IllustrationTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 KIA FORTE. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHOOK WITHOUT WARNING AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE BEYOND 40 MPH. THE DEALER ADDED A FUEL ADDITIVE TO THE VEHICLE, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,300. ...UPDATED 05/19/17 *BF *CN
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
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
14 reportsWHEN YOU PUSH GAS FEED IT HESITATES THEN YOU PUSH A LITTLE MORE IT GOES TO FAST. DRIVING IN TOWN TRAFFIC IS A PROBLEM YOU PUSH GAS FEED A LITTLE IT DOESN'T WANT TO GO GIVE A LITTLE MORE GAS AND IT GOES TO FAST. WENT BACK TO DEALER SHIP ONLY HAD THE CAR AROUND 2 MONTHS THEY PUT NEW THROTTLE BODY ON, STILL HAD SAME PROBLEM. WE TR…
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WHEN YOU PUSH GAS FEED IT HESITATES THEN YOU PUSH A LITTLE MORE IT GOES TO FAST. DRIVING IN TOWN TRAFFIC IS A PROBLEM YOU PUSH GAS FEED A LITTLE IT DOESN'T WANT TO GO GIVE A LITTLE MORE GAS AND IT GOES TO FAST. WENT BACK TO DEALER SHIP ONLY HAD THE CAR AROUND 2 MONTHS THEY PUT NEW THROTTLE BODY ON, STILL HAD SAME PROBLEM. WE TRADED THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR ANOTHER KIA FORTE WHICH COST US ANOTHER 3 THOUSAND DOLLARS BECAUSE CAR WAS NOT SAFE . NOW THE NEW KIA FORTE IS DOING THE SAME THING
THE CAR DOES NOT ACCELERATE AT TIMES AND WHEN IT DOES IT LURCHES AND HESITATES AS I AM DRIVING AND AIR CONDITIONER FAN GOES UP AND DOWN
I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW KIA FORTE 2016 ON 5/27/2016. SINCE DAY ONE, I'VE BEEN FACING A PROBLEM THAT I THINK IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE. WHEN DRIVING THE CAR AT REGULAR SPEEDS, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOSES ACCELERATION AND EVEN IF I HIT THE GAS PEDAL, NOTHING HAPPENS FOR 2-3 SECONDS AND AFTER 2-3 SECONDS, THE GAS PEDAL STARTS TO RESPOND. TH…
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I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW KIA FORTE 2016 ON 5/27/2016. SINCE DAY ONE, I'VE BEEN FACING A PROBLEM THAT I THINK IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE. WHEN DRIVING THE CAR AT REGULAR SPEEDS, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOSES ACCELERATION AND EVEN IF I HIT THE GAS PEDAL, NOTHING HAPPENS FOR 2-3 SECONDS AND AFTER 2-3 SECONDS, THE GAS PEDAL STARTS TO RESPOND. THIS HAS LANDED ME INTO PROBLEMS AT VARIOUS TIMES AND I ALMOST WENT TO AN ACCIDENT. 1. ONCE I WAS CHANGING LANES WHILE DRIVING AT 45 MPH, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE ACCELERATION OF THE CAR DROPPED AND I FELT CERTAIN THAT SOMEBODY WOULD HIT ME FROM THE SIDE BECAUSE MY CAR JUST WON'T ACCELERATE. 2. ONCE DRIVING AT 50 MPH, THE CAR SUDDENLY DROPPED ACCELERATION AND THE CAR BEHIND ME CAME SO CLOSE THAT I FEARED THAT IT WOULD HIT ME. FORTUNATELY THE OTHER CAR DRIVER REALISED MY DROPPED ACCLERATION AND SLOWED DOWN. INCIDENTS LIKE #2 HAVE HAPPENED MANY TIMES AND I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO A KIA DEALERSHIP (GERALD KIA OF NAPERVILLE, IL) BUT THEY SIMPLY TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND I DON'T KNOW OF A SURE FIRE WAY TO REPRODUCE THIS PROBLEM, BUT SOMEONE HAS TO BELIEVE ME THAT IT HAPPENS ALL OF A SUDDEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AND IT REALLY SCARES THE HECK OUT OF ME. SINCE THE CAR MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALERSHIP IS NOT HELPING ME AT ALL, I WANT TO BRING THIS PROBLEM TO THE ATTENTION OF THE US GOVERNMENT. I REALLY FEEL THAT THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY AND I DON'T FEEL SAFE AT ALL WHILE DRIVING THIS CAR. I SPENT MY MONEY ON A BRAND NEW CAR BUT THE CAR MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALER ARE NOT READY TO HELP ME. MY FAMILY MEMBERS HAVE ALSO DRIVEN THIS CAR AND THEY CAN ALSO TESTIFY. PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS PROBLEM. I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY A REPLACEMENT.
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.