Check engine light came on, engine started vibrating while driving on highway and lost power. Could not continue driving, vehicle was towed to service workshop.
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
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.
Engine complaints
57 reportsThe contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while the vehicle was running, the check engine warning light illuminated. There was an abnormally loud roaring sound detected while accelerating. While depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle was slow to respond while shifting or reversing. The contact stated that…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while the vehicle was running, the check engine warning light illuminated. There was an abnormally loud roaring sound detected while accelerating. While depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle was slow to respond while shifting or reversing. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift to second gear. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was due to the electrical solenoid, P337, shift valve, and transmission. The contact called the local dealer, where an appointment was scheduled; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.
1945 Credit one: 65 Nordstrom: 116 Taxes: 133 Discover: 148 Care credit: 54 Cap: 60 (small) Cap: 187 (big) *75* 2018 Kia Forte was brought to a Kia Dealership within standard time frame since release of Ignition Coil recall to remedy said issue (released recall dated: 2020). Ignition Coil has since went out, resulting in the 20…
Read full complaint
1945 Credit one: 65 Nordstrom: 116 Taxes: 133 Discover: 148 Care credit: 54 Cap: 60 (small) Cap: 187 (big) *75* 2018 Kia Forte was brought to a Kia Dealership within standard time frame since release of Ignition Coil recall to remedy said issue (released recall dated: 2020). Ignition Coil has since went out, resulting in the 2018 Kia Forte being brought back to the [same] Kia Dealership for the [same] repair. Kia Dealership has stated the Ignition Coil that was placed in 2018 Kia Forte is not “under warranty”, and full market value price plus diagnostic, and labor is warranted. It appears the mileage of when the original 2020 Ignition Coil repair was complete, is “coincidentally” the exact mileage the Ignition Coil went out again (20k miles). Assuming the Ignition Coil used to remedy said recall back in 2020 is faulty; as Ignition Coils should last within 80k-110k miles. Thus, should not be the financial burden or responsibility of the consumer.
Started my car it was making a tapping noise. I tried driving home the noise got worse and my car didn’t want to accelerate very much. I noticed a recall for other 2018 Kia fortes as mine is doing exactly what others are but my car isn’t included in the recall. I think the recall outlook is bigger than imagined.
My vehicle has 90,000 miles on it. I was leaving from work when I started to drive it, it was making a noise so I checked before leaving the parking lot I didn’t see anything wrong. As I drove home the noise got worse and the car was having problems accelerating. The noise turned into a thumping and the car slowed even more. Whe…
Read full complaint
My vehicle has 90,000 miles on it. I was leaving from work when I started to drive it, it was making a noise so I checked before leaving the parking lot I didn’t see anything wrong. As I drove home the noise got worse and the car was having problems accelerating. The noise turned into a thumping and the car slowed even more. When I got home I realized the engine is knocking and there’s a recall out but not for my VIN. It’s having the same issue as other 2018 Kia fortes with engine malfunctions.
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and a DTC code indicated there was a misfire in cylinder #2 and there was a fuel error ratio fault. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, h…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2018 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and a DTC code indicated there was a misfire in cylinder #2 and there was a fuel error ratio fault. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, however the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.
My car stalled in the middle of a busy road at 80k miles on the way to get an oil change. Never had any issues or lights on with the vehicle prior and oil maintenance was performed regularly. My safety was impacted due to not being able to get of of car in the middle of the street and could have caused a major accident or gotten…
Read full complaint
My car stalled in the middle of a busy road at 80k miles on the way to get an oil change. Never had any issues or lights on with the vehicle prior and oil maintenance was performed regularly. My safety was impacted due to not being able to get of of car in the middle of the street and could have caused a major accident or gotten killed on that road from cars speeding past. My car has been at the Kia service center for 4 months with no confirmation of when this can be resolved due to my specific engine being on back order. Kia has been known to produce bad engines and has a prior lawsuit out for other models, I believe this model should be included as well since it did the exact same thing as previous models that are no longer sold due to engine failures.I have reached out to Kia corporate several times a week since December and have had no success in persuading them to take this matter more seriously. I have explained not only my personal concern but also the safety concern to multiple people in the corporation and have had no relief emotionally about this and have been placed in an even tighter situation not being provided a replacement or rental in the meantime. I am also put in a financial bind due to being out of a car for this long and having to spend thousands on transportation, car payments, and car insurance on a car that hasn’t been in my possession due to a system failure that was out of my control and Kia’s known problem of engine malfunctions. Thank you in advance for your assistance and time spent listening to my concerns I hope to have all of this resolved for me and current/future Kia owners.
While driving my car it just dies. I put a new battery in it I've checked the alternator I've done all of those things and I have no check engine light nothing no kind of warning or anything. I know there is a recall for this happening but my VIN number is not showing that I have a recall for it.
The vehicle stalls while driving during inclement weather. It needs to be restarted for it to continue driving. I have taken the car to multiple dealerships and they cannot locate the problem. I have also taken it to general mechanic shops and they cannot locate the issue. There isn't a code that is shown or a recall, there i…
Read full complaint
The vehicle stalls while driving during inclement weather. It needs to be restarted for it to continue driving. I have taken the car to multiple dealerships and they cannot locate the problem. I have also taken it to general mechanic shops and they cannot locate the issue. There isn't a code that is shown or a recall, there isn't even a warning lamp showing on the dash. This is creating a significant safety concern for anyone that is driving behind me. I haven't been rear ended yet but it's only a matter of time. If multiple dealers cannot fix the issue I believe this is a defective car. I have tried to contact Kia for guidance and they have not been any help. Please help me get through to Kia that they have sold a defective car and it is a safety hazard on the road.
The car stalled radomly when I was in a drive thru for only 10 mins
Official recalls
322V031000 · 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
Illustration