2018 kia forte kept stalling out, 3 times in 2minutes. Drove it home, had it towed to Kia Spitzer West, it'd been there since May27, 2023. They will not repair, they will not replace, they won't even call me back. It's a disgrace
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.
What owners actually said
136 reportsMy 2018 Forte LX air conditioner is not cooling properly. Has anyone reporteded the same problem?
There was a recall for my car for the software update as there is no immobilizer. I had this done on May 30th 23. This was to correct the problem to prevent others from stealing my car by just using the USB cable. Unfortunately the update didn't work and my car was stolen on 6/17/23. It was recovered on 6/21/23. As you can…
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There was a recall for my car for the software update as there is no immobilizer. I had this done on May 30th 23. This was to correct the problem to prevent others from stealing my car by just using the USB cable. Unfortunately the update didn't work and my car was stolen on 6/17/23. It was recovered on 6/21/23. As you can see from the pictures the window was broken and the ignition was torn apart. We are not sure what other damage was done until the insurance looks at it in the next few days. With this recall not fixing the problem, insurance companies are raising our rates as the car is easy to steal again. The dealer said that they will do the same work as the recall but it doesn't fix the issue. This is not safe. A police report was taken when they found the car but we are still waiting for one when the initial report was made.
Kia Forte 2018 - the engine stopped working while driving (around 55mph) the car shut off and I could barely control the car as I no longer had speed control which made it risky going from one line to another to get off the road and pull over, putting myself and the other drivers at risk of an accident, and almost at the end whe…
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Kia Forte 2018 - the engine stopped working while driving (around 55mph) the car shut off and I could barely control the car as I no longer had speed control which made it risky going from one line to another to get off the road and pull over, putting myself and the other drivers at risk of an accident, and almost at the end when leaving the road the steering column became hard and I could not control the steering wheel very well. The car was towed to the dealer but they said they couldn't check it because they were overloaded for the next few weeks and the closest to check it would be at least 10 to 15 business days after they finished their current services (I called 4 other kia agencies around the winston-salem NC area and they all told me the same thing), so the car was towed to an independent service where they inspected it and determined that the engine had a problem with some internal components and that it is necessary to replace the whole engine, I called the dealer but they told me that because it has more than 100,000 miles the engine no longer has a warranty (currently it has 118,000 miles), a few days before the engine light on the dashboard came on but the next day it went off and then it did not turn on again.
Viva Kia dealership in el paso texas was contacted 5 months ago about the recall pending for this car and has failed to respond in a timely manner.
Car shuts down for no reason. At low speeds, the car shuts down, oil light, check engine light and battery ligh illuminate. Have to stop, place the car in park, restart engine and drive again but car keeps stalling
My Vehicle stalls and shuts while driving in the midst of traffic
My car would idle and shake at stop signs. My car would turn off entirely while stopped at stop signs/lights on occasion. It turned off while driving on the freeway. The engine light and battery notification light would turn on. - I had several error codes related to my engine and exhaust system. After getting it “fixed” at Kia …
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My car would idle and shake at stop signs. My car would turn off entirely while stopped at stop signs/lights on occasion. It turned off while driving on the freeway. The engine light and battery notification light would turn on. - I had several error codes related to my engine and exhaust system. After getting it “fixed” at Kia and Firestone, I am still having the same issues. My engine is burning oil quickly but I do not have a leak. I will have no fuel within a month after filling it/getting an oil change. I also possibly have a coolant leak. yes it is available for inspection. - yes, my safety as well as other’s safety have been at risk due to my car turning off while driving on the freeway without warning. My steering wheel and brakes would lock up. - yes the problem has been confirmed by Kia and Firestone. - yes the problem has been looked at by Kia service members. - my car began shaking and idling prior to any notification. It was approximately 3 weeks later that my check engine light turned on.
Two weeks ago I started to experience issues with my car stalling in the engine making a knocking or clicking noise. Two days after this started the engine noise was so loud in the car kept stalling that I could not drive the vehicle. I have a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty on the vehicle. I told the vehicle to a Kia dealershi…
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Two weeks ago I started to experience issues with my car stalling in the engine making a knocking or clicking noise. Two days after this started the engine noise was so loud in the car kept stalling that I could not drive the vehicle. I have a 100,000 mile powertrain warranty on the vehicle. I told the vehicle to a Kia dealership and it was determined that the engine needs replaced. They have denied my warranty because I do not have all of my maintenance records for oil changes. Unfortunately for myself I didn’t take my vehicle to the dealer for oil changes I had a family member change the oil for me over the past 4 1/2 years of owning the vehicle. I bought this vehicle from Kia because of this warranty. This is the only vehicle I have it is impeding on me getting to and from work. I have several maintenance records of oil changes at a garage that I take my car for inspections, tire changes, brakes,alignment and oil changes. Is there anything that I can do to get Kia to honor this warranty. When I called Kiya of America customer service the woman that I spoke with told me that I needed to go to the places where I purchase oil and get receipts. I purchased oil at auto parts stores they never took my name so how am I supposed to get these receipts. And most of the time I paid cash. Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? After driving for about 10 minutes, the car would stall when slowing to a full stop, slowing to make a turn, or driving below 40mph. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The car would cut off without warning. …
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What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? After driving for about 10 minutes, the car would stall when slowing to a full stop, slowing to make a turn, or driving below 40mph. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The car would cut off without warning. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The first incident happened in December, 2022. The car cut off while I was at the light. It started right up, but cut off again while pulling into my parking space.
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.
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