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
63 reports, newest first.
Power train, Apr 29, 2025
Catastrophic clutch pressure plate failure - while attempting to shift into gear, teeth on clutch pressure plate sheared horizontally when interacting with input shaft. No indicators appeared when failure originally occurred, only grinding sound when clutch pedal is depressed. Malfunction occurred at a stoplight leading to traffic blockage and no major safety risk. However due to nature of failure if issue occurred at speed there would have been immediate loss of power from engine to drivetrain, causing car to "coast" in effectively neutral until stopped. Vehicle has since been inspected and serviced with appropriate parts replaced by Kia certified technician at a dealer. Failure point was unable to be verified at the time and unknown if able to be replicated.
Suspension, Exterior lighting, Engine, Feb 7, 2025
The oil in the engine constantly sludges even with regular maintenance with full synthetic oil, I went over a pot hole and two of the rear lights went out and won’t go back on even after replacing bulbs and wiring harness, and the worst of all is the suspension, the lower control arm and the trailing arm both have gone out after only 20k miles of light mostly highway driving, this car offers nothing but problems it’s no surprise that they discontinued the model it’s an absolute nightmare. I bought it brand new and it feels like I’m going to die in it, every speed bump or pot hole I go over feels and sounds like I’m hitting a wall, I’ve replaced the ball joints and am thinking about replacing the control arms because I’m worried they are going to break. I completely understand that living in San Fernando valley there are worse road conditions than usual but I’ve never had a car fall apart like this from driving out here. What’s worse is even after having to have parts replaced with OEM parts IMMEDIATELY the replacement parts are beginning to wear out, I can’t go over speed bumps that are higher than a few inches without scraping the bottom of the car because the car is riding low, I suspect the coils and struts are also already going out also, just the most terribly engineered vehicle, I don’t know if it’s due to something that should be recalled but it absolutely feels like it is to me and I know many other people are suffering through the same issues with their fortes.
Lane departure, Feb 3, 2025
The contact rented a 2023 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving approximately 75 MPH, the contact noticed that the Lane Keep Assist was following the lines on the right side of the vehicle, causing the vehicle to veer towards an exit several times. The contact was able to steer the vehicle back into the correct lane. The rental company was notified of the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. The VIN was not available.
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
Power train, Jan 3, 2025
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Forte. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, another vehicle was driving on the incorrect side of the road coming towards the contact head-on. While attempting to avoid crashing into the other vehicle, the contact swerved over to the side of the road and drove downhill. The contact then heard a loud thud, and the vehicle became undriveable. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the clutch assembly needed to be placed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.
Other or unspecified, Nov 22, 2024
The vehicle has 20k miles and just shut down while going 40 miles per hour. It just turned off. There were no codes or warning lights. The dealership said they had could not find anything wrong and though they suspected what was wrong they could not prove it and so could not get reimbursed for the repair and wouldn’t do it. Why does a new car shut off while going to miles per hour, that is scary to drive. If it happens at the wrong place or time I and others could be in danger.
Structure, Aug 18, 2024, crash
I walked out to my car and I noticed there were scratches and dents that weren’t there that morning. I park in a carport in my apartment, and the only vehicle that could’ve possibly hit mine would be the GMC Yukon who parks in the carport next to me. Their car is completely wrecked on the back, so although there are scratches that match the damage to my car, they could easily say they didn’t do it. However, their back drivers side window is replaced with black tape, and their passenger side mirror is blown off as well. These 2 damages blocked their vision of my vehicle, which explains why they are responsible for the damages. The tags on their vehicle have been expired for 2 years as well.
Electrical system, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Aug 9, 2024
My safety system keeps malfunctioning. I am unable to use safety features, blinkers, hazards and gauges of speed, gas and rpm go to zero. I have taken my car several time to the Kia dealership in Arlington Texas and they keep giving me the run around with my concern. They say that don't have codes that validate a problem. I have shown them video and pictures of what happens and they refuse to help me. My complete dash will light up and all my warning signs are in and blinking and bell is going off. Systems of failure had been taking place for a year now and I don't know what else to do. I had a recall done on my new car at the location and since then I e been dealing with this safety issue.
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.
Suspension, Apr 29, 2024
My brand new 2023 Kia Forte LXS (Koa the Kia)'s lower right control arm is completely broken, the rack & pinion inner tie rod end is bent, as well has damage to bottom coverage panel, right side rims scratches and scratched under bumper paint from collapse. In March of 2024, the vehicle completely collapsed on the road, and felt like the car was dangerously floating. By the good grace of God, my children and I made it home safely. I was not aware of how tremendous the damages were, until MaxCare directed me to have a tow company transport my new vehicle to a manufacturer, Ed Voles Kia in Atlanta, GA, where the right tire was completely disconnected from the vehicle. Ed Voyles Kia has had the vehicle since the collapse, and has been inspected with an invoice for future references. The vehicle would make loud popping noises, depending on the steering wheels position while operating the vehicle. I took it upon myself to get the issue checked out in Little Rock, AR at Landers Kia in February 2024, personally thinking it was the brakes (though just purchased). Other than unappealing noises, and a floating feeling while driving, there were no other warnings to anticipate such a grueling tragedy.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed during a rainstorm, she became aware that the windshield wiper was sticking and failed to adequately clear away water from the windshield, severely reducing visibility. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 10,000.
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.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 13, 2024
The check engine light turned on when starting the car. The car was shaking and running rough. The car was towed to the dealership and cylinder misfire was detected. Since the car is less than a year old and around 6000 miles, this needs to be addressed by the company. This accident happening while the car was on the road could have caused serious injuries and concerns.
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.
Other or unspecified, Forward collision avoidance, Mar 5, 2024
Auto Emergency Breaking & Forward Collision Warning: Yes it available for inspection ASAP My safety was risk, while driving on the freeway I was staying in my lane driving and all of a sudden it said Forward Collision: warning when passing a vehicle that was driving in the next lane to the right , then immediately the auto emergency brakes turned on and once it did that I had trouble with steering the vehicle it felt as if it was pulling me to the right lane where the vehicle next to me was driving. Then following moments when stepping on gas peddle it vibrates, puts the other driver at risk if we crashed due to the malfunction.
Electrical system, Engine, Feb 11, 2024
Driving down the road and the car will quit running and will take 20-30 for it to start again and now won’t start at all and it quit running while driving at Hyway speeds 10 times and could have been hit by other vehicles
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Jan 29, 2024
My 2023 Kia Forte keeps automatically braking and coming to a complete stop when pulling out of a parking space. It does it in drive and in reverse. On January 4, 2024 I was pulling out of a parking spot on the road and when my front end was completely in the road the car came to a complete stop and I came very close to causing a collision with another vehicle. I’ve had it to the dealership for service 4 times and they duplicated the problem on my first visit and told me they feel my car stopped because it detected a curb and their resolution was to turn off the front end collision assistance safety feature. On the 3rd visit they said my tires did not even roll because I had snow in my wheel wells and that’s why my car stops but my wheels roll I drove my car there. On January 27, 2024 I dropped my car off to another service center who as of today still has my car and they are looking into - car automatically braking/stopping - front end collision assistance failure - blind spot warning lights lighting up and car beeping while on a two lane road - and another attempt to repair back passenger window not rolling down This car is very dangerous for me and my children to ride in and dangerous for other vehicles and passengers as it automatically stops with no warning and no reason . Below I will put the first date it was in for service for these issues as I was unaware I should have wrote down each date this has happened but it has happened many times.
Power train, Jan 18, 2024
The car will shift to reverse but it will not reverse. It will not move at all
Engine, Jan 5, 2024, fire
The car caught fire on the highway. Per firemen there was a problem with the engine and fuel and it caught fire in under 3 minutes...
Lane departure, Dec 13, 2023
My Lane keep assist in my 2023 Kia Forte GT Line does not function as intended. It frequently pulls me into the lane with oncoming traffic as well as the lanes next to me. I'm unable to pinpoint when, where or why but I do know it typically happen in one spot of my town but everywhere else seems random. It's incredibly dangerous.
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.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Oct 2, 2023
While driving my 2023 Kia Forte GT My Driver Side door came unlatched. The door was locked and fully closed when this happened while turning from the 2nd Street bridge to E Main Street in Louisville, KY which is a busy road at times. I was going about 10-15mph at about 11:15ish, temp was around 70 degrees F when this happened and the car started to set off the warnings. I don't know what caused this to happen considering the door(s) were locked when I started to drive 15 minutes prior. There was nothing in the door frame or latch that could've made this happen.
Air bags, Sep 26, 2023, crash
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The Airbsgs failed to deploy when I was hit on my driver side by a car going going between 45-50 miles an hour. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My safety was out at risk because my airbags did not deploy and I hit my head on the B pillar and was jolted from my seat and the time of impact. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? I am not sure. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, not yet. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No there was 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.
Lane departure, Aug 14, 2023, crash
The contact owns a 2023 Kia Forte. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed when the vehicle inadvertently merged to the right lane while the lane assist feature was active. The contact stated that lane assist feature failed to alert her that the vehicle had merged. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a guard rail. The air bags deployed. The contact sustained injury to her right arm, cuts and abrasions and an air bag rash on her chest. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000. The VIN was unavailable.