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2016 Kia Forte

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Kia Forte do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 141.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

60 reports with mileage · 75 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 66 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

16 crash reports6 fire reports10 injury reports

Steering complaints

5 reports
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Mileage unknown · Nov 8, 2021
Electrical SystemEngineSteering

Im a retired mechanic I have 2016 Kia Forte lx 1.8l 6spd manual from my diagnostic scanner it showed the instrument cluster has a short in it which caused all the warning lights to come on when really the only thing that was really bad was a right front wheel speed sensor I replaced it but with the instrument panel short the ecu…

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Im a retired mechanic I have 2016 Kia Forte lx 1.8l 6spd manual from my diagnostic scanner it showed the instrument cluster has a short in it which caused all the warning lights to come on when really the only thing that was really bad was a right front wheel speed sensor I replaced it but with the instrument panel short the ecu cant tell what's working and what's not the car only has 64000 miles and all this is still going on a diagnostic scanner cant tell what real and what's not I will never own another Kia product in my life and [XXX] sure wouldn't recommend one. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI #11439661

36,000 miles · May 11, 2021
Steering

WHEN TRAVELING OVER 60-65MPH ON A HIGHWAY I NOTICE THE VEHICLE PULLING ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. FEELS AS IF THE STEERING WHEEL IS TOO LOOSE AND THE TIRES ARE TOO EASILY SWAYED RIGHT OR LEFT. FEELS AS THOUGH I HAVE MINIMAL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND HAVE TO CONCENTRATE ON KEEPING THE WHEEL STRAIGHT. ALSO SHAKY WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IDLI…

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WHEN TRAVELING OVER 60-65MPH ON A HIGHWAY I NOTICE THE VEHICLE PULLING ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. FEELS AS IF THE STEERING WHEEL IS TOO LOOSE AND THE TIRES ARE TOO EASILY SWAYED RIGHT OR LEFT. FEELS AS THOUGH I HAVE MINIMAL CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND HAVE TO CONCENTRATE ON KEEPING THE WHEEL STRAIGHT. ALSO SHAKY WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IDLING

NHTSA ODI #11416192

20,000 miles · Apr 2, 2020
Steering

WHEN I HIT BETWEEN 60-80 MILES MY CAR STARTS PULLING AND FEELS LIKE THE ALIGNMENT IS NOT GOOD. I HAD THE ALIGNMENT DONE STILL DOING THE SAME THING I DON'T LIKE THE WAY IT FEELS AND SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE I WILL GET PULLED OVER BECAUSE IT APPEARS I'M SWERVING. ON HIGHWAY AND AS LONG AS DRIVING BETWEEN 60 - 80 .

NHTSA ODI #11320021

60,224 miles · Mar 30, 2019
Electrical SystemSteering

2016 KIA FORTE CLOCK SPRING FAILURE. HORN DOESN'T FUNCTION. CRUISE CONTROL DOESN'T WORK FROM CLOCK SPRING FAILURE. THE IDLE IS OUT OF CONTROL AT TIMES. REVS HIGH WHILE STARTED BUT IN PARK, SOMETIMES NOT ENOUGH CAR DIES. POSSIBLE NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG. I READ SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS OF OTHER KIAS HORN NOT WORKING THEY HAD TO R…

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2016 KIA FORTE CLOCK SPRING FAILURE. HORN DOESN'T FUNCTION. CRUISE CONTROL DOESN'T WORK FROM CLOCK SPRING FAILURE. THE IDLE IS OUT OF CONTROL AT TIMES. REVS HIGH WHILE STARTED BUT IN PARK, SOMETIMES NOT ENOUGH CAR DIES. POSSIBLE NO DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG. I READ SEVERAL OTHER COMPLAINTS OF OTHER KIAS HORN NOT WORKING THEY HAD TO REPLACE CLOCK SPRING. KIA MANUFACTURERS NEED TO SEND OUT RECALL. KIA PLEASE HELP FIX THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI #11192582

5,000 miles · Jan 26, 2017
Electrical SystemFuel System, GasolineSteering

MOST RECENTLY I WAS DRIVING ON A RURAL HIGHWAY WHEN THE ENGINE STOPPED FOR NO REASON...I LOST THE ABILITY TO STEER, ALL ELECTRICAL DASH LIGHTS WERE MALFUNCTIONING, I TURNED THE KEY TO AN OFF POSITION AND WAITED...AFTER A MINUTE I WAS ABLE TO START THE CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10947874

Official recalls

1

21V622000 · Latches/locks/linkages:trunk Lid:latch

Aug 9, 2021

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Forte 4-door, Forte Koup 2-door, and 2018-2019 Rio 4-door vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the trunk latch assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC216.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.