IllustrationTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 KIA FORTE. WHILE DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE PEDAL FAILED TO RELEASE AND BECAME STUCK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,462.
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
200–25K
1125–50K
750–75K
275–100K
8100–150K
3150K+
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
What owners actually said
136 reports"TAKATA RECALL " I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT. THE INITIAL IMPACT WAS THE FRONT OF THE CAR AND THE DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. I RAN A STOP SIGN AT APROX 35MPH AND TEE BONED A TRUCK. AFTER THE IMPACT I SPUN INTO A TELEPHONE POLE WHERE THE SIDE CURTAIN DID DEPLOY.
VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED WITH 28 MILES ON 4/10/2018. THE VEHICLE MAKES A GRINDING NOISE UPON APPLYING THE BRAKES. IT DOESNT MATTER WHAT SPEED YOU ARE AT THE BRAKES GRIND IN REVERSE OR DRIVE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. KIA DEALERSHIP ALREADY REPLACED CALIPER SAYS IT'S NORMAL NOISE WHEN KIA FORTE IS STOPPED. WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ANYONE E…
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VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED WITH 28 MILES ON 4/10/2018. THE VEHICLE MAKES A GRINDING NOISE UPON APPLYING THE BRAKES. IT DOESNT MATTER WHAT SPEED YOU ARE AT THE BRAKES GRIND IN REVERSE OR DRIVE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. KIA DEALERSHIP ALREADY REPLACED CALIPER SAYS IT'S NORMAL NOISE WHEN KIA FORTE IS STOPPED. WOULD LIKE TO KNOW ANYONE EXPERIENCED SAME ISSUE
THIS IS A FOLLOW-UP TO MY ORIGINAL COMPLAINT # 11088519 ON 4/10/18.. WHEN I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON 4/25/18, I WAS TOLD IT WAS A BAD SPARK PLUG HUH ON A NEW CAR; WHAT WOULD BE NEXT.. IN ANY EVENT THE DEALER HAD TO ORDER THE SPARK PLUG ANOTHER HUH ON THAT TOO.. SPARK PLUG IS IN & I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TOMORROW 5/2/1…
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THIS IS A FOLLOW-UP TO MY ORIGINAL COMPLAINT # 11088519 ON 4/10/18.. WHEN I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON 4/25/18, I WAS TOLD IT WAS A BAD SPARK PLUG HUH ON A NEW CAR; WHAT WOULD BE NEXT.. IN ANY EVENT THE DEALER HAD TO ORDER THE SPARK PLUG ANOTHER HUH ON THAT TOO.. SPARK PLUG IS IN & I HAVE AN APPOINTMENT TOMORROW 5/2/18 TO REPLACE & REPAIR & NONE TOO SOON BECAUSE THE CAR SOUNDS & RUNS 'TERRIBLE'.. SITTING AT A LIGHT IT SOUNDS WORSE THAN THE 2016 FIESTA I TRADED IN TERRIBLE ROUGH IDLE & REALLY BAD WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A LIGHT WHICH COULD BE DANGEROUS.. THIS KIA FORTE AT PRESENT HAS 465 MILES ON THE ODOMETER..
WELL AT PRESENT MY CAR ONLY HAS ABOUT 400 MILES ON IT I ONLY PICKED IT UP ON 4/4/2018 & IT'S STARTING TO SOUND LIKE THE 2016 FORD FIESTA I TRADED IN.. WHEN STOPPED AT A LIGHT THE IDLE GETS ROUGH AND IF THIS WAS THE 1960'S I WOULD SAY IT HAD A BAD SPARK PLUG OR CARBURETOR ISSUES; HOWEVER, THIS IS 2018 SO NOT SURE BUT IT'S THE ONL…
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WELL AT PRESENT MY CAR ONLY HAS ABOUT 400 MILES ON IT I ONLY PICKED IT UP ON 4/4/2018 & IT'S STARTING TO SOUND LIKE THE 2016 FORD FIESTA I TRADED IN.. WHEN STOPPED AT A LIGHT THE IDLE GETS ROUGH AND IF THIS WAS THE 1960'S I WOULD SAY IT HAD A BAD SPARK PLUG OR CARBURETOR ISSUES; HOWEVER, THIS IS 2018 SO NOT SURE BUT IT'S THE ONLY THING I CAN RELATE THE IDLE ISSUE WITH.. I SPOKE WITH THE SALESPERSON AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT SOLD ME THE CAR BUT HE SAID HE KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT INNER WORKINGS OF CARS SO I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR 4/25/2018 SINCE I CANNOT GET THERE AT THE TIMES THEY WANT ME TO; AND UNTIL THEN I CAN ONLY MONITOR IT.. THIS ISSUE STARTED AFTER I HAD THE CAR APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK; NOTHING LIKE FLORIDA CAR DEALERS SELECTING A CAR FOR ME OFF THEIR LOT THAT HAS ISSUES..
I PICKED UP THIS 2018 KIA FORTE VEHICLE ON 4/4/2018 WHICH HAD APPROXIMATELY 18 MILES ON THE ODOMETER SO I'M NOT SURE IF THIS ISSUE IS BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS STILL NEW OR BECAUSE I JUST TRADED IN A 2016 FORD FIESTA & JUST NOT USED TO THIS VEHICLE.. WHAT I'VE NOTICED IS THAT THE GAS PEDAL STICKS A LITTLE & DOESN'T RESPOND RIGHT AW…
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I PICKED UP THIS 2018 KIA FORTE VEHICLE ON 4/4/2018 WHICH HAD APPROXIMATELY 18 MILES ON THE ODOMETER SO I'M NOT SURE IF THIS ISSUE IS BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS STILL NEW OR BECAUSE I JUST TRADED IN A 2016 FORD FIESTA & JUST NOT USED TO THIS VEHICLE.. WHAT I'VE NOTICED IS THAT THE GAS PEDAL STICKS A LITTLE & DOESN'T RESPOND RIGHT AWAY TO FOOT PRESSURE, BUT I'M A SMALL PERSON SO FOOT PRESSURE IS NOT AS HEAVY AS BIG PERSON.. I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THIS ISSUE JUST IN CASE IT DOES BECOME AN ONGOING PROBLEM..
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.