4.7

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
22,662 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #13

Feb 022023

Forte

  • miles
I've had it looked at by a Kia dealership and they said I let it run out of oil and burned up my engine. My ASC warranty won't cover it. I had no idea. I've got proof from Valvoline where I always get my oil changes and proves I did it regularly. I had no oil leak signs on the pavement. Your recall #SC210 which I just found out about talks about exactly what happened to me. I really don't think it was my fault and it should be covered. I had no indication that something was wrong till this happened. I've had no problems since I bought the car in November 2021till now.

- Shawnee , KS, USA

problem #12

Jul 052021

Forte

  • miles
I got this car in January, it's only October and my speed doesn't accelerate. When I step on the gas pedal there is a huge kick and my RPM goes from under one to 4 or 5 to get to 20mph. I noticed that I could change the drive to D1 and D2 but when driving and going over 30mph my car is in D6. I have yet to find a solution. No warning lights have come on yet but I don't want it to get to that point before having the car for a year.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #11

Jan 272021

Forte

  • 50,000 miles
I was stopped at a stop light with my foot on the brake. My vehicle lunged forward with my foot still on the brake so I pulled the emergency brake up and my vehicle stopped, thankfully I did nothing hit anyone or anything. When the light turned green I drove forward and my engine light turned on; after no more than 30 seconds, the light turned off. All has been fine since, however I looked up this problem and apparently Kia has a serious problem with cars lunging forward and causing major accidents. I honestly am terrified for this to happen to me.

- Titusville, FL, USA

problem #10

Aug 152020

Forte

  • 41,000 miles
I tooken my 2017 Kia Forte in to the dealership countless occasions for the same issue and still with no avail. As I'm driving the car all of a sudden the car starts shaking the engine light goes on then the car either shuts off on its own then got to wait it out for it to start. If I go to turn on the ac the car also shuts off. I've almost gotten hit due to the car un reliability.

- La Puente, CA, USA

problem #9

Aug 122020

Forte

  • miles
About a week or two ago while going up a hill I noticed the car trying to stall out. It has begun to do more frequently now while driving and while in idle and/or park also. You cannot hear the car 'knock' but it's as if you can feel it trying too. One instance I was in a turning lane and the car literarily tried to cut off in the middle of traffic. The RPM's dropped and car just felt real shaky and jumpy. Total episodes approximately in about 2 weeeks I would say are close to maybe 10? the engine light came in at first instance when I was going up a hill and has never gone off. But the proble has not been corrected but seems to have gotten worse.

- Jackson, SC, USA

problem #8

Jan 282020

Forte

  • 40,000 miles
This vehicle has had several incidence of being "locked" at one speed. When applying pressure to the gas the car will speed up until reaching 30-35mph and will no longer accelerate. The gas pedal could be touching the floor and the car will not accelerate past 35mph. The vehicle had been serviced at our local Kia dealer in the early fall of 2019. It was said to be repaired now less than 6 months later the problem has occurred again. This has happened on city streets and highways sometimes almost causing accidents.

- Stanley, WI, USA

problem #7

Nov 072017

Forte

  • 25,000 miles
I was driving down the expressway when my car lost power. I tried giving it gas and it just would sputter, still barely moving. I had people almost hitting me. The car has less than 30,000 miles and I just had bought it 60 something days ago. The car will just loose power no matter how fast you going. The car is unsafe to drive.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #6

Jul 092019

Forte

  • miles
Car will randomly hesitate and shake with powerloss maybe once every few days. This will happen when coming to a stop then accelerating again after driving for 30 minutes or so.cel will either not display or blink a few times but go away (and not show up on the history) making it impossible to diagnose. Took it to 2 Kia dealers, both said that they've seen this on a lot Kia Fortes., they have made the recommended repairs but still have the issue.

- Fayetteville, GA, USA

problem #5

Nov 082018

Forte 4-cyl

  • 33,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. While driving at any speed and attempting to accelerate or switch gears, the engine hesitated without warning. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to car pros Kia renton (425-204-6600, located at 200 sw grady way, renton, wa 98057) where it was diagnosed that the vehicle performed as designed. The failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to chuck olson Kia (206-219-4040, located at 17001 Aurora ave N, seattle, wa 98133) where it was also stated that the vehicle performed as designed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no failure with the vehicle. The contact was provided a case number. The failure recurred and the contact called the better business bureau where an attempt was made to mediate between the contact and the manufacturer. The contact was referred back to the latter dealer. The failure was not remedied. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000. 'parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'

- Moutlake Terrace, WA, USA

problem #4

May 062019

Forte

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed in traffic, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate and the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred after a routine oil change. The vehicle was taken to huntsville Kia (6519 university dr nw, huntsville, al 35806 (256) 217-1700) where the vehicle was diagnosed and a new engine spring and ignition cord needed to be installed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage 90,000.

- Huntsville, AL, USA

problem #3

Aug 092017

Forte 4-cyl

  • 3,600 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. When the contact attempted to apply the brake or accelerator pedals, their foot was blocked by some kind of partition on the floor. The partition was located between the accelerator and brake pedals and prevented the contact from braking or accelerating in a timely manor. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to auto express Kia (10320 wattsburg rd, erie, pa 16509, (814) 825-4747), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not assist. The failure mileage was 3,600. Consumer stated you agent could not have taken my report any more incorrect. The problem and danger is above the gas and brake pedals. When changing from gas to brakes my foot (toes) is coming in contact with an air baffle. This is a dangerous gang from gas to breaks. This needs looked into by your Agency and corrected. Updated 10/19/18

- Kane, PA, USA

problem #2

Apr 042018

Forte

  • 8,200 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Kia Forte. While stationary, the vehicle accelerated rapidly without warning when the accelerator pedal was depressed. Kia of orange (210 West katella avenue, orange, ca 92867) was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 8,200.

- Newport Beach, CA, USA

problem #1

Mar 292017

Forte

  • 3,800 miles
I have had my 2017 Kia Forte for 3 months and in the veey beginning it drove fine. Recently the car has become very sluggish and became increasingly hard to accelerate. I noticed it but brushed it off. This past weekend I let someone drive my car and they complained about how hard it was to accelerate. That's when I knew that it wasn't just me. Today, as I was about to make an unprotected left turn the car failed to accelerate like it should from a stopped position and I was caught in the intersection longer than I needed to be. Needless to say it could have ended badly. I think this problem needs looking into. I should not be holding up traffic because my car doesn't accelerate like it should when I am flooring the gas pedal. This is very dangerous on the highway.

- Marietta, GA, USA