10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 13
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
69,035 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2012 Kia Forte engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Kia Forte Owner Comments (Page 7 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #25

Mar 092018

Forte

  • 100,502 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata recall car started to make noises. Then after getting it checked out I was told the car needed a whole new engine! it is only 6 years old. Bought used from a dealer in 2013. Engine died on the way home still have a loan and can't even drive it!!!! saw multiple peoples complaints online for same problem! when will I have a recall to drive a car that I am still paying for. The car was in motion and going straight on a state road when this accured. Speed limit on state road I was on is 50 when the engine started pinging electrical went off then motor stopped. This caused us to have to push vehicle off to side of road.

- Rockwall, TX, USA

problem #24

Feb 072018

Forte

  • 76,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Kia Forte. While driving 20 mph, the vehicle turned off completely. The failure caused the lighting and steering to become inoperable. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic and then towed to van syckle Kia (729 hogan rd, bangor, me 04401) where it was diagnosed that the engine was blown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and did not assist. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

- Machiasport, ME, USA

problem #23

Dec 162017

Forte

  • 83,000 miles
Made a turn at approx 12 mph. Car bumped into neutral when groceries tipped over. Heater, radio, and engine all quit. Could not be restarted, vehicle had zero power. Stranded in intersection. Towed to repair, informed engine had seized due to over-revving in neutral. Had zero power, could not over-rev. Kia and warranty company refusing any responsibility or coverage. Being told it needs a new engine and a new starter. Estimated repair $8500, more than twice bluebook value. I see after research this is a common problem with Kia vehicles of this era. Approx. 83000 miles, all service up to date. I notice on the aul report the amount of wear on the engine, and the description of the damage using words like "heavily scored and worn to copper backing." I find it hard to believe this kind of damage could have been done in the minute or so the car was in neutral, especially since driver was aware of what had happened. (she saw the groceries tip over and hit the shifter).

- Alturas, CA, USA

problem #22

Jun 062016

Forte 4-cyl

  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

At 70,000 miles the engine started knocking at cold start up and continuing to get worse. Oil has been changed every 5,000 to 7,000 as Kia recommends. I have contacted Kia about this issue and they said my engine is not a recall. I read NHTSA is leading the Kia recall but not sure if that's actual fact or not. What I hope for is that more investigation goes into the regular 2.0 engine that's in my car. I read Kia has a 2.0 turbo recall and don't understand what the turbo part is about since it's an external part of the engine. I have all maintenance records of oil changes until I purchased the car in the 43,000 miles range from my original lease. I then recorded every oil change done but don't have the receipts. I do all my own work now because I don't trust Kia and if one tries to call them it's impossible to talk to anyone. I'm actually not sure how much longer my car will run but I'm not willing to trade it in and send this issue onto someone else like Kia is doing to it's customers. I'm not exactly sure what will happen if the engine fails when I'm driving it but I now have it documented. At some point I'll have to replace the engine and really don't feel I should be responsible since I have followed Kia's maintenance requirements. I'm not sure if NHTSA can help my issue but I don't know who to turn to. I thank you for your time and hope you all have a wonderful day sincerely [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Lisbon, NH, USA

problem #21

Oct 072016

Forte

  • 108,000 miles
Airbag light came on right after hitting 108K miles. Car has not been in amy accident. No airbags have ever deployed. The light just came on and will not go off.also car makes humming sound while idling with the foot off the gas. Bought car brand new and I'm being informed that other models that are having this issue are being recalled.

- Balch Springs, TX, USA

problem #20

May 102017

Forte

  • 85,000 miles
I was driving the car for about 2 days and the engine oil light came on with some noise, and noise started to get louder and louder, I stopped the engine and I had to take the engine apart to see inside to see what was going on, I found metal debris from the engine in the oil ban and cylinder #2 and # 4 rod bearing worn out, and from what I read about the Hyundai problem, all Hyundai under recall for the same problem, I dont know how come Kia no recall so far and this is the same engine installed on Hyundai.

- Passaic, NJ, USA

problem #19

Jul 172017

Forte

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This car has been well maintained by dealership. Engine began making a tapping noise inside, and dealership told wife it was normal. This last time I took car in, and find out that engine needs to be replaced. Same engine being recalled on other vehicles, but not on my year of car. Not the first person to report this issue.

- Warrenton, OR, USA

problem #18

Apr 152016

Forte

  • 89,000 miles
Knocking in engine caused by thrown rod bearing. I was driving down the highway in cruise when vehicle started knocking. No warning lights or anything before or after! was changing oil regularly

- Wake Forest, NC, USA

problem #17

Mar 232017

Forte

  • 80,000 miles
. I was driving on the freeway on my way to work going about 65 mph when I started a hearing a knocking sounds. At first it wasnt that loud I only had a few miles to get to work so I thought I could make it but then the sound got really loud. I pulled of the freeway and parked it at a friends house and he took me to work. So I go back the next day to try to figure out what was wrong with it I checked the oil to see if it was low it was ok. I had just done a oil change about 2 weeks before I tried to turn it on but the car wouldn't​ crank at all. I had it towed to a shop and the mechanic looked at it and told me that I would a new engine. This is a 2012 Kia Forte with around 80xxx miles on it and now it needs a new engine. I have a 2001 Ford Focus with 190*** miles on it and the only thing I've had to fix on it was the clutch the went out 2 years ago. I'm still paying this car off and I can't even drive it. I'm looking around online and this seems to be a common problem, people just driving and then they hear a knocking sound and then the engine goes out. I took really good care of this car I went above and beyond to make sure that this car would last long yet it didn't​ matter. Even finding a good engine is hard to do so and expensive when I thought I had one the seller took it apart to see if the engine is worthy of selling it with his warranty promise. He gave me back my money because the engine I bought from him was no good and he didn't want to sell me a a possible faulty engine.

- Atwater, CA, USA

problem #16

May 162017

Forte

  • miles
Vehicle purchased used from Kia dealership claiming it was well maintained, one owner, with 60,000 miles. At 65,000 miles, engine started making ticking noise in sync with engine speed. Oil change did not quiet the noise. Dealership diagnosed as "internal" problem, requiring engine replacement.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #15

Nov 102016

Forte

  • 100,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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!!

- Norco, CA, USA

problem #14

Oct 152016

Forte

  • 67 miles
When driving on freeway at flow of traffic motor shuts down at high speed and on the highways.

- Riverside, CA, USA

problem #13

Mar 172017

Forte

  • 71,450 miles
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.

- Bentonville, AR, USA

problem #12

Feb 232017

Forte

  • 52,000 miles
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.

- Jamison, PA, USA

problem #11

Dec 252016

Forte 4-cyl

  • 41,000 miles
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

problem #10

Jul 012016

Forte

  • 65,000 miles
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.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #9

Jun 022016

Forte

  • 62,000 miles
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.

- West Columbia, SC, USA

problem #8

May 162016

Forte

  • 28,000 miles
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.

- Sioux Falls, SD, USA

problem #7

Mar 072016

Forte

  • 770,000 miles
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.

- Clinton Township, MI, USA

problem #6

Jan 072016

Forte

  • 54,000 miles
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.

- Freemont, CA, USA

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