IllustrationMY HORN HAS STOPPED WORKING, I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT IS MY CLOCK SPRING.
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.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Forte years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
180–25K
1325–50K
1550–75K
475–100K
9100–150K
1150K+
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
Unknown Or Other complaints
15 reportsCAR CUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING ALL WARNING LIGHTS WILL CUT ON THE CAR SLOWS DOWN THEN COMES TO A STOP. THERE IS NO WARNING WHEN CAR IS ABOUT TO SHUT OFF. DOES NOT LOSE POWER BUT WONT LET ME ACCELERATE. THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING ON MAIN ROADS AND STREETS, FREEWAY. THE VEHICLE STARTS BACK UP IMMEDIATELY. ACCORDING TO KIA DEALERSHIPS …
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CAR CUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING ALL WARNING LIGHTS WILL CUT ON THE CAR SLOWS DOWN THEN COMES TO A STOP. THERE IS NO WARNING WHEN CAR IS ABOUT TO SHUT OFF. DOES NOT LOSE POWER BUT WONT LET ME ACCELERATE. THIS HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING ON MAIN ROADS AND STREETS, FREEWAY. THE VEHICLE STARTS BACK UP IMMEDIATELY. ACCORDING TO KIA DEALERSHIPS THERE IS NOTHING REGISTERING THAT IS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE WHEN PLACED ON THERE DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE.
DRIVING ON MAJOR HIGHWAY DURING RUSH HOUR AND ALL OF SUDDEN CAR LOST POWER AND DASHBOARD LIGHTS UP. WAS FORTUNATE THAT I WAS ABLE TO STEER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION!!!
MY CAR JUST CUT OFF WHEN I GOT TO THE LIGHT AND WOULDN'T START BACK UP.
FROM DAY ONE THAT I GOT MY CAR I NOTICED THAT THERE IS A HESITATION WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE, YOU CAN PUSH THE GAS PEDAL AND NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL YOU ADVANCE THE PEDAL FURTHER AND THEN IT WANTS TO TAKE OFF LIKE YOU PUSHED IT TO THE FLOOR. IT WILL LOOSE POWER DURING DRIVING IF UNDER 45 MILES PER HOUR. WHEN IN TRAFFIC, IT IS VER…
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FROM DAY ONE THAT I GOT MY CAR I NOTICED THAT THERE IS A HESITATION WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE, YOU CAN PUSH THE GAS PEDAL AND NOTHING HAPPENS UNTIL YOU ADVANCE THE PEDAL FURTHER AND THEN IT WANTS TO TAKE OFF LIKE YOU PUSHED IT TO THE FLOOR. IT WILL LOOSE POWER DURING DRIVING IF UNDER 45 MILES PER HOUR. WHEN IN TRAFFIC, IT IS VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE TRYING TO CREEP WITH THE CAR IT WILL NOT DO ANYTHING WHEN YOU SOFTLY PUSH THE PEDAL, AND WILL TRY AND TAKE OFF WHEN YOU ADVANCE IT. ALMOST REAR ENDED THE CARE IN FRONT OF ME BECAUSE OF THIS. THIS IS A VERY PROBLEMATIC SITUATION AS WELL AS DANGEROUS. STANDING STILL OR IN MOTION THIS CONTINUES TO HAPPEN CITY AND HIGHWAY
Official recalls
121V622000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.