2023 KIA FORTE

84 complaints filed with NHTSA.

84
Complaints
13
Crashes
4
Fires
6
Injuries
3
Deaths

NHTSA Safety Rating

4/5
Overall
4/5
Front Crash
5/5
Side Crash
4/5
Rollover

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
STEERING12
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM8
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS7
POWER TRAIN6
ENGINE6
SUSPENSION6
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING5
STRUCTURE:BODY4
UNKNOWN OR OTHER4
SERVICE BRAKES3
AIR BAGS3
EXTERIOR LIGHTING3
VISIBILITY/WIPER3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL2
LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST2

Recalls (3)

23V64900022/09/2023

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. The right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded, which can cause it to fail.

22V90600008/12/2022

STEERING:LINKAGES:KNUCKLE:SPINDLE:ARM

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the front left steering knuckle may crack, which can result in a loss of steering control.

24V24400001/04/2024

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM

Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. The right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded, which can cause it to fail.

Recent Complaints

20260218CrashAIR BAGS

My son was in a car accident in my car January 1 at none of the Air bags went off. Not one there is a police report and I have pictures. Its a 2023 kia forte

20260107CrashSTEERING

Unknown Concerning the front passenger steering component. Carfax showed prior accident with minor damage to the front passenger bumper. I purchased the car not long ago and and was hit in the same exact spot. When I looked up the VIN for more information online I came across the safety issue with some other 2023 forte. I'm concerned that my vehicle could possibly have the same issue though it's not showing up right now under recall.

20260107CrashUNKNOWN OR OTHER

Unknown Concerning the front passenger steering component. Carfax showed prior accident with minor damage to the front passenger bumper. I purchased the car not long ago and and was hit in the same exact spot. When I looked up the VIN for more information online I came across the safety issue with some other 2023 forte. I'm concerned that my vehicle could possibly have the same issue though it's not showing up right now under recall.

20251230ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

My low beam headlights seem to burn out at an unusually high rate. Multiple times per year, and this is much higher than any other vehicle that I've owned. I believe there may be some type of electrical issue.

20251204CrashFireFatalSTRUCTURE:BODY

My father was in a fatal vehicle accident in which the car was going very fast and then he crashed into a building. The car then started on fire. The black box was unable to be recovered to check car function. There were no medical findings

20251204CrashFireFatalVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

My father was in a fatal vehicle accident in which the car was going very fast and then he crashed into a building. The car then started on fire. The black box was unable to be recovered to check car function. There were no medical findings

20251204CrashFireFatalSTEERING

My father was in a fatal vehicle accident in which the car was going very fast and then he crashed into a building. The car then started on fire. The black box was unable to be recovered to check car function. There were no medical findings

20251006ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Electrical issues since 44K miles I’m at 50 K miles. I’ve complained multiple times and they kept saying electrician wasn’t available. Then they lie about it being a waitlist for a loaner car. All the lights on the dashboard goes on and all the dealership couldn’t diagnose the problem. The second time the check engine lights went out the back up camera. They said it was the back up camera the backup camera was replaced the backup camera now messes up all the time and does not cut on when

20251006EXTERIOR LIGHTING

Electrical issues since 44K miles I’m at 50 K miles. I’ve complained multiple times and they kept saying electrician wasn’t available. Then they lie about it being a waitlist for a loaner car. All the lights on the dashboard goes on and all the dealership couldn’t diagnose the problem. The second time the check engine lights went out the back up camera. They said it was the back up camera the backup camera was replaced the backup camera now messes up all the time and does not cut on when

20251006LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

Electrical issues since 44K miles I’m at 50 K miles. I’ve complained multiple times and they kept saying electrician wasn’t available. Then they lie about it being a waitlist for a loaner car. All the lights on the dashboard goes on and all the dealership couldn’t diagnose the problem. The second time the check engine lights went out the back up camera. They said it was the back up camera the backup camera was replaced the backup camera now messes up all the time and does not cut on when

20250929POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2023 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notifi

Mileage: 25,000

20250827SERVICE BRAKES

Summary: Unintended full brake engagement at highway speeds caused by electronic parking brake/Auto Hold button defect. Extreme risk of collision. Details: On [XXX], my wife was driving our 2023 Kia Forte GT Line when the Auto Hold and electronic parking brake system malfunctioned. The system fully engaged the brakes without warning while traveling at highway speed, scraping the brake rotors and creating an immediate risk of being rear-ended. This occurred multiple times. The following day ([X

20250827ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Summary: Unintended full brake engagement at highway speeds caused by electronic parking brake/Auto Hold button defect. Extreme risk of collision. Details: On [XXX], my wife was driving our 2023 Kia Forte GT Line when the Auto Hold and electronic parking brake system malfunctioned. The system fully engaged the brakes without warning while traveling at highway speed, scraping the brake rotors and creating an immediate risk of being rear-ended. This occurred multiple times. The following day ([X

20250730FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

Driving home. Unexpectedly foward collision warning came on light never turned off even after a reset was done on the car

20250713FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

The front radar FCA/SCC is misdetecting vehicles in other lanes and often slams on the brakes for no reason. Other times it lights on the dash and says the system (radar detection) is off or is blocked, when it clearly is not. Kia had this same issue with the 2020, 2021, and 2022 Kia Telluride and issued TSB SC243 (with a software update). I have been to 2 different dealerships, and one had a bunch of excuses and the other dealership had no idea what i was talking about. The car was about 21 m

20250711STRUCTURE:BODY

As I was driving at about 20 mph coming to a stop my passenger front door unlatched and caused the door to open and the door sensors to go off. This door was in fact locked and closed. Now I’m very scared to drive my car because if I was going faster the door could swing open and would be very dangerous to and to others.

20250625SUSPENSION

Passenger front side makes noises like something is clicking. It makes like a rattle noise too

20250514STEERING

Clunking when going over bumps especially when turning into a driveway. Started at about 20,000 miles along with excessive clicking when turning the steering wheel.

20250514SUSPENSION

Clunking when going over bumps especially when turning into a driveway. Started at about 20,000 miles along with excessive clicking when turning the steering wheel.

20250429POWER TRAIN

Catastrophic clutch pressure plate failure - while attempting to shift into gear, teeth on clutch pressure plate sheared horizontally when interacting with input shaft. No indicators appeared when failure originally occurred, only grinding sound when clutch pedal is depressed. Malfunction occurred at a stoplight leading to traffic blockage and no major safety risk. However due to nature of failure if issue occurred at speed there would have been immediate loss of power from engine to drivetrai