NHTSA Data Explorer
Kia Forte5
Data refreshed May 30, 2026
Select a model year to filter results to that year of the Kia Forte5.
Complaints
2,480
Active records
Recalls
18
Active records
TSBs
456
Active records
Filing history
Monthly totals over the last 20 years. Click a legend item to show or hide that series.
Reported severity
Based on consumer complaints filed since 2000. Recalls and TSBs do not include severity data.
Deaths
12
Injuries
188
Crashes
232
Fires
133
Top reported issues — Kia Forte5
Click a category to expand its values.
Operating state
Noise
Condition issue
Reporting mechanism
Engine behavior
Performance issue
Safety restraint issue
Fluid issue
Thermal issue
Safety restraint behavior
Lighting behavior
Vibration/harshness
Transmission/drivetrain behavior
Driver assistance issue
Braking behavior
Starting behavior
Steering behavior
Electrical issue
Smell
Access/entry issue
Powering on/off behavior
Recent change
Ride/handling behavior
Infotainment behavior
HVAC behavior
Wiper/washer behavior
Communication/network issue
Electrified system issue
Recent filings
The 10 most recent filings for each type.
2016 KIA FORTE
Filed May 26, 2026
This Forte was not neglected and it was not abused. Nearly 90% of its miles came from highway commuting and interstate travel. It was completely stock, never modified, never driven hard. More importantly, it received fully synthetic oil changes every 3k-4k miles since new, well ahead of what Kia or the oil manufacturer even recommends, because I intended to keep this car long term. All of that is verifiable through Carfax. The engine failure came without meaningful warning. While driving, I…
2023 KIA FORTE
Filed May 26, 2026
I was driving in a road, when a female deer appeared out of the trees and bushes from the right shoulder of the road. I tried not to hit it but but the deer got in my way. I hit the deer and quickly moved over to the right shoulder. The whole front right of the vehicle was destroyed and the airbags did not open. Sheriff arrived and saw the vehicle, the vehicles debri and the deer which had to be put down. He asked for the vehicles registration and did a report of the accident. The Sheriff then…
2017 KIA FORTE
Filed May 24, 2026
Kia has common problems on the airbags even tho my air bags is good but I want to still check it
2020 KIA FORTE
Filed May 21, 2026
Bought the car 8 months ago from a Kia dealer. It is now pulling the same engine codes, of the infamous recalled Kia engines. After having diagnostics done at a different Kia then I had bought and had oil changed. They told me the engine and turbo was full of metal shavings and the rods were bad. I pad $10,900 for the car $15,000 to fix, they knowingly sold me a totaled car. I’m sure records reflect they took that car as a trade I knowing the engine was bad (they never checked the oil?). There…
2014 KIA FORTE
Filed May 19, 2026
The contact owns a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact received a notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the vehicle was denied repairs due to lack of engine oil maintance records. The contact stated that after the vehicle was powered on with the ignition key, an abnormal fuel odor would leak into the interior cabin and the engine would shudder. No warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was denied recall repaires due…
2020 KIA FORTE
Filed May 15, 2026
The contact leased a 2014 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle began to chug. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed as needing a transmission replacement. The vehicle was repaired. The contact eventually purchased the vehicle. After the purchase, the failure recurred. While driving, the vehicle began to chug without warning. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The…
2016 KIA FORTE
Filed May 12, 2026
This is a paint issue.
2020 KIA FORTE
Filed May 8, 2026
While driving, the vehicle suddenly began knocking severely, smoking, leaking oil, and then shut off unexpectedly without adequate warning. This created a serious safety hazard and near fire risk. The engine assembly failed catastrophically. Dealership inspection documented: connecting rod punctured engine block bearing material found in oil pan broken piston components in oil pan oil leakage underneath engine complete engine seizure/failure The dealership confirmed and documented the…
2019 KIA FORTE
Filed May 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2019 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 70 MPH, the contact had exited when the oil and battery warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle rolled over to the side of the road. The contact exited the vehicle and, upon inspection, noticed that an excessive amount of oil had leaked onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the drain plug had failed and the engine was damaged. The independent…
2017 KIA FORTE
Filed May 7, 2026
The headlights and dashboard lose power intermittently while driving at highway speeds, specifically triggered by using the turn signal. This is ongoing since January when I started having to take it for a recalls.More things kept happening. I kept having to have more repairs. Every time I went, I told them about this and it just keeps going on. Today I took a huge list of things they should check to see why it’s doing this. This is the following list that I gave them -2017 Kia Forte - Service…