2021 KIA FORTE — Complaint #1806827
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:CONTROL MODULE filed April 11, 2022
NHTSA complaint #1806827 (ODI reference 11460437) concerns a 2021 KIA FORTE and was filed on April 11, 2022. The owner reports the failure occurred on April 5, 2022. The report was geocoded to Ohio based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as electrical system:ignition:anti-theft:control module, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: yes, fire: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. A complaint that flags a crash, fire, or fatality is escalated on NHTSA's internal review queue and factors more heavily into any Preliminary Evaluation decision on this make and model. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same KIA FORTE cohort independently describe similar electrical system:ignition:anti-theft:control module failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2021 KIA FORTE shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
A defect in 2021 Kia Forte vehicle engine start and security systems allows for the rear window to be broken without an alarm activation and the car to be started without a key or key-like device. The vehicle can be started with something as simple as a screwdriver. Vehicles of this make and model are being targeted by criminal activity and it is a safety concern for Kia consumers and drivers. Kia is aware of this defect and has issued a statement that all future vehicles will come with improved safety systems and an engine immobilizer, but no recall on vehicles before the 2022 model year have been made for repairs or adjustment to solve the issue. My 2021 Kia Forte was stolen from my house while I was home and which failed to cause a triggered alarm. There were no possessions in the car and the vehicle was locked. The individual who stole the vehicle only had to pull off my steering column cover and the ignition box to steal the vehicle. This is a rising concern throughout the nation,
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 1806827 |
| ODI Number | 11460437 |
| Date Filed | April 11, 2022 |
| Failure Date | April 5, 2022 |
| VIN | 3KPF24AD1ME |
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.