2023 Kia Forte
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Steering is the leading concern among 63 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 12th highest complaint count among 16 Forte model years with reports.
Of the 2023 reports, 11 involved a crash and 4 involved a fire. 5 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Suspension, front, control arm, lower armDo not drive until repairedApr 1, 2024
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.
Front lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
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 April 17, 2024. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC306. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 23V-649.
Campaign 24V244000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, front, control arm, lower armDo not drive until repairedSep 22, 2023
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.
Front lower control arm failure can cause a sudden loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
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 September 27, 2023. Owners may contact Kia customer service at 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC283.
Campaign 23V649000 on NHTSA.gov
Steering, linkages, knuckle, spindle, armDec 8, 2022
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.
A loss of steering control increases the risk of a crash.
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 1-800-333-4542. Kia's number for this recall is SC259.
Campaign 22V906000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: steering
14 reports, newest first. Show all
Steering, Suspension, Power train, Sep 6, 2026, crash
Unknown. During a basic collision Avoidance maneuver performed by myself on the highway at speed of aprox 60MPH the steering suddenly became non-responsive, resulting in my inability to maintain directional control and cause a collision. The vehicle continued traveling before coming to its final resting position. During this sequence, the driver-side front suspension assembly sustained a catastrophic separation before the impact The steering knuckle was no longer attached to the vehicle, the strut was broken, and the driver-side wheel/tire ultimately ended up underneath the vehicle when the vehicle finally come to a stop . During the event The driver-side axle shaft completely detached and somehow come out of the transaxle housing and was found a significant distance back along the roadway, a great distance back before the initial impact . indicating that it separated before the vehicle reached its final resting position. It is in my strongest opinion the maneuver itself could have potentially been cause of the catastrophic event. And is potentially why I could not maintain complete complete control of vehicle the whole time.
Steering, Air bags, May 29, 2026, crash
I was driving home, on my way while driving I approached a curve on my way around the curve my vehicle continued to accelerate to the right as I was going around the curve. I tried to redirect the vehicle back to the left by trying to turn the steering wheel towards the left but I could not control the direction of the way the vehicle continued on. Still trying to turn the steering wheel back towards the left it kept to the right and ran off the road into a tree. Also once impact occurred i don’t remember if the airbags deployed because my head was laying flat on the steering wheel. Once the emergency services arrived I was accessed and removed from the vehicle and transported to the hospital emergency. There were no warning lights or messages what so ever ahead of the accident. A claim with the insurance was filed and also a complaint with the Kia manufacturer was filed. At this time no one has accessed the damages of the vehicle, State Farm has the vehicle at this time.
Steering, Other or unspecified, Jan 7, 2026, crash
Unknown Concerning the front passenger steering component. Carfax showed prior accident with minor damage to the front passenger bumper. I purchased the car not long ago and and was hit in the same exact spot. When I looked up the VIN for more information online I came across the safety issue with some other 2023 forte. I'm concerned that my vehicle could possibly have the same issue though it's not showing up right now under recall.
Steering, Structure, Vehicle speed control, Dec 4, 2025, crash, fire
My father was in a fatal vehicle accident in which the car was going very fast and then he crashed into a building. The car then started on fire. The black box was unable to be recovered to check car function. There were no medical findings
Steering, Suspension, May 14, 2025
Clunking when going over bumps especially when turning into a driveway. Started at about 20,000 miles along with excessive clicking when turning the steering wheel.
Steering, Engine, Forward collision avoidance, Jan 7, 2025
Recently I purchased a 2023 Kia Forte on 11/09/2024 with only 53,848 miles on the odometer. Within a month the car has lost total power four times. The Advanced Driver Assistance Systems keeps faulting and kicks in taking drive control of the vehicle making it challenging to control. The current miles on the vehicle is 58,281. When I called in to have the vehicle serviced through a Kia dealership, they indicated the earliest date to bring it in is on 01/23/24, I am on the schedule for 7 am. I also contacted Kia Corporate office today 01/07/24 to inform them of the issue being that it is still under the manufacture warranty up till 60,000 after filing a complaint with them I began researching the vehicle on Google which led me here to NHTSA website there are numerous complaints that have had similar issues. This is a major problem as it puts my life in grave danger as well as others if this should occur while in traffic. The car loosing all power could cause a major accident. The Advanced Driver Assistance Systems kicking in without warning or cause takes away the ability to control the vehicle this could also cause a major accident. Why are these vehicles still being sold with these kinds of safety issues that could cause loss of life if an accident was to occure. Clearly this is a poorly manufactured vehicle and there needs to be a recall or some recourse for the consumers who have been sold these death traps. I have only acquired 4,433 miles on this vehicle since purchasing it on 11/09/24, and I should not be worrying about these kind of safety concern. Please advise
Steering, Suspension, Jul 25, 2024
2023 Kia Forte LXS drives unsteady requiring continuous correction of Steering: feels excessive bumpiness/bounciness in the front end with subtle abnormal sideways movement (as if drifting away or swaying). It also feels the vehicle has subtle but sudden shaky movements and looseness in the wheel leading up to steering but no vibration. This is felt at both slow speed and highway speed. Dealership Service Dept. has already checked the wheels alignment, balancing and suspension, and found them to be okay. To me, the symptoms suggest faulty Steering System such as Steering linkage or steering column. However Dealership now refuses to acknowledge the issue calling it a normal function of the vehicle. Every time I drive the vehicle, it feels unsafe. Dealership also does not accept my requests to investigate the steering system. In fact they shut the door at my face.
Steering, Apr 23, 2024
Car has steering issues. When driving on flat straight roads steering wheel will slightly tighten and start to pull to the right. This happens about 70% of the time. Resistance on the steering wheel is needed in order for the car not to drive off the road or into another vehicle. It is hard keep the car in the lanes at times. Car was kept in the shop for 4+ months and verified by the dealership that there was an alignment issue. It has had 5+ alignments. Dealerships have not fixed the issue, but are now saying the car is driving as designed. Alignment has been done by a different dealership two more times after they said, the car was driving as designed. There are recalls on this car for steering issues, but I was told my vin is not associated.
Steering, Suspension, Apr 6, 2024
Front lower control arm recalled since September 2023. As of April 2024 recall not remedied dispite multiple visits to the dealership and contacting Kia directly.
Steering, Oct 4, 2023
New 2023 Kia Forte LXS (barely 1020 miles) steering wheel feels stiffer and steering the car becomes challenging when driving at or above 45 mph with lane-assist feature set to 'Warning only'. Vehicle starts to steer away (wander) automatically. This issue is subtle when driving at lower speed such as 20 -30 mph. Passengers in the back seat felt unsafe including the driver at the time of this occurrence. I emailed the dealer twice but didn't hear back for 2-3 weeks. Then I called dealer to vent out the frustration over the issue then they asked me to visit the Service center for inspection of the problem. Right from the beginning, service dept. was in denial of such an issue after test driving the car. In the first visit, they checked the wheel alignment which was OKAY. In the second visit, they sent me back saying no appointments were available. In third appointment the technician turned blind-spot feature to 'warning only' and sent me back. So far these visits or appointments were atleast a week or more apart. I drove the vehicle again with the damn features off such as Blind-Spot, Lane-assist still the issue persists with steering wheel being felt stiffer at higher speed and softer or loose at lower speed. I have another car, the steering wheel of which remains softer when driving at 50 mph or more however the new 2023 Kia Forte does not.
Steering, Electrical system, Aug 15, 2023
My car was broken into and the anti theft system failed to protect my car. The entire steering column is damaged as well as a window.
Steering, Forward collision avoidance, Aug 10, 2023
Car has a steering/pull issue. Car will pull to the right when driving on a flat straight road. Steering wheel will tighten up and then the pull starts to occur. Resistance must be applied in order to keep the car on the road. The lane keep safety feature has to be turned completely off or car will jerk back due to the pull issue. The pull issue becomes more noticeable after taking right turns. Car was taken to dealership with around 500miles on the car due to this issue. Dealership has attempted to fix this issue 5 times and each time said it was a alignment issue and was fixed. On the 6th time they said it’s normal and that’s how this car drives. Car was kept at the dealership for over 2 months straight with confirmation that it has a pull. Every time the car has been in the shop they have acknowledged the pull. During this time the emergency brake has activated twice while driving around 40mph for no reason.
Steering, Jun 23, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Forte. The contact stated while pulling out of the driveway and making a left turn, there was an abnormal clunking sound coming from underneath the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and test driven the vehicle and diagnosed but no issue was found. However, the contact stated that the failure reoccurred increasingly while making left turns with a clunking sound coming from the floorboard. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V906000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80.
Steering, May 8, 2023
Issue seems to be with the steering of the car. It is very stiff and difficult to maneuver. Steering needs to be hold tightly to keep car in the lane, else car keeps on going towards the right side. I took the car to service center as well and they also acknowledged the problem and as per my understanding they fixed some steering angle issue. But, issue is still persisting and I tried to take the appointment but seems like no Kia service center has appointment available before one month. Requesting to look into this issue so that it can be fixed or I can return the car.