2019 Kia Forte problems
Owners have filed 221 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019 Kia Forte. Drivetrain & axles is the most reported problem area, at 21% of complaints. Next are engine (19%) and electrical system (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 221 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 22 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 11 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 11,000 miles 94 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 62 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 12 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 6 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 5 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 1 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 94 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 11,000 miles. For drivetrain & axles specifically, the median reported mileage is about 5,000 miles (28 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 22 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 11 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2019 ranks 3rd most-complained-about out of 15 model years of the Kia Forte with enough data (173 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
On november 12,2018 I was on the highway doing 65 MPH when I was rear ended by a hit and run driver that seemed to be doing full speed, and I say that because I never heard any screeching brakes behind me. The impact totaled my car, with the majority of the damage to the trunk. The impact made my car spin around and at some point my front bumper hit something, but no airbags were deployed whatsoever.
Tl* the contact owns a 2019 kia forte. While driving approximately 20 MPH at night, the headlights were very dim and the contact did not see an animal in the road. To avoid the animal, the contact veered off the road and crashed into a ditch. The frontal air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure.
Problem 1, long crank hard start. Have to cycle the ignition key several times to get engine started. No PCM codes. Had to kia dealer multiple times. Cannot duplicate issue. Problem 2, instrument cluster goes blank, radio goes blank and engine stalls while driving. This is a safety concern.