Kia Forte Complaints (2015)

262 consumer complaints on file.

#11454903March 2, 2022
ENGINE
I want to preface this by saying my car (2015 Kia Forte5 EX) has been burning or leaking oil for a while now and no one I brought it to could ever figure out where. I brought it in for the recall check up a few months ago and they claimed to not find anything either. A couple of weeks ago I noticed a fairly loud ticking or knocking noise coming from my engine, I thought that maybe my oil was low even though I had just gotten it changed 2 weeks prior but I checked it and it was fine. Fast forward a few days and I get a prompt on my navigation screen to immediately have the car services and my check engine light started blinking. I brought it in to my local Kia dealership and today they told me that the engine is unfixable, and that they determined that it was something that should be covered under the warranty. But when they submitted the claim to Kia, Kia denied it. I am currently waiting on hold with Kia's customer service to file a complaint and hopefully resolve the issue but I thought I'd submit a claim here as well because Kia has been sued a number of times over the last decade for this exact reason.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11454128February 25, 2022
ENGINE
My car consistently is running out of and low on oil which is affecting my engine and how it runs. My car did break down and now Kia is performing an engine test over 3000 miles but have not recalled the engine/car even though they've told me this is a common issue with these cars. Prior to the breakdown, there were no warning lamps or messages for me to know this was happening.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11453691February 23, 2022
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle then lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with rod bearing failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11451504February 11, 2022
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Forte. The contact stated while his girlfriend was driving approximately 30 MPH, there was a knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle then stalled without warning. Upon inspection, it was discovered that there was no oil in the engine although oil had recently been added. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 62,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11451588February 11, 2022
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal burning smell would emit throughout the vehicle without warning. The contact also stated that due to this failure, the brake lights would intermittently fail to operate as needed upon depression. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where they discovered burnt wires in the electrical box and had the box replaced; despite the replacement, the failure persisted. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11451370February 10, 2022
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the vehicle started smoking while stopped at a traffic light. The smoke was coming from the engine. Additionally, while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle was stopping and stalling while driving. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 74,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449992February 2, 2022
ENGINE
The cylinder 3 connecting rod broke and shot a hole through my engine block. It also sucked metal pieces into my turbo and damaged my starter. This is the exact same issue that the 2.0 liter engines have and yet I have to pay out of pocket for my repairs. I was on the interstate going 70 mph when this happened. What if instead of shooting down, it shot back towards me? What if my child was in the car? Now Kia won’t cover this and I think they should. I took the car to multiple mechanics and not one of them told me this could happen. The check engine light kept coming on, I kept being told to replace the spark plugs and the ignition coils and it never resolved my issue. These were Kia certified dealers. Now one of these Kia certified dealers wants to charge me $13,000 to replace the engine and the turbo. That’s more than the car is worth and now I’m stuck with the car payment of a car that failed and not bc of my own doing.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11449590January 31, 2022
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY
Every few months my car won’t crank. I have to get it towed to the dealership. They normally change the spark plugs and it runs again. Recently, they changed the spark plugs but I was also told that I had an engine oil leak(which is very hazardous), oil is leaking onto my engine which is causing my spark plugs to burn out so quick. They claimed they didn’t know what was causing it and told me I would have to wait until my car breaks down completely before being able to know exactly what’s causing it. Informed me that changing the spark plugs is only a temporary fix and I would go through this process again(my car not cranking and spark plugs needing to be replaced).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11447945January 18, 2022
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a burning smoke odor was detected. The contact pulled over and noticed there was smoke coming from under the hood. Additionally, there were engine parts that had melted and a puddle of fluid on the ground. A bystander assisted the contact in pushing the vehicle to her residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The VIN was included in the recall; however, the contact did not receive a recall notification. The failure mileage was 99,880.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11445899January 3, 2022
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
I recently went to the dealership to get a diagnostic's test on December 22nd, 2021. I bought the car October 14th, 2020. My vehicle had a recall on it that was issued in December 2020 and they claim it was fixed a few years ago despite the car only being 5 years old. I believe they did not fix it and sold the car to me As-Is knowing they installed a faulty aftermarket part. From my understanding, Catalytic Convertors are supposed to last around 10 years but the car was only 5 years old at the time of purchase, meaning they replaced it prior to me buying the car. I went in and they claim my catalytic converter was no good and I would have to spend $1700 to replace it. I feel like it is a money grab where they clear the codes on the vehicle, sell it knowing there are issues with no warranty, and then wait for the customer to return to pay to fix the vehicle. I believe the recall was never repaired despite them saying they did as I am having a lot of the issues customers faced with the recall and I am genuinely concerned for my safety and finances as this car cannot pass an emissions test despite them claiming it passed (again, probably cleared the codes to pass). I feel like the vehicle needs to be relooked at and repaired by them since they sold it with aftermarket parts they installed when a Kia dealership should only be repairing and replacing with genuine parts manufactured by Kia, not a third party. Again, just because they sold it "As is" with issues they potentially created should be illegal and they need to be held accountable. I will report to BBB and an consumer attorney. The engine idles and the vehicle slows down and speeds up while driving. There is a gurgling and knocking sound while the engine idles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11443362December 10, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH, he heard an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic for an oil change. The contact stated that while driving for approximately two miles down the road the knocking sound returned. The contact veered to the side of the road and attempted to restart the vehicle and heard another loud knocking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle would not restart. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed the failure as rod blown in the engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact then had the vehicle towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer confirmed the previous diagnosis and informed the contact that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V750000 (Engine). The contact spoke with local dealer about the recall and was informed that the vehicle no longer qualified for the repair because the vehicle had exceeded the 150,000-mile threshold. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 201,100.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11443209December 9, 2021
ENGINE
2015 forte with 1.8l engine. Rod nock noise developed after 104k miles. Loss of power and drivability is decreasing. No diagnostic lights on. Called Kia and was told that the 1.8L are not under the recall. However there are several 1.8 motors exhibiting the same symptoms. Oil changes have been done at suggested intervals. I believe the recall needs to be expanded. Kia wants me to take to dealer to verify. ASE mechanic has looked at it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11441701November 26, 2021
ENGINE
Engine has blown a rod. Inspected and confirmed by certified auto mechanic.(Lucky's Amoco Service) No warnings or lights were present at time of vehicle breakdown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11440991November 19, 2021
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Forte. The contact stated that after accelerating from a red light the driver-side airbag suddenly deployed. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the passenger side tire had also flattened. During the incident, the driver sustained an injured right arm. The contact indicated that no collision or frontend damage had occurred to cause the failure. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11437111October 18, 2021
ENGINE
My motor blew at 63k miles in Nov 2018. I was driving and it make a loud awful sound and was on fire and smoking and there was a huge hole in my engine. The kia warranty had just passed and they refused to cover the replacement
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11429030August 13, 2021
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2015 Kia Forte. The contact stated that the engine warning light was illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V750000 (Engine) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000. Parts distribution disconnect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428825August 12, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The oil light will turn on intermittently, usually when pressure is applied to the brakes, or the vehicle is in park. While the vehicle is driving, the engine light, oil light, and battery light will turn on and the engine will turn off, effectively stalling the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic, and they could not determine the problem nor a solution. The car was then taken to a Kia shop, and a faulty oil sensor and faulty crank sensor were determined to be the problem. The sensors were replaced, and the car made it under 6 miles before it stalled again. A broken engine is now determined to be the problem. The car has approximately 66,500-66,600 miles on it, so a broken engine due to consumer error is highly unlikely, since the car has been getting its oil changed and other upkeep regularly throughout the cars life. The car has stalled at 40mph, to like 5mph when i was backing out of a parking spot. The speed of the car does not seem to effect when it stalls, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to when it stalls. I have gone on a 5 mile trip and it stalls 5 times, and i have gone on a 30 mile trip where it only stalled twice.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11428860August 12, 2021
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The oil light will turn on intermittently, usually when pressure is applied to the brakes, or the vehicle is in park. While the vehicle is driving, the engine light, oil light, and battery light will turn on and the engine will turn off, effectively stalling the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic, and they could not determine the problem nor a solution. The car was then taken to a Kia shop, and a faulty oil sensor and faulty crank sensor were determined to be the problem. The sensors were replaced, and the car made it under 6 miles before it stalled again. A broken engine is now determined to be the problem. The car has approximately 66,500-66,600 miles on it, I bought the car when it had about 63,500 miles on it in November, so I only put 3k miles on it, so a broken engine due to consumer error is highly unlikely, since the car has been getting its oil changed and other upkeep regularly throughout the cars life. The car has stalled at 40mph, to like 5mph when i was backing out of a parking spot. The speed of the car does not seem to effect when it stalls, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to when it stalls. I have gone on a 5 mile trip and it stalls 5 times, and i have gone on a 30 mile trip where it only stalled twice.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427673August 4, 2021
ENGINE
Car engine caught on fire while driving without any indication. Car stopped and engulfed in flames. Car dashboard warning lights were not present until fire began but car shut off due to fire. The car was a total loss. Driver and passengers life were at risk. Exited car within seconds of car engulfing
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11427464August 2, 2021
ENGINE
Car was running great. No issues, had my regular oil changes and check ups. I was driving down the road and a piston rod blew in my engine. But oil was in my engine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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