This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Started with a knocking sound in the engine. Engine light came up and car started to lose speed. The engine seized and my mechanic told me that the car needed a new engine as it was not repairable. The Forte is not on the list of recalls but it has the same engine issues as the ones listed under the recall. I am still paying for this car that is 5 years old!!
My wife and I were passing another vehicle going about 75mph on a highway in southeast kansaswhen my car essentially turned off. Luckily there was a shoulder to pull onto. Tried jumping it with no luck. We had it towed to a nearby town to a body shop who kept it over the weekend to try and replicate the issue. This was a Friday and we returned that following Monday to pick up the car. Bodyshop stated they could not get the car to repicate what had happend and nothing flashed on the computer. We drove it in the town a little bit with no issues and proceeded home. We were out of the town about 10 minutes when we heard a small knocking that continued to get worse. We pulled over. We continued down the road to the next town which was about 5 miles away to a body shop. We just got into town when the car died again as if I turned the car off. I muscled the car to a parking lot. Tried turning the car on again and engine started smoking. Got it towed back home to a local body shop who looked at it the next day to inform me I needed a new engine, main wire harness, and starter. I contacted Kia, eventhough I was only 11K miles over warranty, to see what could be done. Got it towed to a local Kia dealership who looked it over and found lots a metal in the oil. They put a claim in with Kia which they denied. I called customer service who then sent it to the district manager and he denied any help. It then got escalated to a higher department and they denied any help either. Prior to this I had no issues or problems with the car. During the time I had my car I had proper oil changes and maintenance. The car is only 5 years old with only 71,462 miles on it and now needs a whole new engine. Thankfully the times it stalled, which no warning light ever came on nor was there ever a noise of any kind indicating anyting was wrong, my wife and I were not in a crash.
My 2012 Kia Forte started producing a tapping noise when idling which became more rapid and a bit louder when accelerating. Resembling a "sticky lifters" sound, I decided to wait 2-3 weeks for my next oil change to have it looked at. My mechanics had no idea what was causing the noise, which was much louder after 2-3 weeks, and advised I take my car to the dealership. I immediately scheduled an appointment and got the car to the dealer the following week. The dealership rep first tried to insist, without having looked at the car, that it was my mechanic's fault in my routine oil changes. I called my mechanic, discussed their filters oil etc (they are a reputable company), and concluded that the dealership's response would not do. The dealership finally listened to the sound and immediately admitted it was not the oil/filter. They told me they needed to keep the car for 2+ weeks to investigate. I asked if I could bring it back Saturday to make arrangements for work. The rep said yes and then the mechanic came out and said it would be absolutely dangerous to take the car and then was the first to tell me that the whole engine needed to be replaced. Regardless, they eventually discovered metal shavings in the oil throughout the engine from manufacturing debris. Today (4/8/17), an official Hyundai and Kia recall was announced on various model engines - the Forte was not on the list. I immediately felt this report needed to be filed to let other Forte owners know that 1) some dealerships are not taking responsibility and 2) the Forte is not immune to this problem. It is ridiculous that Kia would not acknowledge the full extent of the issue even if Fortes are not as commonly affected. This is clearly a dangerous issue and lack of full responsibility taken by Kia could have major repercussions.
Driving home on christmas day from my parents on the freeway, heard a noise in engine immediately pulled over. Noticed that the car was smoking. The car wouldn't turn off and my husband got out and upon opening the hood of the car noticed it was in flames. He immediately yelled for us to all get out of the car. As we started running the entire car went up in flames. Thankfully we got out when we did, however all of my children's christmas gifts, all of our belongings weren't so lucky. My kids are traumatized and in shock. The car only had 40K miles on it. Recently had the 35K service by Kia and nothing was wrong with it. Yet their warranty meant nothing. They won't even inspect the car yet they determined that it isn't their problem. How does a relatively new car just burn up "!"!
- South San Francisco, CA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Forte. When the vehicle was started, the engine warning indicator remained illuminated. The dealer diagnosed that the evaporator canister was cracked and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 65,000.
I bought a 2012 Kia Forte ex hatchback with 60,000 miles about a month ago. Two instances have occurred which I believe might be related. First time I was traveling @ 65mph around a 50mph curve on cruise control. I hit a bump, and cruise control shut off automatically. No big deal, I just put my foot on the gas and reset the cc after the curve. However, yesterday, I was nearing the beginning of a merge ramp to get on the interstate. I was turning and accelerating when I hit a pothole and the engine shut off. Instead of merging onto the interstate, I coasted @ 5-10 mph until I could reach the side of the road. I put the car in park, turned the key off and then immediately started the car back up. There were no warning lights and the car ran like a top. This is a serious safety problem and I am lucky I didn't get rear-ended (this was an on/off ramp, so cars were piling up behind me and honking due to my slow speed). I had the car checked by a mechanic before I bought it and he said that although there was no cel, there was a code in the computer for the 'yaw' sensor (he told me if the car runs ok, he wouldn't worry about replacing it). Knowing this, I have turned off the electronic stability control in hopes that the issue is related and will not happen again if the ESC is off. Car is in good shape and was well taken care of by previous owner.
Back in April 2016 the hose that transfers transmission fluild was recalled I brought my car in to have it fixed. On 05/16/2017 my car started shifting weird and then (while I was driving on a city street with my two month old daughter) is now leaking transmission fluid and the hose is broke that was supposed to be fixed and is not safe to drive due to the fluid and broken hose it shifts out of control and stalls.
I rear-end a SUV at 50 miles per hour, hit my nose and mouth on the steering wheel. The front end is severely damage, the engine caught fire, fluids were leaking but neither air bag deployed.
The contact owned a 2012 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire as he walked outside. The contact noticed that the windows were black from the residue of the fire. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. A police report was not filed. The fire extinguished itself before the firefighters were called. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 54,000.
On four separate occasions, June 5-July 17, 2015 our Kia Forte 5 door hatchback failed to start. Tow company personnel attempted to jump start the car without success. Car was taken to two separate dealerships and the failure could not be replicated. Repairs will not be made until the condition can be replicated. After sitting for a prolonged period (1-3 days) the car will start. We replaced the battery on June 23rd at the suggestion of a tow truck driver who refused to tow us. He related that in hot weather Kia cars often will not start if the battery is weak. With a new top of the line battery, on July 17th the car refused to start. When the 105 degree temperature dropped to 90 degrees, the car started. We are stuck with a new car that will not start reliably in hot weather. Dealers cannot fix it. Our warranty is "valueless". Kia corporate has assigned a case number and we are seeking repair or replacement. Until this happens, we are frightened to trust our Kia in our remote Sierra Nevada mountain location where being stranded can be life threatening. We have made a $21,000 mistake and lemon law court is our only recourse.
My 2012 Kia Forte has a problem with the engine suddenly racing, and acting like it is out of gear. I have taken it to my mechanic and they keep telling me that they can't find the problem. I also get problems with the brake lights: I get told that they're out when they aren't. I do regular maintenance and oil changes on my vehicle. It started in April, 2014, at first occasionally, but now it is almost constant. If the problem is not found and fixed, I am in danger of losing my transmission and worse....updated 12/10/15
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Forte. During cold weather conditions, the vehicle failed to exceed 2000 rpms. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 15,000. The VIN was not available.
300 miles after complaining to dealer of slipping floor mat stopping braking and random high acceleration-a real accident occurred against a barrier in a parking garage. Mats flip far more that Audi and Toyota recalls. Entire car damaged by previous acceleration(random) or brakes not working due to mats. The parking garage incident occurred at 15 mph and square head on to cement barrier severely damaging bumper, hood, fenders, grill, headlights and interior engine. I injured both arms and skin abrasions on chest-due to airbag not deploying-similar to recent recalls. Dealer response was that floor mats always give away from wear and tear at 17K miles without warning-causing me near fatal other accidents.
We were driving our 2012 Kia Forte ex (sedan) which we had purchased brand new in December 2011 to the store to get bread and were on our way home (only about 2 minutes into the drive) when we saw smoke coming from the front of the car. We pulled over within about 50 feet of seeing it, put it in park- which by the time we did so, we lost all power and couldn't even get the key out of the ignition. We got out and my boyfriend tried to pop the hood but it was already so hot he couldn't do it... I ran about 20 feet away for safety reasons, so I am not sure where it started, but within about 30 seconds, the flames came out of the sides and front of the hood. My boyfriend thinks it was about where the fuse box is, because that is where he noticed the paint start to bubble off. He is a mechanic and has never seen anything like it. The entire front of the car, through the dash is disintegrated. My airbags melted and poured out of the dash and roof, upholstery melted off the seats, and door panels bubbled up. All the speakers blew and melted. It happened so quickly, if I had kids in the back or couldn't have pulled over in time, there could have been very serious injuries or deaths. I am very thankful it didn't happen on my way to work, as I drive in traffic on a highway with no shoulder. I had no electronic modifications. It was entirely stock, with the exception of window tint, exhaust, a lowering kit, and aftermarket tires and wheels--all which were installed by professionals. The car had 8900 miles on it and all maintenance work had been done. Even 3 oil changes- even though Kia claims the car can go 7K without one. My insurance company is going to treat it as a total loss and do an investigation on it. Kia has a case going but have not yet sent an engineer out.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Norco, CA, USA