10 recalls covering model years 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023. To check whether your vehicle is affected, look up your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall may apply only to some vehicles of a given year.
Some Kia Forte vehicles have a right front lower control arm that may have been improperly welded. This weld problem can cause the control arm to fail.
⚠ NHTSA advises: do not drive this vehicle until repaired.
Kia is recalling certain Forte vehicles because the right front lower control arm may have been welded incorrectly, which can cause it to fail.
⚠ NHTSA advises: do not drive this vehicle until repaired.
Kia is recalling certain Forte cars because a manufacturing error can cause the front left steering knuckle to crack. If the knuckle cracks, the driver may lose the ability to steer the car the way they normally would. This recall covers only the front left steering knuckle on the affected vehicles, and the defect was traced back to how the part was originally manufactured.
In some Forte and Rio cars, a bolt in the steering column may not be properly secured. If the bolt comes loose, the steering column can separate from the steering rack, which can take away the driver's ability to steer the car.
The cover on the air bag control unit may press against a memory chip on the circuit board inside and damage the electrical circuit. This affects certain Kia Forte, Forte Koup, Sedona, Soul, and Soul EV vehicles. If the circuit is damaged, the air bags could be deactivated and not deploy in a crash. Dealers will inspect the control unit and update its software or replace it as needed, free of charge.
On these Kia Forte and Rio cars, the trunk latch can become damaged. When that happens, the trunk cannot be opened from inside the trunk compartment. Federal safety rules require a way to get out of a closed trunk from the inside, and because the latch may fail, these cars do not meet that requirement. A dealer will replace the whole trunk latch assembly with a new one.
Some Kia Forte vehicles with a 2.0L Nu engine may have small foreign particles get stuck inside the oil pump. This can cause the oil pump to fail, and a failed oil pump can lead to engine damage.
Kia is recalling certain Telluride, K5, and Forte vehicles because a sensor in the front passenger seat, called the occupant detection system, may fail to detect when a child restraint seat has been installed there. This detection system is used to help determine whether the front passenger air bag should deploy in a crash. Dealers will replace the detection unit so it can properly sense a child seat in that seating position, at no cost to the owner.
On certain 2019 Kia Forte vehicles, the left front axle driveshaft may not have received the heat treatment it was supposed to get during manufacturing. Because this heat treatment may be missing, the driveshaft can break while the vehicle is being driven. If the driveshaft breaks, the vehicle can suddenly lose its drive power, and this sudden loss of power increases the risk of a crash.
Some of these Fortes with LED headlights may have left the factory with the low beam aimed incorrectly. When headlights aren't aimed properly, drivers have reduced visibility, which raises the risk of a crash.
Recalls and NHTSA owner complaints for each model year, side by side. Complaints are unverified owner reports, and better-selling or older years naturally collect more — read this as a record, not a ranking.
| Model year | Recalls | High / critical | Do-not-drive / park-outside | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 136 | 13 | 3 | 9 |
| 2019 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 147 | 11 | 4 | 5 |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 67 | 10 | 0 | 6 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 26 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 2023 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 66 | 11 | 5 | 5 |
NHTSA lists 10 safety recalls covering the 2018–2023 Kia Forte. 8 of them are rated high or critical on this site. The most recent is "Kia Forte Front Control Arm Weld Failure" (NHTSA campaign 24V244000), reported Apr 1, 2024.
The 2018 Kia Forte has the most, with 3 recalls. The 2022 model year has the fewest of the years we cover, with 1. Newer model years have had less time to collect recalls, so a low count on a recent year is not a guarantee.
Yes. 2 Kia Forte recalls carry a do-not-drive or park-outside advisory from NHTSA: Kia Forte Front Control Arm Weld Failure (24V244000); Kia Forte Front Control Arm Weld May Fail (23V649000). These apply only to the affected vehicles, so check your VIN.
Enter your 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. A recall often applies to only some vehicles of a model year, and the VIN lookup shows the ones still unrepaired on your car. Recall repairs are free at any franchised Kia dealer, including for second owners.
Recalls and complaint record for one model year at a time: