Kia Forte 2019–2024 problems by year and mileage
3rd generation (BD)
NHTSA data through 24 September 2026405 complaints, 111 with mileageMethod
A DO NOT DRIVE recall covers part of this generation — check the VIN before driving it home.
Which year is yours? Tap it to see what breaks on it.
The 2019 Kia Forte
Close- Median failure report
- 10,000 mi
- Complaints filed
- 147
- Recalls naming this year
- 2
At least 40% of the complaints about the 2019 were filed after 2020, and most complaints filed since then carry no odometer reading. The median here rests on the earlier reports and likely understates the mileage these failures happen at.
Most reported on the 2019
- Transmission and driveline47 reports
- Engine36 reports
- Electrical system22 reports
2 recall campaigns name the 2019: Power train — axle assembly; Exterior lighting — headlights. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2020 Kia Forte
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 76
- Recalls naming this year
- 0
Most reported on the 2020
- Problems owners could not categorise26 reports
- Engine18 reports
- Transmission and driveline16 reports
The 2021 Kia Forte
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 68
- Recalls naming this year
- 2
Most reported on the 2021
- Engine22 reports
- Problems owners could not categorise18 reports
- Steering9 reports
2 recall campaigns name the 2021: Steering — column; Air bags — sensor. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2022 Kia Forte
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 27
- Recalls naming this year
- 1
Most reported on the 2022
- Problems owners could not categorise9 reports
- Engine4 reports
- Forward collision avoidance4 reports
1 recall campaign names the 2022: Steering — column. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2023 Kia Forte
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 62
- Recalls naming this year
- 3
Most reported on the 2023
- Steering14 reports
- Electrical system10 reports
- Forward collision avoidance10 reports
3 recall campaigns name the 2023: Suspension — front; Steering — linkages. Not every car in a campaign is affected — check the VIN at NHTSA. Recall repairs are free.
The 2024 Kia Forte
Close- Median failure report
- too few reports to time
- Complaints filed
- 25
- Recalls naming this year
- 0
Most reported on the 2024
- Problems owners could not categorise9 reports
- Airbag system7 reports
- Engine7 reports
Each tile shows the median mileage at which that model year’s failures were reported. † marks a year whose median likely understates the mileage: much of its reporting came after 2020, when most complaints stopped recording an odometer reading. 5 of these years carry fewer than 30 reports with an odometer reading and show no median at all, rather than one computed from a handful.
The short answer
“Is the 2019–2024 Kia Forte reliable?”
- Median of reported failures
- 11,000 mi
- 90% of reports came by
- 94,000 mi
- Reports with mileage
- 111
- Recalls
- 7
At least 40% of this generation’s complaints were filed after 2020, and most complaints filed since then carry no odometer reading, so the median likely understates the mileage these failures happen at.
Most reported
- Engine23.7% of complaints · median 39,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise22.7% of complaints · median 7,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline20.5% of complaints · median 9,000 mi
Owners filed 405 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019–2024 Kia Forte; the engine leads with 23.7% of them, and half of the 111 that record an odometer reading came by 11,000 miles. A count like this can’t rate reliability on its own: NHTSA records what owners chose to report, not how many of each car were sold.
51% of complaints that record mileage fall within the first 12,000 miles, against 0.5 reports per 1,000 miles between 20,000 and 80,000. On a generation this new that is expected: few examples have been driven further yet, so the timing says little about design or wear so far.
Before-you-buy checklist ↓At your mileage ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
How many miles does a 2019–2024 Kia Forte last?
The newest model years (2024) are too young to have reached high mileage; most reports with an odometer reading come from the earlier years of the generation.
Complaint records can’t measure how long a car lasts; they show when reported failures happened. On the 2019–2024 Kia Forte, half of the 111 complaints that record an odometer reading were filed by 11,000 miles and 90% by 94,000 miles.
2 reports came in past 150,000 miles and 1 past 200,000 — each one proof that a Forte reached that mileage, not that it failed there.
Figure 1 · Kia Forte 2019–2024 · 111 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 20,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 65 complaints.
- First 12,000 miles — 51% of all failures
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 1 complaints (0.9%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 1,000
- 25%
- 3,000
- Median
- 11,496
- 75%
- 41,023
- 90%
- 93,532
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–20,000 | 65 | 58.6% |
| 20,000–40,000 | 17 | 15.3% |
| 40,000–60,000 | 8 | 7.2% |
| 60,000–80,000 | 7 | 6.3% |
| 80,000–100,000 | 3 | 2.7% |
| 100,000–120,000 | 7 | 6.3% |
| 120,000–140,000 | 2 | 1.8% |
| 140,000–160,000 | 1 | 0.9% |
| 200,000+ | 1 | 0.9% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Common Forte problems, and when they happen
Figure 2 · Kia Forte 2019–2024
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Problems owners could not categorise92 reports7,000600–16,000Problems owners could not categorise: 92 reports, median 7,000 miles, middle half 600 to 16,000 miles.
- Transmission and driveline83 reports9,0003,000–25,000Transmission and driveline: 83 reports, median 9,000 miles, middle half 3,000 to 25,000 miles.
- Electrical system60 reports9,0002,000–50,000Electrical system: 60 reports, median 9,000 miles, middle half 2,000 to 50,000 miles.
- Steering38 reports10,0003,000–14,000Steering: 38 reports, median 10,000 miles, middle half 3,000 to 14,000 miles.
- Engine96 reports39,00013,000–73,000Engine: 96 reports, median 39,000 miles, middle half 13,000 to 73,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
All systems in a table
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 96 | 23.7% | 39,000 | 13,000–73,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 92 | 22.7% | 7,000 | 600–16,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 83 | 20.5% | 9,000 | 3,000–25,000 |
| Electrical system | 60 | 14.8% | 9,000 | 2,000–50,000 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 39 | 9.6% | — | — |
| Steering | 38 | 9.4% | 10,000 | 3,000–14,000 |
| Airbag system | 32 | 7.9% | — | — |
| Exterior lighting | 23 | 5.7% | — | — |
| Lane departure | 18 | 4.4% | — | — |
| Suspension | 15 | 3.7% | — | — |
System by system, in words
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 11,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The engine accounts for 23.7% of complaints (96 reports, 17 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 39,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 13,000 and 73,000 miles.
Problems owners could not categorise accounts for 22.7% of complaints (92 reports, 15 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 7,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 600 and 16,000 miles.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 20.5% of complaints (83 reports, 37 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 9,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 3,000 and 25,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 14.8% of complaints (60 reports, 12 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 9,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 2,000 and 50,000 miles.
The steering accounts for 9.4% of complaints (38 reports, 11 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 10,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 3,000 and 14,000 miles.
Known problems with the 2019–2024 Forte
Anti-Theft/Security 2019–2021
Keyed-ignition trims through MY2021 lack an engine immobilizer and are within the Kia theft-vulnerability population; immobilizers became standard equipment from MY2022, so 2022-2024 Fortes are not affected.
Transmission 2019–2020
IVT (Kia's continuously variable transmission, introduced on this generation) draws hesitation, shudder and delayed-engagement complaints, concentrated in the early years before calibration revisions.
Before you buy a 2019–2024 Forte: the 3-minute check
Generated from 111 mileage-tagged complaints, 7 recall campaigns, 2 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- A DO NOT DRIVE recall covers part of this generation. Run the VIN before you drive it home — the fix is free at an authorized dealer.
- Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 7 campaigns cover this generation; an open recall is a free repair you can make the seller's problem.
- Ask for problems owners could not categorise repair records. Reports on this area come at a median of 7,000 miles — a newer example may not have reached that mileage yet, so ask what was repaired under warranty and what the warranty still covers.
- Ask for transmission and driveline repair records. Reports on this area come at a median of 9,000 miles — a newer example may not have reached that mileage yet, so ask what was repaired under warranty and what the warranty still covers.
- Check anti-theft/security on 2019–2021 cars. Keyed-ignition trims through MY2021 lack an engine immobilizer and are within the Kia theft-vulnerability population; immobilizers became standard equipment from MY2022, so 2022-2024 Fortes are not affected.
- Check transmission on 2019–2020 cars. IVT (Kia's continuously variable transmission, introduced on this generation) draws hesitation, shudder and delayed-engagement complaints, concentrated in the early years before calibration revisions.
- Complaint reports are not spread evenly across model years here — see the by-model-year table below before you settle on a year.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer of a newer example: 51% of the reported failures occur in the first 12,000 miles, and many of these cars have not covered that yet. The early window may still be ahead, so check what the factory warranty still covers and whether any recall on the VIN is open.
On inspection, the engine and problems owners could not categorise are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. Problems owners could not categorise in particular shows a median failure mileage of 7,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
Forte problems by mileage: where your car sits
Type your odometer reading, or read the common mileages in the table. Your marker lands on the timing chart above and on the curve below.
| System | Middle half of reports, mi | At 60k mi81% below | At 90k mi89% below | At 120k mi96% below | At 150k mi98% below | At 200k mi99% below |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 13,000–73,000 | in window | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 600–16,000 | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Transmission and driveline | 3,000–25,000 | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Electrical system | 2,000–50,000 | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
| Steering | 3,000–14,000 | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier | earlier |
Figure 3 · Kia Forte 2019–2024 · 111 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 81% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 96% of reports below
- 200,000 mi — 99% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it above
The staircase tops out at 99%: the remaining 0.9% of reports (1) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
2019–2024 Kia Forte recalls (7)
NHTSA records 7 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
2 of these carry a severe advisory — NHTSA's do not drive or park outside warnings, which the agency applies only when it considers the risk immediate. If you own one of these vehicles, that is the first thing to check by VIN.
The campaigns cluster around the suspension (2), the steering (2), the airbag system (1). Several campaigns against one area can mean a remedy that did not hold, or separate defects in parts filed under the same heading; the summaries below name each defect.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Apr 2024 · 2023 · Suspension do not driveFront lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The defect. Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. The right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded, which can cause it to fail.
What can happen. Front lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The free fix. Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Dealers will replace the right front lower control arm, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed…
Sep 2023 · 2023 · Suspension do not driveFront lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The defect. Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. The right front lower control arm may have been improperly welded, which can cause it to fail.
What can happen. Front lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The free fix. Owners are advised not to drive their vehicles until the repair has been performed. Dealers will replace the right front lower control arm, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed…
Dec 2022 · 2023 · SteeringA loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash.
The defect. Kia America, Inc. (Kia) is recalling certain 2023 Forte vehicles. Due to a manufacturing error, the front left steering knuckle may crack, which can result in a loss of steering control.
What can happen. A loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash.
The free fix. Dealers will inspect and replace the front left steering knuckle, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 12, 2023. Owner may contact Kia customer service at…
May 2022 · 2021–2022 · SteeringLoss of steering control can increase the risk of a crash.
The defect. Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Rio and Forte vehicles. A bolt in the steering column may not be secured properly, which can cause the steering column to detach from the steering rack and result in a loss of steering control.
What can happen. Loss of steering control can increase the risk of a crash.
The free fix. Dealers will tighten the lower steering column u-joint retention bolt, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 27, 2022. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542.…
Mar 2021 · 2021 · Air BagsIn the event of a crash, deployment of the front passenger air bag, with a child in that seat, can increase…
The defect. Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2021 Telluride, K5, and Forte vehicles. The Occupant Classification and Detection System (OCS/ODS) unit may not detect the presence of a child restraint system in the front passenger seat. As such, these vehicles…
What can happen. In the event of a crash, deployment of the front passenger air bag, with a child in that seat, can increase the risk of injury to the child.
The free fix. Kia will notify owners, and dealers will replace the OCS/ODS unit, free of charge. The recall began March 18, 2021. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this…
Aug 2020 · 2019 · Power TrainA broken driveshaft can result in a sudden loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
The defect. Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Forte vehicles. The left front axle driveshaft may not have been heat-treated, which can cause it to break.
What can happen. A broken driveshaft can result in a sudden loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash.
The free fix. Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the left front axle driveshaft for a heat treatment verification code, and replace it if the code is missing, free of charge. The recall began…
Oct 2018 · 2019 · Exterior LightingIf the headlights are not properly aimed, the driver may have reduced visibility, increasing the risk of a…
The defect. Kia Motors America (Kia) is recalling certain 2019 Kia Forte vehicles equipped with LED headlights. The headlights may not have been manufactured with the correct low beam aiming. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor…
What can happen. If the headlights are not properly aimed, the driver may have reduced visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
The free fix. Kia will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the headlight aiming and replace the headlights, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 30, 2018. Owners may contact Kia customer…
Crashes, fires and injuries owners reported
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 405 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 51 (12.6%)
- Fires
- 11
- Injury reports
- 25
- Fatality reports
- 1
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Forte problems by model year
The 2019 drew the most complaints of this generation, 147, most of them about the transmission and driveline, and the 2024 the fewest, 25. A typical year drew about 65.
That makes the 2019 stand out at roughly 2.3 times a typical year. A count like this follows how many cars of each year were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as how often they failed, so it is not by itself evidence of a worse year; what each year's reports name, in its card and row, is the useful part.
| Year | Complaints | With mileage | Median miles | Most reported | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 147 | 68 | 10,000† | Transmission and driveline (47) | 2 |
| 2020 | 76 | 21 | under 30 reports | Problems owners could not categorise (26) | 0 |
| 2021 | 68 | 8 | under 30 reports | Engine (22) | 2 |
| 2022 | 27 | 4 | under 30 reports | Problems owners could not categorise (9) | 1 |
| 2023 | 62 | 7 | under 30 reports | Steering (14) | 3 |
| 2024 | 25 | 3 | under 30 reports | Problems owners could not categorise (9) | 0 |
What Forte owners reported
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while a friend was driving 65 MPH, the vehicle was pulling to the right. Suddenly, the vehicle bounced up and down, pulled over and crashed into a railing, and the driver was forced to stop the vehicle using the parking brake. The driver was unable to maintain…
2024 · 65,000 miles · Suspension
The contact owns a 2020 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bags warning light illuminated and then went off. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the air bag warning light was again illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an…
2020 · 110,000 miles · Airbag system
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made abnormal knocking sounds. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle later lost motive power while driving with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, and it…
2023 · 49,000 miles · Engine
The contact owns a 2024 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light was illuminated and the "all cylinders misfiring" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was bad fuel in the tank that…
2024 · 39,000 miles · Engine
Built from 111 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-09-26 · open data · how it is built
Other Forte generations
- Forte 2010–2013 592 reports with mileage, most about the engine
- Forte 2014–2018 660 reports with mileage, most about the engine