10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 3 / 22
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 2 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 62,999 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
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« Read the previous 20 complaints
The engine on my Kia Forte failed just 12k miles after a recall service that was intended to ensure an additional 80k miles of engine use. Either the recall work to ensure that additional range was defective, or the process that designed the work was defective. Recall # 20v750 was to check for engine damage, and install a knock sensor update that would PREVENT engine failure. At the time of service the dealership ignored reported oil problems and did not perform the inspection as described in the recall notice. The eventual sensor alert that was supposed to PREVENT damage is instead being treated by the dealer as a catastrophic result that requires replacement. On two fronts the work performed was not as described- there was no legitimate inspection (note the reported oil burn reported by the dealership), and the prevention-enabling sensor update failed to prevent anything.
- Simi Valley, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH a knocking type noise was suddenly present coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle suddenly stalled and shut off causing the vehicle to abruptly reduce speed. The vehicle was restarted but the failure continued to occur. While examining under the hood black smoke was present coming from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number 20V750000 (Engine). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. The vin was not available. The failure mileage was 129,000.
- Aurora, CO, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the engine stalled. The contact pulled safely off the road. The contact stated the check engine light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and attempted to drive it home. The contact said that the engine began to make a knocking noise and again stalled. The contact had the vehicle towed to her house and then to the dealer. The dealer mechanic started the vehicle and smoke began to issue out from under the hood. The mechanic turned the vehicle off, no more smoke or fire was noticed after the hood was opened. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Orlando, FL, USA
One Monday morning my engine light came on in my car so I went to go to go get my car checked out that Tuesday morning. The dude that checked my car ( I forgot his name ) found metal in my oil which came from my engine and told me to see if I had a recall on my car, come to find out I did have a recall on my engine. My safety was put at risk due to the fact that my engine COULDVE blew while driving on the road. And it was confirmed by the Kia dealership that my car needed a new engine but they was telling me that I may or may not get my engine in my car due to the fact the recall was on the car since December of last year of 2020 which I didn-??t know about at the time until AFTER I bought the car. I was trying to move my car to the dealership to get it checked out and my car made a loud thumping noise which came from the engine and my car completely shut off before leaving the place where I had it looked at. I ended up getting it towed to the Kia dealership for further inspections. It-??s been approximately 3 weeks since my car has been fixed and I haven-??t gotten my car fixed yet. The lady at Kia ( I forgot her name ) told me basically it-??s nothing Kia can do for my car.
- Pensacola , FL, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 53 MPH at night, the vehicle started shuddering and then stalled. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle was towed to the contact-??s residence. The vehicle was then towed to the used car dealer where it was purchased. The used car dealer diagnosed that the catalytic converter was misfiring. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred while driving five months later. The vehicle was taken back to the used car dealer where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter was misfiring. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted and the vehicle was taken back to the used car dealer three more times. The used car dealer provided the same diagnostic and repaired the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 160,800.
- Columbus, MS, USA
Campaign PI2002A. P1326 KIA Code - Knock Sensor Detection System, Milage 35,488. January 15: My MIL went on 2 blocks from the house. I parked the car. Towed to garage who ran the code and recommended car got to dealership. Towed to dealer on January 17 ish. The dealer installed the patch and I picked up my car January 27. I drove around the block and retruned my car for knocking- the higher the speed the louder the noise. The dealership worked with Kia to reosolve by making videos of my car for weeks. 6 WEEKS LATER dealership called to tell me that I need a new engine and that the rods need replacing but it is not covered by a recall that specifically states that rods and or engine should be replaced. They offer a liftime waranty and engine replacement for this same code in other Kias. Repairs or a new engine should be covered as is with outher Kias with same issue. TSB Number: PI2002YZ_TSB_R2 NHTSA Number: 10201615. Literally the same issue in DTC P1326 (PI1803Y/Z)
- West Lawn, PA, USA
Had major oil consumption issues, 2+ quarts a week with no visible drips, puddles or misting. Dropped off at dealer when on vacation. Dealer insisted that problem was oil pan and they insisted that it was the source of leak despite my protests. I was told that "...at any rate, Kia will not authorize engine replacement". No change to consumption after picking up car. KSDS software update performed. Flashing CEL and breakdown on highway several months later. Different dealer diagnosed needed repair as "engine replacement". Neither dealer nor Kia consumer care (KCAC) would do ANYTHING to take care of problem. Ignored my letter, and stiff-armed at every step. BTW, I bought 2 brand new cars from this dealership. Terrible quality and even worse customer service, if that is possible. Clearly this is a known issue and Kia is doing their darnedest to not have to add the Forte model to their recall as this is their biggest seller with this engine. Shame on Kia, their dealer network and the US consumer affairs agencies and NHTSA for not making this happen!
- Downingtown, PA, USA
i bought my 2014 kia forte last 5months ago. my car started to make a weird noise. i brought my car to dealership and they said it needs a new engine. i still owe around $8000+ with this car. i am student and i dont how am i going able to get money for a new engine.
- Burnsville, MN, USA
My car had recall service performed last year at First Kia in Simi Valley, CA. The work (for engine fires) took four months to complete, because on my first two visits they were refusing to perform recall service. The recall was to fix oil leaks and update the knock sensor. They never did fix my leaking engine. A few weeks ago some engine noise made me concerned. First Kia denied any warranty coverage on the work performed. The recall notice meanwhile explicitly describes oil leak corrections and warranty updates. At present my car has a knocking trouble code and I've now been misled by First Kia into great cost.
- Simi Valley, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly go into limp mode and would not accelerate above 20 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 145,000.
- Proctor, WV, USA
On November 2nd of 2020 my vehicle could barely make it up a highway incline, the RPM's would go high but, vehicle could get no speed or shift gears. My car actually cut off on me with no warning and at that time I was not in the slow lane which was dangerous. So I coasted off the exit and the car would not start. The car was towed to dealer and was checked out and repaired for a catalytic converter. Now on November 5th 2022 the vehicle started doing the same exact thing as before. Keep in mind its only been barely over year since converter was replaced. The engine again stalls out while driving and would not start. So, on 02/07/2022 I had a flex pipe put on the car. On 02/09/2022 I took it to an exhaust shop to have it checked. Once again they had to replace the converter due to it being clogged. The repair shop stated that this is a problem with GDI engines and that's it burning more oil causing the converter to clog. So this is unsafe to the consumer where it either stalls out or cuts off without notice. There is a problem because now I'm on my 2nd converter in little more than a year.
- Lexington, KY, USA
The car is running really terribly. Took to a Kia dealer to have recall for Knocking sensor and catalytic converter fixed as we were told by a prior mechanic. Car has 86,000 miles on it. The kia dealer did not fix the problem(s). Gave us back the car in the same working order it was in when they received. Didn't notify us of what was wrong with the car exactly and did not offer to fix or remedy it either on the recall or us paying out of pocket. But did tell us about multiple light bulbs that were out. I called and spoke to them about it and they told me that what is wrong with the car is not covered under the 2 recalls they repaired. But the things that are wrong with the car were under the recall notices that we read on the NHTSA website after entering the VIN.
- Sioux City, IA, USA
Vehicle has 103k miles. Ticking noise evident from engine., which reacts to increase in RPM. Took to local Kia dealer for diagnosis - recommended a new engine. Cost of $6-7000 to replace the engine. This vehicle cost was just arouns $7000 last year when purchasded.
- Wauwatosa, WI, USA
Engine seized while driving. Car had just over 60,000 miles. Approximately 61,000.
- Gilbert , AZ, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine) and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer failed to update the Knock Sensor Detection System software. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who updated the Knock Sensor Detection System software; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer advised the contact that they would send a diagnostic report and video clips to the manufacturer to obtain the manufacturer's approval for the engine replacement. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to obtain a vehicle rental out-of-pocket and she would be reimbursed later. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 63,200.
- Mt. Juliet, TN, USA
The vehicle has been consuming and leaking oil for over two years. More recently the vehicle was started/running and it was identified that large amounts of oil were leaking from the engine. The vehicle was towed to the original Kia dealership where purchased. The Kia dealership has advised that the engine is seized and requires replacement. Kia has declined the dealership's request to replace engine. Recall for vehicle is currently open: Manufacturer Recall Number - SC200YD NHTSA Recall Number - 20V750
- Maywood, IL, USA
My Kia Forte when I put it in reverse it will jerk back then pause and hardly push itself backwards I have no control same as putting the car into Drive. I also consistently hear water in the bottom of my car swishing around.
- Oak Ridge, TN, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while his son was driving at 45 mph, the engine failed and smoke was coming from the engine. The contact's son was able to pull over and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure, and no oil was found in the oil reservoir. The engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to another dealer, Koons Annapolis Toyota?(1107 West St, Annapolis, MD 21401), and the dealer sent documents from the previous dealer, Kia of Bowie, to the manufacturer. The Koons Annapolis Toyota dealer had the vehicle towed to Alexandria Car Clinic (3235 Colvin St, Alexandria, VA 22314) for the engine replacement. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. However, the manufacturer closed the case without notifying the contact and had not responded to the contact. The failure mileage was approximately 66,800.
- Crofton, MD, USA
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, knocking noises were heard and the vehicle was consuming excessive amounts of engine oil after she checked the oil level. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer performed an engine and oil consumption test. The vehicle passed the engine test but failed the oil consumption test. The dealer updated the Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) software. The dealer informed the contact to bring the vehicle back after 1,000 miles for the oil consumption test. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer after driving the vehicle for 1,000 miles and the vehicle failed the oil consumption test. The dealer informed the contact that they would not perform another oil consumption test and the engine would not be replaced since the vehicle had passed the engine test prior and they only replaced seized engines. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that they would contact the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
- Albertville, AL, USA
- South Riding, VA, USA