Kia Forte Complaints (2016)

136 consumer complaints on file.

#11532351July 14, 2023
ENGINE
A portion of the air intake system was rubbing against the front driver side wheel and wore a hole causing damage to the engine and is knocking at very low RPM. The car was in one of Kia’s dealerships for a headlight repair and a reference was made about a strange noise coming from the wheel but they did not advise of a problem and said the brake pad life is fine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11531960July 13, 2023
ENGINE
Was driving and car lost power and shut off while in traffic car would not restart
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11530057July 3, 2023
ENGINE
Wednesday night I departed work, I was in the 4th lane of the 10Fwy when my car shut down. All dashboard lights came on. I turned on my 4ways and managed to change lanes to the service Lane on the right. I attempted to restart the vehicle..nothing. I started looking through my insurance papers for the tow service and thought to try and restart the vehicle one last time. It started I departed the freeway and used the streets instead of the fwy to make it home. The next morning I drove the car to AutoZone for spark plugs and a diagnostic check. The clerk printed it out and it said no issues. I drove back to the house and as I was pulling into my driveway it shut down again, no clicking sounds this time. Friday I had it towed to pepboys. They were replacing faulty shocks that were under warranty new brakes and rotors all the way around and a full oil change all items were inside the vehicle I pretty much only had to pay for maintenance except for the faulty shocks the manager called me as I was on my way to work. My engine is blown. I saw my engine check light come on Wednesday night when the car stalled no oil light ever came on in the car except when you initially started and then it disappeared. My complaint is why wasn't I notified by the vehicle that there was no oil in the pan that's the whole purpose of the oil light indicator. Now am stuck with a 3500.00 engine repair bill which was the cheapest I found online for a used 1.8 liter engine. I want my dashboards computer checked. I have the AutoZone diagnostic paper the attendant gave me.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11529029June 26, 2023
ENGINE
I have a 2016 KIA Forte that I bought 6 months ago. I'm a subsequent owner. The dealership where we brought it from told me that it's in good condition. My partner was driving it when it started making knocking noises and would not accelerate past 20 mph. The engine failure happened 5 months of using it (the car only has 92000 miles). I had a mechanic came to check it, even changed the oil again to see if the problem is in connection with the oil. We never had the oil light prior to the knocking noises, not even the engine light. The engine light only came on with the knocking noises. It was completely out of nowhere. Changing the oil did not solve the issue at all. My mechanic found metallic shards in the oil and was also just as confused as we were. He said that it's possible that the connecting rods under the engine have been worn out. My mechanic said that it could've blown up, and thankfully, my partner and his friend were not harmed when the incident happened. There were no recalls regarding my car. I wasn't informed of the KSDS update either because I'm a second owner. We're still paying for it and its insurance even when we cannot use it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11526144June 9, 2023
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
On May 25th 2023 I was driving on the highway when I experienced extreme loss of power and the infotainment screen displayed "possible engine condition". Considering I was driving 70 mph on the highway it was super dangerous because there were several 18 wheelers driving on the highway alongside me it could have been deadly for many of us. Thankfully I was able to get to the shoulder to assess the situation. I have been unable to get my vehicle to a dealership since I was traveling and had to leave my vehicle 150 mi from where I live. If Kia knew there was some sort of issue with engine failure and extreme loss of power they should have issued notification before other than have people possibly die on the highway from engine failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11515709April 6, 2023
ENGINE, SERVICE BRAKES
Engine failed due to rod knock at 127,000 miles, this is a known defect with the car. Kia is refusing to replace the engine even though they know they are designed poorly and fail. Knock sensor and flashing engine light came on, had all the qualifications for the replacement but Kia is making excuses and denying it. I have all the paperwork and maintences done on time and they still won’t cover it. My corroded brake lines were supposed to be fixed under the recall and they have had them on back order since September of 2022. Dealership has no loaner cars to provide.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11512956March 21, 2023
ENGINE
Engine blew twice on the vehicle, Kia replaced the first blown engine. Then that engine blew again at 160k miles. First engine blew at a 105k miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11511703March 14, 2023
ENGINE
Pulling out into traffic, without warning my car lost power and shut down! The car had to be towed to the dealership who advised that the engine had a catastrophic failure and needed to be replaced. I was told by the dealership that KIA would not cover the repair for two reasons: 1) I was beyond the warranty period (the car has 60,264 miles on it and apparently as the second owner I am only covered up to 60,000 miles not the 100,000 that comes with the car), and 2) despite acknowledging that they engine had a defect, KIA did not issue a recall to fix the problem. Instead, they issued a performance improvement notice. KIA also acknowledged via a phone call on 3/10/23 that they have mailed these notifications to the previous owner rather than to me. I have on a number of occasions conducted recall searches on www.nhtsa.gov/recalls which does not list the known engine defect! It seems underhanded for KIA to recognize a defect and instead of reporting it as such and issuing a recall, they hid the problem behind a deceptive "performance improvement" label. It's not a performance improvement!! It's a known defect that if not fixed, it will result in a blown engine and COSTLY bill for the owner!!! The NHTSA SHOULD IMMEDIATELY ISSUE A RECALL AND REQUIRE KIA TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE ENGINES IN THESE CARS. THEY SHOULD ALSO REQUIRE KIA TO REIMBURSE OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD TO REPLACE ENGINES NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11503854January 26, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:ANTI-THEFT:IMMOBILIZER/PROXIMITY:KEY/SENDER
My car has been broken into twice due to the manufacturer not having proper ignition safeguards put into place, received no help from manufacturer , this is a known issue
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499279December 28, 2022
ENGINE
My car has had 2 engine failures in the last 2 years. The first time the repair was performed by Jeff Wyler Superior KIA in Cincinnati, Ohio a little over a year ago. Currently it's at Jeff Wyler KIA in Fairfield, Ohio awaiting repair. There diagnosis is another engine failure. There were no warning lamps before either engine failure. The first time the engine made noises so I stopped driving it and had it towed to the dealer. The second time it wouldn't start when I came out in the morning to go to work.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11497919December 18, 2022
ENGINE
After slowing and making a right turn onto another street, I tried to accelerate but the vehicle would not speed up in heavy traffic. After driving downhill 0.2 miles, I made another right turn and the vehicle would not accelerate uphill and was making a loud noise from the engine. I managed to limp home and parked the vehicle as the engine is now always making a loud knocking sound.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11497166December 12, 2022
SERVICE BRAKES
I received a voluntary service campaign letter dated August 19, 2022. The letter was in regard to corrosion of the brake lines. I was driving when my brake lines ruptured. I had the car towed, 11/ 22/22, to the Kia dealership in Jamestown, NY. I received a call from the service department, letting me know all the brake lines were 100% covered under terms of the recall. I was told they didn't have the parts, had to be ordered, were on back order and that could take up to 2 months. I called Kia customer service, the owner, [XXX], the general manager, [XXX] and was told I could wait, have it repaired at my cost (the parts are made at the dealership) or buy a new car. The dealership doesn't have loan vehicles. I made the decision to have the car repaired at my cost. My vehicle is used for my job and personal transportation. To maintain my employment, I had to find alternative transportation. I called the dealership on Thursday, 12/ 2/ 22, to do the repair the price quoted was $777.60. I was called at 9am, Monday 12/5/22 my vehicle was repaired. The cost was $792,98, the change was the cost of labor increased Mon. 12/5/22. The repairs were done for the front brake lines. I am driving with corrosive rear brakes lines waiting for the parts. How many owners of KIA vehicles are driving with corrosive brakes lines and are unable to get them repaired. Kia is being irresponsible and poising a major vehicle mishap for American drivers. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11494463November 21, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
The car is unable to receive fuel adequately. Car was sold in an intermittently undriveable condition.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11492108November 3, 2022
AIR BAGS
The contact owned a 2016 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while her grandson was driving at an undisclosed speed, he was involved in a hit-and-run accident and after the impact, the vehicle crashed into a tree. The contact stated that all of the air bags failed to deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact's grandson did not require medical attention. A police report was filed. The insurance company towed the vehicle to one of their tow yards and at that time the vehicle was deemed totaled. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 118,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11487611October 3, 2022
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
When driving on a divided four lane highway, after about one hour and at about 60 mph, vehicle would not accepperate to pass. Loss of power in traffic. Felt like transmission slipping, but the check engine light came on. P0240 code. It got progressively worse. An experienced mechanic diagnosed it as the engine, and was not sure I could drive to dealership. I had it towed. The warranty (10 year, 100,000 mile), covers engine, as agreed by delar. First, the dealer said it was catalytic converter $2200. When questioned, price was "corrected" to $1,200. Most for part and less than one hour labor. On a differen phone call, repair cost increased to $3300, saying the tech mistakenly thought it was the cat near muffler, but its the cat near engine, and comes as one pice with exhaust manifold. I am waiting on written estimate that I requested, and the dealer assurance there are no other problems with the car. I suggested they drive the car, and see that the problems are the same ones they used to have to video tape and send to Kia to get repairs approved on other engines. Still waiting on the written estimate and the assurance from dealer there is no safety risk in me driving it home. I can buy the Kia part they say it needs for about $500.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11484077September 12, 2022
ENGINE
Driving 8 miles to work my engine started making noise and then car started slowing down. I pulled over on to the side road and seen oil everywhere and my car wouldn’t start again and I had to get it towed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11483549September 8, 2022
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The headlights flicker off when the turn signal is applied and also sometimes on bumps in the road. This could be very dangerous because there are no headlights when they’re supposed to be on. The dealer told me that they’ve seen that issue before, but told me there’s no recalls on my model and year, so I have to pay to replace a multi function part. I wrote to Kia as well and they told me since my car is out of warranty, it’s up to me to fix that and pay. I don’t even have 50,000 miles on my car! And this problem is not due to me but due to a malfunction of the car. I researched this and see that there are other models of Kia that have the same issue that were recalled to repair by Kia. I have attached information from the web about a recall for Kia’s that is the same year as my car, but a different model. There are no warning lights when this happens, so I have to pay attention to make sure the lights come back on. I have also attached the case number from Kia in which they told me they are not responsible for this.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11478339August 9, 2022
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
Car shakes a lot with AC in setting 1 & 2. Kia official has checked and rechecked and stated to be “normal”. Car getting average of 17mpg and 250 miles per tank average. Despite being up to date. Car shakes excessively at idle
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11477245August 2, 2022
ENGINE
2016 Kia Forte Had the oil changed ~15 miles ago and now there’s no oil in it. There’s no leaks either. Mechanic said that the car is just using it up and exhausting it. It has happened twice. The check engine light has been coming on and blinking.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11469890June 18, 2022
ENGINE
On June 16 2022 at 9:15 am I was driving my Kia Forte 18 miles from my home to the airport. I was taking my 8 year old granddaughter to meet her grandfather for a flight. There were no indicator lights that ever showed up. My car started making a banging sound. I got off the interstate into a parking lot immediately. I shut the car off and checked the tires.. and underneath the car. I didn’t see any damage or anything leaking. I parked the car and had it towed home. There is only 64,900 miles on it. The oil and fluids are checked and changed according to manufacturer. I have not had a diagnostic test run. I had it towed home because I don’t have the funds to leave it at a shop. I still owe three payments on it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

← Back to Kia Forte