← New search

2018 Kia Forte

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 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

Other model years Selected 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

51 reports with mileage · 85 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 57 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. 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.

13 crash reports3 fire reports8 injury reports

Engine complaints

57 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Jul 9, 2025
Electrical SystemEngine

Timing, VVT sensor. Oil pressure

NHTSA ODI #11672136

Mileage unknown · Jun 27, 2025
Engine

Same defective engine issue as other saftey recalls for other vehicles.

NHTSA ODI #11669687

Mileage unknown · Jun 9, 2025
Engine

Oil pressure problems blew the engines. Yes it’s available to look at at this time Car stalled multiple times while driving Has been confirmed by two mechanics Oil light went on when stalled

NHTSA ODI #11665928

Mileage unknown · Apr 29, 2025
Air BagsEngineUnknown Or Other

The engine went out in the middle of a busy highway road leading to a dangerous situation that I almost lost my life the vehicle was purchased in 2021. There shouldn’t be no reason that the engine should have went out that quickly when maintenance was kept up not only that there was an airbag defected issue, which is a safety ha…

Read full complaint

The engine went out in the middle of a busy highway road leading to a dangerous situation that I almost lost my life the vehicle was purchased in 2021. There shouldn’t be no reason that the engine should have went out that quickly when maintenance was kept up not only that there was an airbag defected issue, which is a safety hazard as well. It was the most scariest situation ever when the engine shut off in the middle of the road. Also, there was many concerns of my vehicle being reported of also being almost stolen by Kia boys I have a report on that.

NHTSA ODI #11657445

Mileage unknown · Apr 17, 2025
Engine

While I was driving, the check engine light, oil pressure light and battery light came on and my engine shut down in the middle of the road multiple times. Right before the lights came on my engine started making a weird noise that sounded like puttering. I used a car scan tool that showed the camshaft senser B needed to be repl…

Read full complaint

While I was driving, the check engine light, oil pressure light and battery light came on and my engine shut down in the middle of the road multiple times. Right before the lights came on my engine started making a weird noise that sounded like puttering. I used a car scan tool that showed the camshaft senser B needed to be replaced. We replaced it and the issue wasn't resolved. I then checked online for any recalls and there is a recall SC210 that describes the exact issue I'm having. This recall should be reinvestigated. I will be calling the KIA Roadside Assistance number to have this fixed.

NHTSA ODI #11655148

79,000 miles · Mar 26, 2025
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated while her daughter was driving approximately 45 MPH and approaching a red traffic light, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver was able to pull into a nearby gas station. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to Priddy Automotive, where…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated while her daughter was driving approximately 45 MPH and approaching a red traffic light, the vehicle stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The driver was able to pull into a nearby gas station. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to Priddy Automotive, where the engine was taken apart, and the mechanic diagnosed that the engine had seized. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

NHTSA ODI #11650883

150,000 miles · Mar 7, 2025
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving 35, the vehicle slowed down, there was an engine misfire, and the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure …

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving 35, the vehicle slowed down, there was an engine misfire, and the vehicle stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ODI #11646980

163,000 miles · Nov 21, 2024
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the engine was running unusually rough. The oil warning light was illuminated. In addition, the engine seized. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The cont…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the engine was running unusually rough. The oil warning light was illuminated. In addition, the engine seized. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had been taken to the dealer two days prior to the failure and the dealer confirmed there were metal shavings in the oil pan. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 163,000.

NHTSA ODI #11626721

Mileage unknown · Sep 8, 2024
EngineUnknown Or Other

I noitce a werid sound the cooling fan was making and car started run different so I turn around came home park it came out few hrs later ND oil spilled on floor and all over the engine

NHTSA ODI #11613349

Mileage unknown · Aug 16, 2024
EngineSteering

Driving car at about 40/mph and suddenly acceleration was lost. Released foot off of gas pedal and reapplied pressure but car continued to lose velocity and came to a full stop. Engine is now unable to turn over and car is completely not functional

NHTSA ODI #11608921

Official recalls

3

22V031000 · Air Bags

Jan 25, 2022

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Sedona, Soul, Soul EV, 2017-2018 Forte, and 2017 Forte Koup vehicles. The Air Bag Control Unit (ACU) cover may contact a memory chip on the printed circuit board and damage the electrical circuit. Circuit damage may result in deactivated air bags that will not deploy in a crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Air bags that do not deploy as intended can increase the risk of injury in a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the ACU, and either update the software or replace the unit, as necessary. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 21, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC226.

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.

21V260000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:oil/lubrication:pump

Apr 13, 2021

Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Forte vehicles equipped with a 2.0L Nu MPI engine. Foreign particles may stick inside the oil pump, which may cause an oil pump failure and engine damage.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the oil pan, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed August 16, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC210.

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.