10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 9
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
61,354 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.

2013 Kia Forte engine problems

engine problem

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2013 Kia Forte Owner Comments (Page 3 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #62

Jan 142021

Forte

  • 45,000 miles

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

I have a rattling noise at 45000 miles and I was told by taylor Kia after diagnostics that an engine replacement is needed. Kia has a defective engine as shown on many forums and this model needs to be recalled.

- Bowling Green, OH, USA

problem #61

Dec 162020

Forte

  • 133,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal noise appeared as the engine warning light illuminated. The contact managed to drive the vehicle back to his residence where the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to ferguson Kia (1501 N elm place, broken arrow, ok 74012, (918) 258-1800) where it was diagnosed that the rod bearing failed and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The contact mentioned NHTSA campaign number: 20V750000 (engine)as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.

- Tulsa, OK, USA

problem #60

Jul 202019

Forte

  • 56,000 miles
Driving on interstate I-70 md at 65mph when I heard a ticking sound and I wasnt getting any power. Car was struggling to move when all the sudden bang!!!! smoke, plastic and metal went flying everywhere from the engine bay, ricocheting off the asphalt towards the sides of my vehicle and other cars trailing behind me. Cars swerved to avoid the debris from hitting their vehicles. Power steering went out and I struggled to move the car over to the shoulder across another lane. I couldve easily been killed had a driver not been paying attention or looking at their phone crossing lanes as the vehicle quickly was coming to a stop, inable to move. I somehow safely got to the shoulder and got the car towed at my expense to the mechanic. Catastrophic engine failure. Rod snapped and blew a 2 inch hole through the engine block and car lit on fire briefly. Bought a new (used) theta II engine (the same engine recalled in hundreds of thousands other Kia and Hyundai) but not for the 2013 Kia koup with the same engine problem. $4800+ later, im still scared driving on the highway as I couldve easily been smashed that day by another vehicle. Kia needs to recall every single make year and model with the theta 2 engine. Have new (used) engine reciept and all documentation pertaining to the incident.

- Frederick, MD, USA

problem #59

Sep 252020

Forte

  • 83,659 miles

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

Coming home on September 25th 2020 at 1am on NJ turnpike car started to tap very loudly and lost power at 65 mph. Car has 83,659 miles. Car was towed to dealer on September 29th,2020 dealer notified us on October 1st that the engine failed and it is not covered under any recall. Bought the car with 21,530 and was told we had the full factory warranty. Car has full service records, very well maintained and still looks new. Kia Consumer Affairs has escalated this claim twice and still refuses to fix. They know about this problem and still will not honor the repair. We also own an 2013 optima that had same problem at 90,000 and they fixed it right away. Car is still sitting at dealer for 83 days now and they are starting to get aggravated

- Parlin, NJ, USA

problem #58

Dec 182020

Forte

  • 145,000 miles
I was driving the vehicle at highway speed and it began to make a loud knocking noise, the engine increasingly became louder and I lost the ability to accelerate. There was a lot of traffic around me and my 9 year old son was in the car. We were scared. I barely got the vehicle to the breakdown lane where other cars and tractor trailers were passing us only feet away from us. The vehicle would not move at all and the engine was idling roughly. I had the car towed off of the highway. From the research that I have done over the weekend, it seems as though many Kia Forte ex owners are experiencing the same nightmare that I have gone through. The issues recall does not appear to include the ex model with the 2.0L engine even though symptoms are identical in every instance. My car has been serviced regularly since it was new and always maintained according to manufacturers recommendations. Any vehicle that loses the ability to accelerate in traffic should be deemed unsafe and the manufacturer should make good on their product. Many owners are experiencing the same problems and being told at the dealership that cost would be the owners responsibility. However, certain models that are having the same issue are covered under the government mandated safety recall.

- Watervliet, NY, USA

problem #57

Dec 132020

Forte

  • 90,000 miles
Engine making clicking sound. Sounds exactly like the other engine issues Kia has recalled.

- Springfield, PA, USA

problem #56

Jul 302019

Forte

  • 70,000 miles

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

The engine makes a loud rattling sound and vibration during initial start and initial acceleration, the said noise is much louder during cold engine start ups. The problem only started when the mileage reached around 70,000 miles. Maintenance has been religiously followed especially oil change. I even use factory engine oil filter.

- Lyndhurst, NJ, USA

problem #55

Nov 232020

Forte

  • 114,000 miles
There was a knocking noise coming from underneath the hood of my car and I could smell smoke. When I lifted the hood, I could see smoke arising from underneath the hood. Unsure why my car had begun smoking, I called for a tow truck to come get my car because I didn't know what was wrong and if it would catch fire. I had the tow company take my car to a mechanic for him to identify why my car was smoking. When the mechanic looked at my car, it was no longer smoking. When I got into my car to begin driving I continued to hear the knocking noise underneath my hood. I was not able to go the full speed limit as the noise grew louder, and had to drive under the speed limit. As I began driving, my oil light came on. When I stopped at the red light, my engine and battery lights came on. When the light turned green and I tried to proceed, and my car would not move. It was completing stopped and non-operational. This scared me because it was dark, I was in the middle of rush hour traffic on one of the busiest streets in my area, and I had my young son in the car with me. My father and a police officer arrived to assist me with moving my car out of traffic. I had to have a tow service come get my car and take it back to the mechanic. After explaining to the mechanic what happened and him reviewing the car to determine why it had abrutly shut off, I was told that the engine had locked up. I had to have my car towed to my home because it was no longer operational.

- Fayetteville, NC, USA

problem #54

Nov 302020

Forte

  • 105,000 miles
I saw that Kia recalled the same year and model of this car for faulty engines which may catch fire due to engine malfunction, rod bearing failure and fuel leak but, only for the 2.4L engine. When technically speaking the 2.0L engine which is not recalled is nearly identical both internally and externally besides cubic inches. In fact when ordering parts for the 2.0L engine on Kia's sites and oem parts distributors, the part numbers are the same for the intake manifold, fuel delivery systems, internal bearings, the only variance in manufacturing and design are the crankshafts, camshafts and oil pumps due to the difference in displacement. Furthermore my car recently began leaking fuel from the fuel delivery tube going from the fuel pump to the rail which is the same part number as that on the 2.4 and same design and routing. Due to the close proximity of the exhaust the fuel could have ignited if not caught just the same as the complaints about the 2.4L which prompted the recall. However the 2.0L owners are not protected and are at the same risk.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #53

Oct 172020

Forte

  • miles
My engine light keeps coming on, now it's saying that it's something different every time. Started my car up the next day then the light will go out. Something isn't right. My brakes are acting weird, and tire light keeps coming on.

- Omaha, NE, USA

problem #52

Mar 142020

Forte

  • miles

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

At about 80000 miles I noticed a rattling sound from the engine of the car, a similar issue others are mentioning here. I think we need a recall on the engine or at least whatever part is causing this problem.

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #51

Jun 122020

Forte

  • 97,500 miles
Kia Forte traveling about 55mph shut off on a busy mountain pass. It was towed to a dealership and found to have a seized motor related to crank bearing failure. There were 3 children in the car as the time of motor failure

- Murphy, ID, USA

problem #50

Dec 012019

Forte

  • 130,000 miles
After leaving a red light and while accelerating, the engine started making a knocking sound and about 20 seconds later the engine lost power and the driver pulled over.. the headlights and instrument panel remained lighted. Driver tried to restart the car. The engine turned-over but would not start. A mechanic loaded the car on a car trailer and checked the engine at his shop. He determined that the engine had locked up. This seems impossible without a malfunction, as the driver maintained oil changes.

- Nacogdoches, TX, USA

problem #49

Dec 102019

Forte

  • 130,000 miles
I brought a 2013 in the year of 2014 it only had 2300 miles and at 61000 the motor was blown I call Kia and they said they could not help me because it was 6000 miles so I had to have a motor put in I had the motor put in about in December my car just stop I had it tow to Kia and they said it through a rod. Is there any help out there for me.

- Addyston, OH, USA

problem #48

Mar 312020

Forte

  • 113,309 miles
Engine has a knocking noise

- Somerset, NJ, USA

problem #47

Mar 302020

Forte

  • 85,000 miles
My local Kia dealer has informed me that the engine knocking noise in my car is a rod bearing or wrist pin failure. This is the 2.4 liter engine that has had recall issues in other models. The dealer has quoted $7,000 to replace the engine. Kia motors has refused to cover the engine since I am the second owner. These engines have a long history of early failure. I am afraid to drive the car now because I don't know when the engine will fail. Possibly at the worst possible time. This is a major safety issue. The car has been well maintained, so it is clearly a manufacturing defect. Kia motors needs to be held accountable for all the engines of this type. Catastrophic engine failure at 85,000 miles is unacceptable in modern cars.

- Clarksville, MD, USA

problem #46

Feb 212020

Forte

  • 84,000 miles
2014 Kia Forte with 'ticking' sound when idling. Diagnostic performed by a mechanic as 'piston slap'. was told to immediately stop driving the vehicle because the engine would soon fail at any time.

- Sioux Center, IA, USA

problem #45

Feb 212020

Forte

  • 87,494 miles
I was driving to work on a single lane highway, and heard faint ticking/knocking sounds from the engine. The highway speed was 65mph. After a couple minutes, the faint ticks grew into hard knocks and harsh rattles as I cleared the top of a hill. I ended up coasting to the shoulder because my engine abruptly lost power and tried stalling. Since I knew my brake system operated with vacuum assist, I tapped the gas pedal to keep the engine running and had to double foot the pedals to brake and keep the engine from stalling. After I stopped on the shoulder, the engine finally died while rattling even harder. I tried starting the engine again, and it did start, still rattling and knocking, so I shut it off. The engine hadn't yet seized up. I took it to the dealer I bought it from, per my extended warranty (non-Kia dealer). They were happy to help, but recommended talking to Kia as a first step. I did so, and they did offer to tow my car to their own dealership, no charge to me, so they could inspect the damage. I was told they would see what could be done about potentially getting Kia motors to replace the engine if needed, on them, free to me. This dealership is one of two in my city, and they are the nicer of the two in terms of customer relations. I have dealt with each dealer for various reasons over the years, and that has been my consensus. I will be waiting to see what comes of this issue, but these cars that came with the 2.4 engine need to be added to Hyundai/Kia's 2.4 engine recall instead of ignored.

- Fountain, CO, USA

problem #44

Jan 182020

Forte

  • 53,000 miles
Bought Kia 2013 Kia Forte ex. At 53,000 engine seized up. Kia is refusing to honor the warranty. My husband passed away and I cannot produce maintenance records as I lost everything to my name at his passing. Even though Kia knows this is a issue with their cars they are refusing to fix my car. I have 4 open recalls they refuse to fix too. Kia should not be allowed to operate in America. Hundred of thousand complaints and lawsuit yet they still refuse to honor warranty. This incident happened as local garage was testing driving after routine maintenance. Yes garage is certified to work on Kia.

- Jersey Shore, PA, USA

problem #43

Jan 132020

Forte

  • 59,000 miles
Engine froze up at $59,000 car is under warranty and Kia is refusing to fix car. This is a known issue and Kia has already sued and fined by the government but fotres were not recalled. I am a widow who lives at poverty level and do not have the money to fix this. I have 4 open recalls they are also refusing to fix. I cannot produce maintenance records because when my husband died I was actually homeless. Kia said to bad.

- Jersey Shore, PA, USA

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