil level was properly maintained and oil changes were performed regularly. The dealership diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the engine needs to be replaced. The exact mechanical cause was not clearly explained to me.
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all problems of the 2012 Kia Motor Forte
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Oil is burning out quickly causing the car to stop abruptly without any warning and caused damages to the engine.
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all problems of the 2021 Kia Motor Forte
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The contact owns a 2013 kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle suddenly stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the piston rings had failed, causing catastrophic engine damages. The contact was advised that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 139,000.
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all problems of the 2013 Kia Motor Forte
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While driving on I-95 at 60mph the car began to jump as it attempted to shift gears and the speed stalled to where it slowed down to 20mph and would not go any faster. The car slowed while I was in the fast lanes of the highway and I had to work my way to the right to the slower lanes to avoid abusing traffic congestion or any accidents. It was scary. Separately, my engine light has been on for the last year. I recently had the maps replaced and the light went off for two days and came back. It’s a steady continuous light, no flashing. The analysis check gives some other reason for the light but when checked it doesn’t fix the issue.
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all problems of the 2016 Kia Motor Forte
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Plese can you fex may car.
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all problems of the 2015 Kia Motor Forte
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When turning on the car the check engine light comes on. Then when accelerating there is a clicking noise and smoke coming from the engine.
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all problems of the 2019 Kia Motor Forte
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Engine would run fast and then sound like was going to stop and then it would start shaking and rumbling while driving on highway and in town. Car would stall while at a stop. Gas smells inside the car. Did not feel safe driving. Had the car towed to an independent garage on February 7th and they did an oil change, change 2 sensors, changed all the spark plugs and changed all 4 cylinders and on the way home from starks garage the car was doing the same as before going to the garage with gas smells inside the car, shaking, rumbling and stalling of the engine. And the car wanting to stall while on the highway speed limit of going 60 mph. The next morning my mom and stepdad had the car towed again to another mechanic close to them at hudson import automotive -napa auto care and they emailed a list of problems after inspecting the car. Attaching the list of codes from a diagnostic test from auto zone store # 00791 , and the estimate for service from hudson import automotive - napa auto care. Have no paperwork from starks mechanic shop.
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all problems of the 2018 Kia Motor Forte
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Engine stalled while driving causing the car to turn off in traffic. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This caused loss of power and steering at 45 miles per hour and could have caused a collision. A licensed and accredited auto mechanic has confirmed that the engine is a total loss. The same day and shortly before the engine stalled, a check engine light appeared. The driver was on his way home and had planned to park the car and have it towed to the mechanic the next day.
No warning lights/ indicators at all. Well taken care of vehicle 84,400 miles on the vehicle second owner. Had an oil change and my husband noticed bad blow by, had it diagnosed by a mechanic. They said we need a whole new engine. Dont understand how this would happen unless some manufacturer defect. No recalls apparently for this vehicle. Seems to be a common issue. Really sucks that I dont even have 100000 miles and need a new engine. We got screwed over as first time buyers with a huge loan ended up paying nearly 30000 dollars for this vehicle and the engine is already no good. I hope something comes of this because people are tired of getting screwed around by major corporations. Theres no reason why my engine should be no good with only 84400 miles and well maintained. Luckily my husband noticed when he did because who knows what would have happened if it had gone out while driving with no indicators that anything is wrong whatsoever. Could have been a bad crash for all I know.
Vehicle: 2012 kia Forte recall: NHTSA 23v-652 (kia sc284) – hecu/abs fuse recall my vehicle underwent this safety recall in 2025. The dealership replaced the hecu fuse. Immediately upon leaving the dealership after the recall repair, the same warning lights returned. I contacted the dealership immediately before fully leaving the area to report the issue. I also contacted kia corporate after the warning condition returned. Kia was aware the warning lights returned immediately after recall completion. I was advised if the vehicle later entered limp mode again, to contact kia roadside assistance for towing support per prior guidance. The warning condition was not resolved by the recall repair. The brake warning light remained present, additional warning indicators later appeared, and the vehicle ultimately entered limp mode in January 2026, resulting in loss of reliable transportation and safety concerns. Due to this condition, I was forced to rely on a rental vehicle for an extended period at significant personal cost totaling several thousand dollars. I'm a single parent with a child requiring ongoing medical appointments, making reliable transportation essential. Kia only approved a limited "goodwill payment" of $191. 40 for an earlier rental period, while refusing reimbursement for the substantially larger rental costs incurred after the recall failure and progression to limp mode. When the vehicle entered limp mode, I had to arrange towing because kia assistance was not available as they closed out the recall. Kia is now requiring out-of-pocket diagnostic payment before determining whether the issue is related to recall 23v-652, despite the warning condition returning immediately after recall repair and later progressing to limp mode consistent with the original failure symptoms. I am reporting a potentially ineffective recall remedy and unresolved recurrence of the safety condition addressed under recall 23v-652.
Car caught on fire while driving down the highway. Had engine replaced with a remanufactured engine in January of 2026 and car engine seized again 30 days later.
To whom it may concern, I am submitting a formal complaint regarding a serious safety issue involving my 2021 kia Forte. Approximately one year ago, I purchased this vehicle used with approximately 56,000 miles. I have owned the vehicle for nearly a year without prior incident until a recent and significant failure occurred. While driving on a highway after work, the vehicle suddenly lost engine power. The rpms dropped abruptly, and the vehicle began decelerating rapidly before completely shutting off. This occurred without any prior warning indicators, such as dashboard warning lights or messages. I attempted to restart the engine three times before it successfully turned over. Upon restarting, the engine produced a loud knocking noise that had not been present before. Since this incident, the vehicle has been unable to operate reliably. It will start and run briefly but stalls again after a short distance. The knocking noise persists, suggesting a serious internal engine issue. The vehicle remains in my possession and is available for inspection. Component/system involved: the failure appears to involve the engine and/or internal engine components. The exact cause has not yet been diagnosed by a professional. Safety risk: this failure posed a significant safety hazard, as the sudden loss of power occurred while traveling on a highway. This could have resulted in a serious accident, particularly if surrounding traffic had been heavier or less responsive. Inspection and diagnosis: the issue has not yet been formally diagnosed or confirmed by a dealership or independent repair facility. Additionally, the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, law enforcement, insurance representatives, or other entities. Warning indicators: there were no warning lights, messages, or other indicators prior to or during the initial failure. The only symptom sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
The contact owns a 2014 kia Forte. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 20v750000 (engine); however, the recall repair was not fully performed. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate at slower speeds, the vehicle failed to exceed 30 mph and unexpectedly entered limp mode. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a loose rod bearing in the engine. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted twice by the independent mechanic and the owner of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 164,138.
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all problems of the 2014 Kia Motor Forte
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Was currently stuck in slow walking traffic and once traffic began to progress the car overheated engine notice appeared. Pulled into a parking lot as soon as car was parked the vehicle turned off. This happened during the night and was an extremely traumatic experience! car does have a diagnosis about the engine been blown. Still in the works of being fixed by the dealership. Very long process!.
Point 1)cvvt pin was sheared off. Not available for inspection, was replaced and discarded by kia. Point 2)the vehicle had a rough start and stalled out while stopping. Had to have the car towed to the dealership. Point 3) unknown point 4) no point 5) the check engine light would come on and off randomly. Code p0017 & p0016 would come up as pending when the engine light was on.
Recently, while my boyfriend was driving my vehicle, the engine suddenly lost power without warning. He had the accelerator pedal fully depressed, yet the vehicle would barely move. He was fortunate to safely maneuver the vehicle off the road. Upon inspection, he discovered there was no oil present in the engine. Critically, neither the low oil warning light nor the check engine light had illuminated prior to this failure, providing absolutely no warning of a severe mechanical problem. After adding oil and performing a proper oil change, the engine began violently shuddering and shaking upon startup, and only then did the check engine light illuminate. The vehicle was immediately towed to an authorized kia dealership, where I was informed that the timing chain had failed.
My son, [xxx] , has opened a complaint/case #xxx with kia. His 2023 kia Forte had been idle for at least 24 hours when the engine compartment caught fire. He became aware of this when the fire department knocked on his apartment door around 4:00 pm 12/26/25 and said they were evacuating the building because a car was on fire. He went outside and was shocked, to say the least, that it was his car. The fire department had taken off the hood to extinguish the fire. He removed his belongings once the fire was out. He contacted his insurance company but since it was a holiday weekend, he did not get a call back until 12/29/25. He then filed a claim with state farm insurance which was required to get his car towed to a kia repair location. On 1/9/25, [xxx] [xxx] t castrucci auto shop in [xxx] [xxx] he car was totaled. I talked with [xxx] who was [xxx] between the auto shop and state farm, told me that once the repair exceeded the value of the car, he was instructed by state farm it was totaled and there was no need to continue. On or around 3/4/26, kia sent engineers to assess the damaged vehicle. Kia determined it was an engine fire and the cause was undetermined due to the condition of the engine department. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6) information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
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all problems of the 2023 Kia Motor Forte
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Unknown there is a knock in the motor.
The vehicle went into tasca kia for a cam shaft replacement, this did not fix the issue and the vehicle needed an entire engine replacement under power train warranty. Since then, the vehicle has continuously stalled. The vehicle is not indicating a reason for stalling, it is documented in video, and I have continued to inform the dealership where the vehicle is. This vehicle has shut off on me at rates of speed of 60 mph, comes to a complete stop, and is a huge safety concern. I have reported it to the dealer every time, I have provided video, and I have left the vehicle with them, they have continued to ask me to pick up the vehicle and return the rental because they cannot recreate the problem and cannot continue to lose money on the rental. There are no prior issues, there were no warning lights or lights remaining on the dash when the stall happens.
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all problems of the 2017 Kia Motor Forte
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The contact owns a 2014 kia Forte. The contact received a notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20v750000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the vehicle was denied repairs due to lack of engine oil maintance records. The contact stated that after the vehicle was powered on with the ignition key, an abnormal fuel odor would leak into the interior cabin and the engine would shudder. No warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was denied recall repaires due to lack on maintance records. The vehicle was not repaired due to costs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
I received the recall paper in the mail I did everything I was asked to do I. Received a final determination letter stating they was going to fix it and reimburse me for the incidental repairs the vehicle and rental car and they never did anything and now my car is no longer in my possession. They had me pay to tow it to kia then it got impounded from there and now I don't know where it is.
Not providing enough oil pressure for my timing to function correctly.
Engine developed a “ticking” sound, oil consumption has increased and vehicle will periodically stall at low speeds when driving especially towards the end of the oil change interval. All periodic maintenance has been performed since I have owned the car. Previous owner indicated the same. This has the 1. 8l engine which I understand can exhibit these same problems but thus far has been at least partially left out of any recalls although that isn’t entirely clear.
Engine started screeching out of nowhere, sounded like something fell through, there was no warning of any kind, car was running seemingly fine prior to this, car was jolting and not going anymore and something also sounded as if it had popped, it started knocking and caught fire and was smoking, breaking down on the side of the road and has been in another state since this occurred just sitting at a hotel because we had to get a rental car. We did call kia in georgia to have this issue rectified as we had recently bought this vehicle and were unaware there was a recall on it, however we did some checking and the previous owner also let us know there is a recall for engine fire. I do have the papers for that. Kia advised us they would not be responsible, but panama city FL kia where we live were willing to look at that car prior to this incident and take care of the recall, the previous owner never went but now the car has caught fire whilst we were driving in it 7. 5 hours away from our house out of town with our children in the car. We had to pull over off of the interstate because the car was on fire and get out on the side of the road and all of had to evacuate. I do believe that if we had been going any faster, we may have even became fatalities because the car locked up. It turned off actually as I was turning to to the exit and just coasted far enough to not be hit in the middle of the road. It was terrifying and we had to move fast and smoke was starting to come through, it started dropping oil everywhere just spilling out lv its almost like the entire underneath of the motor just dropped or something. I’m not quite sure but it was sudden and it has been absolutely miserable.
My vehicle caught fire while driving also before fire vehicle started popping and stuttering rattling sound. I was on highway.
The systems affected appear to be engine, powertrain, and vehicle speed control. My 2014 kia Forte, VIN [xxx] has approximately 118,000 miles. Since purchase in november2025 from wondries Toyota, the vehicle has had repeated high rpm, poor acceleration, and loss of power when entering freeway on-ramps and driving uphill. It struggles to accelerate while merging into faster traffic, creating a safety risk as vehicles behind approach at higher speeds. Two different mechanics verbally advised that there may be an oil leak or oil consumption issue affecting the catalytic converter. I replaced the catalytic converter a couple months ago, but it became clogged again and the power loss continues. The vehicle is available for inspection. The problem has not been inspected by the manufacturer yet, and I don’t have a written diagnostic report at this time. There was no crash, fire, injury, or fatality, and no police report. Warning lights are unknown. The exact incident date is approximate. The issue has been ongoing since after purchase and occurs multiple times, especially during freeway merging and uphill driving. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
Overconsumption of oil, led to engine damage and stalling. Car struggles to start and there is an engine knock. Mechanic advised that the car is not drivable as it will stall while driving as it has done previously and there was a noticeable burning smell when the car was running. Car is under 100,000 miles.
Back in July my car started jerking, stalling, and smoking. There was a recall 20v750 open for engine fires. The dealership check it out and said everything looked good. They installed a knock sensor related to the problem. Last week my car did it again leaving me stalled on the interstate at night. There is now a p1326 code for the knock sensor which confirms that there was a issue. However I'm being told that due to my mileage the warranty had expired and there isn't anything they can do.
Knocking in engine, loss of power, rod bearings needs replacing.
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all problems of the 2010 Kia Motor Forte
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The contact owns a 2014 kia Forte. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. In addition, the contact stated that sometimes after the vehicle was started, the engine shut off unexpectedly. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine misfire and engine issues. In addition, the contact was informed that the check engine warning light was illuminated; however, the check engine warning light was off. The contact was informed of NHTSA campaign numbers: 17v773000 (service brakes, hydraulic) and 20v750000 (engine). The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer because of the open recalls. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not inspected. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was inoperable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed of the unrepaired recalls; however, the failure of the vehicle was not related to the recall repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 137,408.
The contact owns a 2012 kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a strong fuel odor coming from the vehicle, followed by a loss of motive power. The malfunction indicator light and abs warning light were illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2012 kia Forte. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle made an abnormal knocking sound, and there was a burning oil odor coming from the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 20v750000 (engine); however, the contact was unable to schedule an appointment because the dealer was unreachable. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 142,000.
The contact owns a 2024 kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated and the "all cylinders misfiring" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was bad fuel in the tank that needed to be drained. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was diesel in the tank. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted; the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed the vehicle loss automotive power while the accelerator pedal was depressed. A dealer was contacted however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.
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all problems of the 2024 Kia Motor Forte
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While driving on u. S. 69 highway in overland park, kansas, the engine in my 2018 kia Forte suddenly failed without warning. I was entering the northbound lanes from the 95th street on-ramp and was accelerating to merge at about 50 mph. There had been no prior warning lights or messages. Just after getting into the right lane to merge with traffic, the engine lost power and the car began slowing down quickly. I had vehicles behind me that were still moving at highway speed. I had to react immediately, and fortunately the driver behind me was able to brake. I turned on my signal and coasted as best I could to the shoulder of the highway. Only after the failure did the check engine light come on. The engine never restarted and the vehicle had to be towed. This incident created a serious safety risk to me and to other drivers on the highway. A car entering the highway and then immediately losing power is not something other drivers expect, and I could have been hit from behind. There was no prior warning or symptom before the failure. The vehicle has since been diagnosed by a kia dealer as needing an engine replacement.
Engine light came on around 81k miles and I've replaced several components and it fixed then light would come back on. I kept up on oil changes frequently. I had the spark plugs, O2 sensors replaced twice. It would idle low and or stall. The engine started knocking at 135k I still owe 9k on loan and it's the 2. 0l nu mpi m/t engine. Please recall it already so many owners are being screwed on this vehicle.