Kia Forte Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
3,503 NHTSA complaints (2009–2024).Complaint rate: 25.4 per 10,000 vehicles sold in the US.
Compare Kia Forte vs:
Should I buy a Kia Forte?
Quick answer from 3,503 NHTSA complaints · 2009–2024
Kia Forte shows elevated crash or fire rates — buy with caution. 10.7% of reported complaints involved a crash — above the ~4% mainstream average. Most complaints relate to engine problems. Inspect carefully or consider a different model in the same class.
- 2022 Kia Forte· 3.9/10K sold
- 2021 Kia Forte· 7.9/10K sold
- 2023 Kia Forte· 8.0/10K sold
- 2014 Kia Forte· 91.4/10K sold
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Why these years are worse
The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:
- engine problems — 1,083 complaints (1.8% involved a crash)
- electrical faults — 293 complaints (4.8% involved a crash)
- airbags — 281 complaints (52.0% involved a crash)
- transmission / drivetrain — 198 complaints (4.5% involved a crash)
- steering defects — 156 complaints (9.6% involved a crash)
What Happened to 81,471 Kia Fortes On the Road
Complaints record what owners reported. These are the outcomes actually recorded against 81,471 Kia Forte VINs built 2010–2024 — accidents, title brands and odometer flags from our vehicle-history database, not from the NHTSA complaint file.
Do the complaint spikes show up in real accident history?
The Kia Forte averages 28.4% accident history across all model years. Here is how the years flagged above compare on real records:
- 2014 — 46.8% of 1,476 VINs on record show accident history, above the 28.4% model average. The complaint spike is backed by real damage records.
Typical Kia Forte on record: 1.5 owners on average, 44,878 average miles.
Kia Forte Generations
Manufacturer redesigns the car every few years (a “generation”). Each generation has different engineering and common issues. Click a generation to see year-by-year breakdown.
| Generation | Years | Complaints | Crashes | US Sold | Volume | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 1 | 2010–2013 | 1,194 | 139 | 286,622 | Show years | |||
| Gen 2 | 2014–2018 | 1,756 | 159 | 471,033 | Hide years | |||
| 2014 | 634 | 60 | 69,336 | View 2014View→ | ||||
| 2015 | 320 | 21 | 78,919 | View 2015View→ | ||||
| 2016 | 193 | 20 | 103,292 | View 2016View→ | ||||
| 2017 | 422 | 38 | 117,596 | View 2017View→ | ||||
| 2018 | 187 | 20 | 101,890 | View 2018View→ | ||||
| Gen 3 | 2019–present | 552 | 76 | 622,457 | Show years |
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold — normalized for production volume so low-sales years aren't falsely rated "good".
Bottom line: Avoid the 2014 Kia Forte (60 crash-related complaints). The 2020–2023 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Engine.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
Too New
Need 3+ years on the road for reliable complaint data.
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $8.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaint Rate per 10,000 Vehicles Sold
Normalized by US annual sales volume — higher = more complaints relative to sales
Show raw complaint counts
Common Kia Forte Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Engine Problems | 1,083 | 1.8% |
| Electrical Faults | 293 | 4.8% |
| Airbags | 281 | 52.0% |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 198 | 4.5% |
| Steering Defects | 156 | 9.6% |
| Headlight/Taillight Failures | 155 | 4.5% |
| Brakes | 152 | 15.8% |
| Fuel System | 110 | 7.3% |
| Unintended Acceleration | 104 | 19.2% |
| Body Structure | 72 | 26.4% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Rate | US Sales | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010AVOID | Gen 1 | 310 | 45.3 | 68,501 | 35 | 4 | View → |
| 2011 | Gen 1 | 213 | 27.9 | 76,294 | 44 | 22 | View → |
| 2012AVOID | Gen 1 | 399 | 52.7 | 75,681 | 34 | 32 | View → |
| 2013 | Gen 1 | 272 | 41.1 | 66,146 | 26 | 23 | View → |
| 2014AVOID | Gen 2 | 634 | 91.4 | 69,336 | 60 | 51 | View → |
| 2015 | Gen 2 | 320 | 40.5 | 78,919 | 21 | 21 | View → |
| 2016 | Gen 2 | 193 | 18.7 | 103,292 | 20 | 13 | View → |
| 2017 | Gen 2 | 422 | 35.9 | 117,596 | 38 | 14 | View → |
| 2018 | Gen 2 | 187 | 18.4 | 101,890 | 20 | 4 | View → |
| 2019 | Gen 3 | 206 | 21.6 | 95,609 | 22 | 4 | View → |
| 2020GOOD | Gen 3 | 88 | 10.3 | 84,997 | 12 | 2 | View → |
| 2021GOOD | Gen 3 | 92 | 7.9 | 115,929 | 13 | — | View → |
| 2022GOOD | Gen 3 | 37 | 3.9 | 95,341 | 5 | 1 | View → |
| 2023GOOD | Gen 3 | 90 | 8.0 | 112,620 | 13 | 7 | View → |
| 2024TOO NEW | Gen 3 | 39 | 3.3 | 117,961 | 11 | — | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (3,503 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: US annual vehicle sales from carfigures. Coverage: 100% of model years have sales data. Total US sales: 1,380,112.
On-road outcomes: Accident, title-brand, theft and odometer records for 81,471 Kia Forte VINs in our vehicle-history database. Independent of the NHTSA complaint file — a complaint is what an owner reported, these are what was recorded against the vehicle. Year-level figures are shown only for model years with at least 200 VINs on record.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint rate. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
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