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.
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.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 14, 2023
I have been driving my car, utilizing the Adaptive Cruise Control, and on a few occasions, have received a 'Check Forward Safety System' error message. Additionally, when utilizing the Adaptive Cruise Control, my vehicle does not recognize the vehicle in the lane directly in front of me, but instead, will recognize the vehicle in the lane to the left of me, as though it is in front of me (i.e. - my car has slowed down and/or initiated emergency braking when unnecessary). I contacted the dealership today, July 14th, to schedule an appointment, and they said the soonest they could see me is July 24th. This is unsafe because when the vehicle has initiated emergency braking, if someone is close enough behind me, they WILL run into me. And it has happened when I have been on the interstate (75mph) as well as local streets (40mph). Prior to this beginning to happen within the last couple of weeks, there were not any signs, warning lamps, etc. to provide a warning.
Visibility/wiper, Jul 10, 2023
I’m an owner of a brand new a 2023 Kia for less than one year. While driving home from work which is 8 miles drive on a Friday, while sitting at a red light I heard a crack or pop to see that my windshield had spontaneously cracked on the driver side. When I got home, I measured it to be 8 inches, starting at the frame. It’ll probably need replacing as opposed to repair. It is and always has been garage kept.
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.
Back over prevention, Jun 12, 2023
The 2023 Kia Forte LXS model rear camera often fails to identify people, objects, or other vehicles presenting a hazard to vehicles that are backing up. It fails to identify people and vehicles in the blindspots and is quite unreliable leading to several serious close calls in the vehicle. Due to construction of the vehicle it is important to have these features working correctly but they do not work correctly in the rear camera. This is especially true if it is night, if it is sunny, cloudy, or if there is precipitation. It also happens under normal driving conditions as well. These failures render the safety feature hazardous as they mislead a driver into believing that they are safe when using the camera and warnings as a secondary feature to assist looking around the vehicle. Even when looking back physically due to certain blindspots and using the camera features to augment this activity it often fails again causing many close calls and creating potentially hazardous situations especially when backing up in parking lots or garages, in driveways, and on the street.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Jun 11, 2023
Never been in a accident on my second engine and had the transmission replaced now I have oil in my coolant and my screen stoped working but think it’s grime be dealership be I took it some ware and there found wires that was cut
Exterior lighting, Visibility/wiper, May 29, 2023
The headlights and rain don’t mix at all I can’t see 3 feet i from it me and the wipers don’t clear the windshield fast enough they need to have led bulbs or design a new headlight
Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, May 21, 2023
The car is slamming on breaks at random no warning it is going to cause a reck a 18 wheeler almost killed us that was behind us. And I can be driving down the road and the wheel try to jerk me into another lane. This car is not safe. But is not having any warning lights going off that anything is wrong
Power train, May 19, 2023
I’ve had my car at the dealer four times now within the first 10k miles to get its FOURTH transmission replacement. Kia will not replace the transmission with a brand new one however settles for used refurbished transmissions with Used parts. Which have been failing on average of 1000 to 1500 miles later
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.
Power train, Mar 8, 2023
I have had two transmission replacements within the first 6000 miles on the vehicle. And now the 3rd transmission is whining after only 600 miles.
Air bags, Feb 26, 2023, crash
Vehicle was involved in an accident. No air bags were deployed. Vehicle was declared a total loss. Have reached out to KIA manufacturing regarding issue.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Dec 20, 2022, crash
Good morning, I want to report extreme safety concerns about my KIA Forte GT - Line 2023.When I first came home with the car days later the car shut off in the middle of the street while driving just one house up from my house. I attempted to turn it back on and the car would not turn back on and it automatically proceeded to call roadside assistance.I immediately informed the dealership. The car often hesitates, fails to shift and turns completely off. Last Sunday on December 11, 2022 I was about to get on the Roosevelt Boulevard expressway while I was on a street which is a hill that leads me to the expressway going about a reasonable distance. My car proceeded to roll backwards on the hill. I immediately thought to myself this is a huge safety concern. The incident that occurred on December 13,2022 in front of my house was a dealbreaker for me. I was moving my car from my home driveway , I put my car in reverse and moved my steering wheel the opposite to go right with my foot slightly on the gas my car would not move. The transmission light , battery lights and other lights came on. My car then said reverse,neutral then reverse again. I did not change gears to neutral. Still my car would not move. Shortly after I put my foot on the brake because I saw a white car speed behind me very fast. I kept my foot on the brake until the coast was clear and the white car disappeared.After that my car immediately goes backwards at full speed ( Jumps out of gear accelerated then stalled) and hits a parked car which damages the back of my car.I called KIA roadside assistance because I was turned off by the car and I did not feel like it was safe to drive and it needed to be towed. The incident happened in front of my house but it could have happened anywhere and cause even more damage to me and someone else. I talked to [XXX] on the phone a day after my car arrived at the dealership and she immediately stated that KIA can not fix any damages. My car needs to go to a INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).